Px-560 noisy keys anyone?

[Jokeyman123]

First-I want to be clear, I love this PX560 and am very impressed with its capabilities and sound quality-an amazing instrument. I am practicing jazz and classical repertoire every day, have created many multi-track compositions in the last week or so and have created a few simple tones using the synth capabiliites, really nice and I have owned a truckload of keyboards for decades to compare this to (well maybe not that long). However-and keep in mind I am a bit obsessive and have extremely sensitive hearing-I was smart enough to use earplugs for many years when I sensed my hearing was being "challenged" I have been "a little" annoyed by what seemed like a little more clunking in the keys than I wanted to hear. Still quieter than other piano actions I've played, but there was still something i thought wasn't right. So......being the nut that tore his PX350 apart.....ah well.  and i discovered something that might be very useful to others here, if you are losing sleep over this. I lifted the top (see my other post about how to do this) undid the screws that hold the keyboard assembly to the bas-I did not remove it. I lifted the back end up just enough to discover why this clunks. Underneath the keyframe, where the bottom strip of foam rests against the bottom of the case is-yes, nothing. so when the keys return on key release-the entire foam strip-and it is thicker, more well designed on the PX560-is resting on the very thin section of the bottom of the case. it is so thin, I can push it with my finger and it flexes very easily. Now screw a rather heavy keyboard assembly on top of this, and there is nothing to stop the keyboard hammer from transmitting its sound directly through the felt and foam strip into the entire plastic bottom and sides of the Casio. I placed it on a soft bunch of cushions and that's how i realized why this clunks.

 

I have a roll of grey  (1/8" thick by 1 inch wide) felt weatherstripping I was using for my doorframes-and this was the perfect solution. I raised the keyframe off the bottom cover just enough to get 2 long continuous strip of this-I cut 2 pieces-easier to work with, 1 piece for lower octaves and 1 for upper octaves underneath the keyframe where it now rests between the bottom of the case inside and the underpart of the keys, directly under the bottom strip that the fulcrum arms hit upon key return. I took no pictures as I didn't have much time. and again, do not do this if your PX is under warranty and of course unless you are annoyed at excessive key noise and are competent enough to do this. The results to me at least are pretty amazing-it quieted the keys tremendously, and surprisingly key down and return are both quieter. I am convinced the thin bottom of the base, with the felts directly resting on the thinnest part of the bottom of the case caused this noise. I used to mod cars, this is easier...and cheaper too. I am cheapness.

[AlenK]

Nice detective work and nice fix. Thanks for informing the forum. 

 

(A few cents more spent by Casio originally and you would not have had to do this.)

[Jokeyman123]

Thanks Alenk-makes me smile that I can help, there are probably quite a few Casio friends that will never be able to access professional service in their countries or even here in the US without shipping across the country-I think of that when I do this, not to dis Casio. And yes-although I can see by the construction-it would be difficult to implement in such a compact and lightweight digital board. If the buffering foam and felt were thicker (as is mine now) it would make the entire assembly taller although compressed with screws it seems to fit back together no problem. One of the solutions would have been to make the entire bottom a little thicker and possibly damp the entire bottom part of the case inside with acoustic felt or some similar material-again in mass production I guess Casio would have to create a totally new step and equipment in the assembly process to do this-but I like the idea! or just assemble it like I did-with a thick layer of felt under the entire keybed. I guess having modified cars in my youth-this is kind of like trying to turn a stock car into something even better. a supercharged PX560.

 

And no rest for you AlenK!....I just posted something else in the PX560 posts about looping envelopes-I have been on fire since I got the PX560. The hex layers are reminding me of the depth I can achieve with my SY77-without a doctorate in acoustics and FM synthesis! I can conjure up complex sounds in record time with the hex layers.  And when bored with programming-just switch on that beautiful concert grand and whew! The SY never had a an acoustic piano like that, or anything else I've played-Coakley's perfect piano came close as did the Generalmusic acoustic grand, and the Kurzweil was good, but this is amazing. Had to wait a couple of decades but....if you have any ideas about simulating envelope loops on the PX560-I know it can't be done, yet. But it would be a very nice firmware update (Mike Martin anybody? Brad?)

[mike71]

As I have written before, putting an MDF board (IKEA furniture spare) under my PX-5S made the clunky sound less noticeable, so your explanation seems reasonable. Maybe putting some sound dampening material underside the keyboard securing it with the threaded hole designed to the Casio stand should do the work without having to open the keyboard.

 

[HOWARDDLX]

Jokeman123, I got a PX560 last year and, though I love the sounds on it, the keybed noise drives me nuts.

im really curious as to how you fixed this but I’m a little confused as to how you were able to add foam to limit the key noise. You had another post on how to take apart a PX350 but I was also kind of lost on how to do this.

is there any chance you could post some pictures or a video on how to do this?

[Jokeyman123]

I'll  see if I have pictures but this was awhile ago, not an easy job.

 

First challenge is getting the entire PX560 apart which if under warranty-after one year I think yours is-you will void that. Even if not, unless you are pretty skilled mechanically and otherwise, don't do this. Once you've removed the top control panel and speakers-necessary to get the key assembly out enough to get the felt underneath-study to see which screws hold the key assembly in place-all these screw anchors are plastic, and are easily stripped if you aren't careful not to cross-thread or over-tighten when re-assembling.

 

Something else very important-not only will the keys clunk on return-which is what this fix is about-you might hear a nasty clunk on initial strike-when the hammers are first hitting up above, on an entirely separate strip of cushioning felt that can also wear.  I have quieted that part in a similar way, an even more difficult mod won't detail it here. Make sure you can hear which sound is the offending one-is it on key release (bottom strip under the key assembly) or upon your original keystroke downward-felt strip is above the keys where the hammer first hits?

 

I trained years ago as a keyboard/computer tech and learned electronics and assembly/disassembly skills. Even though I did not pursue this professionally-decided not to go on the road where the work would have been touring with music groups-this has always been an "avocation"-more than a passing interest although playing has always been forefront.  I always had a fascination with electronics and mechanicals, one of my earliest toys was a broken Remco crystal radio I repaired with a mike and speaker for-annoying my parents and neighbors. I think was 8 or so years old, who knew I'd still be fixing other's throw-away stuff!!!! 

Looked a little like below, mine was even better with an attached microphone and was somebody else's throwaway. I still have one-but its an ICOM professional ham transceiver-cost me a little more dinero....and was not somebody else's "throwaway"-and has the attached microphone-again to annoy the neighbors once i get that 50-foot beam in the air and can push 1000 watts linear-but that's another user group.....

 

Keyboards and other electronic musical instruments have been an adventure, seeing technology evolve and improve over the years-and sometimes lately not improving but stepping back to more cheaply made but still costly-not accusing Casio-I see this in several brands and construction. Buyer beware.

 

I discovered recently one manufacturer-after research on the internet and in several user groups-outsourcing some of their more expensive workstations/digital piano key assemblies to a cheaper, more plasticky design. I was about to buy one and did my "due diligence". I respect manufacturers too much to say who-I'm always cautious about how something is put together before I put my money out. Not that a plastic design is necessarily a bad thing, how manufacturers have lightened up the weight on many 88-key assemblies which i welcome-but this particular design-does not instill me with confidence once I saw how the key was assembled to the frame. Most people won't care or understand, but before I buy a car/motorcycle/refrigerator-or keyboard-I try to look "under the hood" first if I can. My mother's  expensive refrigerator for example-a major brand-caused nothing but trouble and had to have a repair technician in more than once. For a 2000+ dollar name brand, it should at least work, I hate eating rotten food......but if I'm hungry enough....😛

Edited March 21, 2023 by Jokeyman123