Clacky keys and now the sound of the keyboard is altered - only a few days of warranty left!

[vbdx66]

Hello everybody,

 

When I bought my CT-X almost two years ago I had an issue with clacky keys. I was not happy since this happened just a few days after the trial period during which I could have sent the keyboard back for a refund. It was just too late to do this so, after having sent them a short video to show off the problem, I shipped the keyboard to Casio’s repairing service here in France.

 

A week later, I got the keyboard shipped back to my home, supposedly repaired, but in fact the problem remained as such, which didn’t quite surprised me because the repairing unit  kept the keyboard an hour at the most so they couldn’t have done much to solve the problem. I didn’t insist because a few days later I had to go to Belgium with my husband for one month.

When we were back in France, unfortunately, a few days later, my husband had a stroke and we had a very difficult time until he finally passed away last Augustus. In the meantime, as you know, we had the pandemic so everything was really difficult.

 

All this to say that I could scarcely play the keyboard until very recently. Yesterday I noticed that on top of clacky keys, one of these keys has another, ore significant issue: the sound of that note (the C above middle C I guess) is altered to the point where it becomes unpleasant to play.

 

Unfortunately my warranty is valid only until the 21st of February could you please advise me what I should do? I want the keyboard either to be really repaired and fully functional again, or to be replaced.

 

Thanks for helping,

 

Vinciane

Edited February 17, 2021 by vbdx66

[ConfusedRedditor16]

Ohh, it expires this week? That sounds terrible, I hope they give you a replacement, the 2nd octave e on my month old ct-x9000in is also a little clackier than the other keys, makes me worried about how good it'll hold up

[Mike Martin]

Vinciane,

I'm sorry to hear about the trouble you're having - and so terribly sorry to hear about your husband. 

 

So the answer is simple. Your warranty is about to expire, so you need to contact a Casio warranty service center now and notify them of them issue. 

[vbdx66]

Thanks @Mike Martin. I’ll try to do that tomorrow and I hope they’ll consider the problem seriously because the first time they didn’t help much.

Is there a list with all Casio repair centres in Europe? I am located in France.

How do you guys think that I should explain them the problem in such a way that they take it into consideration?

Also I am afraid that until I got an answer to my request, my warranty will expire. If I send a request while the warranty is still valid, am I entitled to assistance even if help comes after the warranty deadline?

 

Thanks for helping,

 

Vinciane

[Mike Martin]

My ability to read French is limited. 

 

From the Casio Europe site I found this - https://www.casio-europe.com/fr/assistance/reparations/instruments-de-musique/#tab

[vbdx66]

Thanks @Mike Martin I found the site in the meantime.

I have one question: I thought the last day for the warranty was the 21st but it is today the 17th of February. If I send my request before midnight Paris hour, will it be taken into consideration?

Edited February 17, 2021 by vbdx66

[vbdx66]

OK, so I sent them an email explaining the problem and included the original invoice as well as a request for repair.

 

There is still more than on the hour before midnight here, so if my email was sent before midnight with am I still covered by the two year warranty?

 

Also, who is supposed to pay the keyboard shipping in this case?

 

Thanks,

 

Vinciane

Facture Casio CT-X800 Baudoux.pdf NikkenTechnoFrance-enregistrement2102170011.pdf

Edited February 17, 2021 by vbdx66
Adding attachments

[ConfusedRedditor16]

Ohh, good luck, and could explain a little more about what trouble the middle c key is causing? The tone sounds distorted? I've played some old casio ctks at my teacher's place, so I knew how clacky those things get, but haven't read about this problem online 

[vbdx66]

Well the sound - notably the piano sounds - is strongly distorted. Since this is only one C note I guess that it has something to do with touch sensitivity being damaged, if something were wrong with the chip all notes would be distorted.

I sent the repairing service an email and I strongly hope that they’ll answer positively to my request, we’ll see...

 

[vbdx66]

Hi guys, here’s an update on my situation.

 

Today, I got an answer per email from the repair facility and I can ship them the keyboard free of charge for repairing, this is already a good point.

 

I hope that they will either be able to really repair the keyboard (because th first time in 2019 they didn’t solve the problem of clacky keys at all) or that I will get a replacement. I personally think that a keyboard with a non-functional C key and some clacky keys is not fully usable.

 

By the way, could someone please tell me how the keys of a 61-keys keyboard are properly labelled so that I can precisely point out to them the faulty C key and the other clacky keys?

 

Thanks for helping,

 

Vinciane

[IanB]

Just in general, service engineers want as clear a description as possible which cannot be misinterpreted. I would use something like "counting from the left only the white keys, it is the 30th white key, which is a C". You could even put an easily removable adhesive sticker on it. I would also specify "please check the condition of all the keys". Having worked as an engineer, the best thing anyone can offer is clarity when explaining a problem. If you are unsure whether some information is useful, provide it anyway. Put it all in writing, by email.

 

For example, don't just say "the x key is the problem". The engineer may just play it and a sound comes out and go "that's fine" (he's working to deadlines under pressure). Specify that the action is the problem, the sound the action makes, etc.

[vbdx66]

@IanB Thanks 🙏 

[Jokeyman123]

I use black or white utility "crayon" pens to mark my work, an ordinary crayon would work-and can be easily erased when done. I'd put a nice big "X" on whatever key or keys is giving you a problem. I do this myself when I need to remember and locate keyboard keys, connectors, screws I've disassembled and "you are here' signs when in the Mall-which hasn't been for awhile with this pandemic.........    

[vbdx66]

Neat idea thanks 🙂

[ConfusedRedditor16]

Do tell us when it comes back from casio

[vbdx66]

Hi actually I shipped the keyboard only today because I had mor urgent problems to sort out (notably which my best friend broke both her cuffs and I am trying to help her and her 81 years old mother as best as I can).

 

I marked the faulty keys, I enclosed a letter in the keyboard box for the engineers and sent a copy of this letter by email to the repair service with a copy of the videos I recorded the first time this problem occurred, two years ago ; I am reposting those here. I also suggested that they phone me when the keyboard arrives at the repair shop, I hope they will do it.

 

Since the repair service agreed to take the keyboard back while it was still under full warranty, if they do not succeed to repair it (they did not the firs time round), am I entitled to a refund or a replacement from Casio? I know these keyboards are not that expensive but a new keyboard would be off budget for me right now.

 

I’ll do an update when the keyboard comes back.

 

Vinciane

 

[Casiofun]

Sounds like you could have a sensor issue. Sound distortion isn't normally caused by noisy keys. I have owned quite a few Casio products and all of them have had noisy keys. They play fine however no sound distortion. The keys on my CTX 5000 are noisy but I play with headphones so it doesn't bother me. I also have a PX330 I bought used to play piano apps on my iPad. It has one noisy key and isn't in great shape cosmetically but plays fine. The keys are noisy compared to my CTX-5000 but they are weighted and I expect that. The PX330 is an old model from 2009.

[faz726]

Running along the front edge of the keyboard, under the white keys, are 36 vertically placed plastic strips separated by about 1 mm. I can't remember their exact size but roughly 3 by 2 cm wide. They are there to prevent sideways movement of the white keys. When the felt strip wears down  groves appear in it . The grooves become deeper around c4, c5 mainly because of extra usage. The result of the deepening grooves is that the underside of the affected key makes contact with the top edge of one of these plastic strips. Applying grease to the top edge will only delay the problem, not cure it. The felt strip can be removed, rotated 180 degrees lengthways, and replaced. This should allow the keys to hit an unused part of the felt. On my ctk-6200 there were two felt strips - one black one at the front and a white strip further back. The front strip can be clearly seen between the white keys and the front edge (where the drum icons etc are printed). With a rounded blunt knife you can feel it. My gut feeling is that the vertical height of theses 36 strips (which are one long piece by the way) need to be reduce by about 3 mm. This can't possibly affect their primary function i.e. preventing sideways key movement but might just allow the key to dig further into the felt without making that plastic to plastic noise. It should take years for the key to punch it's way completely through the felt. As far as the grease is concerned, this is to prevent the key from scrapping on the side of these vertical strips. Applying it to the top edge will do nothing. Maybe increasing the front edge felt thickness could solve the problem. I'm thinking out loud here. What do others think?

[Casiofun]

Yes the felt compresses over time from being struck repeatedly. If you have a weighted action Casio the metal hammer strikes 2 felt strips that run the length of the keybed. You get clakity keys when these felt strips compress from repeated hits of the metal hammers on the felt. Casio is also noisy because the plastic case conducts the sound of the hammer striking the felt. They actually used to use foam weather stripping with felt glued over it. This is what gave the key some bounce on its return. 

[vbdx66]

In my case the keyboard was already faulty after one month of owning it. I would have sent it back for a refund but I was a couple of days too late. So I sent it for repair instead, but the repair facility did not repair it at all. I hope that this time they will repair it properly, and if they can’t, that I’ll get either a replacement keyboard or a refund.

[faz726]

Vinciane, I wonder in your case if grease has found it's way under the rubber sensor around the C area. A technician should be able to clean the carbon contact points with a clean tissue - after carefully removing the rubber pad strip. TV controller buttons are constructed in a similar way and exhibit all sorts of problems over time. I suppose it depends on who, at the Casio factory, is tasked with applying the grease - if this is indeed where the fault lies.

I hope you get sorted.

[Casiofun]

Noisy keys seems to be a trend with nearly all keyboard manufacturers. Complaints about noise abound. Seems like the keybed is made cheap and the plastic used is flimsy. On the other hand it doesn't cost much for replacement parts. They are usually cheap as well. This seems to be an area where they cut cost to deliver performance.

[vbdx66]

9 hours ago, Casiofun said:

Noisy keys seems to be a trend with nearly all keyboard manufacturers. Complaints about noise abound. Seems like the keybed is made cheap and the plastic used is flimsy. On the other hand it doesn't cost much for replacement parts. They are usually cheap as well. This seems to be an area where they cut cost to deliver performance.

Well, this is not normal when it impairs the normal use of the keyboard as a musical instrument. And in my case it is not just the fact that the keys are clacky (I could live with that), but that the touch quality is impacted and also that for a few keys, the sound is strongly distorted.

 

Even in cheap instruments, the build quality should respect some standards, this is why there is a warranty period by the way.

 

I also have had some cheap Yamaha keyboards over the years, and although one could discuss at length about which of both brands (Vasio or Yamaha) offers better keyboards musically speaking and in terms of the technical features, there is no question IMO that the Yamaha PSR E series are better built than the Casio CT-X range.

I think this is precisely the reason why Yamaha is selling more beginner keyboards than Casio: because their instruments, even the cheapest, are reliable. This is a pity because the AiX chip of the CT-X series is a killer.

 

And speaking of performance, even when you have a keyboard with cool sounds and cool features, what’s the point when the keybed is so poorly built that it impairs both the musicality and the usability of the instrument?

 

Vinciane

[Casiofun]

Your right but they cut corners to deliver performance at price point.

[vbdx66]

@CasiofunWell the problem is that if you cut costs too much, you risk compromising with quality to the point where the goods you're selling might be unusable. I'd rather pay more money and keep my keyboard at least fir a few years. This one was already faulty after only one month of usage.