Ok, I'll cut to the chase! I have three keyboards (and a strat, don't worry!), and all three of them have or have had almost the same problem! And honestly, I'm sick of it!!! Always some crappy problem, one after another, and I am seriously starting to hate technology and electronics altogether!!!
The keyboards are Korg ix300, Roland e70, and Technics pr50 digital ensemble (digital piano). I've had the Korg for almost 13 years now (it's my dad's, bought new in 1997) and I love it! Of course it had a couple of issues over those years of playing when it had to be repaired, but it was always cleaning or some minor problems (button failure or something like that), until it started to lose sound half a year ago or so. Not always, sometimes it would be working for a couple of months without trouble, and then when you press a key, any key, a little harder, BANG...no sound! At all! Everything else seemed to be working, but no sound was coming out of the damn thing! And as you may assume, it was very, very, very nerve racking! I called a keyboard service center here in Belgrade, Serbia, and they told me it was something with power supply (I forgot to mention that power had been repaired a year or so earlier). So I said "Ok, they didn't do a very nice job repairing it earlier then, so I'll have it repaired again. Not a big deal!" And so I did. And, as you may assume once more, it happened again some time later! No sound! $@!&! But, this time I took it to a friend who had it repaired in about an hour and a half!!! Just some broken output. Bad solder (if that's the word). It was almost two months ago, and it's been working ever since.
So, here we come to the second chapter of this beautiful story (hmmm, do I sense irony in my voice?! In my choice of words! Gee, I wonder why!).
About four months ago I bought the above mentioned keyboards, Technics pr50 digital piano for myself, and Roland e70 for my dad. I adore Technics! Sampled STEINWAY piano! MAN! And Roland is an old machine, but a very nice one for the money. Anyway, I've had Technics for about a month, and my dad put headphone jack in the headphone input one day, and BANG! NO SOUND! SHIIIIIT! Ok then! As you may guess, I called Belgrade again! Not the same man, some other service center. And they told me it was some ridiculous thing. Some minor issue! Some cheap repair job. I don't want to send my piano anywhere, so I called this guy, through a friend. He came, saw it, heard the problem (it works perfectly well for about...4 minutes. Then it starts losing sound! I turn it off, then on again, and it works for a couple of minutes again). It was two months ago, I've been waiting for the man to come and make it play (he has some family issue) and he can't really find enough time to come. It's alright, I can wait a little longer. I have my Roland! At least I thought I had!
And now, the third chapter!!!
When I bought Roland it came without the power cable (the guy that sold it to me had lost it before). So, I had a new power output or input, don't know which is which really, installed in it (Roland makes different power outputs/inputs for each model). So, it works. It still does. But, about a week ago, while I was playing it, you guessed it, it started losing sound! It just didn't react on touch of the keys! Everything else was still working. I turned it off and on, and never had any problems with it since. But, I have some kind of phobia, fear, of all those things. I'm afraid to touch it properly! I can't believe it's happening all over again. What the hell is wrong with those keyboards!? It's not so expensive to fix them, but man!!! Always the same SHIIIT! I started laughing this last time it happened! It's just...funny! I know you are thinking that maybe I play too hard, but that's not it! I take care of all my instruments! I love them! I swear it crossed my mind that somebody put a spell on me! Or on my keyboards! But, I'm still standing, still laughing!
So, my forum friends, if you have survived and have come through this novel of mine (God, this is a long post!), I would be very, very, very, very grateful if you could enlighten my path a bit!

I would appreciate any comment at all!!! THANK YOU!!!

Goran

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"If you're on a path that's beaten, it's not your path." Joseph Campbell

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

"All that is impossible remains to be achieved."
Jules Verne

www.stratcollector.com

Hi Goran: I have no enlightenment for you at all, beyond suggesting you take up the tin whistle instead. I've never had an electrical problem with one of those (though keep them away from badly grounded microphones...).

I thought the insides of valve/tube amps could be tempermental - it didn't occur to me folks had the same problems with solid state keyboards.

Anyway. Now I've bumped this thread maybe someone with more electronic knowledge than me might see it and have some ideas - though it sounds like three different keyboards with three different faults, from your essay...

Cheers - C

I too know nothing of keyboards. However theres similar faults on all 3 keyboards. So there could well be a similar cause. Could it be the power supply? Your not using the same power adaptor for all 3 keyboards are you Goran a few hundred milliamps difference can sometimes have a big effect. I blew a good few multi effects units using any old power adaptor. How about power conditioning the wall socket. Maybe your getting power spikes that are causing your troubles.

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No no and no

Thanks for your replies guys!
No, I am not using the same power cable for all three keyboards. They all have different ones. And I am not using the same power socket for all of them. The keyboards have the same problem wherever plugged in.
I wanted different opinions on the issues from different sources, so I called a couple of different repair centers, and they all told me the same - it's some ridiculous thing, cheap repair. But, what really is irritating is the same problems with all three keyboards. I was even told that the headphone inputs might be the problem! I play much, so I use headphones regularly. It's either the headphone input jammed, or some minor power supply issue, or some bad input/output connections. Either way, I'll have them all repaired, but would like to know the source(s) too. As I said, I just bought two of the three keyboards I now own so I think it's bad luck! At least I hope it is.
So, I decided to post here and see what happens.

PS Ceri, it really is an essay. It certainly seems that way. Nice choise of words.

Thanks!

_________________
"If you're on a path that's beaten, it's not your path." Joseph Campbell

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

"All that is impossible remains to be achieved."
Jules Verne

www.stratcollector.com

I would check the power condition of your home, is it stable, do you get spikes or power surges. Every country is different. 120/240volts at 60hz., 277/480volts, etc.,. since you use different cords for your equipment, it maybe at the source. Have an electrician check your outlet/receptacle to make sure contacts/screws and splices are tight. some electricians have meters that can record your power condition over a 24 hour period to find a drop or surge in power. just seems strange to have problems like that on all your keyboards. good luck and best wishes, dutch.

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2012 American Vintage Telecaster 1958
09 Fender american deluxe strat.
97 Gibson les paul special P90's double-cut
65 Princeton reverb re-issue
2010 Guild Gad-F40e

have them check to make sure your nuetrals/returns are tight and that the power panel is grounded well.

_________________
2012 American Vintage Telecaster 1958
09 Fender american deluxe strat.
97 Gibson les paul special P90's double-cut
65 Princeton reverb re-issue
2010 Guild Gad-F40e

Thanks Dutch. But it's not the power in my home. Because the problems appear when I take the keyboard (Korg ix300) to a gig or on rehearsals.
I should check the power though, just to make sure. Thanks again.

PS The keyboards do not shut down. They stay on, and everything but sound seems to be working. Then the sound comes back, then disappears again. And so on. I still think it's a pure coincidence that all three have the same "symptoms." They all might as well have different malfunction, but with the same "symptoms". It's possible. I'll know more about it in a week or so, when the guy shows up to repair them.

_________________
"If you're on a path that's beaten, it's not your path." Joseph Campbell

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

"All that is impossible remains to be achieved."
Jules Verne

www.stratcollector.com

You might want to invest in a UPS, (Uninterruptable Power Supply, the same thing used for computers). While these are generally for providing power in the event of external power loss, the better ones also have additional features to prevent surges, spikes, sags, etc. Another feature in the better ones is the ability to clean up the incoming AC signal removing any harmonic distorion in the line.

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Calling an illegal alien an undocumented immigrant is like calling a drug dealer an undocumented pharmicist.