Mike Barden

Technics electronic digital ensemble pianos for sale

Admin — Fri, 07 May 2010 11:30:51 +0000

Having sorted out a test rig for amplifiers for PR602, PR702, PR902, PR603, PR703, PR903, PR604, PR804, PR1000
I now have a few surplus to requirements.

One of each of PR602 and PR902 for sale - each having a properly refurbished and tested amplifier and power supply. PR602 is in very good condition and has its proper stool. PR902 is in reasonable condition for its age and has some slightly marked keys. May have owners manuals (maybe as pdf) and a stool for the PR902 but not sure without a major excavation of my dumping room! You wouldn't call it a stock room - it's horrible in there!

Can arrange viewing here but buyer to collect

Please note that I live near Guildford in Surrey so don't bother to ring if this is too far for you to come.

May consider some sort of guarantee depending on selling price and where you live - i.e. too cheap or too far away means I'm not prepared to give a guarantee. However, I do guarantee that the pianos work properly when they leave me. I am a repairer by trade (most definitely not a sales person) and I'm very fussy that things work as they should!

Other items for sale - will not send out delicate or larger items so these must be collected
Control Panel for PR804
Control Panel for PR350
Control Panel for Px554
Power MOSFETS as used in the last three ranges of PR models and a few PX models

Have a brand new Main Board for sale for PR603. Note that if this board is fitted in a PR703 or PR903 or PR1000, it will work but several buttons will not operate. These are the buttons which are not present on the Control Panel of the PR603. I think these are as follows - the group of six buttons called Piano Performance Pads, the three buttons just above these, the three buttons called Piano Mixtures, Orchestral Mixtures and Digital Drawbar.
Also the PR603 does not have a microphone input so the Main Board does not have a connector for this.
I will not under any circumstances consider modifying this board for use in PR703, PR903, PR1000.

E&OE

Technics digital ensemble pianos for sale

Admin — Fri, 07 May 2010 11:13:50 +0000

Having sorted out a test rig for amplifiers for PR602, PR702, PR902, PR603, PR703, PR903, PR604, PR804, PR1000
I now have a few surplus to requirements.

One of each of PR602, PR902 for sale - each having a properly refurbished and tested amplifier and power supply. Cabinets are in reasonable condition for age. PR902 has some slightly marked keys.
May have stools and instruction books but not sure without a major excavation in my dumping room!

Can arrange viewing here but buyer to collect

Please note that I live near Guildford in Surrey so don't bother to ring if this is too far for you to come.

If outside EU either send as IPR GOODS or put very low value on goods or Import Duty will be charged

Admin — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:14:06 +0000

If you are sending valuable and/or irreplaceable parts to me for repair from anywhere in the world it makes sense to want to insure the parts in case they get lost or damaged. The loss or damage of an irreplaceable part would mean your piano cannot be repaired and would have to be replaced. So in theory you would want to insure the part for the replacement value of the piano. I have no idea if such insurance is possible so you would have to make your own enquiries about this.

It is pointless putting a high value on parts you are sending unless you also insure them for this sum.
Usually you would have to pay extra for insurance. Ask the couriers about this. If you want to insure your goods for e.g. £500 do check very carefully that you will actually get this amount should the goods get lost or damaged. If you state that the value of the goods is £500 this does not mean that they are automatically insured for this amount, but it does mean that UK Customs will want to charge Import Duty on £500 if you are sending from outside the EU!

Handling and packing Always pack your goods well to protect them from damage - a box within a larger box is a good method. Circuit boards should be handled only by the edges to reduce the chance of static damage. Before being packed, a circuit board should first be put in anti-static wrapping e.g. the sort of bag a computer supplier uses for a hard drive or DVD drive. Anti-static bubblewrap is also suitable. This is usually pink or blue. Clear bubblewrap is not anti-static. Alternatively you can wrap a circuit board in paper first. Aluminium kitchen foil would be ok but only if the circuit board does not have a battery on it!

Which service to use for sending parts
If you are sending from outside the UK, always use a good courier but I'd recommend booking through an agency as this can be considerably cheaper than booking direct with the courier. Normal postal services may be cheaper but generally take longer to get here and may also be less reliable.
If you are sending from within the UK then Royal Mail Special Delivery is very good. The minimum insured amount is £500 (but you have to tell them this) and you can insure up to a maximum of £2500 for not much extra cost.

If sending parts from within the EU, I don't think it matters what value you state the parts are worth.
This is because UK Customs currently do not charge Import Duty on stuff coming into the UK from within the EU.
There is no way of knowing if this will always be so.
Note that it is pointless putting a high value on parts you are sending unless you also insure them for this sum.

If sending parts from outside the EU the value DOES matter! If you state that the parts are worth any more than about £5 (5GBP) there is a very good chance that UK Customs will charge Import Duty on the amount stated - without even stopping to ask first .... see CASE STUDY below.

If you put a high value on the parts you are sending (so you can insure them)
your paperwork MUST say that the parts you are sending are IPR GOODS and quote my EORI NUMBER
If you do not do this
a) UK Customs will almost certainly charge Import Duty. If they do, I will simply add this cost to your bill.
b) your own Customs will probably charge you import taxes when the goods come back to you.
c) there may be delays and your goods might even be returned to you without ever having reached me.

If you put a VERY low value on the goods it is unlikely that Import Duty will be charged
Suggested amount 5 GBP or 5 USD
The disadvantage of this method is obvious - if your repair gets lost or damaged you can only claim your 5GBP.
Some couriers include an amount of cover free of charge e.g. £50 although how you would get them to pay £50 if you'd stated the value was £5 is anybody's guess.
On the positive side, good couriers have an extremely low percentage of loss or damage to shipments.

GENERAL SUMMARY
Pack your goods properly.
Choose a good courier.
If required, find out about insurance and satisfy yourself that it provides suitable cover.

You must complete the courier's Commercial Invoice which shows the value you want to put on the parts

If you are outside the EU and putting a high value on the parts you are sending and insuring them
1 - you must write on the Commercial Invoice that the goods you are sending are IPR GOODS
2 - you should also quote my name MICHAEL BARDEN and my EORI number which is GB 969 2804 73 000
This is very important otherwise UK Customs will charge Import Duty on the stated value of the goods.

If you are outside the EU and putting a VERY low value on the goods
then 1 and 2 above should not be necessary
but you MUST put a very low value like "5 GBP" or "5 USD" in the unit value / total value

If you are in the UK or in the EU you can put any value on the parts and insure them accordingly
1 and 2 above are not necessary

Other info you have to put on your Commercial Invoice
full description of goods and reason for export - this should say something like "main circuit board (or amplifier circuit board) from Technics digital piano being shipped to UK for repair and return. Not for retail sale"
identifying marks or numbers - write down any part number which is printed or written on the circuit board.
If you can't see anything obvious write "none"
type of packaging - could say "wrapped in anti-static bubblewrap in a cardboard box" or just "box"
country of export - this is your country
country of origin or country of manufacture - this is not necessarily your country e.g. if your are sending a circuit board from a Technics digital piano the country of origin or manufacture is JAPAN
If you don't know where the goods were manufactured write "unknown"
country of ultimate destination - is UK which is where you are sending the package
weight - sometimes calculated by package dimensions rather than actual weight but ask courier
number of packages - usually quite an easy one to answer

Other notes
The courier may charge me for processing the Import. This usually happens if the goods are sent as IPR GOODS. I will charge you this at cost. I will charge you because it is NOT a reclaimable charge. Last time I was charged £12 but this may not be typical.

When returning your goods, if you have an account with a particular courier it may be cheaper for you if I arrange collection on your account.

When returning your goods I must put the same value as was put when you sent the goods to me.

Very low value goods will not be insured.

High value goods needing to be insured must be dealt with on an individual basis.

You will be charged the shipping charge and any insurance charge at cost.

For non IPR GOODS I may also charge an export admin fee which will depend on the amount of time I have to spend preparing paperwork for your re-export and arranging shipping.

For IPR GOODS the export admin fee would be a percentage of the amount of Import Duty you are being saved by using the IPR process. I also have to prepare and send off a Bill of Discharge to finalise the IPR process so that Import Duty will not eventually become payable.

The export admin fee may reduce as I get more familiar with the procedures but at the moment it takes me a considerable amount of time to save you having to pay Import Duty.
If the repair is fairly quick and simple, the export paperwork could take longer than the actual repair!

CASE STUDY - EXAMPLE OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN NOT USING A COURIER
Technics main board from PX103, PX107 type digital piano. Sent to me via United States Postal Service costing $9.04. The customer put the value as $300 on the Customs Declaration form stuck on the box. The package did not get held at UK Customs pending IPR procedure. Instead it went via something called UK Border Agency (who also did not hold the goods pending IPR procedure) and Royal Mail International who paid the Customs charge of £32.25 (GBP, not dollars) and added their own handling fee of £8. I received a note from my local post office saying there was a package for me which I could have if I paid them £40.25. The £8 handling fee is not reclaimable at all. I'm told that with the correct procedures I might be able to claim back the £32.25 from Customs but the amount of time it would take to do this is much more than it's worth. The customer very kindly said they would pay the £40.25 which added nearly 30% to their repair charge.
Let's try to avoid this sort of thing in future if we can!

E&OE

Yamaha Clavinova sticking keys

Admin — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 17:07:32 +0000

Yamaha Clavinova sticking keys / sticky keys / stuck keys - problem with one or more white keys - key can be played but stays stuck down or only partly returns or returns very slowly - can be lifted up again but is reluctant to return by itself - key leans to left or key leans to right if viewed from the front. In some cases the rear of the key is loose and sits higher than adjacent keys.

THERE IS NO POINT IN TRYING TO FIX THIS YOURSELF, SO DON'T TRY. READ BELOW TO SEE WHY.

Before you ring me to see if your Clavinova piano is one of those affected look under the keyboard (where your knees go) and write down the Model number and the Serial number.
HINT - I find it easier to lie on my back on the floor to look up under the piano.
Please do not waste your time (and mine) by telephoning without the model number and serial number!

IF YOU ARE NOT IN THE UK PLEASE CONTACT YAMAHA IN YOUR OWN COUNTRY

Yamaha are aware of this problem and are dealing with it in their usual professional way. Currently, for the models and serial numbers concerned, Yamaha supply the replacement parts F.O.C. (free of charge) to a recognised service engineer or service centre.

Portable pianos affected by this problem normally are required to be brought to the service engineer or service centre. Note - your music shop is very unlikely to be a service centre - do not take the portable piano to your music shop unless they agree to take it to and collect it from the service centre. Check to see if they will make a charge for doing this.

Info about INSURANCE CLAIMS on Home page (headed "Digital piano repairs, keyboard repairs")

UNASHAMED PLUG Most Saturday nights I'm out playing bass guitar with a function band.
I've always had a great sense of satisfaction repairing electronic musical instruments
but I think live performance is my main reason for being!
Have a look at our website www.famousfiveband.com and see what you think.

Service manuals, spare parts, Akai MIDI processing unit

Admin — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:58:57 +0000

Service manuals and spare parts galore - just give me a ring if you need something - Leslie motors, Leslie kits instructions, Leslie cables, Leslie half-moon switches, Leslie relays, Leslie kit parts, Leslie adaptors, Leslie connectors, Amphenol connectors, Leslie and Yamaha rotary tremolo unit assemblies, old valves, Hammond tonewheel organ bits, Hammond keys, Hammond drawbar assemblies, Hammond drawbar parts, Hammond vibrato scanner, expression pedals, new Farfisa expression pedal, new Hammond expression pedal, new reverb trays, divider chips, top octave chips, keyer chips, divider-keyer chips, transistors, buckets of bucket brigade chips, keyer boards from Hammond Regent, Lowrey chips, Conn multiplexer chip ... all either new or used (pulled from working organs).

3.5" (3.5 inch) floppy disc/disk drives from Roland, Technics, Yamaha, Korg and many other makes - can supply replacement drives or repair many of the FDD (Floppy Disc/disk Drive) units used in these.

2.8" (2.8 inch) Quikdisk (Quick disc/disk). Possibly repairable. As used in Yamaha EMQ-1, Roland PR-100, MT-100, S-50 I think and maybe others.
Disks for these are no longer available as far as I know.

May have a Main Board for sale for PR603 properly reworked and tested. This customer has not paid for the repair. If they do not want it back and agree that the board becomes my property it will become available for sale.

Yamaha EMT-10 AWM sound expander - orig box + owners book £50 plus power supply plus carriage.

Kawai R50e drum machine - orig box and owners book, incl power supply £100 plus carriage

Roland Rhodes 760 - similar to U-20 - no box, no books - quite good external condition
if "sold as seen" will have lots of keys and buttons not working £100 collect only
if fully refurbished all keys and buttons will be working £295 collect only

Roland U-20 synth - no box, no books - very good external condition
if "sold as seen" will have lots of keys and buttons not working £85 collect only
if fully refurbished all keys and buttons will be working £275 collect only

Roland RA-90 expander with accompaniments (styles) - versatile MIDI spec - this is essentially a Roland E-70 without any keys, amplifier or speakers. You need to send it MIDI to play it and you need an amplifier so you can hear it. Price when new about £1200. Condition - obviously well-used
All working properly £200 plus delivery

Akai MIDI processing unit - very useful for live or studio use with a basic controlling keyboard (or old synthesizer or home keyboard) which can only send MIDI on Channel 1.
Can also be used with anything sending MIDI on channel 1 to create splits and/or layers.
This unit converts Channel 1 data into up to 4 zones each of which can have its own channel (duplicate channels allowed), octave (+/-3), program change number (1-128), and high/low note limits - making it
ideal for creating splits and/or layers on your multi-timbral sound generator (or on several sound generators). Saves 64 such set-ups.
New, boxed but now not guaranteed in view of clear out price. £50 plus carriage.

Pair of Class-D loudspeakers. Passive, not active. Rated at 500W r.m.s. each. 15" bass driver, 2" compression horn, speakon connectors, pole-mounting hole. BOTH HORNS HAVE BLOWN when some idiot bellowed through the PA at a New Years Eve gig. Hence really stupid clear out price.
Fantastic PA speakers for live band or disco. Excellent condition - have had very little use - been used less than a dozen times. Have original boxes. Fit new horns and they're fully operational again. Don't fit new horns and they might make good bass cabs. Reason for sale - have another PA system and don't need these now. Price £150 the pair. Collect only

Yamaha F-310 steel strung acoustic - pretty good condition. £50 collect only

Payment by cash or BACS only. Post UK mainland only. Large, heavy items: collect only. E&OE

UNASHAMED PLUG Most Saturday nights I'm out playing bass guitar with a function band.
I've always had a great sense of satisfaction repairing electronic musical instruments
but now I think live performance is my main reason for being!
Have a look at our website www.famousfiveband.com and see what you think.

Technics organ, digital piano, keyboard repairs, FDD repairs, disc drive repairs, floppy disk drive

Admin — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:58:37 +0000

Technics - a great range of organs, digital pianos and keyboards. One of the leading names but sadly no longer in production. Contrary to some rumours Technics did not "go bust" or cease trading. As far as I know they just decided to pull out of making musical instruments - which is a pity because they made some really good products.

The bad news is that replacement circuit boards are no longer available as far as I'm aware - unless someone is scapping a piano for spares, which in my book should be a criminal offence! However, most circuit boards can be repaired unless badly damaged by corrosion - and sometimes this is possible too.

Other bad news - I get more and more boards sent to me because someone (maybe another repairer?) has "had a go", has not been able to fix the problem AND has caused damage in the attempt! Repairs that would have been comparatively straightforward need to be un-bodged first. Tidying up horrible soldering is usually easy but when printed circuit tracks have been ripped up aswell it becomes very tedious, not to say annoying, because it should not be necessary! I also get PR603, PR703, PR903, PR1000 boards which have been zapped by static. Usually this turns out to be the result of careless handling when someone else has "had a go"! Static damage is not visible and so unfortunately it does not become apparent that something else is wrong until after the normal repair procedure for these boards has been carried out. When no-one else has "had a go" beforehand the repair is always easier. Other people's attempts usually end up making repairs more difficult, more time-consuming and therefore more expensive.

The good news is that most of their PR series digital ensembles (pianos with auto accompaniments), their PX series pianos (without auto accompaniments), their KN range of keyboards and most of their organs can still be repaired. Most repairs don't need special Technics parts (although some do) - just a Technics repair specialist ... that's me!

It's always worth checking to see whether your house contents insurance covers such events as accidental spillages (if this genuinely was the cause of the problem) on a replacement as new basis. This probably won't be possible if you bought the instrument second hand.
Info about INSURANCE CLAIMS on Home page (headed "Digital piano repairs, keyboard repairs")

Please always provide the MODEL NUMBER in any enquiries - you can ignore the "SX" or "SY" prefix which is just Technics' code denoting that it's a music product.
It is also really important that I get a good description of the fault, plus any other symptoms you can think of - and details of any previous repair history. My contact details are at the bottom of each page.

Typical faults in some of the PX series digital pianos and the PR series "digital ensembles"

1) Won't boot up - commonly found on PR603, PR703, PR903, PR1000 (see 5 for some other models which won't boot up) - sometimes won't turn on properly (just get blue backlit display but no writing appears) no buttons light and keys won't play - sometimes the buttons do light but the keys won't play - sometimes turns on normally but only plays for a short time (control buttons may stop working/lock-up/freeze, keyboard may stop playing) - may start working by itself or you may have to switch off and on again to get it working. Initialising sometimes appears to have cleared the problem but this is just coincidence - the problem will come back!
This is a MAIN BOARD fault and needs extremely specialised repair work which must only be carried out by someone like myself who is an expert in surface-mount rework techniques and has the proper tools for the job. If a non-expert attempts work on this board it will almost certainly be damaged, possibly beyond repair. Unfortunately some repairers (often very good engineers/technicians) make a surprisingly poor job of reworking surface mount chips. This usually results in the problem not being fixed in the first place or returning at a later date. If a chip is reworked properly it shouldn't need to be done again. I can usually repair main boards if they have no serious damage from previous repair attempts. One of these days I'll put up photos I've taken of other repairers' awful soldering attempts on these chips.
I can test main boards for PR603, PR703, PR903, PR1000 after repairing them.
You can send me your main board for repair. Please ring first to discuss the symptoms and then I can tell you how to open the piano and remove, handle and package your main board.
PR1000 - I reckon the UK-badged PR903 is the same animal as the US-badged PR1000. I've had a few PR1000 main boards from the US for repair and these were the same as the UK's PR903 main board.
Please note that the PR603, PR703, PR903, PR1000 also suffer from the amplifier problem below

NOTE - Problems 2), 3), 4) below can affect all of PR602, PR702, PR902, PR603, PR703, PR903, PR604, PR804, PR1000, PX336, PX338 ....
Similar faults may occur in other models. I can't list everything so please ring with your model number.
The PR603, PR703, PR903, PR1000 also suffer from the main board problem in 1) above.
The PR602, PR702, PR902, PR604, PR804 do not usually have main board problems.
I can test amplifier boards for PR602,PR702, PR902, PR603, PR703, PR903, PR604, PR804, PR1000

2) when playing, sometimes (or all the time) the sound is distorted on left-hand-side or right-hand-side or both sides - may sometimes hear nasty, fizzy or squeaky noises even when not playing. Check using headphones - you should find that it sounds normal on headphones. The distortion is most likely due to an amplifier fault. Some customers argue that it must be the speakers but they are usually wrong! Some customers say it must be the transformer and they are always wrong!! NOTE - IF IT HUMS TOO - THIS IS IMPORTANT!! Ring me with the model number to discuss the symptoms. You may be able to send me the amplifier board for repair or bring me the top of the piano. If you're not too distant I could come to you to carry out repairs.

3) piano went "pop" (or maybe went "BANG"!!!) or may HUM on left-hand-side or right-hand-side or both sides (usually a loud hum) and may stop playing. This is also an amplifier fault. Usually the output transistors and a few other things have blown. I need the amplifier board to repair. If the output transistors have blown there is a possibility that this may also have blown the speakers. Once again, get the model number and ring to discuss.

4) very high-pitched whistle - sometimes not audible to humans but may be the reason why your dog foams at the mouth and runs repeatedly into walls! Sorry, back to normality for a moment. The main board produces some high frequencies which, although annoying if you can hear them, may be tricky to pin-point and silence. Check to see if it's the main board whistling by turning down the master volume or plugging in headphones (don't put on the headphones). If the whistle can still be heard it's the main board so explain to the dog that you may be packing his bags. A main board whistle could be coming from a choke (coil) vibrating at high frequency and might be cured with the right kind of glue. If the whistle disappears with master volume or headphones it might be something you could do yourself (if you're brave) so please ring for advice on this.

5) typical faults on PX103, PX105, PX107, PX111 and maybe others - won't boot up, dead, no display, LEDS don't light up (except for the one on the front of the piano) - send me the main board or bring me the top half of the piano - ring for advice on how to remove this. May also be an amplifier problem - sending both boards is probably a good idea. The amplifier board is a very tight fit on its nylon mounting posts. The board is made of paxolin and will crack if it is bent too much! Main boards are much tougher being made of fibre glass.
I can test PX103, PX105, PX107, PX111 main boards and amplifier boards after repairing them.

6) common faults on PX334, PX552, PX554, PX664, PX665 and others - dead, may have gone "pop" or "bang" or may make a VERY LOUD HUM ... do not switch it on again to see if it's got better by itself!! (remove the mains lead and hide it so no-one else can switch it on) - usually the amplifier and speakers will have blown. It's not a cheap repair but it is cheaper than buying another piano. Also I can modify the power supply to considerably reduce the likelihood of a repeat occurrence. The reason I say "do not switch it on again" is that if you are extremely lucky (and it has happened a few times) the amplifier and speakers will still be okay - but if you turn on the piano again you may well blow them!!! This happens in a fraction of a second and automatically transfers yet more money from your bank account into mine!!
Prevention is far cheaper than repair on these models If you have one of the above PX series which is still working properly it is definitely worth having the power supply modified if you intend to keep the piano - it's at least £200 cheaper than having it repaired after the amplifier and speakers have blown. You can bring the top of the piano here to have this done (possibly same day by arrangement) or you could send me the circuit board but it's a bit tricky to remove and slightly trickier to put back.
I do not have a suitable piano here to test these boards so bring the top of the piano to me

7) PR370 series (also PR5 sold in USA which looks to me like a grand piano version of PR370), possibly PR303, PR303, PR307 and maybe others - won't turn on properly or completely dead, may make moaning and groaning noises, may light up but doesn't play.
I do not have a suitable piano here to test boards for older pianos so bring the top of the piano to me
Obviously the PR5 is too much of a lump to bring here - and I'd never be able to lift it onto the work bench
These pianos are of an age where speaker surrounds may have perished - see "speaker faults" below

8) typical faults in older models e.g. PR250, PR350, PX55, PX66 and quite a few more - everything looks normal, all buttons and display working normally but total silence ....
First make sure that NOTHING is left plugged into headphones sockets (some pianos have two), especially the headphone jack adaptor (3.5mm stereo mini jack socket to quarter inch stereo jack plug)
Ring me with the model number of your piano
I do not have a suitable piano here to test boards for older pianos so bring the top of the piano to me

WORTH NOTING - main board faults listed above are not related to the other faults listed above so if you have the main board repaired one week and next week you get distortion it just means that the amplifier, pre-amplifier or speakers decided to go wrong very soon after the previous fault. Generally speaking, a main board fault will not cause an amplifier fault. However, an amplifier fault might possibly cause a main board fault due to over-voltage but this is far more likely to be caused by a damaged pedal lead
see section below Damaged pedal lead may blow up your Technics piano

SPEAKER FAULTS - usually in older models - can affect any loudspeakers having foam surrounds which perish and disintegrate with age leaving the speaker cone floating unsupported. The symptom is distorted sound. If you continue to use the piano the problem speaker will eventually damage its speech coil. If you're lucky the speaker goes open circuit and just stops working. If you're not so lucky the speaker will go short circuit and blow the amplifier. If you have distorted sound, try using headphones and if okay on headphones get the speakers checked. When foam surrounds perish and disintegrate it's usually fairly obvious because there are lots of bits of the old foam (often black) lying below the speaker. Note - when this happens it's a fairly safe bet that both speakers will need replacing. DON'T carry on playing the piano if it sounds distorted because you will eventually blow the amplifiers aswell!!

PLEASE NOTE - I do not have a whole range of Technics pianos here on which to test boards. With the exception of those models listed above for which I've said I can test boards, if you only send me a board I am unable to test it unless there happens to be a customer's piano of the same model here at the time. The best solution is either for me to come out and do the repair on site or for you to bring me the top of the piano. If you bring the top of the piano (and the speaker box if there is one) it is not only cheaper for you but I can be certain that everything is working properly before you come to collect it. If you want to do this please ring me for advice on how to dismantle the piano safely.

If bringing the top of the piano without asking for advice 1) disconnect mains lead, pedal lead, speaker lead (only on models with speaker box below top of piano) 2) tape down music rest if non-removable 3) close and tape down keyboard cover if present 4) prepare vehicle for transit - IMPORTANT - if piano has plastic boxes protruding from underside you must put packing under the piano to prevent the weight of the piano resting on these boxes 5) remove screws fixing piano to stand 6) two people required to lift piano off stand and into vehicle 7) if you have loud hum or distortion problems and the piano has a separate speaker box please bring that aswell for testing 8) if any pedal problems bring the pedal unit - this is usually easy to unscrew which saves having to bring the whole stand with you.

If opening piano to remove circuit boards
1) ring me with the model number to check that your piano does open in the usual way - some don't!
2) unplug mains so you can't electrocute yourself
3) remove top of piano (most Technics open like this). As a general rule, don't remove the rear of the piano!
4) slide keyboard cover (if any) forward to cover the keys. Now you can see inside the piano.

Tips for removing circuit boards
1) once the piano is open, first take photos or make sketches so you can see how to put it back together!!
2) unplug all connections to the board taking care not to break any wiring
3) unscrew any ground (earth) wires or straps
4) if any screws go through the board remove these
5) NOTE - most Technics boards are mounted on nylon posts which are a very tight fit
Each nylon post has flared-out bits which must be squeezed together using long nose pliers whilst you try to ease the board part-way up the post
WARNING - DO NOT TRY TO GET THE BOARD COMPLETELY OFF EACH POST
You have to work your way round the posts, easing the board a little way up each one in turn
Must take care not to pull the board up too hard - if it comes up suddenly it may crack the board
After a lot of fiddling and cursing the board will eventually come free
I usually ream out the holes a bit to make it easier if the board ever has to come out again

After removing a board handle it by its edges to reduce the chance of static damage.

Info on handing, packing and posting - see page about "sending pcbs for repair ....."

A few tips to help you avoid the expense of unnecessary repairs:
1) Electronic musical instruments DO NOT NEED SERVICING - they only need repairing if they go wrong ... "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"
2) Initialise. Sometimes the instrument behaves very strangely or may not play at all because its operating system has got itself in a knot. It's always worth trying the "initialise" procedure on most Technics products before calling out a service engineer. Initialising will lose anything you have written or recorded ... so now you'll wish you'd done that saving to disk first!
3) Damaged pedal lead may blow up your Technics piano. Take care not to damage the lead which goes down to the pedals. Surprisingly (not a nice surprise either) this can cause extremely expensive damage to the main circuit board! New, genuine Technics pedal leads normally in stock for all the later PC, PR and PX models. Non-returnable. Non-refundable.

DIY nutcases
I can supply a set of the 24 correct transistors for the preamp board in PR602, PR702, PR902, PR603, PR703, PR903, PR1000, PR604, PR804, PX336, PX338 including the improved specification ones used for the higher supply voltage pianos like PR902, PR903, PR1000. I always refurb the preamp boards to the improved specification regardless of model. Price £30 per set including postage UK mainland only.
Output transistors Power MOSFETs FS30KMJ-3 and FX30KMJ-3 as used in PR602, PR702, PR902, PR603, PR703, PR903, PR1000, PR604, PR804, PX336, PX338. Price £15 per pair including postage UK mainland only.
ICP fuses N75 or N10 £1.25 each including postage UK mainland only. Minimum order 4 x any ICP = £5.
All transistors are new. All sales are non-refundable. Unused parts are not returnable for credit or refund.

Please note that anyone attempting a pre-amp board rebuild must be extremely good at de/resoldering. The boards are only paxolin and the track is easily damaged and/or lifted. There are 72 joints to desolder, 24 transistors to remove, 30 components to check, 96 other joints to de/resolder for these 30 components and some wire links, 24 new transistors to fit, 72 joints to solder, 72 wire ends to cut off ... and then you're finally ready to plug it in and test it!
WARNING - Do not switch on the piano if the pre-amp board is unplugged as this WILL blow the output FETs!! Remove the mains lead and hide it so this can't happen. If you can't remember where you hid the mains lead I can sell you another one - always assuming that I can remember where I've put them.

FDD, disc drives, disk drives
Quite a few of the Technics floppy disc/disk drives, floppy drives, floppies, disc/disk drive units, FDDs, FDD units can be repaired, refurbed, supplied as exchange unit, supplied new.
I frequently get the old EME213 drives unit to repair and I can test these properly before return.
In some cases a modern drive can be modified to work instead of the original, obsolete floppy drive unit although this won't improve storage from 720k to 1.44M. In this situation a 1.44M diskette may give problems unless the HD media identifier hole is covered up.

UNASHAMED PLUG Most Saturday nights I'm out playing bass guitar with an excellent function band.
I've always had a great sense of satisfaction repairing electronic musical instruments
but now I think live performance is my main reason for being!
Have a look at our website www.famousfiveband.com and see what you think.

Yamaha keyboard, digital piano, Clavinova repairs

Admin — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:58:10 +0000

Mike Barden has been repairing Yamaha electronic musical instruments for longer than seems possible! In fact since Yamaha's first electronic organs and most products since then.

Repairs carried out to many of Yamaha's home keyboards, professional keyboards, Clavinovas, pre-Clavinova digital and electronic pianos and some synths

Some spares and service manuals can also be supplied.

Warranty repairs - contact the Dealer who supplied the product.

For non-warranty i.e. out of guarantee repairs you can contact me direct on 01483-236161.
Please always provide the model number and a description of the fault or faults.

NOTE: for Clavinova products with sticky or sticking keys, keys stuck or sticking down ... see the special page about this.

Info about INSURANCE CLAIMS on Home page (headed "Digital piano repairs, keyboard repairs")

UNASHAMED PLUG Most Saturday nights I'm out playing bass guitar with a function band.
I've always had a great sense of satisfaction repairing electronic musical instruments but I think live performance is my main reason for being!
Have a look at our website www.famousfiveband.com and see what you think.

Roland piano repair specialist - Roland Service Centre

Admin — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:57:46 +0000

Mike Barden operates one of Roland's Service Centres handling warranty repairs on behalf of Roland, covering digital piano repairs, portable piano repairs, home keyboard repairs, professional keyboard repairs, some synth repairs and some other Roland and Boss products.

Roland decide which service engineer to use for each repair under guarantee because they are paying for the work to be done. In order to arrange a warranty repair the owner should contact Roland U.K. either by telephone on 01792-702701 or via their website www.roland.co.uk

For warranty repairs to "portable" products i.e. those which Roland class as portable, the product must be delivered to and collected from the Service Centre of Roland's choice. Usually a music shop is NOT a Service Centre. Roland will have given your contact details to the Service Centre but check with Roland to make sure you know where to take your instrument for repair.

For non-warranty i.e. out of guarantee repairs you can contact me direct on 01483-236161.
Please always provide the model number and a description of the fault or faults.

Spare parts and service manuals can also be supplied.

Info about INSURANCE CLAIMS on Home page (headed "Digital piano repairs, keyboard repairs")

UNASHAMED PLUG Most Saturday nights I'm out playing bass guitar with a function band.
I've always had a great sense of satisfaction repairing electronic musical instruments but I think live performance is my main reason for being!
Have a look at our website www.famousfiveband.com and see what you think.

Electronic Musical Instrument Repair Specialist

Admin — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:55:07 +0000

Quality repairs (including insurance claims) to a few major brands of electronic musical instruments such as digital pianos, professional and home keyboards, floppy disc or disk drives etc. using manufacturer's original parts wherever possible.

Portable instruments such as home keyboards, synths, stage pianos etc must be brought to me for repair. I'm afraid that I do not have time to collect or return goods. I live just outside Guildford in Surrey. Please look up Guildford on a map to see where it is. If it's too far for you to come then please don't ring me! I had a call from Liverpool where the lady wanted me to collect and then return her little Yamaha home keyboard and thought that £300 travelling was a bit expensive!!!

Work can be carried out in your home for non-transportable instruments. Please note that if you are able to bring e.g. the top of your electronic piano to me this will make your repair cheaper.

ORGAN REPAIRS - I used to repair all makes and models of home organ but as the demand for this has dropped from 50 repairs a week to 5 or 10 repairs a year I have decided to stop doing these altogether.

Now I am limiting my repairs mainly to Roland, Technics, Yamaha, Korg and a few others. Consequently most of my service manuals and spares are for sale.

My contact details are at the bottom of each page.

Roland warranty repairs. Register your Roland product with Roland to benefit from any extra warranty. As far as I am aware this is free of charge. You can do this by telephoning Roland on 01792-702701 or via their website www.roland.co.uk

Info about INSURANCE CLAIMS on Home page (headed "Digital piano repairs, keyboard repairs")

UNASHAMED PLUG Most Saturday nights I'm out playing bass guitar with a function band.
I've always had a great sense of satisfaction repairing electronic musical instruments
but now I think live performance is my main reason for being!
Have a look at our website www.famousfiveband.com and see what you think.

Repair specialist for electronic-digital pianos, keyboards, some synths, floppy discs-disks drives

Admin — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:50:20 +0000

For repairs to electronic musical instruments such as digital pianos, keyboards, floppy disc/disk drives, some recent synths and the occasional Yamaha home organ with smoke coming out (in all seriousness!)
Mike Barden - full-time, professional electronic musical instrument repair specialist in central Surrey.
Over 25 years experience ... well, that's all I'm admitting to. Generally far too many years spent dealing with you mad musicians (it takes one to know one!)

WHY DO YOU NEARLY ALWAYS GET MY ANSWERPHONE? Incidentally, it's called an answerphone because it answers the phone. Surely voicemail is when you record a message on cassette and post it ... ??
I can get on with repairs much better if I don't keep stopping to answer the phone. So most of the time I work with the phone unplugged. Also I want you to hear the answerphone message. Hopefully you will then look at this website to see what I don't repair.

Some days I get 30 or 40 messages and there just isn't time to reply to all of these. Many enquiries are about types of product for which I have never been a repairer. So I have started making a list of things I don't repair. The idea is that you don't waste your time calling about things I don't do, and I don't waste my time calling you back to tell you this! So from now I'm not going to be calling back about things I don't repair.

THINGS I DON'T REPAIR - PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE TELEPHONING ME
Guitar amplifiers, P.A. gear, mixers, effects units, DJ gear, lighting etc.
Vintage synthesisers and effects
Organs, Leslies (with very few exceptions) - am now selling all of my spares and service manuals for these covering most models from about 40 makes and over 40 years of production
Fender Rhodes
Wurlitzer ep200 - am selling the reeds I have left and probably my service manuals
Early electric pianos and string machines like Hohner, Crumar, Logan, Eminent - am selling any service notes I have for these too
Celviano - a Casio product, not to be confused with Clavinova (Yamaha) which I do repair
Disklavier
Any make or product (new or old) without readily available spares and service info
Am also selling a Conn Strobotuner which almost certainly has problems as it hasn't been used for 20 years!

THINGS I DO REPAIR
Pianos, keyboards, some of the more recent synths/workstations, FDD units (floppy disc drives)
Only decent makes like Roland, Technics, Korg and Yamaha who are good for parts and service info.
Products less than about 15 to 20 years old - getting parts for older products can be a problem

My contact details are at the bottom of each page

IMPORTANT NOTES REGARDING REPAIRS AND "SERVICING"
Despite what some music shops and other repair centres may have to say,
most electronic musical instruments do NOT need "servicing" they only need attention when they go wrong.
Modern electronic musical instruments do not need regular "servicing" as it is not possible to carry out any "preventative maintenance".
It is a complete waste of money e.g. to have your piano's contacts cleaned or changed if the instrument is playing normally.
As the saying goes "if it ain't broke don't fix it!"
Also, many of my customers have said that their music shop told them their instrument could no longer be repaired. Most music shops do not carry out repairs so are not really able to advise on this. You would be better advised by someone like myself who is only a repairer because I won't try to sell you a new one.

CAN I FIX IT MYSELF? Well, possibly - but ONLY if you have VERY good mechanical skills
Most people can't do this sort of work but unfortunately some of these people think they can!
Please do not ring to ask for help or advice about doing your own repairs. I am extremely busy with repairs and also with enquiries and bookings for Famous Five Band so do not have time for anything else.

Some general DOs and DON'Ts if you're going to have a go yourself
DON'T RISK KILLING YOURSELF - IF YOUR INSTRUMENT RUNS OFF MAINS VOLTAGE, UNPLUG IT FIRST!!!
Don't use WD40 or any switch cleaner or contact cleaner, contact lubricant etc. (no matter how wonderful they claim to be) as usually this will make any contact problems much worse.
Don't use WD40 or similar for sticking key problems. Possibly short term success but long term disaster!
Don't believe everything you read on the internet (including this, obviously!) There are loads of music forum sites, various blogging sites, DIY fix it sites etc. which between them have huge amounts of information, posts and replies about repairing musical instruments. Although some of this information is useful, unfortunately an awful lot of it is complete rubbish. Very often you find classic examples of the blind leading the blind!
Do be honest with yourself about what you can and can't do. In order to attempt any work on any musical instrument you MUST be the sort of person who is very, very good at taking things apart and putting them back together. If you've "had a go" and get in a mess it will almost certainly cost you more to have it fixed properly afterwards. Even though I'm extremely good at this it will take longer (and therefore cost more) if some well-intentioned owner presents me with a kit of parts - the result of dismantling their machine and being unable to get it back together again - usually having lost various screws, put others back in the wrong places, stripped threads, put long screws where short ones should go and screwed straight through a circuit board! Yes, these things happen all too frequently!
Some people seem to think "I've got a screwdriver - how hard can it be?"
FAQ: telephone calls from keen owners asking how to open their musical instrument.
Reply: "if you can't even work out how to open it then you definitely won't be able to fix it".
It is worth pointing out that getting a copy of the service manual will not magically improve anyone's mechanical ability - but it might give the Frank Spencers of this world enough confidence to "have a go".
A frightening prospect indeed (oooh Betty!) It's also worth noting that a service manual doesn't tell you everything because it was designed for professionals and as such assumes a certain level of prior knowledge and experience which most laymen will not have. No disrespect intended. If you want to "have a go" it's your machine and no-one can stop you but please (a) disconnect the mains so you won't die in the attempt and (b) dismantle things carefully, methodically (take photos, make sketches, make notes as you go) and NEVER go beyond the point where you feel uncertain about being able to reassemble everything perfectly.
Changing a broken key - this sounds really easy but can be an absolute pig of a job, disproportionately time-consuming and occasionally fraught with unforseen perils ... "I changed the key myself but now the note doesn't work any more" is a regular one. If a contact has been bent beyond repair a new contact board is required. If the part is no longer available the instrument is scrap. This is such a stupid waste of a musical instrument! If I had been repairing it the contact would not have been damaged. Stop and think first!!
"I changed the keys ok but now some of the keys don't play at all and I've got this bit of metal and all these extra screws left over" - thankfully doesn't happen that often!
Contact problems - e.g. one or more notes don't play at all or play too loudly. The problem may occur all the time or intermittently. Do not be tempted to use WD40 or any switch cleaners or contact lubricants (no matter how wonderful they claim to be) as this will usually make the problem much worse and end up costing more. If the stuff you've sprayed in there has caused more contact problems and cannot be completely cleaned off you will need new parts. If these are no longer obtainable the instrument is scrap!
Most contacts are graphite and need to be perfectly clean to work properly. I can sell you the proper stuff for cleaning graphite contacts if you feel competent to do the work.
If a group of notes is not playing this might have been caused by a spillage. If you know this to be the case you may be able to claim on your house insurance - see INSURANCE CLAIMS below.
"I had a bit of a job getting the keys out to do the contacts, couldn't quite work out how to get the keys back in but I did it somehow but now quite a few notes don't work" - the chap had accidentally caused unrepairable damage to a flexible circuit board which was no longer available and so his piano had to be scrapped!
There are literally hundreds of disaster stories but very few success stories.
Weird behaviour, locking up, won't turn on properly The problem may be something simple which you can do yourself. Many modern products have an "initialise" or "factory reset" procedure which sometimes can be found on the manufacturer's web site or possibly in your owners book. IF POSSIBLE ALWAYS SAVE YOUR DATA FIRST! The initialise or factory reset may well unscramble the brain of your poor, confused piano/keyboard/organ/drum unit etc. and restore normal operation. Technics PR603, PR703, PR903 usually need work on the Main Board which you are strongly advised not to attempt yourself.
Backup battery low, lost memory Some batteries are easy to get at, some are really tricky, some are soldered in, some aren't. Some instruments lose all their sounds and settings and may need them reloaded from disc, card or external data dump from a computer or data filer. If you've saved any songs or edited any sounds in your machine it's always advisable to make backups on a regular basis because one day your battery will give out ... and then it's too late!

SPARE PARTS - if you think you can do it yourself I may be able to supply the parts you need.
Service manuals, Owners manuals - I may be able to supply these too.

IS IT WORTH FIXING? It's usually cheaper to repair something than to replace it - but it might not be replaceable because it's no longer in production. If you like your old piano, organ or keyboard it's probably a better bet to have it repaired rather than trying to find another one for sale. At least you know the history of the one you own. Someone else's might have spent its life under a bird cage, be full of dog hair or had a drink spilt in it. Now that many home organs appear to be almost worthless (if eBay is anything to go by) only each owner can say if they think their instrument is worth repairing.

INSURANCE CLAIMS It is very unlikely that you are insured for cost of repairs when something just goes wrong. However your house contents insurance possibly covers your musical instrument for accidental damage e.g. spillages, fire, theft, vandalism, cat/dog/parrot attack or whatever on a replacement as new basis. This probably won't be possible if you bought the instrument second hand.
Don't assume you are insured - ring up your insurance company and find out. First check what the full retail price was when it was new and what it would cost to replace it with a similar new product (ask your music shop or the distributor). Then ring your insurers, tell them that you have a musical instrument worth £xxxx, ask what eventualities it's covered for and ask if it's covered on a replacement as new basis. It is quite likely that the new replacement cost of your piano, organ etc. is more than the "single item limit" on your insurance. In this case your insurance company will need to list it as a specified item valued at £xxxx. Depending on your insurance company this might not cost you any more than your time and telephone calls. Then at least if the instrument suffers accidental damage you know that it's covered by insurance. Re-check this if you ever change your insurance company as they do not all operate in the same way.

MUSICAL STUFF
I play bass guitar in an excellent and very busy function band, play piano at home and occasionally play keyboards or bass as a dep for a couple of other bands.
The band's web site is at www.famousfiveband.com and the gig list is usually bang up to date.

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