problems with the XK-1

[mcooperpiano]

I'm having sporadic problems with my Hammond XK-1, which I purchased about a year and a half ago. Periodically, I am unable to change either the percussion settings (second, third, fast, soft) or the drawbar select (upper, pedal, lower). The percussion settings will change automatically when I choose a new preset, but pushing the buttons has no effect.

The problem comes and goes randomly. I've tried turning off the power and waiting, and doing a hard reset (power up while holding down "Rec/Jump" button). The hard reset seemed to help somewhat, at least the first time I tried it, but not immediately.

Does anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions? I bought the keyboard from Musician's Friend, and tried their keyboard tech support, but (despite their claim that someone would respond within 48 hours), noone ever got back to me.

[Jim Alfredson]

I would call Hammond Suzuki USA and talk to the Tech Support department, which is headed by Ray Gerlich.

My guess is that since the problem is intermittent, the ribbon cable that connects the PCB that contains those controls is loose. If you feel confident enough, maybe you could open the XK1 and check for loose connections. If not, perhaps take it to a local music or electronics service center.