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Just had my CA95 regulated today and there isn't much to say other than "don't do it" unless you really have issues that need correcting:

1) The store/dealer tech took three hours to do the work as he enlisted me (the customer) for some help along the way. He basically used one tool that Kawai sent to him which was meant to open the small round fulcrum hole in each wooden key to a certain diameter, so that all keys would pivot the same. It fixes sticking keys as I only noted six that stuck, specifically when pushing/testing them in the upward direction. No keys are apparently sticking now, as he did all 88 keys with this one tool.

2) All of the three hours work seemed to be in trying to take out all of the screws from the back of the piano, then the top portion of the cabinet had to come off along with the fall board cover and another wooden rail (name plate) that sits over the keys. He also had to be sure that certain wires were disconnected before going to the next step so that the keys could then come out of the key bed. In others words, there was a lot of work just in getting at the key bed.

3) After the tech had finished regulating each key hole by pushing the tool through the fulcrum point in every one of the 88 keys (as a child certainly could have done this task) they were returned to the key bed, making sure that the other hammer parts were attached on each key, correctly. In putting the piano back together he made a mistake by screwing the fall board cover back into place then realizes it has to come off as the other wooden rail (name plate) that sits over the keys has to go back in, first. Again, I had to help the tech by holding the fall board cover as he doesn't have enough hands in which to do two tasks at once while attaching the wooden rail, etc. Then there are two screws that apparently don't seem to fit for two brackets that hold the fall board cover in place. Three are needed in each bracket, so one is left out on each side as he uses them elsewhere. He almost lost some screws that dropped (a couple of times) when attempting to adjust the rolling rail supports for the fall board cover.

4) Finally, everything had been put back together (with some more help from me, the customer) and I notice that the fall board cover now has a pretty good rattling sound every time I open and close it, as the rattle wasn't there before. The tech tells me there is nothing he can do about it since everything has been reassembled.

5) In the end, the regulation done by the tech only fixed the sticking keys I had pointed out (plus any others I might not have noticed) although he didn't specifically address either the key spacing issue or the two keys that had clicking noises. As for the two keys that made a clicking noise, he said that it was just a normal function of the action. The key spacing was also a normal part of the key bed in his explanation.

For all the time and trouble this tech had to go through to make these simple adjustments, I would say again, "don't do it." Plus there were plenty of oily/greasy fingerprints all over the cabinet and fall board cover that I had to deal with. I am guessing that the tech was somewhat inexperienced with working with digitals as I asked him how long he had been employed at the local store/dealer and he said "10 months."

88 keys were regulated for sticking, nothing was done for key spacing issues and two other keys still have clicking sounds. I now have a rattly sounding/vibrating fall board cover which was not that way before he started. I therefore cannot recommend getting any regulation done on the CA95 unless you can verify getting a true certified "Kawai" technician to do the work.

Also, is the customer supposed to be helping the tech?

That's a little scary actually. Seems like such drastic work could break something else in the process or disrupt the integrity of the case/keys. Are the keys a little weaker now that additional holes have been drilled into them?

Was that the only option Kawai gave you or do you have the opportunity to have the piano returned/exchanged? How old is it?

For the purpose of this thread, I would like to highlight the following part of pv88's post:



To clarify, keys that stick when pushed downward should almost certainly be regulated - especially if they impair one's ability to play the keyboard naturally.

However, I do not believe keys that 'stick' when lifted upward should be any cause for concern. To my knowledge, this is not a natural technique, and therefore unlikely to be an impairment when playing.

Regarding key spacing, as explained in the past, Kawai's wooden-key actions utilise individually cut real wooden keys. Unlike identically formed vacuum-moulded plastic keys, each wooden key is unique. Therefore, minor variations in key spacing can occur. Again, if this impairs one's playing ability, efforts may be taken to reduce variations in key spacing. However, in most instances, the slight variations are merely a visual concern and seldom affect how the instrument actually plays.

In my wholly personal opinion (i.e. not that of Kawai's) this is a case of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

Kind regards,
James
x

James,

Yes, you are right, however, I still have to decide if I want to live with a rattly sounding/vibrating fall board cover, as it wasn't in that condition before the tech did the work.

I can attest to him having a problem with getting it properly reattached as he asked for my assistance to hold the roller rod while he adjusted the other end of it, and, in the process nearly lost a couple of screws.

He also didn't directly address either the key spacing I pointed out, or, the other two keys with action noises.

Shouldn't the tech be able to do all of this work on his own?

I'm sorry, I don't know.

However, my recommendation would have been to discuss this matter with the dealer first, rather than immediately express your dissatisfaction via an internet forum.

James
x

Will be contacting the dealer (both the owner/co-owner of the store) to see if they have any options for doing the rest of the work the tech didn't finish.

Also, he left the fall board cover in a loud and noisy state.
(Not very nice for someone who is a "Kawai" tech?)*

*Need to find out if the tech had Kawai certification.

Yes, this is a scary story. It's sad that one's own repair incident serves as training ground for an inexperienced tech.

I had minor repairs done twice on my piano. It was the same tech both times, one in warranty, one not.

He's a one-man shop, and he's very experienced as noted by his mention, while working on the piano, of the requirement to attend recurring training offered by the manufacturer ... and by his obvious familiarity the mechanical procedures he carried out during the disassembly, repair, and reassembly ... and from my chance mention of his name during a call to Yamaha on an unrelated matter, at which time the Yamaha rep said she knew of him from his communications with the company on warranty repair claims, saying that he is quite skilled in handling Yamaha digital pianos.

Will my situation be the same later this year? We'll be moving from Florida, heading north. I hope I can find a tech as good as this one.

I still say your penchant for reporting your never-ending dissatisfaction with Kawai (since they don't properly regulate key to go UP!) reflects that something is very wrong

-- with the consumer.

You make a very good point as I would not want to use the stores's tech again since the inexperience was evident. I contacted the dealer to let them know that everything was okay as far as the regulation of the sticking keys were concerned as he completed that one task as expected, although the other issues of the key spacing and key noises were not properly addressed.

In the end the tech managed to get the piano reassembled (with my help, by the way) as none of the noted issues are affecting the playability of the CA95 as for now, although I was left with a somewhat noisy sliding key cover that may have not been properly attached. Very irritating, to say the least.

Again, I do not recommend having any "regulation work" done on your Kawai digital unless there are significant issues, and, only if you can verify in advance that the tech being sent is a certified "Kawai" technician.

I do feel you have not had the best experience at the hands of your dealer and their tech. You should pursue getting the noisy cover fixed at least.

It's difficult to know via a forum if you are just over picky, or in fact your CA95 which is a quite expensive high end DP, does need some attention. You seem dissatisfied with key spacing and noises, and this is a discussion you should have with the dealer whilst pursuing a fix to the cover.