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It's indeed wiser to contact the technical support while the unit is still under warranty. I hope it will get sorted swiftly for you.

If that can help, here is my experience with the first unit. B3 and C4 sounded fff regardless of the force applied while F3, F4 and F5 became mute. According to the vendor, they tried to fixed it in their workshop but it was sent back to me in the very same conditions. They eventually took it back and refund me in full.

Similar experience with my second unit. B3 sounds fff and B4 is mute. Different vendor, which is claiming that it will be repaired by Kawai support. Let's see how it goes.

The problems occurred after just a couple of month of regular use in both cases.

Ahhh! How much I would like to get it sorted myself rather than waiting for weeks...

Most likely it costs far more in shipping the unit back and forward than the replacing part, but what can I do?

On the other hand, I'm going abroad for three weeks, so unfortunately no piano playing in the meanwhile. I do hope to have it returned in good conditions when I'll be back.

Cheers,
F.

If you choose to repair it yourself I urge you to get the service manual. Disassembly can be very tricky the first time (and very easy the second time). The manual explains it all.

Parts for my Yamaha were easily obtained from Yamaha in California ... but I don't know what your situation is like in Pays de la Loire.

That's a good point. May I ask you how did you manage to get the service manual for your unit?
I kind of struggled finding just more detailed specs for mine as the standard user manual doesn't say much on some regards.

He he, very different indeed!
Over here you can enjoy a beautiful country side, many castles, fine wines and plenty of wild life. As for digital piano dealers.... Mmhhh, not really. Let alone Kawai showrooms or DP's technical services!

I do hope that Kawai support in Germany will sort all out. The backdrop plan will indeed be hacking it myself. I happen to have electronics background and being quite handy. I hope I can find spare parts on the internet if they are standard components.

Let's see.

I bought the service manual from Yamaha online, shipped from California as a CD containing pdf files. Maybe can offer advice on buying from Kawai from France. Likewise for any parts, none of which are generics.

I quick update for anyone who might be interested:
It looks like the root cause of my issues was the same. From what I can take out the german translation from the assistance's report, all rubber contacts were replaced on my ES8 and the piano sounds great now.

It's a pity the other vendor didn't take the same route for my first unit as the symptoms were exactly the same (although different keys).

I suppose I was either unlucky enough to bump twice on the same defective batch or this component is just a weak spot for all digital pianos.
I can imagine that it is the most stressed part in any key actions and I'm wondering what the expected life time (MTBF) is suppose to be for a regular daily usage.

Anyway, I'm glad my piano is back

Happy playing to all,
F.

Thanks for the update, and something for me to look out for with my ES8 as well.

I keep it covered whenever I'm not playing it, and I try to keep a pretty dust-free environment with air purifiers, vacuum hepa's, microfiber cloths etc.

Picotin: was does it tell you how much were the contacts and how long it took them to repair it?
Also was the issue you experienced clicking?

I don't know about the spare parts costs as it was covered by the warranty.

Interesting question anyway as I'm under the impression that such intervention might be needed again in the future and I'm keen to do it myself when the warranty period is over.
Shipping cost was about 70 euros for me; I would expect the sparing part to be cheaper. The whole process took about 3 weeks.

Furthermore the original packaging was seriously damaged in the process (again). I guess due to mishandling by the couriers and thankfully the vendor added some padding for the return. I'm not sure I will take the same risk again.

About the clicking: no, I did not experience that.

Same here, although I don't go as far with the air purifiers...

As for dust and how it might get into the piano to cause this problem ... I just don't know. The rubber switch pads lie flat on a circuit board, so I can't understand how dust gets between the rubber and the board. But somehow ... ?

As for the replacement of these pads ... I replaced four strips (each 12 notes / 1 octave long) about two years ago. Each strip cost $14 in the US, direct from Yamaha in California. Replacement required a great deal of disassembly. The hardest part was fitting a strip into its retaining groove, and ensuring that it stayed in place as the circuit board was screwed down over it. But once completed the problem was solved.

The other common problem I've had has been friction. The keys require periodic lubrication. Yamaha sells the lube in a small bucket containing about a pound of lube. It sells for well over $100. But if you ask they will supply a small plastic vial of lube with your parts order. There's enough lube to do a complete lube job.

I am currently having this same problem with my ES8. I have a technician coming to clean the contacts. I think another key is going to start being problematic as well. Thankfully still in the warranty period.

I'm surprised this is a common problem, you would think that DP manufacturers would have figured out a way to seal the bottom of the keys (sensor) from dirt and dust.

I had the same problem with a Nord Stage. The little rubber domes over the contacts have a small hole on the sides to let air in and out as they are compressed and decompressed. When they suck air in, they were sucking in fine hairs that fell from my thinning coiffe that fell between the keys and worked their way down into the keyboard. Ultimately, I had to vacuum the keybed once a week to keep the problem from reoccurring. Taking these keyboards apart enough to get to the key contacts is not difficult, but there are many many screws to undo. Be sure to take pictures during the disassembly process to help you put it back together.