Members Tomkeen Posted October 21, 2009 Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 So... I got the Roland VK-7 last night. Picked it up at the sellers house, just 5 minutes away from my home. I went straight to rehearsal, to try it out with the new band. Worked perfectly, only thing was the slow-fast switch on the board itself doesn't properly work. No big problem, I use a footswitch for that anyway.. Got it home after rehearsal where it stayed in the case untill this evening. I came home from work, started on redoing my room to be able to actually place it since my room is very small. Tore down my A-frame stand and wanted to place the 4 boards in an L-shape on two stands. Not enough room for that, so I got a little annoyed. I'm pretty tired from work, so I'm not thinking very clear. I think to myself, just place the boards against the wall and try to get it sorted out tomorrow after school, as I'll have some more time... I did however wanted to play the VK-7, as I've only yet used it at rehearsal. I put it on a stand, connected the pedals and headphones and got the power cable out of my bag. Plugged the power cable in the back, then in the wall, turned on the board... and nothing. It doesn't power up, just doesn't work. Right now I just don't even know what to do anymore. I go downstairs and tell my dad that "the hammond" is dead. He said I had call the guy and ask my money back. I tried to call him on the phone, but no answer. I don't know what to do. Since it worked at rehearsal, it might not be the sellers fault. I can't just go knocking at his door and claim my money back, right? He'll probably say it's my fault and my problem. This sucks so bad... I just got my paycheck, and spent most of it on a broken organ. Dammit. What do you suggest I do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Purity_Control Posted October 21, 2009 Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 It could have had some sort of intermittent fault you didn;t know about but that would be hard to prove. Unfortunately, it did work when you bought it, so it's hard to pin anything on the guy, and if it had always worked fine for him and you've just had really bad luck, well that is not his problem. It's still a bloody pisser though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ElectricPuppy Posted October 21, 2009 Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 Since it was working, I'm afraid you might have just had a stroke of bad luck. That really, really sucks. Is there a Roland service center anywhere near you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChristianRock Posted October 21, 2009 Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 Yes, since it was working, there's not all that much that you could do. When you buy used you don't get a warranty, and you're kind of making yourself liable for this kind of thing. My wife absolutely hates when I buy stuff used, but I do anyway Sometimes I do have bad luck, and I have a broken D-550 at home to prove it... tried to give it away for free, nobody would take it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sleepykeith Posted October 21, 2009 Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 i find calling the seller up in a friendly but frank way helps.most people are good at heart and aren't trying to screw others. let him know your issue and ask if he's had any experiences like that while he owned it. if he says he hasn't then you just have bad luck. but if he admits to having a similar issue you might try talking him into giving you some of your money back, or at the very least help fix it. just remember he's not entitled to help you... so you have to appeal to his good nature (if he has any). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tomkeen Posted October 21, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 Dunno... I got the guy on the phone, and he said he never had a problem with it. He said that he never used the on/off switch but always just plugged the cable in and out. Said I had to try to plug the cable in, turn it on and just wait and see if anything happens after a while, but no luck so far. I'll check if there is anything Roland around here (never heard about it though). The downside is that it's just going to cost me more, and I don't have any money left... {censored}ing sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tomkeen Posted October 21, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 Is there a Roland service center anywhere near you? Just a bit of good news here, yes there is. There is actually a service center just a few km's away from where I go to school and thursday is my schoolday. I think I'll pay them a visit tomorrow. Thanks for the advice guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members augerinn Posted October 21, 2009 Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 Try a different cord, and a different outlet too. Make sure the D connector is seating firmly (I have some that don't seat all the way and it always scares me when my synths don't power up). Check to see if there's a fuse in it, and check that. No power can be scary, but it can also be pretty simple. Of course, I ALWAYS go straight to "Oh {censored}, the main boards fried....." only to find the wall switch was flipped off or something simple.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Aanalogaddict Posted October 21, 2009 Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 My local Roland service center has been very helpful. It may take some time, but they can probably sort it out. The power supply may be shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tomkeen Posted October 21, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 Talked to my dad again and I told him I wanted to take it to the service center tomorrow. He was pissed of that the seller didn't want to pay for the repair (I didn't ask him, but he wouldn't do it anyway). I went back to my room, and it it's freakin' working again... Not so pissed off anymore right now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChristianRock Posted October 21, 2009 Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 Hey! Very glad it turned out ok! (I've done this kind of thing countless times including stuff that wouldn't turn on at home and I took it to the repair shop to see it working as soon as I gave it to the technician... :facepalm:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members toddkuen Posted October 21, 2009 Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 If he never used the switch it might be dirty - simply flicking it on/off a bunch of time might clear it up. Make sure the connectors for the power cord are clean as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tomkeen Posted October 21, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 I think it might be bad karma.. I bashed Roland so often and I sold the JD990 I had after just two weeks or so that it just wanted to punish me. Seriously though, I'm glad it's probably nothing serious. I might get it checked next month or so, just to make sure it's working 100% (meaning I don't want it to break down on a gig ). The sound of the thing is just great. It is better than I imagined it to be. Leslie simulation is great considering it's made in the 90's. I actually like the sound of this better than the NE2r I had. Woo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ElectricPuppy Posted October 21, 2009 Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 You know , if the guy kept plugging/unplugging the power cord, it might just be a flakey power socket. Wiggle the cord in the socket (on the unit, not on the wall) and see if it flickers, or if you hear a subtle snapping or popping sound. Might even be the power cord itself, try another cord. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vinceg Posted October 21, 2009 Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 You know , if the guy kept plugging/unplugging the power cord, it might just be a flakey power socket. Wiggle the cord in the socket (on the unit, not on the wall) and see if it flickers, or if you hear a subtle snapping or popping sound. Might even be the power cord itself, try another cord. Yep - either that or the power switch as toddkuen suggested above. If the wiggling doesn't produce any flickering, trying flipping the switch back and forth or try some contact cleaner spray (such as LPS) on the switch. I get you can get it working fine without having to take it in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members evildragon Posted October 21, 2009 Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 Plugging the power cord in and out is just bad manners. Bad, bad manners. Maybe replacing the power socket is a good idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Michoo Posted October 21, 2009 Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 I would take it to Roland anyway - I'm shure You don't want to fry this board Maybe they replace power socket, I can olny agree with evildragon about plugging power cord "thing" (it's not olny bad manners, I think it's stupid). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MartinHines Posted October 22, 2009 Members Share Posted October 22, 2009 Dunno... I got the guy on the phone, and he said he never had a problem with it. He said that he never used the on/off switch but always just plugged the cable in and out. Given your two days of ownership, I would be very skeptical of the Seller. Did the seller state why he/she was selling? You might just have bad luck, but I suspect your Seller had this intermittent problem before and simply dumped the keyboard off on you. I would suggest talking to the Seller about either a return or taking it into a Roland service center and suggest the Seller might pay part of the repair. Legally the seller is probably not liable, but if the Seller is being honest he would probably be willing to help pay for repairs, given you only played the keyboard one time before it failed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members synthman1 Posted October 22, 2009 Members Share Posted October 22, 2009 Wow, sorry man, that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members eric Posted October 22, 2009 Members Share Posted October 22, 2009 You should know that the Roland VK7 in particular will develop a bad power supply over time. This has been documented in numerous places over the years on forums and I experienced it personally. It will start intermittently and you can sort of work around it, fake it my unplugging, replugging, jiggling, etc. But at the end of the day, you need to get the power supply (internal) replaced. I had this done to my old VK7 for ~$100 if I remember correctly and this was easily 7-8 years ago. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Darkstorm Posted October 22, 2009 Members Share Posted October 22, 2009 Take it to the service center. Maybe be simple cheap fix like replace the on/off switch. Since it works sometimes that a real possible source of the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thorhead Posted October 22, 2009 Members Share Posted October 22, 2009 So... I got the Roland VK-7 last night. Picked it up at the sellers house, just 5 minutes away from my home. I went straight to rehearsal, to try it out with the new band. Worked perfectly, only thing was the slow-fast switch on the board itself doesn't properly work. No big problem, I use a footswitch for that anyway..Got it home after rehearsal where it stayed in the case untill this evening. I came home from work, started on redoing my room to be able to actually place it since my room is very small. Tore down my A-frame stand and wanted to place the 4 boards in an L-shape on two stands. Not enough room for that, so I got a little annoyed. I'm pretty tired from work, so I'm not thinking very clear. I think to myself, just place the boards against the wall and try to get it sorted out tomorrow after school, as I'll have some more time...I did however wanted to play the VK-7, as I've only yet used it at rehearsal. I put it on a stand, connected the pedals and headphones and got the power cable out of my bag. Plugged the power cable in the back, then in the wall, turned on the board... and nothing. It doesn't power up, just doesn't work. Right now I just don't even know what to do anymore. I go downstairs and tell my dad that "the hammond" is dead. He said I had call the guy and ask my money back. I tried to call him on the phone, but no answer. I don't know what to do. Since it worked at rehearsal, it might not be the sellers fault. I can't just go knocking at his door and claim my money back, right? He'll probably say it's my fault and my problem. This sucks so bad... I just got my paycheck, and spent most of it on a broken organ. Dammit.What do you suggest I do? Well, perhaps before blaming the seller you should try to figure out whats wrong with the unit. The power cant just die for no reason at all. It is probably just some component thats easily replaced, or perhaps the power adaptor... Has there been any smoke? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tomkeen Posted October 22, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 22, 2009 You know , if the guy kept plugging/unplugging the power cord, it might just be a flakey power socket. Wiggle the cord in the socket (on the unit, not on the wall) and see if it flickers, or if you hear a subtle snapping or popping sound. Might even be the power cord itself, try another cord. Thanks for the advice guys! Much appreciated! I tried another power cord last night but it didn't work. I opened the unit just a few minutes ago and removed all dust from the inside. Cleaned the outside completely too, it was so terribly filthy... It does power up immediatly and I have no more issues with it now. I did find a sticker on the side from the same service center I wanted to take it too, says it has been fixed once in 2006, with the sellers name on it. I wonder what was wrong with it back then.. Anyway, I won't bother the seller with it anymore. If I run into more problems I'll just get it fixed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tomkeen Posted October 22, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 22, 2009 Given your two days of ownership, I would be very skeptical of the Seller. Did the seller state why he/she was selling? You might just have bad luck, but I suspect your Seller had this intermittent problem before and simply dumped the keyboard off on you. I would suggest talking to the Seller about either a return or taking it into a Roland service center and suggest the Seller might pay part of the repair. Legally the seller is probably not liable, but if the Seller is being honest he would probably be willing to help pay for repairs, given you only played the keyboard one time before it failed. Thanks Martin. He sold it because he got himself a Hammond XK-3. It could be that he knew about the problem, but since it worked when I tried it at rehearsal there's not much I can do and want to do about getting my money or a part of the money back. It's just that I have a hard time believing that he knew.. He's a pretty well known keyboarder in town (most people I talked to about getting the board knew him) and he is a really friendly guy. Anyway, now that I have no more problems with it since I cleaned it, I guess everything is just fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tomkeen Posted October 22, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 22, 2009 Well, perhaps before blaming the seller you should try to figure out whats wrong with the unit. The power cant just die for no reason at all. It is probably just some component thats easily replaced, or perhaps the power adaptor... Has there been any smoke? Well I've never actually blamed the seller of anything, if that's what you're saying . I was just extremely irritated because I had just spent half my paycheck on something that didn't work. Btw, no, there was no smoke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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