Pratt-Read keyboard rebushing issue

[Z]

I just rebushed a couple of my keyboards for the first time. The ProOne seems to be fine so far (waiting on a J Wire guide since I lost one), but have a problem with my Wave 2.2's keyboard. After replacing the bushing and reinstalling the keys and springs, most of the keys will not spring back.

Have any of you run across this issue and know how to remedy this "sticky" situation?

[synthRodriguez]

Assuming you bought bushings with the correct lubricant and the springs are ok...

It's eiter an alignment issue, there's goop in the key channels, or both.

1. Clean out the channels well with a cotton swab soaked in 90% alcohol.

2. Check alignment on each key bushing arm carefully, check rotation of the arm as well as it's side-to-side alignment and angle. Slip the bushing on and examine it head-on to make sure it's true. Build up the unit one key at a time checking every one. The keys hould have even spacing and no tilt. It's got to work after that unless you got a bad bunch of bushings (doubtful). Also, the bushings aren't symmetrical top to bottom. Make sure you get them on the right way.

The chassis metal on the Pratt-Read chassis is very soft and easily bent. You see OB-Xa keyboards with key height all over the place. That's not the need of a rebushing job (usually), that's a beat-on keyboard.

You can spend hours and hours on a P-R keboard getting the keys properly aligned and the key-drop/J-wire contact height the same for all keys. Ugh. It's a great feeling keyboard once you do though.

[Z]

I bought these bushing years ago, so I soaked them in silicone lubricant. Both keyboards were pretty wavy and I thought I did a decent job of straightening the metal things (key guides?) that the bushings go on.

As far as I can tell, the springs are still "springy" since they were shooting all over the house whenever they slipped out of my pliers.

[schmidtc]

Which version PR is the wave? the all plastic variety are kind of narrow for some bushings and pretty fiddly. If you can access the bottom you can pull the metal tine with the key on and go one key at a time. Parallel jaw pliers are really handy for this.

[Z]

The keys of the Wave are plastic and metal as opposed to the all plastic keys of my ProOne.

[schmidtc]

weird. did you match the color of the springs with the color of the keys? Your pro one keys should have identifying marks on the bottom of the keys, but I don't recall if these are on the earlier ones like your PPG. Any chance the occasional D got swapped for an A, etc? I guess the black keys shouldn't be wonky if that was the case though. I'm stumped.

[Z]

Red springs for white keys and blue springs for black keys. All white keys are in correct order, no Ds, Gs or As swapped, Bs & Es or Cs & Fs.

Guess I'll have to take it all apart and start over.

[Cybercardinal]

Could be a case of to much silicone lubricant. Try with a dry bushing on one of the sticky keys and see what happens. Or more likely the bushing is a bit too big. Widen the metal with a screwdriver like he's doing here at 1:45 :




Going to rebush an incoming Wave 2.3 myself in a few days. And a Polymoog. Jeez...that a lot of work

It's easier with plastic keys like the Pro 1 and Wave 2 I think

[Hybrid88]

^^ Keep us updated on the 2.3 Cybercardinal.

Ah you know what's interesting, as you know Z I recently got a 2.2 too and I did the rebush job myself earlier this year and funnily enough noticed the *exact* same issue. It has the minimoog type metal channel and plastic keytop arrangement.

I made sure to do a really thorough job too, taking a long time to get it right, matching the springs and aligning the tines both vertically and horizontally etc. So I think that can be eliminated as the source of the problem.

I used the Arcsound bushings which are pre-lubed so that wouldn't be it. Like Cybercardinal I'd be willing to bet the new bushings are slightly bigger/thicker than the originals and apply a bit more preassure on the insides of the keys than would be needed. *But* with a bit of firm wiggling of each key side to side it has improved and they all spring back, though still a little more slowly than I would like. Hopefully it will improve with use though.

Let us know how you get on with it Z.

[gearfixer]

The keys of the Wave are plastic and metal as opposed to the all plastic keys of my ProOne.

It reminds me of the Simpsons skit "the book of great british smiles".

[Sluggo]

I'm glad I found this thread, because it's particularly difficult to do a successful rebushing these days. We need to share info in the hope that somebody will provide a suitable replacement. The bushings that I have found are too wide (or the slot through the middle is too small), and simply don't work well with many P-R key channels found on vintage synths.
Also, the original P-R bushings were sprayed with a type of paint that prevented the neoprene from sticking to the channel. Back in the 'eighties, I ordered many bags of these, and they were all sprayed. These days, it's almost always necessary to reduce them with a belt sander, then cover the sides with a thin layer of super glue to keep them from sticking. Even if you spread the bottom of the channel, the key can stick at the bottom of its travel because the top of the channel can't be widened.
We need sprayed, narrower bushings.
Sluggo

[Yekuku]

Sorry for resurrecting this old thread, but I am having exactly the same problem as Z.
I bought new lubricated P-R bushings from vintage vibe, cleaned and aligned everything properly but the keys feel sticky !
My keys are all plastic , there is nothing metal to widen.

Z, how did you solve this problem?