Next, I stripped what was left of the paint off with paint stripper and sanded the chassis smooth.

While I had the key caps removed, I removed the deep scratches with fine sandpaper, then polished each one individually using a series of car polishes and finished them off with a buff and wax. Pliers, a 1-yard level and patience were key.

Once I had the keybed chassis free, I worked on leveling out the keystops which were all out of whack from years of use and abuse. Many of the key frames were very oxidized and were very difficult to remove. It was clear I’d need to disassemble it entirely, strip it down and finish it.įirst, I removed the springs and the keys from the keybed and then carefully removed the PCB from the keybed. It was very rusted from exposure to the elements and for all I know, it seemed like a beer or other liquid may have been spilled inside it as it was rusted and the remaining paint was flaking off. The key bushings also dry up and become unusable, the bus bar wires (j-wires) are easily be bent out of position and the buss bar can oxidize and prevent good contact to properly activate a key when played.Īfter removing the keybed, it was clear that this keybed needed a full overhaul. They are made of a failure prone PCB attached to a metal chassis, with metal key frames pivoting on the chassis, using springs to provide tension return the keys. Unfortunately, the Pratt-Read keybeds on this era of synthesizers do not age well with regular use or unless meticulously cared for. That said, those wonderful warm tone from the Prophet 5 were emerging and just begging for this synth to be restored as best I could. The keyboard was in really bad shape with many keys not playing and others double triggering.

After getting the power supply rebuilt, the transformer replaced and the mess of all the modification boards and wiring removed, the synth was playable, but far from a pleasure to play.

Sequential circuits pro one key size