Build quality, and plan to fix?

[hatwobble]

Hi, I'm new to the forum here. I'm thinking about making the Minibrute my first analog synth. My only reservation is concerning the build quality-- many posts on here feature users lamenting their broken keybeds. I was curious if Arturia has any plan to fix these manufacturing quality issues, or if I should expect the Minibrute to have these troubles in perpetuity. If these issues were isolated to the first production run of the Minibrute but have been or will be corrected in the future, then it would really put my mind at ease about making the purchase.

I tried doing a forum search and a Google search on anything anyone speaking officially on the behalf of Arturia has said regarding these quality issues and plans for improvement in future units, but was unsuccessful.

[Quinthius]

For what it's worth, my MiniBrute has not had any problems.  Of course that doesn't mean it won't... the keybed problem seems to strike people at random and I have not opened mine up to look at the condition of the plastic holders.

I only say that to point out that not ALL are having problems, although it does seem like a bit of a gamble.

There is a tendency for forums to make problems seem much more prevalent or more common than they might be in reality, because most of the "happy customers" typically stay silent.  So even if the faulty keyboard or other problems are only 2% of total produced units, on here it's gonna look like close to 100%.

It's still a great synth, but I suggest even if you are willing to take the risk of build quality and purchase one anyway, you should first spend some time on these forums to read about some other known problems and quirks (some of which should be fixed in firmware upgrades).  Some of those problems might not mean anything to you, but some might be show-stoppers DEPENDING on how you intend to use the instrument.

[T3k]

The knobs have a firm but smooth feel, the sliders are fine, the unit is heavy, the keys have a good quick action, the jacks are all solid. Overall you will be impressed with the unit out of the box. Not to mention the pure analog sound! Yours could be perfect for life.

For some unknown reason, C and other keys on an unknown number of units flop upwards due to cracked plastic assembly that holds the bumper in place. (The bumper is what stops the spring tension from rising the key past a certain level. It's like a rubber door stop.)

Arturia advises individual users to open a service ticket. They have not addressed the issue with a general statement. Most synth companies won't touch "recall" level problems, it's a money issue. (You'd think they would be insured against faulty parts from 3rd party vendors and the factory)

I'd love a new keyed, but my superglue fix is holding up for now. One more key breakage and I'll be calling.

[shoggoth]

I second Quinthius - mine has had no issues thus far. I read on another forum (http://www.gearslutz.com/board/electronic-music-instruments-electronic-music-production/692661-arturia-minibrute-104.html) of someone who serviced\built synths who took apart the Minibrute and said it actually has a great build quality.

If you can, buy it from a local shop ( I was lucky enough to get one at a great price at GC) that way you can easily return\swap if you have an issue out of the box.

[T3k]

Wow, Frederic Brun has responded with a statement in this forum.

Worth reading his statement:

http://www.arturia.com/evolution/smf/index.php?topic=14603.0

[hatwobble]

Wow, Frederic Brun has responded with a statement in this forum.

Worth reading his statement:

http://www.arturia.com/evolution/smf/index.php?topic=14603.0

Wow, amazing! Ask and you shall receive, huh?

It's nice to hear that they are doing something about the quality issues. It's also nice to hear that the defective rate (1.5%) is reasonably low.