Dear MiniBrute users,
We are receiving a growing number of complains related to the MiniBrute keybed and we have decided to tackle this problem.
In the early days of this production we already encountered a problem related to the MiniBrute keybed. The Metal plates, which are glued to the underside of the keys were prone to falling off. This situation was addressed quite quickly at the factory and we were able to repair or exchange faulty units already on the market.
Recently a new problem has appeared. The keys themselves seem to be more fragile and can sometime break. We have ran specific tests on the latest production batch and have, indeed, found that a large number of keybeds are not passing the tests successfully.
We suspect different potential causes. One could be due to the quality of the plastic that we use (a switch to recycled plastic by our supplier, for example), another could be related to clogging of the mold, etc.
At this point we are still investigating the root cause and evaluating our options. We will determine a cause of action and communicat updates about this situation soon. But you should already know that 1/ we have switched to a new supplier for the keybed and from now on, every MiniBrute unit will be shipping with a keybed of higher quality. We are also improving the test procedure at the factory on the keybed parts. 2/ As a customer, you should be assured that we will, with the help of our distributors, replace or repair MiniBrute units with broken keys.
We apologize for this problem. The truth also is that the defective rate of MiniBrute units is still bellow 1,5%. This includes every problem on every machine shipped since the launch of this product. But certainly we don't want this rate to grow and we are committed to maintaining quality. We also understand the frustration of a musician who bought a MiniBrute and ends up with a broken key. Again we are sorry and will address this issue.
Frederic Brun
(founder and ceo)