🎹 How Long Do Digital Pianos Last? | Electric Piano Longevity & Most Common Component Failures 🎹

#DigitalPianos #Pianos #HowLongDoDigitalPianosLast

Hi and welcome to the Merriam Pianos YouTube channel. Today, we’re going to answer a question that gets asked every single day online and in piano showrooms all over the world - how long do digital pianos last?

Now, there isn’t a quick answer to this question as there are many factors at play, not the least of which is the ride range of quality and price points that digital pianos are currently available at. Let’s jump right in.

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Opening Thoughts
This video would not have had much relevance to the market, say 10 or so years ago. Only a small percentage of the buying population in the past would have been looking at a digital piano as a long term investment, namely professionals and enthusiasts.

Today, many people are buying digital pianos with the thought that the instrument they choose will be the only digital piano they ever own. Digital piano technology improving so much over the past few years is a huge reason why, as are the realities of many modern living situations.

Digital pianos are not built to last forever, and there are some key areas where they can fail over time. We’re going to cover each of these major areas, the likelihood of each happening, and some general guidelines you can expect regarding a given piano’s shelf life.

#1. Action
At the top of the list is piano action, so we’re going to devote the most time to this area. Actions degrade over time since they’re the actual physical component receiving so much use. Even a single playing session can result in the keys being pressed 1,000’s of time.

The reality is that a piano action is a mechanical object that’s simply going to be on the receiving end of a ton of force and impact. The quality of the action is going to determine how durable and repairable it is.

Less expensive digital pianos tend to have short, plastic actions, and these are going to be the most susceptible to issues simply due to their physical construction. How long until one of these actions breaks down? It’s not a function of calendar time, but rather how often the action gets played - a standard plastic action like the one we’ve described here is probably going to start breaking down around the 2,000-hour point.

As you move up in price, you’ll start finding digital piano actions with longer key sticks as this better recreates the experience of playing an acoustic piano. The other effect of a longer key stick is that the action as a whole going to be more durable, simply due to the physics of the construction.

Actions with longer key sticks like this are going to have a much longer shelf life, with some going beyond the 5,000-hour point.

#2. Digital Electronic Components
This area can be unpredictable, but we do tend to see motherboards and key sensors failing at a low percentage, regardless of the amount of use a digital piano has received.

It’s very uncommon, but when it does occur, the only solution is to replace those components. As long as you are able to get in touch with the manufacturer in a reasonable amount of time, odds are you can still get the part replaced, even if your instrument is past the warranty period.

If enough time has passed since the instrument was discontinued and the motherboard requires replacing, you might be out of luck as the motherboard may no longer be available. Individual key sensors key sensor strips can typically be replaced, though over time the correct sensors may one day no longer be available.

#3. Connector Jacks
This area is totally preventable, but unfortunately, we see it a lot. We often see connector jacks getting broken, and while these issues can often be fixed, that’s not always the case. Be gentle with the connector jacks, especially the headphone jacks, and you shouldn’t have this problem.

#4. Amplifiers & Speakers
Speakers are always going to be a component that can wear down, but they do tend to last a long time. As you’re not overdriving your speakers, they can last decades. Amps on the other hand can be blown out, especially if they’re left on for really long periods of time or constantly pushed at max volume. Turn the piano off when you’re not using it, and try to mostly operate within the 70-80% volume range, and you should be able to avoid this issue.

We hope you found this video helpful, thanks for watching!

Connect with Merriam Music:

[vanessajazp]

Just an FYI for buyers, I have a 28-year-old Clavinova that I still play and still sounds as great as it did on the showroom floor. And it was dropped 3 different times during moves.
So these keyboards are really made to last.

[vicfg]

My Yamaha CLP-170 lasted 16 years. First some of the sensors started to fail, sending loud notes regardless of how I played. Then the action started to give up, with broken springs and keys. I sent the piano for repairs before I sold it, but that took a significant bite off my pocket. It's worth noting that the CLP-170's GH3 action was probably the best at the time and it's now used in cheaper models as the YDP-164.

[SanelKeys]

Action parts are the most important. I'm amateur keyboard player, profession electronics engineer, doing keyboard/piano repairs about 10 years by now, so in my experience, keys are the most important part that fails.
When motherboard fails, it's often DAC (digital to analog converter), battery, op-amps and then any arbitrary component.
These are reason behind buying well established brands, due to availability of spare parts(components)(Yamaha, Roland, Korg).

[chrisshotwell]

I'm still playing a 2004 Yamaha CLP-120. Still works flawlessly. Impressed with the longevity, but definitely ready for an upgrade!

[davidmcnamara]

Please protect your digital piano (motherboard) by only plugging into a high quality UPS (uninterruptible power supply)... or at least a surge protector! A UPS like CyberPower with Pure Sine Wave is one of the best for a reasonable cost. A high quality UPS will also protect you from brownouts (undervoltage) not just surges. Do not assume your UPS protects from brownouts... make sure... most cheap ones do not!

[vengermanu]

I'm still playing my first ever digital piano, Technics SX-P30, 24 years later and still works well. If there is any degradation in the action I've not noticed it

[williamreggiecunningham]

Your videos are very informative. You helped provide critical info for my purchase of a Roland RD-88. I have a Roland RD-700 that I purchased in 2002. Some of the keys stopped working and I had it repaired for under $300. The repair guy said that I probably won't be able to get it repaired in the future due to the lack of available parts. He said I have another 10 years or so. Great video. Thanks.

[danielmcguire]

Hi Stu, I just discovered your blog yesterday, and LOVE them. You're a fountain of information. Your vocabulary and your playing are extremely impressive. It's wonderful to listen to someone who has an extensive grasp of the English language and has worked in musical instrument sales. Twenty years ago I bought a Roland KR 7 and have been playing the daylights out of it on a daily basis. I'm a composer and do a lot of music sequencing and MIDI. Just recently the KR has been giving me some trouble in that not all of the keys are sounding on a regular basis, so it's obviously time for me to get something newer. I'm in San Diego so I'll see what the local dealers have to offer or what may be available used. Your videos are extremely helpful. Thanks.

[Sanddesert]

really appreciate a video about this subject. There are endless videos on YouTube basicly moving people into buying the newest and the lastest whatever, but very few adressing durability. Well done and properly explained! 👏

[darykinnaman]

One thing I have noticed, is when you play out and even with a case your keyboard can take a beating and is subject to damage on the road. The other side of that is if you are making money playing out, you can buy a new one if you need to. I am retired and play quite a bit at home, but I have multiple keyboards and I care for them well. I keep them powered off and covered when not in use, I think that helps with the longevity of the instruments. Thank you for the video!

[pianoboylaker]

My Clavinova 305 is 20 years old and it is still the same as when I bought it. It has taken some battering over the years since I have played a lot of Beethoven sonatas on it. It is the closest thing to a real grand piano there is and I can carry it up the stairs if I wanted to. Try doing that with a 9 ft Steinway. I always wanted my own grand but could never afford it so I thank the Japanese from my heart for inventing the Clavinova digital grand. It's brilliant and I can add my own orchestra to the piano to give it that concert feeling. If I just use the strings voice I play the Beethoven symphonies from the Liszt transcriptions, it's not the same as an orchestra but it is a close second. I swear this isn't an advert for Yamaha although reading it back it certainly sounds like it, but it's just that great.

[KobyShalev]

My Yamaha Clavinova P-100 works perfectly for 30 years now.
I recently cleaned up the action mechanism (a working day) and now it's totally like new.

[Ryan]

The Technics PX107 I had bought in 1995 is still going and lives at my parents house. The quality of the sound, particularly in the high end, is very digital sounding. But it works just fine!

[tombic]

In late 1989, I purchased an Technics SK-KN800. A couple of years ago, one of its two speakers started to sometimes sound a little tinny. But otherwise, the keyboard plays fine.

[roncabot]

I've used a Roland Hp-900 for 35 years and it works great except for small buttons on top being pushed in too far by kids use years ago. I normally use midi out to computer software piano modules and studio speakers now and take advantage of the great weighted keyboard action of the roland keyboards and thus do not rely on the various piano sound switches and amplifier. All keys work fine.

[davidleigh]

I can voucher for digital piano's longevity. I've played a lot of different makes and models. I have a Roland P - something, in my parents house which is 15 years old and still going strong with no issues at all in that time, it has had heavy use at various points but now, just occasional. I try to stay current with my pianos at home and currently have the Yamaha P125 and Casio PXS1100. But from a different perspective, it can be immensely frustrating sometimes that a piano has lasted so long, as it means that some people/places of education/worship, are reluctant to upgrade, if there's nothing wrong with the instrument. I know that this is subjective but the core issues for me are piano sound and action, as I'm sure they are for most people. I've played for worship in churches for many years, and also played for weddings and funerals. There's nothing worse than getting to a venue to find a digital piano from 25/30 years ago, which is in perfect working order but sounds and feels horrible. The worst case of this was 4 years ago at a wedding of my friend. I'd never been to this particular church before, but decided to risk not taking my own piano. One of worse mistakes of my life as it was a Yamaha Clavinova from about 1993, again perfect working order but was horrendous to play. I'm a confident player but was a nervous wreck, as it was a wedding and I couldn't relax with the awful action and tone. All in all digital pianos are on the whole very long lasting, I have only ever taken one to dump in all my years of playing.

[MyAllTimeKaraoke]

A lot of yamaha digital piano from Japan (surplus) still selling in the Philippines, even 1998 model still sounds good.

[faautobahna]

"Touch Screen" is a major miss in this video. Experience: I had purchased a brand new Korg Triton Extreme 88, hardly used it, remained throughout in my room for six or seven years. Everything worked flawlessly except that one day its screen would die out by itself and come back itself. Total actual playtime in these years could not have been more than 15 hours! Yes I am serious. Anyway, I felt really bad and sold it on Craigslist. Got the Kronos 2 88. My biggest fear with it too is that one day its touch screen would die. Anybody else had this issue and what did you do, including your costs etc ? Will appreciate your view.

[Gump-tion]

Had my Yamaha p-255 for 8 years now. Still plays like its brand new! Great informational video btw!

[gregorywhite]

My Yamaha P80 is over 35 years old and is still without a single problem. Of all the money I have ever spent on anything this has given the most joy and satisfaction. Thx Yamaha!!