How Long Does a Digital Piano Live?

How Long Does a Digital Piano Live

What would you say if I told you twenty years? Granted, most manufacturers ‘only’ offer a few years of warranty, but anyone who’s ever owned a digital piano from one of the big-name brands will know that a fifteen to twenty year lifespan isn’t unusual. What about maintenance, you ask?

Time-Tested Pianos

Digital pianos built by Yamaha, Roland and other reputable makers easily last a couple of decades. Only then will you start having to deal with things like loose keys, crackling speakers or protesting outputs, especially in the case of higher-end models. Entry-level pianos won’t live quite as long, but that’s okay because that’s why they’re more budget-friendly in the first place.

Dust Can Be Your Friend or Your Enemy

One way to make your digital piano give up the ghost early is to let it collect dust. Don’t bother wiping it down, don’t ever close the lid if it has one and, whatever you do, definitely do not invest in a dust cover. If you don’t want to risk turning your piano into an heirloom piece, simply let dust accumulate on the keys and controls. Easy!

In Case a Room Mate Wipes It Down

If your germaphobe roommate can’t control themselves and takes a slightly damp cleaning cloth to your grimey digital piano, then worry not. There’s another way to make sure that your piano won’t make it to retirement: playing it with Cheetos dust-covered fingers and snacking on cookies and other crumbly treats while sitting behind the keys. Also, if you happen to have little tykes running around, be sure to encourage them to place their sweetened beverages on the corners of the housing. One good spill can be enough to destroy the instrument. I’m just saying…

Lugging It Around

Lugging your digital piano around all the time can also help shorten its lifespan, though most digital pianos remain in one spot for their entire lifetime. Are you a gigging musician who, unlike most of your colleagues, refuses to opt for a purpose-designed stage piano and a matching case? Then it’s worth knowing that carelessly hurling your unprotected instrument into the back of the van can help break it too.

Stuck With It

Dread the thought of growing old with your digital piano? We get it. Twenty years ago, a few basic beeps and blips were mind-blowing. These days, a lot of us refuse to play if the keyboard doesn’t have the same feel as a grand piano worth over £100k. Twenty years from now, we’re probably either spoiled rotten or so attached to our trusty digital workhorse that we never want to let it go.

So how old is your digital piano? Any symptoms of old age?