I service a Yamaha Disklavier located in a casino.  Last week the piano
had its first service call in five years.  The sustain pedal was out of
adjustment because a tuner who knows nothing about player pianos tried
to adjust it.

This piano has been played everyday all day for the past five years.
The action is just like it was the day it was delivered.  I have a
Western Electric nickelodeon in the shop that was in a public location.
It is now receiving a total restoration again as the pneumatic cloth
has failed.  Since both pianos were used about the same length of time
you can guess which one is costing more to repair.

We do a lot of different things for a living in this store.  One of our
biggest departments is the rental department.  When artists fly to a
location to perform then they have to rent the instruments that they
play.  Most of these instruments are electronic.  In the sound system
are many electronic pieces.

One piece in particular shows up on many of the riders (pieces of paper
attached to the contract that outline the equipment needed for a show).
It is a Yamaha SPX 90 reverb type unit.  These units have not been made
for twenty years.  The original selling price was 235.00.  Used today
they are still working and sell for 235.00.

Many of the keyboard synth pianos are no longer made.  It is surprising
to me how many Yamaha DX-7 keyboards are requested -- they are twenty
years out of date.  We have three of these in the backline rental
department that have never had a service call or any maintenance in the
last twenty years, which is lucky because there are few parts available
for these.

My point is that many of today's electronic toys will last much longer
than you would think.  I, too, also worry about parts being available
twenty years from now for the solenoid pianos.  My advice is to buy a
unit from someone who has been in the business a long time and has a
very stable history...

Don Teach - Shreveport Music Co.
Shreveport, LA