I visited my parent's church, and they've got a DOA Korg C50-G (digital in a grand-shaped cabinet) that has stopped working. It appears to power on, but nothing happens after that.

They checked with a local music shop, and they've told them they're out of luck, no parts are available, etc....so, I thought I'd try here.

The basic facts are: This is a 14-year old digital piano (serial # 0159, built 3/20/92), so it may very well be dead, and their only recourse is to replace it....but, are there parts available for a piano this old?

OK, part #2. If it IS dead, what options are out there to replace it? The C50-G is a 32 note polyphony, 25WX2 piano, so whatever replaces it should be at least that good. They don't have a lot of money, so I'd like to keep the price reasonable. They don't need an arranger-type piano, but they do need good keyboard action, sounds and amplification, including line out to the house sound system. They use this piano to complement an acoustic grand, with a 3rd player on a Roland A-70 using the organ sounds.

Some of the pianos I thought would fit the bill would be the Korg C-320, Yamaha PF500, Kurzweil RE-210, etc. Most of these are around the 2K price point or under. Are there any others in that range that should be considered? Pure stage pianos like the RD700SX or P250/300 are probably out because they're looking for a piano in a more traditional cabinet with a 3-pedal arrangement.

So, is repair a possibility, or if not, what should they replace it with?

Thanks in advance....

Yamaha CLP 230 or 240 will fit in nicely. Both are newer, have better actions than PF500 and they are home style digital pianos satisfying your other requirements.

TD

For major repairs, most digital brands would
need to be shipped to the nearest authorized
service center. This might seem unfeasible,
but it really isn't when you consider that
a digital should never require repair
(if the local dealer has an in-store authorized
service dept., that might not necessarily
be a good thing, because that would
indicate that repairs are frequently needed
on a product that should never require
repair). The postage to ship it would be
fairly high, but the repair costs
shouldn't be that much, and the service
should be fast and expert. I bought a Korg
more than 10 yrs. ago and my neighbor now
has it and it works perfectly. I have a
toll free number from more than 10 yrs.
ago for Korg service support:
800 227 1270.

if around $2000, then PF500 is a good choice (which i have anyway). if more you can spend, then you might consider a CLP240.

btw, i'd rather buy a new one than repair that old digital, which i don't think is worth much.

I'm glad Gyro put me on his ignore list, that way I can tell you not to listen to any of his nonsense without having to worry about one of his ridiculous retorts. Everything he says is based on assumptions. The repairs shouldn't be that much, huh Gyro?! How in the world would you know that unless you've shipped Korg a dead C50-G; add to that, we don't even know what's wrong with it.

The Korg isn't worth reparing so I second the proposal of a CLPxxx if your Church can swing it. They won't be disappointed.

I wouldn't say that it's nonsense - there are several good points from each poster so far.....I have no idea what the repair would be - since I'm not a Korg tech. Since this church doesn't have a lot of money, I want to give them the available options and let them decide.

If the repair isn't much e.g., <$200, then one of the members might put it in their truck, drive it to the nearest Korg repair center - about 50 miles away -, and get it fixed. It might just work another 5 years.

At a certain point, though, they should move on to a newer digital. For around $2K, there are lots of choices available. Even though I don't go there - it's my parent's church - , I'd chip in to help them get it. I wasn't around when they bought their grand recently - a Kawai KG-2A - which is a decent instrument, but I'm sure they overpaid for it. Hopefully I can help steer them in the right direction between repair vs. replace.