Discontinued keyboards still worth buying
The used market is where digital keyboards are undervalued - and where spec sheets stop helping, because nobody ranks withdrawn models. We do: 285 discontinued and legacy models in the database carry a KeyboardLookup score calibrated to the used market (not the launch price), so a 2018 stage piano that still beats a new one at twice the money keeps its rating. How we score.
How to read the ranking
A high score on a withdrawn model means: the action and engine still hold up against current instruments, the feature set ages gracefully, and the typical used asking price makes it a rational buy today. It does not mean every used unit is a good specimen - hammer actions wear, digital boards fail at the power stage, and discontinued support means no firmware love. The checklist below covers what to inspect.
Top 15 discontinued picks across all types
By score| # | Model | Type & era | Score | Why it still rates | Original price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sequential Prophet-6 | Synthesizer · 2015 | 8.6 | The default modern analog poly: six voices, aftertouch and discrete VCOs at $2,799. | $2799 |
| 2 | Sequential Prophet-5 | Synthesizer · 2020 | 8.5 | The 2020 Rev4 revival: authentic five-voice Prophet-5 with a premium Fatar bed at $3,499. | $3499 |
| 3 | Yamaha AvantGrand N3X | Digital Piano · 2017 | 8.5 | Real grand action, CFX and Bosendorfer engines and a 615 W soundboard resonator system with Tactile Response. | — |
| 4 | Sequential OB-6 | Synthesizer · 2016 | 8.5 | Six Oberheim SEM voices with aftertouch, designed by Tom Oberheim and Dave Smith - a modern classic at $2,999. | $2999 |
| 5 | Roland LX-9 | Digital Piano · Mar 2024 | 8.4 | Hybrid Grand with key vibration, 162 W of amplification and 256 voices - the top home Roland of its generation. | — |
| 6 | Sequential Prophet Rev2 | Synthesizer · 2017 | 8.4 | Sixteen voices of Dave Smith analog under 61 aftertouched keys at $1,999 - the Rev2 remains the poly value. | $1999 |
| 7 | ASM Hydrasynth Deluxe | Synthesizer · 2021 | 8.3 | 16 voices under a 73-key Polytouch keybed with polyphonic aftertouch - the biggest Hydrasynth and still the poly-AT value. | — |
| 8 | Korg PA5X | Arranger · 2021 | 8.3 | 600 styles and EDS-XP synthesis with aftertouch on semi-weighted keys; the Pa5X is still the arranger to beat below Genos2. | — |
| 9 | Sequential Take 5 | Synthesizer · 2021 | 8.3 | The Take 5: five analog voices with aftertouch at $1,499 - the cheapest door into the Sequential sound. | $1499 |
| 10 | Kawai NV5S | Digital Piano · 2018 | 8.3 | A real Millennium III upright action with 130 W and SK-EX Rendering at 113 kg - a hybrid, not a digital console. | — |
| 11 | Roland LX-708 | Digital Piano · 2018 | 8.3 | Roland's 2018 home flagship: Hybrid Grand action with haptic key vibration and 109 kg of cabinet. | — |
| 12 | Yamaha YC88 | Stage Piano · 2021 | 8.2 | NW-GH3 wooden-key 88-note hammer action plus the drawbar organ engine in one 18.6 kg board - a rare one-rig solution. | — |
| 13 | Kawai CA99 | Digital Piano · 2020 | 8.2 | Grand Feel III and 135 W with Bluetooth - the 2020 flagship that still defines the CA line's ceiling. | — |
| 14 | Roland LX-706 | Digital Piano · 2018 | 8.2 | Hybrid Grand keys with vibration and 74 W - the LX flagship experience minus the 708's cabinet. | — |
| 15 | Korg Kronos | Workstation · 2011 | 8.2 | 9 sound engines, an 88-key RH3 bed and 16-track MIDI plus hard-disk recording with USB audio at $2,999. | $2999 |
Best used digital pianos
Full ranking →Best used stage pianos
Full ranking →Best used arranger keyboards
Full ranking →Best used synth workstations
Full ranking →Best used synthesizers
Full ranking →Best used MIDI controllers
Full ranking →What to check before paying for a used keyboard
The action, key by key. Play every key pianissimo and fortissimo, hold each one and listen for rattles. A worn hammer action gets noisy before it gets broken, and rebuilds are rarely economical.
Sensors and after a decade. Triple-sensor actions age well; early capacitive or quirky keybeds are the ones that fail. Test fast repeated notes on several keys.
Speakers, amps and the power brick. Cheap to test, expensive to replace: crackle under load means a speaker swap. Make sure the original PSU is included - proprietary adapters are the classic missing part.
Pedal units. A missing triple pedal on a home piano can cost a surprising share of the purchase price. Bundled stands and benches likewise.
The era's weak spots. Early samples with tiny memories, models from defunct direct-to-consumer brands (no parts, no service), and anything battery-era with a sealed cell.
Frequently asked questions
Which discontinued digital pianos hold value best?
Flagship actions age best - anything with a wooden or hybrid action and a strong engine keeps playing like the day it shipped. In our ranking, older flagship stage pianos and home pianos outscore mid-range current models at the same used price.
Is buying a discontinued model risky?
The instrument is not the risk; the specimen is. Wear lives in the action, the power section and the speakers. A careful pre-purchase test covers most of it, and big-brand discontinued models still get parts and pedal units far longer than budget brands.
Why do you score discontinued models at all?
Because most buyers meet these instruments first as used listings. Scoring them by launch price would be useless - the score ranks them by what they are worth today, used-market price accounted for.
Do you show used prices?
No - used asking prices move too fast to publish honestly. We list the original MSRP as context, and the score reasons explain what the instrument still does well; the buying decision includes checking the local market yourself.