Yellowhead Petroleum P.
Donner Dep 16 has a fatal problem that Donner is running away from
I Bought a Dep 16 from Donner in May 2026. Within an hour of receiving the keyboard I discovered that the rhythms that were in the unit were all at the same volume and I couldn’t find anywhere way to turn the rhythm volume down independently from the master volume. I had several back and forth emails with the service department and finally they got this answer from the factory. “We would like to inform you that, regarding your question, we have consulted the relevant product manager. The reply is: The DEP-16 can only adjust the overall volume, and cannot adjust the rhythm volume separately.” What good is that? It makes the whole section of the onboard rhythms unusable. They were all so loud it was drowning out the melody line. They knew this was a problem yet they made me pay to return the faulty unit. When the dust settled I had paid $114.00 to return the faulty unit and then only got a partial refund. I asked about it and encountered radio silence. I have bought a couple of other items from m Donner that I really like. However when the chips are down , you really find out what type of company you are dealing with. I think they should issue a recall or a firmware fix so these units can function like they are supposed to. I have had cause to return fairly expensive items to Amazon and never an argument. I have learned my lesson about Donner. As always lessons all have a price and I won’t be getting any more lessons from Donner Music
Response from Donner MusicAug 12, 2026
We’re genuinely sorry to hear about your experience with the DEP-16. We understand why you’re disappointed—not only by the rhythm volume limitation, but also by the return process, shipping costs, and the lack of follow-up regarding your refund. That’s not the experience we want any customer to have. Your feedback about independent rhythm volume control is valuable, and we’ve shared it with our product team for review as we continue improving both our products and customer experience. Thank you for taking the time to explain everything in detail. We hope to have the opportunity to review your case and provide better support.


