“Buying, Selling, Gifting or Disposing a Piano or a PSO (Piano Shaped Object) – Both Sides from The Middle” Laid Out Here! Before Calling Anyone, Educated Transactional-Parties Ought Know The Following:
Is it a Grand or Upright Piano?
The Piano’s Make, Model and Serial Number are critical pieces of information that determine whether a professional or commercial party will have even marginal interest.
If said piano make is not famous, what is its overall length, width, height, and for uprights, its depth? All overhangs should be included in the total. Measurements should be in inches, meters or centimeters. Weights are in pounds or kilograms. What Color is it? High Gloss, Semi-Gloss, Satin or Flat? How frequently was it played, used, tuned, serviced (or not)?
From a Pro Piano perspective, only a handful of piano makers have ever been A-Listers. Those found below are true A-Listers, but under different names, some may market stencil pianos …pianos which by implication are under the famous maker’s umbrella, perhaps designed by, engineered by, or crafted by, yet are often produced in countries other than the famous maker’s known headquarters, by completely different manufacturers, and sometimes with completely different parts and scales. Still they might have enough of the Original Maker’s DNA to attract Pro Piano’s interest.
So, here we go:
1.) Steinway & Sons of Hamburg & New York origin, are the Greatest and Most Reasonably Priced Pianos $$$$$ – Boston $$$+ (a very nice stencil piano of Japan, so Price Might improve with Tariffs). & Essex $$+ stencil pianos, of off-shore production …once in Korea, now China.
2.) Fazioli Pianos Made in Italy, $$$$$ and great. Pro Piano hasn’t ever owned one, but in the early days of its existence, discussed an association with Sr. Paolo Fazioli, always to an impasse.
3.) Bösendorfer, of Vienna, Austria, $$$$$ and Great. Since 2008 has been wholly owned while remaining independent of Yamaha, and is a marvelous instrument. Pro Piano has owned many Bösendorfer pianos. In New York City as Official Concert & Artist Assignee for over a decade, handling all C&A duties which included institutional sales and all Bösendorfer piano technical services. Bösendorfer, was once owned by The Kimball Piano Company, defunct since 1996, now principally known for its office furniture.
4.) Yamaha, of Japan, $$$$$ and Great, with offshore Indonesian factories, $$$+ reasonably priced and very good) $$+ and in US China and Taiwan sometimes, $$. This one is tough to fully understand b/c the Yamaha company and its products are stellar. Price Points, location of manufacture, fewer ultra-high quality products and workforce, are the main determinants of attractiveness, yet each price point evinces wonderfully playable musical instruments for different budgets, different technical and musical expectations, etc. Some Yamaha Stencil pianos, one named Cable Nelson, were even made in China,but since 2014, ceased production. Pro Piano has owned probably 3000 Yamaha Pianos since 1969.
5.) Kawai Musical Instruments of Japan range from from $$$$+ to $$$ to $$-. The Shigeru, Kawai’s Handmade standout is produced exclusively in Japan as are the GX Series Professional grand pianos built in Japan. GL Series and entry level to mid-level grand piano is produced in Japan and for a short time in So. Korea, or Indonesia, depending on the model and market. K Series: Professional upright pianos are manufactured in both Japan and Indonesia, with higher models in Japan and some lower models in Indonesia. The paragraph above is an Internet Synopsis of Kawai Models and Manufacturing. Pro Piano was National Kawai C&A Piano & Service provider for approximately 20 years, so we know and have owned many hundreds of Kawai grand and upright pianos. They are very good pianos and much like Yamaha, only their price points, professional, artistic, industrial or educational considerations really separate Kawai pianos. All their instruments are intended to play and sound excellent …they are never shoddy. From bottom to top, they are generally round, even in touch, responsiveness, resistance and tonal output.
Here’s a more complete list of pianos that MIGHT interest Pro Piano …often with offshore factories, these are names that have a certain mystique …but other than the *5-A-List pianos described above and listed below, have diminished purchasing or selling appeal:
*Steinway & Sons
*Bösendorfer:
*Fazioli
*Yamaha
*Shigeru Kawai
C. Bechstein
Blüthner
Steingraeber & Söhnebest
Mason & Hamlin
Schimmel: Eiabo
Grotrian-Steinweg
Selling, Donating, Gifting or Disposing Pianos or PSOs often prompts inquiries. If a piano is not in the lists above, it is often referred to as a Piano Shaped Object …whose probable combined merits do not make it an attractive purchase choice. However, such calls immediately turn to “donate, give away, haul away by the end of the month, etc.” In such cases the questions that have been posited throughout this discussion, still come into important focus because Pro Piano does not offer free piano pick-up, free gifting free disposals, free moves, or free services. Antique Pianos? At its Zenith, the 19th & 20th Centuries saw millions of pianos produced. Amongst them, some are naturally “antiques,” but they are almost always Piano Shaped Objects …not worthy of curatorial interest.
So if you have any of those free concepts in mind, think “What’s this going to cost me, not will you take this off my hands?” OK?
Love, Ricard