Finale Posted April 7 Share Posted April 7 The problem with grand pianos is that they are as fragile as they are heavy. You need experience to master the technique to put one on its side safely without destroying it before removing the legs. And there are many other things that must be correctly done as well. One example is, either the action hammers/keys must be secured carefully before the move, either the whole action does NOT stay in the grand during transport. This little mistake alone can cost thousands of dollars in repairs. So again, pro movers is a must. When I bought my brand new grand in 2012, the moving was 400 $, which is peanuts compared to the cost of the instrument. The guys were real pros, only two Arnold-shaped fellows to carry this 850 lbs thing, that was very impressive. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzpiano88 Posted April 7 Share Posted April 7 Echo everyone's recommendation on a pro mover. Typically your piano will be loaded into a climate controlled semi trailer van along with a whole bunch of other people's pianos. They will schedule your delivery based upon the route of all of the other pianos in the van (unless you're willing to pay a LOT extra for a direct specialty routing). When it shows up to its new home they set it up and make sure it plays to your satisfaction before signing off against any possible claim. I was amazed that my C7D showed up in nearly perfect tune after two weeks on the road to move 450 miles. I think it was about $1000 in 2019. It should have been about a week, but there was some schedule issue where I couldn't be there at the right time. If you can get a piano mover to move it by itself a reasonably short distance - like a piano store does, even better. Might be harder to find someone like this since it's a private sale without a broker. Quote J a z z P i a n o 8 8 -- Yamaha C7D Montage M8x | CP300 | CP4 | SK1-73 | OB6 | Seven K8.2 | 3300 | CPSv.3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Williams Posted April 8 Author Share Posted April 8 Thanks, all. I know that the advice is good and wise. I'll see if I can get local quotes on pro movers, but some of the numbers quoted above are just plain beyond my means. That's why it quite literally took me 40 years to find a decent piano I could afford in the first place. Quote -Tom Williams {First Name} {at} AirNetworking {dot} com PC4-7, PX-5S, AX-Edge, PC361 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogika Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 6 hours ago, Tom Williams said: I'll see if I can get local quotes on pro movers, but some of the numbers quoted above are just plain beyond my means. That's why it quite literally took me 40 years to find a decent piano I could afford in the first place. Argh. I hope you can manage to find a decent deal and scrounge up the money somehow. Skimping it can be a lot more expensive down the line... :sadly eyeing the dings and bang-ups on his own 42-year-old upright: Quote "The Angels of Libra are in the European vanguard of the [retro soul] movement" (Bill Buckley, Soul and Jazz and Funk) The Drawbars | off jazz organ trio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 Tom, I know you're stoked to find a grand piano that will scratch the itch for you. I will pile on with the recommendation that you strongly consider professional moving of the grand piano. I recently needed to move two pianos, and the pros know exactly how to do it with care and minimal risk to your piano having problems after the move. If you can't make it happen with this piano, perhaps you keep looking for a piano in closer proximity if the distance creates a cost barrier. I think there are more pianos out there than many might believe, with families downsizing or moving elderly parents to senior living, not sure what to do with pianos, etc. In any event, best of luck to you on this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 I feel like this is such a good deal for Tom that we oughta start a GoFundMe for him. If we all gave him a few bucks, he could get it moved properly… 1 Quote "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reezekeys Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 Totally spitballing here... what if you rented a small truck that could fit the piano and drove it yourself? Hire local piano movers at each end. Maybe that would be affordable? Obviously you'd want pro movers to get it from the house and secured safely in the truck - and the same when you get it to your place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzpiano88 Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 Quote J a z z P i a n o 8 8 -- Yamaha C7D Montage M8x | CP300 | CP4 | SK1-73 | OB6 | Seven K8.2 | 3300 | CPSv.3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MathOfInsects Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 3 hours ago, Joe Muscara said: I feel like this is such a good deal for Tom that we oughta start a GoFundMe for him. If we all gave him a few bucks, he could get it moved properly… I’m down for this. Let’s do it. 1 Quote Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material. www.joshweinstein.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 Of course, I'd pitch in if it would encourage brotha Tom to pay pro piano movers. No need to penny pinch now.🤣😎 Quote PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Williams Posted April 10 Author Share Posted April 10 4 hours ago, Reezekeys said: Totally spitballing here... what if you rented a small truck that could fit the piano and drove it yourself? Hire local piano movers at each end. Maybe that would be affordable? Obviously you'd want pro movers to get it from the house and secured safely in the truck - and the same when you get it to your place. I looked into something like that. Even a small "$19.95/day" U-Haul truck runs about $150 -- plus gas -- for the trip. The mileage eats it up fast. Add workers at both ends, and the moving cost quickly exceeds $400 which, like it or not, is about the top end of the moving part of the budget. P.S. I'm still waiting to hear back from a nearby music store that claims to do piano relocation. I really am taking y'all's advice to heart. 1 Quote -Tom Williams {First Name} {at} AirNetworking {dot} com PC4-7, PX-5S, AX-Edge, PC361 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 Please keep us posted, Tom. If we can help out, I think we could get you going. Quote "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Williams Posted April 20 Author Share Posted April 20 TL;DR summary: My first (post childhood) piano is now at my house. No one nearby was into moving pianos. My original plan of hiring a moving crew at each end of the run fell through. I ended up with three resourceful middle-aged-to-old guys on the personnel list. A trip to Youtube University netted me an excellent demonstration -- by a single (strong, experienced) moving guy in Pittsburgh -- showing how to break down, pack, and load a baby grand. The "leader" of the crew also watched the video(s) by this guy. Established a need for a piano skid -- a sledge with ratchet strap connections, built expressly for moving grand pianos. I could buy a piano skid from the midwest USA, for about $150. Unfortunately, the shipping time might or might not make it to my house in time for the scheduled move. Fortunately, a local music store, which has suspended its own piano relocation services, agreed to rent me their piano skid, hardware, and some tools over the weekend for $50. Since I don't expect to move that piano again (planning to retire and die in this house), I went with the rental. We left around 6:30 this morning, arrived at the site by 9. We did all the pad wrapping and securing (music stand stays inside piano, lid stays on), and locked down the lid. Then we quickly learned how to remove the left-front leg from the piano. The professionals recommend using the lyre as a fulcrum for tipping the piano on its side, unless the lyre's obviously old and weak. Tip piano onto the skid, remove two more legs and a lyre, put the skid on the dolly, and Bob's your uncle. Well, almost. There was still a 50-80 foot (15-25 meter) stretch of sidewalk and lawn to cross before we could get to the trailer. We built a path of plywood, and then we got to the trailer's non-slip coated loading ramp, ... ... ... a wheel on the dolly broke. No harm to man or machine, but we had to think fast and build another plywood path up into the trailer. Total time for us amateurs to knock down and load piano safely into the van: about 2 hours. Trip back was uneventful. Got it to the house, went on level ground and concrete through the garage to the music room. Then, while I was out of the room, the piano lid (which I believed I secured and locked at the seller's house) slipped, opened, and fell onto some drum hardware. Yup, the only cosmetic damage to this pristine piano was the final 18 inches. AAAAUUUUGGGHH! When the piano is open for playing, the marred portion is not visible. It's still a respectable gash though. Call it a victory scar.... Reverse the process, put on the lyre and two legs, tip the piano back to the "upright" position, reconnect the third leg. Minor adjustments to pedals. Total cost to move the piano: $125 gas money for the truck, $40 to feed the troops, and $50 to rent the piano skid, total $215. Trailer and laborers were free. My buddies saved me somewhere between $800 and $1000 dollars, and I now know how my piano fits together. (P.S. the Young Chang damper pedal control rod is about a centimeter shorter than the other two pedals. Who knew? I learned that after the lyre was bolted into place and upright, of course. 🙂 ) 5 2 Quote -Tom Williams {First Name} {at} AirNetworking {dot} com PC4-7, PX-5S, AX-Edge, PC361 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted April 21 Share Posted April 21 Victory! Quote Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Williams Posted April 21 Author Share Posted April 21 P.P.S. Thank you, KC forum buddies, for the very useful advice, and the generous offer to help me fund a professional service. This is an unusually caring online community. 1 Quote -Tom Williams {First Name} {at} AirNetworking {dot} com PC4-7, PX-5S, AX-Edge, PC361 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonglow Posted April 21 Share Posted April 21 Congratulations, Tom. Now play the sh1t out that piano! Quote "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.