How do I move (to) the music?
February 25, 2016 1:13 PM Subscribe
I am being given a piano for free. Yay! I just have to get it from where it is to my place. How do I even start?
The piano is located in Pelham, NY, and I am located in Brooklyn. Do I hire movers that are based in Brooklyn or Pelham? Am I supposed to accompany the movers to go get it or just wait at home until it's delivered? How do you know what a reputable moving company looks like?
It's an upright piano and will need a little bit of restoration work (dead key) and of course a tuning afterwards. Do you have recommendations for good tuners and repair work in North Brooklyn?
Do I tip? Oh God, what about tipping?
The piano is located in Pelham, NY, and I am located in Brooklyn. Do I hire movers that are based in Brooklyn or Pelham? Am I supposed to accompany the movers to go get it or just wait at home until it's delivered? How do you know what a reputable moving company looks like?
It's an upright piano and will need a little bit of restoration work (dead key) and of course a tuning afterwards. Do you have recommendations for good tuners and repair work in North Brooklyn?
Do I tip? Oh God, what about tipping?
Yes, hire movers. Don't accompany them. But unless this piano is special for some reason, consider if it is worth the effort. A knew someone in the Boston area who used to say that when he had room for a piano, he'd never buy one. He said there were free pianos posted on Craigslist every week or so. I imagine the same could be true in NYC. You'd still have to pay to move it, but it would be cheaper to move locally.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 1:21 PM on February 25, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 1:21 PM on February 25, 2016 [4 favorites]
Yeah, is there something special about this particular piano? There are a lot of pianos in Brooklyn that need homes, I'm sure, and piano moving generally costs hundreds of dollars.
If you definitely do want this particular piano (or feel like it's too late to back out of the transaction at this point), and you want to treat it nice, you will probably want to have it tuned a few times in the first year you have it; moving is tough on pianos, and it will need to get adjusted to its new environment which will inevitably be colder or hotter or wetter or drier or slantier or flatter. Wait a few weeks after you've put it in place for the first tuning.
posted by mskyle at 1:33 PM on February 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
If you definitely do want this particular piano (or feel like it's too late to back out of the transaction at this point), and you want to treat it nice, you will probably want to have it tuned a few times in the first year you have it; moving is tough on pianos, and it will need to get adjusted to its new environment which will inevitably be colder or hotter or wetter or drier or slantier or flatter. Wait a few weeks after you've put it in place for the first tuning.
posted by mskyle at 1:33 PM on February 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
Yes, hire movers. Don't accompany them. But unless this piano is special for some reason, consider if it is worth the effort.
Exactly. I am someone who has arranged to move pianos and unless it's a special piano I concur that pianos are a dime a dozen. Piano movers usually charge by distance and/or stairs. So, for example, packing and moving a piano from Vermont to Norway cost $3000-ish while moving a piano from one apartment to another apartment up the street cost $300. Once you get the piano you will also need to pay to have it professionally tuned.
I have written a ukulele song called Free Piano that I keep meaning to record. If you load the free page on the VT Craigslist there is literally always a piano there. Yep, there you go.
posted by jessamyn at 1:33 PM on February 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
Exactly. I am someone who has arranged to move pianos and unless it's a special piano I concur that pianos are a dime a dozen. Piano movers usually charge by distance and/or stairs. So, for example, packing and moving a piano from Vermont to Norway cost $3000-ish while moving a piano from one apartment to another apartment up the street cost $300. Once you get the piano you will also need to pay to have it professionally tuned.
I have written a ukulele song called Free Piano that I keep meaning to record. If you load the free page on the VT Craigslist there is literally always a piano there. Yep, there you go.
posted by jessamyn at 1:33 PM on February 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
i once moved a piano in a van with a bunch of friends. it's not rocket science, really. just heavy. so if the tipping and deciding who to hire is too much you could get a bunch of people and feed them beer and pizza.
posted by andrewcooke at 1:39 PM on February 25, 2016
posted by andrewcooke at 1:39 PM on February 25, 2016
you could get a bunch of people and feed them beer and pizza.
I believe if one is offering refreshments in exchange for piano-moving, then tea is traditional.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 1:43 PM on February 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
I believe if one is offering refreshments in exchange for piano-moving, then tea is traditional.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 1:43 PM on February 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
He said there were free pianos posted on Craigslist every week or so.
I've heard this said many times, but last year when we were in the market for a piano, we found it to be untrue. At least in our area, free pianos were the tiny minority, and they were without exception, absolute garbage. Even the non-free pianos were mostly garbage and also nearly universally overpriced... Not to say it's not worth checking out, but I kind of get the impression that this is more urban legend than reality at this point. Or maybe it's something specific to the Northeast if it is true in Boston and NYC...
That said, I wouldn't bother paying to move a piano unless it's a pretty nice one in decent shape.
posted by primethyme at 2:08 PM on February 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
I've heard this said many times, but last year when we were in the market for a piano, we found it to be untrue. At least in our area, free pianos were the tiny minority, and they were without exception, absolute garbage. Even the non-free pianos were mostly garbage and also nearly universally overpriced... Not to say it's not worth checking out, but I kind of get the impression that this is more urban legend than reality at this point. Or maybe it's something specific to the Northeast if it is true in Boston and NYC...
That said, I wouldn't bother paying to move a piano unless it's a pretty nice one in decent shape.
posted by primethyme at 2:08 PM on February 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
That said, I wouldn't bother paying to move a piano unless it's a pretty nice one in decent shape.
Yes, not an expert, but if it has problems ("dead key", out of tune), you may want to get quotes from piano techs as well as movers and consider whether it would be worth getting it checked out before moving--the risk is that you find out its unfixable after you're already on the hook for moving and eventual disposal costs. (But, again, not an expert, so I don't know how likely that scenario is.)
posted by bfields at 2:19 PM on February 25, 2016
Yes, not an expert, but if it has problems ("dead key", out of tune), you may want to get quotes from piano techs as well as movers and consider whether it would be worth getting it checked out before moving--the risk is that you find out its unfixable after you're already on the hook for moving and eventual disposal costs. (But, again, not an expert, so I don't know how likely that scenario is.)
posted by bfields at 2:19 PM on February 25, 2016
I'm pretty sure it's good form to tip movers in any situation, but I would =definitely= tip the guys who move your piano.
I've moved a piano before. It is not fun.
posted by Hellblazer at 2:42 PM on February 25, 2016
I've moved a piano before. It is not fun.
posted by Hellblazer at 2:42 PM on February 25, 2016
A dead key on a piano means there are other issues, too.
So, your free piano will definitely not be free after you pay to move it and get it fixed. A free piano also probably hasn't been tuned in a long time, so you will need it tuned several times over the next few months just to get it to hold any sort of pitch.
Get a piano that is closer and not free, but in decent shape. It will be cheaper in the long run.
(Of course there are exceptions...a student of mine got a free professional upright piano that was in perfect shape, perfectly maintained, and was probably worth $12k, but the old lady who owned it just wanted it out of her house.)
posted by TinWhistle at 2:52 PM on February 25, 2016
So, your free piano will definitely not be free after you pay to move it and get it fixed. A free piano also probably hasn't been tuned in a long time, so you will need it tuned several times over the next few months just to get it to hold any sort of pitch.
Get a piano that is closer and not free, but in decent shape. It will be cheaper in the long run.
(Of course there are exceptions...a student of mine got a free professional upright piano that was in perfect shape, perfectly maintained, and was probably worth $12k, but the old lady who owned it just wanted it out of her house.)
posted by TinWhistle at 2:52 PM on February 25, 2016
Best answer: For a reputable piano mover: call up Steinway and ask for a recommendation. I did this a few months ago and they gave me the company that they use in NYC (can't find it otherwise I'd PM you).
You just wait at home until it's delivered. And yes, do tip (extra if there are stairs).
Also, just FYI - moving costs will go up with dimensions of piano and also the number of steps/stairs involved.
posted by taupe at 2:55 PM on February 25, 2016
You just wait at home until it's delivered. And yes, do tip (extra if there are stairs).
Also, just FYI - moving costs will go up with dimensions of piano and also the number of steps/stairs involved.
posted by taupe at 2:55 PM on February 25, 2016
Response by poster: Thanks everyone. I'm prepared for the costs to moving it and to repairing and maintaining it. This particular piano is being given to me as a personal gift by my boss, who heard me saying that I wanted to start my kids on lessons and was looking for a piano, and he decided his was ready to be given a new life in a new family. I would like to validate his generosity by accepting the gift.
If anyone thinks of any recommendations for movers, I'm all ears. And watch this space in several months for a call for good piano teachers!
posted by Liesl at 7:06 AM on February 26, 2016
If anyone thinks of any recommendations for movers, I'm all ears. And watch this space in several months for a call for good piano teachers!
posted by Liesl at 7:06 AM on February 26, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
Good luck!
posted by wenestvedt at 1:18 PM on February 25, 2016