Need a piano? PianoAdoption.com (plus article about pianos going to landfills).

[MattSh]

http://www.pianoadoption.com/

From the NY Times.

For More Pianos, Last Note Is Thud in the Dump

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/30/arts/music/for-more-pianos-last-note-is-thud-in-the-dump.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

The value of used pianos, especially uprights, has plummeted in recent years. So instead of selling them to a neighbor, donating them to a church or just passing them along to a relative, owners are far more likely to discard them, technicians, movers and dealers say. Piano movers are making regular runs to the dump, becoming adept at dismantling instruments, selling parts to artists, even burning them for firewood.

...

Pianos consist of hundreds of pounds of metal, wood and intricate machinery able to channel Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, along with honky-tonk, “Happy Birthday” and holiday tunes. It is strange to think of them as disposable as tissues. Yet economic and cultural forces have made many used pianos, with the exception of Steinways and a few other high-end brands, prone to being jettisoned.

With thousands of moving parts, pianos are expensive to repair, requiring long hours of labor by skilled technicians whose numbers are diminishing. Excellent digital pianos and portable keyboards can cost as little as several hundred dollars. Low-end imported pianos have improved remarkably in quality and can be had for under $3,000.

“Instead of spending hundreds or thousands to repair an old piano, you can buy a new one made in China that’s just as good, or you can buy a digital one that doesn’t need tuning and has all kinds of bells and whistles,” said Larry Fine, the editor and publisher of Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer, the industry bible.

Used pianos abound on Web sites like eBay, driving prices down and making it difficult to sell Grandma’s old upright. With moving costs of several hundred dollars, even giving a piano away can be expensive. Abandonment often becomes the only option, especially for heirs dealing with a relative’s property.

[Fumesucker]

1. If that old piano has actual ivory keys the thin ivory slabs are going for about $10 each on ebay.

Of course they call them "ox bone" since ivory is no longer welcome on ebay..

[no_hypocrisy]

2. This is really cool.

[klook]

3. Outstanding

This is so important -- thanks for posting. When I was a kid, many moons ago, a piano was a standard piece of furniture in middle class (and many poor people's) homes. Even a piece-o'-crap spinet was something that livened up a home and gave many hours of pleasure to family and friends. Every school, every church, every museum, every government building had pianos. With the advent of electronic keyboards (which also end up in landfills when they go on the fritz), real pianos are harder to find nowadays.

Whenever I see a piano destroyed on TV or in a movie, it still shocks and horrifies me. It would be much better to at least take it somewhere where people can use and enjoy it:

But, let's face it, once the soundboard is cracked, there's usually no hope for them. Even after a thorough servicing and tuning they sound like a Javanese gamelan -- not a bad sound, unless you want the sound of a beautiful, in-tune piano. This guy found a good use for one of these sad, unsalvageable pianos:
http://vimeo.com/22797167

The idea of a piano just going to a landfill is just truly heartbreaking, so I am very glad to find pianoadoption.com. Thanks!

[tridim]

4. Awesome! But the reason I don't own a piano..

is because I'm not settled yet, and moving pianos SUCKS! I've done it once, with a 1930's player piano that was twice as heavy as a normal upright. Never again.

My Midi controller and piano modules will have to do for now.

[MineralMan]

5. There always seems to be a lot of free pianos

advertised on Craig's List here in the Twin Cities. The biggest problem with a free piano isn't that it has to be tuned and some repairs done. The biggest problem is getting it moved from where it is to where you want it. Unless you have about three strong friends, it's going to cost you to move it. You don't have to have a truck. UHaul rents those, but you do have to have the strong friends. Piano movers move pianos with just two guys, but they know what they're doing and the cost reflects that. Your friends probably don't know how to move a piano, so you need more than two.

That said, if you want a free piano, there are lots of them around. Take your time, and pick one that sounds OK as it is. That's the best guide. If you play, do a chromatic scale over the entire keyboard. If some note doesn't play, look at another piano. If the sound is harsh and ugly, look for another piano. If the pedals don't work...same thing.

Somewhere, within a month, you'll find a nice, well-cared-for piano that you can move to your place and enjoy. Don't settle for just any piano. I helped a friend move a free grand piano once. He had been looking for two years for a free one. Finally, he found one. It wasn't a Steinway, but it still sounded great.

[trumad]

6. Miami

[Solomon]

7. Thanks for this thread. Two years ago i replaced my

digital piano with a restored 1914 Steinway. Original strings, soundboard, etc. and the sound is incredible, better than new Steinways because they dont make em like they used to. The guy who restored is is a piano tuner who used to tune Oscar Peterson's piano.

I only paid $2600 for it because he couldn't sell it despite lowering the price several times. Then last year, I bought a 1902 Knabe grand piano for my brother who is a professional musician. Bought from the same guy. Had to pay 8 grand for that one, but well worth it.

My Steinway quickly changed my life. I used to play just 2 periods every year but since getting the Steinway, I play every single day.

It's sad the way pianos have fallen out of favor. It wasn't the digital piano that killed them off, but radio, and then tv.

I spent a lot of money making sure I got the best sounding digital piano years ago when i bought one. But there's no digital piano anywhere that can match the sound and feel of a real piano.

Now that I've talked about it, excuse me while I go enjoy my Steinway.

[CrispyQ]

8. In the summer, the 16th Street Mall in Denver puts out brightly painted pianos

for the public to play.







It's pretty cool.