It was time to celebrate three and a half years of TV-free life. A big cheque came in the mail. The money was burning a hole in my pocket. What else could I do? I had to buy a used piano off Craigslist. Stop it! Stop laughing! Even the most savvy and street-smart consumer does something truly idiotic now and again. It was time for the kids to have lessons and I squirmed at the thought of those dirty little kid fingers all over my two-thousand-dollar electric piano.
The piano I chose was too far away. It was a name brand, Heintzman. It sounded fine over the phone, just a bit flat. I bought it for $450 sight unseen. Then I had to move it. Did you know piano movers charge $10 for every step on a set of stairs? Did you know Heintzman Sr. had a naughty nephew who started his own company called Gerhard Heintzman that made nothing but lousy pianos? Keep reading. I’m hoping you will learn from my folly.
My pocket was an additional $200 plus 11 stairs lighter when the movers unwrapped it. By the third note I realized it was garbage, kindling, a $650 “plus stairs” coffee table. I called my cheap piano tuner and told him not to come. Some of the keys didn’t even play. I called Robert Lowrey’s Piano Experts. I was surprised when a hundred bucks and a day later Robert Lowrey himself turned up at my house to admire my in-home art instillation entitled, “Piece of crap which looks like a piano.” Price $750 plus stairs.
Lowrey is a really nice guy, a real mensch. He was quick to assure me he’d seen worse.
“I’ve seen hundreds of pianos over the years that people have spent eight or ten thousand dollars on that are worthless as far as I’m concerned.” He waived the fee for appraisal. He checked the tuning pegs. The torque was OK. He had a look at the action and registration. It was a near terminal case of neglect. He would send someone over. He gave me an extremely good price for the repairs. He has sympathy for the naïve piano lover, and he knows all this kindness has made me a customer for life.
Piano technician Esteban Rivas spent three afternoons at my house. He ripped the guts out of my now-$1050 “plus stairs” saloon prop and turned it to a playable instrument. Some interesting things happened next.
One reason for purchasing a piano was to accommodate music therapy for my 5-year-old twins with Autism Spectrum Disorder. A day after the piano arrived I caught one of the girls hitting single notes and listening until each string completely finished vibrating. The other twin sat for 5 minutes slowly playing different two-note intervals. For my children with unique learning styles this acoustic piano was a completely different instrument. The gentle touches they gave Naughty Gerhard were a shocking contrast to the brutal treatment they had put my digital piano through.
When I ask Lowrey to weigh in on the digital vs. acoustic piano debate he was very diplomatic. “A very good digital piano is always in good regulation and always in tune… [but] if a piano becomes very important in a family you’re going to want a real piano.”
Real pianos are best if you have the space. There is no problem with buying an inexpensive used one if you have a piano technician look it over first. There is no licensing body for technicians, so here are some test questions. Is the pin torque between 50 and 90 lbs. per square inch so it will stay in tune? Can they adjust the regulation (the keys should all be level) and the voicing (so the hammers are hitting where and how they are supposed to)? Can they adjust the action (the piano’s removable spinal column consisting of all its movable parts)?
A used piano will certainly need all these maintenance procedures so expect the expense. Certainly the $60 to $80 you pay for the inspection when you purchase will keep you from wasting hundreds more. It is important to be selective, says Lowrey. “I go into wonderful houses with good parents … and they say, ‘Oh we gave them piano lessons,’ then I see the piano and it’s no wonder they quit; it’s like learning to ride a bike with flat tires and loose handle bars.”
Even though my $450 piano turned out to be a $1050 piano, I can honestly say it was worth every penny. Naughty Gerhard doesn’t go a day without attention around here. When the kids and I pass our Royal Conservatory of Music exams next year we’ll probably grow out of him and trade up. If I would have bought the piano from Lowrey in the first place I would have got 70 percent back on my trade in, but it’s too late for that. If you live in Ontario, observe this cautionary tale. Start at reputable dealer like Lowrey’s website instead of Craigslist.
Friends Read Free