A piano for free? It seems like a crazy idea that there could possibly be free pianos, but you would be surprised. In fact there are websites all over the internet with free pianos on them! How can this be? You know that pianos cost thousands of dollars; so why would anybody ever give away a piano? Well if you’ve ever worked in a piano store or know of anyone who has ever worked in a piano store, they will tell you that every single day the phone rings with people offering pianos. While they aren’t all free, many people have reasons to get rid of pianos and many of them get listed on Craigslist and other places. If you type in any major metropolitan area Craigslist search box “Free Piano” you will be amazed.
In fact, there is a whole website devoted to mostly free pianos: PianoAdoption.com. So what’s the deal? Why do you even need piano stores if there are free pianos all over the place? Well, here’s the thing. Pianos are a significant piece of furniture and there are certain styles of furniture that aren’t popular anymore and people don’t want them in their homes. So sometimes you can get a decent piano for free! Many old fashioned American console designs, particularly lighter woods are difficult for people to sell. Think about this: a family has kids and they get a piano. The kids never practice and it just sits there. Kids move out and then they’re downsizing. Then they try to figure out what they will do with the piano. They call all the piano stores and nobody wants it. Then they list the piano online and don’t get anybody interested. So, often times they give it away! If no friends or family want the piano, they list it online for free.
You’ll see them at Goodwill stores and other places as well. Is this a good place to get a piano? Possibly. The thing is, all used pianos offered to us need work. There’s never a piano no matter how recently it has been manufactured that doesn’t require some work. Here’s the challenge: when you go out and play a free piano which might have problems here or there, it’s hard to know if the problems are superficial or fundamental. Maybe some keys don’t work or the pedal squeaks or there are some other issues. If you have a friend who is a piano technician or know of someone who can check out pianos for you, you may be able to find a piano that is worthwhile. However, there are some pianos you are unlikely to find for free, such as high gloss black baby grands in half way decent condition because these instruments are in demand. But if you’re not particularly picky, sometimes big old upright pianos in decent condition can make a serviceable instrument for you. But that’s a big “if” since pianos like that are usually very old. But occasionally they may play well and sound great with minimal work.
So you want to get a piano that has some redeeming qualities. You might encounter a piano piano that has just been neglected. You must have a relationship with a technician to get it serviced for you. Have them look at it before you commit because some problems have no easy fix. You are welcome to contact us for information about free pianos and resources as well as pianos that have already been worked on and play on a high level. I hope this has been interesting for you. It’s pretty amazing that there are so many free pianos out there! Thanks for joining me, Robert Estrin here at LivingPianos.com.