Piano and Music Videos

I’m Robert Estrin, and today we have an intriguing question: Why can’t you buy a piano online? You might think it’s odd coming from me, given that Living Pianos was the world’s first online piano store, started in 2006. However, for the most part, you really can’t buy a piano online. Let me explain.

Practical Challenges

First, there are practical challenges. How do you ship a piano if you buy one online? If you live in Florida and buy a piano from California, how do you get it there? Who will tune it? These practicalities are significant, but there’s more to it.

Protected Territories in the Piano Industry

The piano industry still operates on an old business model of protected territories. This means you can’t shop for pianos the same way you shop for other items online. For most products, you can easily compare prices and buy from the cheapest source. But with pianos, the agreement between manufacturers, distributors, and dealers limits sales to specific geographical areas.

Unique Aspects of Pianos

Every piano is unique, which adds another layer of complexity. The agreements between manufacturers and dealers mean that dealers can only sell within their designated areas. If you visit a store, they can sell to you, but they can’t quote prices over the phone for out-of-area customers.

Exceptions and Loopholes

There are exceptions. Some large dealers skirt the rules and sell out of their designated areas. If caught, they may have to pay a commission to the local dealer. However, as long as the dealer is significant enough, manufacturers often look the other way.

The Living Pianos Model

Living Pianos has based its business model on selling used pianos. Nobody can restrict the sale of used pianos across the country. High-end brands like Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, and Bechstein are often worth the cost of shipping, making this model feasible. We provide high-quality videos and photos so you know what you’re getting. Experienced pianists are always welcome to visit and try the pianos.

Digital Pianos

Digital pianos are another exception. They can be shipped easily, but some digital pianos fall under the same protected territories as acoustic pianos. There are two categories: MI (Musical Instruments) sold in places like Guitar Center and Sweetwater, and home units with protected territories.

Your Thoughts?

What do you think about protected territories in the piano industry? Is it good to protect dealers who invest in inventory, or should you be able to shop anywhere for the best price? Let’s get a discussion going at LivingPianos.com. We primarily sell used pianos and abide by all rules for new pianos, ensuring the survival of the piano business.

Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. Today we have an important topic: How to avoid destroying your piano. While we’ve discussed many things you should do for your piano, today we’ll focus on what to avoid. Some of these tips are common sense, but others might surprise you.

Avoid Hot Air Vents

Placing your grand piano over a hot air vent or near one can cause significant damage in just a few months. The dry air can warp and crack the soundboard, making the piano a total loss unless you opt for expensive repairs. Always ensure that your piano is not in the path of a hot air vent.

Stable Temperature and Humidity

Maintaining a stable environment is crucial for your piano. Extreme temperature swings can affect tuning stability, while high humidity can cause rust and corrosion. Conversely, very low humidity can dry out the pin block and felt parts, leading to a noisy action and other issues. Aim for 45-50% humidity, and use a hygrometer to monitor the levels. Consider using a room humidifier or a piano lifesaver system to keep conditions stable.

Protect from Sunlight

Sunlight can bleach your piano’s finish in a matter of months. It can also affect tuning stability if it shines directly on the soundboard. Even if you use window treatments to block UV light, it can still damage your piano. So protect your piano from direct sunlight to keep the finish looking new.

Regular Tuning

Pianos that haven’t been tuned for years will require multiple tunings to stabilize. Similar to changing the oil in your car, regular maintenance is essential. Neglecting this can lead to pitch issues and unstable tuning.

Avoid Furniture Polish

Using furniture polish on your piano can cause wax build-up that requires professional removal. For satin finishes, use a soft microfiber or cotton cloth. For high gloss finishes, a microfiber cloth with a bit of Windex works well.

Reshape Piano Hammers

Piano hammers can become grooved and hardened over time, leading to a harsh tone. They need to be reshaped periodically, but this should be done by an experienced technician to avoid damage.

Don’t Tune with Pliers

Using pliers to tune your piano can strip the tuning pins, causing severe damage. Invest in a proper tuning wrench or hammer, available on Amazon, and avoid makeshift tools.

Avoid Wood Stoves

Wood stoves can severely dry out a room, damaging your piano’s finish and internal components. If you must have a wood stove in the same room, use a humidifier to add moisture back into the air.

Beach Environments

Living near the beach can expose your piano to high humidity, leading to rust and corrosion. Use a string cover to protect the strings from excessive humidity if you can’t keep windows closed.

Use Correct Parts

Replacing piano parts with incorrect ones, like using Steinway hammers on a non-Steinway piano, can severely affect the instrument’s performance. Always consult an experienced piano technician for the right parts.

Ivory Key Maintenance

Closing the fallboard over ivory keys can cause them to yellow. Keep the fallboard open to maintain the bright, white appearance of the keys. Dusting the keys regularly is sufficient to keep them clean.

Conclusion

These tips will help you maintain your piano in optimal condition. If you enjoyed these tips, consider subscribing to LivingPianos.com for more articles and resources.

Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. Today’s question is: What is Living Pianos? In a nutshell, it’s my life! And it’s your life too, if you have a passion for the piano the way I do. It’s actually a double entendre. There are two meanings to Living Pianos.

I have a video called What are Living Pianos?

That video tells about the restored American and European pianos that are so rare today, which we sell all over the world and have been doing so since 2006! But it’s much more than that. It’s really about living the piano. As a matter of fact, if you type “living the piano” in your browser, Living Pianos comes up!

I was lucky enough to grow up in a musical household.

My entire family is made up of musicians of one sort or another. Pianos have always been central. My father, Morton Estrin, was a concert pianist. He was my teacher and my sister’s teacher. He taught countless people, from Billy Joel to conductors, composers, and pianists the world over. My sister, Coren Estrin Mino, is also a pianist and a teacher. My uncle was a professional musician. The list goes on and on. My life is centered around teaching, performing, and media. This is what makes me want to get up in the morning!

My mission is to keep the piano alive in the 21st century, in the United States and around the world.

This is no easy task when you consider that the piano has been on a slow decline for over a hundred years. That’s why connecting with people like you who care about the piano is enriching. It makes me feel like there is value to my life. So I thank you all for joining me and encourage you to subscribe to LivingPianos.com and YouTube! You’ll find a treasure trove of content I’ve been putting together for many years! Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin, here at LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Resource.

Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. The question today is: What happens to old pianos? I’m going to tell you right now that what I’m going to share with you today is very disturbing. For those of you who love piano like I do, seeing what I’m going to show you is really heartbreaking.

There are some companies, like Living Pianos, that restore old pianos.

Most companies that restore pianos specialize in Steinway and maybe a couple of other brands. Used Steinways command more money than other brands because everybody sees them on the concert stage. Everyone knows they are high-quality pianos. But most people don’t know about other high-quality piano brands that were around in the United States when there were hundreds of companies making pianos in this country. And many of them were great instruments.

The problem is that restoring a piano is extremely expensive.

Many top piano restorers get between $30,000 and $40,000 to completely rebuild a piano to make it like new again. As a matter of fact, I took a personal tour of Steinway. The CEO and all the people treated me like royalty there. They gave me a grand tour of the entire facility. And when we passed their rebuilding shop, they said, “It’s a lot easier to build pianos than to rebuild them.” Pianos that have never had any work done to them are actually easier to rebuild than pianos where some work has been done along the way because you don’t know the specifications of the matching parts.

There are resources for old pianos, such as PianoAdoption.com.

PianoAdoption.com is a great place to go if you have a piano you just want to get rid of and you don’t have the heart to see it go to the dump, which is what happens to many old pianos, unfortunately. This is something that happens on a regular basis all around the country. It’s heartbreaking to see what happens when pianos need more work than they’re worth. I have a friend who has a piano business. He revealed to me that this past year, believe it or not, he had to trash 170 pianos of his that he had in storage because there was no way he was going to be able to restore them.

You actually have to pay money when you have an old piano that you can’t get rid of.