Top 5 Tips for Selling Your Piano Yourself
Some quick tips for selling your piano:
We have many people contacting us asking if we are interested in purchasing their piano from them. In many cases, we are! If it is a Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, Baldwin, Yamaha or other brand of comparable quality, we would be very interested in taking a look. We regularly purchase pianos from across the country in varying states of condition. However with the hundreds of piano manufacturers that have existed throughout history, there are some cases where you are best attempting to sell the piano directly yourself. Here are some quick tips that might help you in that process! 1: Prep the Piano and take good photos! Have your piano tuned! Dust the piano and make sure it is looking its best. Remove anything you have sitting on your piano that will distract from the instrument. Having several family pictures sitting on the instrument might not be best for sales! Make sure there is enough light to show the piano off in an attractive way. Blurry and dark photographs don't give the best impression, so make sure to take a bit of extra care before posting/sending photos of your for sale piano.
IN THE NEWS: Chupp’s Restores Historic Baldwin Piano for Elkhart, Indiana Museum
Chupp's Piano Service Restores Historic Baldwin Grand Piano
ELKHART - "A community is the sum of its shared history, so in an age when information is created, shared, has trended and is forgotten in a matter of minutes, museums represent something different.
“What makes local history important is that people who are living in the community today — that they understand what the roots of their community are all about, and it's very distinct from one community to the next,” Bill Firstenberger, executive director of Ruthmere Museums Campus, said in an interview. “We're a place that reminds the residents and visitors to our community what we’re all about: both good and bad, but hopefully mostly good.”
A Rare Opportunity | 4 Restored Steinway Model D Grand Pianos
UPDATE: Several of these grand pianos have now been sold. #275187 and #233201 are still available.
The Steinway & Sons Model D is perhaps the most iconic concert instrument in world history. These 9’ grand pianos truly are the apex of Steinway engineering and craftsmanship. The Model D offers artists a level of expression unlike any other and has come to set the standard by which other concert pianos are judged. It is very rare to find one, let alone several fully rebuilt Model Ds available to compare in any location. Here at Chupp’s Piano Service we are proud to have four fully rebuilt Steinway & Sons Model D Concert Grand Pianos in performance ready status in our facility, with more in the process of being rebuilt. Each of these wonderful instruments feature their own distinct musical quality.
The Steinway Model D | The King of Instruments
The Steinway Model D Benchmark
The World's Standard For Concert Grand Pianos
The Steinway & Sons Model D grand piano is one which signifies an instrument's grace, power, and delicacy unlike any other. Measuring at 8'11 3/4" in length, the Model D towers above regular grand pianos, which are usually around 5’6” to 6’ long. Truly the pinnacle of Steinway's historic dedication to innovation and top shelf craftsmanship, the thousand pound Model D-274 truly is the standard by which other concert pianos are judged against. Decades of craftsmanship and development, signified and represented by one instrument it has long been considered the first choice of concert pianists.
“A Magnificent Instrument” Solungga Liu’s Restored Steinway B
Concert Pianist and Professor on her Rebuilt Steinway & Sons Model B
Chupp's Piano Service is proud to provide many professional pianists with premium restored Steinway & Sons pianos. Accomplished Concert Pianist and Professor Solungga Liu purchased a rebuilt Steinway & Sons Model B Grand Piano from us. She was kind enough to give us the following testimonial.
The Interior Parts of a Grand Piano
A Basic Overview & What You Need to Know
The grand piano is one of, if not the most distinctive and recognizable instruments in history. Invented in the early 1600s by inventor Bartolomeo Cristofori, the piano has a long and rich history. The mention of a grand piano may conjure up images of a shiny black cabinet and seemingly countless black and white keys. But while the outside is magnificent, the inside is where the heart of the piano truly lies. There are over 12,000 parts in a ‘basic’ Steinway grand piano and the vast majority of them are held in the interior of the cabinet. The piano truly is a modern mechanical marvel! Here is a quick rundown of the basic interior parts of a grand piano.
The Plate
When lifting the lid and looking inside, the first piano part you probably will notice is the large cast iron plate. Although colors and casting methods vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, the basic function of the plate stays the same. The plate (sometimes called the piano's harp) serves as the backbone for the piano. The strings are affixed to the plate and the pins in the pinblock, so it must be able to withstand up to 40,000 pounds of tension. The large holes you see on the plate are cooling holes, which allow the cast metal to cool evenly. Usually the plate features various patent information and logos from the manufacturer. (You have to put your branding somewhere!)
A Personal Project | Restored Lane Cedar Chest
The Restoration of a Lane Cedar Chest
Every once in a while, it is good to complete a personal project for yourself. Kyle recently dug a vintage 1959 mid century modern Lane cedar chest out of a barn. Lane was America's leading manufacturer of cedar chests beginning in 1912. This chest is a style 1703-50 and features a walnut cabinet with light ash trim. The serial number of 951280 indicates a manufacturing date of 1959. Unfortunately, this cedar chest had seen better days. The old yellowed varnish was stripped and the loose veneer was repaired and then sanded. The entire piece was resprayed in a beautiful semi-gloss finish. Some of the ash trim pieces had fallen off and had become damaged over its years in the barn, so those pieces were carefully repaired and affixed back in place. Kyle and Tim decided to not stain the light trim pieces and leave them in their natural coloring. The original faux drawer pulls were either missing or in bad shape. In any case, they wouldn't do. New knobs were added that fit the modern styling of the cabinet much better than the originals. The chest lock was removed and decades of gunk and corrosion were polished away.
The Steinway Model O vs. Model L – What’s the Difference?
Posted on March 1, 2016
at 6:44 pm
by Benjamin Rogers /
Piano History, Steinway Pianos, Uncategorized
The Steinway Model O vs. the Model L | What's the Difference?
Question: “The Steinway Model O and the Model L grand pianos seem to be about the same? What is the difference?
Similar Yet Different | Steinway Model vs. Model L
There are many differences between the various models of pianos bearing the name of Steinway & Sons. From the diminutive 5’1″ Model S to the imposing 8’11” Concert Model D, Steinway pianos run a wide range of sizes and sound. Each size of piano has its place and purpose. However there are models that are considered to be very similar and the Model O and the Model L are two of those. The Model O and the Model L are both about the same size and have actually both replaced each other during various periods in the Steinway & Sons company history.History of the Piano
Learn About Pianos Throughout Time
The creation of the piano dates back centuries, with many different renditions and imaginings of this instrument. While there are scores of books detailing the rise of this musical titan, here are the must knows of a piano's history for any piano enthusiast in a handy infographic!
Dr. Howard Lantner on his Restored Steinway Model C
Letter of Recommendation | Restored Steinway Model C
Chupp's Piano Service recently fully restored a vintage Steinway & Sons Model C Semi-Concert Grand Piano for neurosurgeon Dr. Howard Lantner. He was kind enough to send in the following letter of recommendation about his experience purchasing from Chupp's Pianos.
"I had taken piano lessons as a child for few a years. While I enjoyed it, it was a chore to practice, so quit after elementary school. I had hoped to resume it down the road. 24 years later, I finished school and training and settled in Connecticut. My parents still had the old upright piano in their home and let me take it to my home. I started taking piano lessons on it and hoped that one day I would progress enough to be worthy of a vintage Steinway Grand. That was 23 years ago.
The Steinway Model A-1 vs. A-2 vs. A-3
The Steinway Model A Family | What's the Difference?
Question: “I was looking at Steinway Model A pianos and noticed that there are pianos labeled Model A-1, A-2 and A-3 and it is getting a bit confusing. What is the difference between these models of Steinway pianos?
The First Model A Grand Piano | 1878
The Model A family of pianos consists of several 6' variants in Steinway's line of grand pianos. The A-1, A-2 and A-3 are all in the same family, yet there are some distinct differences, and even differences within those models. Steinway & Sons was founded in 1853 and the first Model A, the A-1 was first introduced back in 1878. This piano measured 6’ in length. This piano was an 85 note piano and the scale design was scaled down from the larger Model B. When first introduced the Model A was actually the smallest of all of the grand pianos built and sold by Steinway. (This was before the introduction of the Models S, O, L or M.) The scale design was crafted by C.F. Theodore Steinway, an innovative man credited with many of the patents and technical advances introduced by Steinway in their early days of operation. This model was fairly historic in terms of innovation and introduced the bent-rim case construction, which allowed for a better transfer of soundboard vibrations, a technique still in use today.
Our Portfolio of Work | Unique Pianos
Recently we have been updating our website's portfolio section with some of the projects, both past and current that we have completed here at Chupp's Piano Service. I encourage you to view the portfolio section on our site, to see the caliber of work we strive to complete daily here in our workshop. From one of a kind art case pianos, to unique concert hall ready pianos, our work spans a wide gambit. Embedded below are some highlights from our portfolio:
Steinway & Sons Sketch #425 | Only One Manufactured
This Model A-II Grand Piano is the only Sketch #425 ever manufactured by Steinway & Sons. Featuring a stunning Tiger Oak veneer and ornate case carvings, this piano has a long and rich history as well! We completely rebuilt this unique and truly one of a kind piano. Click the photo below to read more.
