How to move piano across country on the cheap?

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soupcxan

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I have an upright piano at my parents' house in Florida that I'd like to move out to my house in Texas. Is there any way to do this without spending thousands of dollars, or renting a uhaul and doing it myself (time, gas, etc.)? Does anyone know of a moving company that will add a piece to a truckload that is not full? I'm not in a rush to get it.
 
Check with an independent trucker through Landstar. You should find someone that is traveling across I10 to do it.
 
Try uship.com Probably more work arranging the shipment but the savings can be great.
 
Much simpler: sell the piano and buy another one when you get there. Uses no gas whatsoever.
 
What kind of shape is the piano in?

It might be cheaper to buy an equivalent one locally, than to have one shipped. A lot of those old pianos need a good overhaul to very playable.

You might prefer the new electric keyboards. They don't come close to the 'real thing' unless you are willing to spend a fair amount, or are not that demanding. Easy to move.

-ERD50
 
on the cheap. I'm in. Don't pianos have casters on the bottom? so you hook a line from the piano to your car bumper and take off. Careful stopping suddenly! Or, if you don't have a convertible, just bungee cord it to the top of your car - take the station wagon for the extra support. Convertibles really aren't very good for this - use the right tool for the job! Duct tape should work too - review the Red Green episodes for handy tips on use.
 
Thanks for the tips, I'll check out uship and landstar. Uship looks interesting, sort of like an ebay for moving services.

The piano was purchased new so it's in good shape, unlike a used one that I might find. Plus it has some sentimental value, so I'd rather stick with what I have. I think the haircut I'd take on the sell/buy transaction would be at least as much as the cost to ship it, if not greater.
 
Sell the piano and buy an electric piano at the other end. I can give lots of very convincing reasons to buy an electric one, and you've encountered one of them (moving). I move my piano six times a month in my Echo.

I've played $20,000 pianos in people's homes, and they don't sound half as good as my $1,000 piano, 'cause they're not tuned and maintained. The same owners who would never buy an electric because "only a real piano sounds wonderful" end up not tuning their piano for years, and they don't even notice the degradation.

Other reasons:

No cost for tuning/maintenance.

You can use headphones for practicing (marriage saver).

Not affected by temperature/humidity shifts.
 
TromboneAl said:
Sell the piano and buy an electric piano at the other end. I can give lots of very convincing reasons to buy an electric one, and you've encountered one of them (moving). I move my piano six times a month in my Echo.

I've played $20,000 pianos in people's homes, and they don't sound half as good as my $1,000 piano, 'cause they're not tuned and maintained. The same owners who would never buy an electric because "only a real piano sounds wonderful" end up not tuning their piano for years, and they don't even notice the degradation.

Other reasons:

No cost for tuning/maintenance.

You can use headphones for practicing (marriage saver).

Not affected by temperature/humidity shifts.
Click to expand...

All very true, T-Al.

Question for you - what kind of amp/speakers would you use for home?

Whenever I toy around a bit with any of the electrics in the one-two thousand dollar range, it is the speaker/amp that limits the 'experience' for me. The actual keyboard action and sound quality seem fine - just not enough 'oomph' out of the speakers to sound 'real'.

-ERD50
 
Question for you - what kind of amp/speakers would you use for home?

Whenever I toy around a bit with any of the electrics in the one-two thousand dollar range, it is the speaker/amp that limits the 'experience' for me. The actual keyboard action and sound quality seem fine - just not enough 'oomph' out of the speakers to sound 'real'.
Click to expand...
Yes, that's correct. The quality is better through my headphones than through the amp, but it's still good with the amp. I use the Motion Sound KP 100S which is a good compromise between weight and sound. I've played big dances with that amp. Got it for $450 on eBay.
 
Wait, one more: you can hook it up to your computer, record yourself, play piano from the Internet. OK, I'm done.
 
Agreed - also, kids might find it more fun, and be more likely to get involved.

Very nice choir on the hymn - the link was a bit mangled, but this worked for me:

http://pages.suddenlink.net/tripsite/hymn.mp3

Hmmm, $650 for the amp. That's what I was afraid of. Almost as much as the keys.

-ERD50
 
There are many practical advantages to a keyboard, but to me, they do not feel like playing a real piano and they do not sound as rich. Playing a digitized recording of a hammer hitting a string is just not the same. Plus, a piano is a nice peice of furniture for the house.
 
soupcxan said:
Thanks for the tips, I'll check out uship and landstar. Uship looks interesting, sort of like an ebay for moving services.

The piano was purchased new so it's in good shape, unlike a used one that I might find. Plus it has some sentimental value, so I'd rather stick with what I have. I think the haircut I'd take on the sell/buy transaction would be at least as much as the cost to ship it, if not greater.
Click to expand...

I can sure relate to the sentimental value that a piano can have!! Be sure to have the piano re-tuned once it is moved and you have it placed where you want it. Then it will sound as beautiful as you remember. :D
 
I'm with Al. I moved pianos around for awhile. I have played very fine pianos. I still like my electronic piano and love having the earphones.
 
Sorry guys, I'm a snob on this one. I have a nice digital, which I use for morning playing and rote passage work. But it doesn't compare to my 6'7" Bosendorfer.
 
I can't play piano or read music, unless "Every Good Boy* Does Fine" counts... I do know some music theory, and can play chords.

I have a $199 midi keyboard and a couple of inexpensive sound modules. I either am plugged in direct for recording, or plugged into a PA when I need to make loud noises. I use it for creating bass lines, and backup parts - piano, organ, synth, sax, etc., for my homebrew studio.







* Sorry for using the word "boy" in this post... :p
 
A few years ago I needed to move a concert grand from NC to WA. I couldn't find any movers to handle the piano and so I moved it myself. I rented a truck and went to the salvation army and bought mattresses and box springs. The piano was loaded on its side, lashed to the wall of the truck box with layers of mattresses all around and an extra box spring on the bottom.

It arrived in one piece and I saved a pile of moola. Not exactly fun, but interesting and I figure it gave the sales people at the salvation army something to talk about for a while ;)
 
I had a piano moved yesterday, so I had needed to do some research. Modern Piano Moving got a couple of good referrals. They weren't competitive in price in my current situation, since they usually move pianos more than the 75 miles mine went.

No way in heck would I even consider moving a grand piano myself. The one now in my house is a 6'10" Steinway, and those suckers are really, really heavy, even with the legs and lid taken off. They used a special dolly (hand truck?) kind of thing to move it around.

I was finding local moves (under 50 miles) to be in the $350-$400 range (for a grand piano). My 75 mile move cost $470. Have no idea what a long move would run.

Modern Piano Moving
Modern Piano Moving. The nations largest door-to-door piano movers.
1 800 737 5600
 
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