Piano Finders

Piano Finders

Education Online

About the Piano Marketplace

Buyer's FAQs
FREE INFO: Frequently Asked Questions by Buyers. If you don't know about the different types of pianos, want to compare uprights to grands, have questions about whether a rebuild Steinway is still a Steinway, read these FAQs.
Buyer's Piano Decide Guide
FREE INFO: Takes you through a series of questions to help you discover where you are in the process of buying a piano and then gives you answers to your remaining questions.
Guide to the Piano World
FREE INFO: A summary or tour of the piano marketplace today, and what those looking for a piano can expect to find out there, along with a general idea about prices. This guide takes about a minute to download, depending on the speed of your modem or connection, so please be patient.
Knock-Off Piano Brands: When a Piano is Not What it Seems
FREE INFO:An article about the practice of passing off an inexpensive piano as a major name brand. How it is done and how to detect it.
Pianocchio
FREE INFO: Comparing Digital and Electronic Pianos to a Real Piano.
Piano Price Comparison Guide
Gives you discount, low and high retail prices for new pianos, helping you get a fair price from a dealer. Also tells you which country the piano is made in. The Guide comes with access to expert consultation, including the pricing of used pianos. $35 Service
Seasoning Pianos for Different Climates
FREE INFO: About some manufacturers practices of "seasoning pianos" for different climates and the questions that it raises.
Seller's FAQs
FREE INFO:
What Exactly is a Gray Market Piano?
FREE INFO: Find out if buying a "Gray Market" is really dangerous and why some dealers and manufacturers give pianos want you to believe that it is.
A "No Worries" Purchase by Bonnie Linden. A true story told by a piano buyer about the unexpected problems that occured when she bought a new piano at a discount price from a local piano dealer.

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About Piano Rebuilding, Repair and Refinishing

Piano Finders: Rebuilding the Vintage Piano.
FREE INFO: A detailed photo tour of the piano rebuilding process, for buyers who are considering purchasing a piano and having it rebuilt by Piano Finders.
Piano Rebuilding Online Video Clip
FREE: A 1 minute video showing the Piano Rebuilding Process at Piano Finders.
Piano Service & Repair FAQs
FREE INFO: Answers questions about that typically come up when the tuner comes to your location, or when you are making a decision about what work is necessary to maintain your piano.
Piano Noise Troubleshooting
FREE INFO: Takes you or your technican through the process of tracking down those buzzes and noises in the piano.
Touchweight: Or Why is my Piano So Hard to Play?
FREE INFO: Explains what "touchweight" is, how you measure it and how it can affect how the piano feels to you when you play it.

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Entertainment

Kendall Ross Bean Classical Music Video
FREE: See the first Classical Music Video performed on Arts & Entertainment Network in 1987. It was nominated for an A.C.E. (Award for Cable Excellence). This video is 7 minutes long, so depending upon your modem/DSL connection, you may need to wait for it to upload before it starts.
Kendall Ross Bean Children's Concerts for PBS
FREE: Kendall makes classical music fun for kids. Between 1990 to 1997, thousands of children came to these concerts at the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, CA to learn about classical music. Filmed by KCSM-PBS for broadcast to PBS stations nationwide in 1992. This video is 10 minutes long, so depending upon your modem/DSL connection, you may need to wait for it to upload before it starts.

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Finding Out About Your Piano

Ballpark Pricing & Piano Information Service
Want to know a ballpark price range on your piano's value, without paying a technician to inspect it. Have specific questions about whether it is worth rebuilding, donating, selling or keeping. This service connects you to an expert who help you. Service takes about 7 days from date of purchase. $15 Service
Brand Name Research
Want to know more about your piano brand history? Where it was manufactured? How old it is? This service will gives you the historial information that is available as a result of our research on your brand. $10 Service
Comprehensive Appraisal Service
Need a comprehensive evaluation of your piano, including current market value, replacement value, wholesale value and value after repairs? This appraisal is based upon a technicians written report (sold seperately) on the piano's current condition. $60 Service
Insurance Appraisals
Need an Appraisal for Insurance Purposes, or to settle and estate or claim? This service gives you access to an expert who can write a letter in language the insurance companies understand, giving you a Replacement Value for your piano and addressing the particular circumstances of your situation. $60 Service
How to Find the Serial Number on a Grand
FREE INFO: Diagram showing you where to look for the serial number on your grand piano.
How to Find the Serial Number on a Vertical Piano
FREE INFO: Diagram showing you where to look for the serial number on your vertical (upright) piano.
How to Measure a Piano
FREE INFO: Diagrams showing you how to measure your upright or grand piano.
Owner's Faqs
FREE INFO:

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Keys Corner Cartoons

How a Piano Works
FREE INFO: Guided tour designed for children (but enjoyable to adults as well) Shows what a piano is made of, what the names of its parts are and how things work together to make musical sound. The three links below are included in this 18 page tour.
Piano Parts and Functions
FREE INFO: Cartoon diagram showing you what the various parts of the piano do to help make musical sound.
Vertical Action Model with Parts Names
FREE INFO: Diagram showing you where the names of the parts on an vertical piano.
Grand Action Model with Parts Names
FREE INFO: Diagram showing you where the names of the parts on an grand piano.

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Law and the Piano Business

Escrow Law
FREE INFO: Laws in the State of California that apply to Escrow Agents. Piano Finders will work with Third Party Independent Escrow Agents that are licensed and comply with these laws.
Piano Mover's Law
FREE INFO: Laws in the state of California that apply to Piano Movers. Piano Finders will work with Third Party Independent Movers that are licensed and comply with these laws.
Trademark Law
FREE INFO: US Trademark law governs the use of the Piano Finders® Trademark and other trademarks. It takes precedence over all state laws.

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Piano Manual: Articles of Interest for Students and Teachers

What makes the piano unique?
FREE INFO: Tells a bit about the history and unique features of the piano.
Where's Middle C, and Why Do I Need to Know? or Finding Your Way Around the Keyboard
FREE INFO: Tells you how to find your way around the piano. Something for every level of piano player.
What to call the keys, or Which C is that one over there?
FREE INFO: Piano key names, letters, and/or numbers (the different systems of numbering or naming the keys), or Which C is Middle C? and what do we call all these other C's?
When Questions Precede the Answers, Learning to Play the Piano Is Easier
FREE INFO: A brief article about how teaching, using the student's questions, can be more effective than giving the students facts and answers they don't yet appreciate the value of. Includes a suggestion of how to handle the question that you don't know the answer to.

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Tech Talk

Piano Noise Troubleshooting
FREE INFO: Takes you or your technican through the process of tracking down those buzzes and noises in the piano.
Seasoning Pianos for Different Climates
FREE INFO: About some manufacturers practices of "seasoning pianos" for different climates and the questions that it raises.
Technician's Faqs
FREE INFO:
What Exactly is a Gray Market Piano?
FREE INFO: Find out if buying a "Gray Market" is really dangerous and why some dealers and manufacturers give pianos want you to believe that it is.

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