re: Anyone have a piano shipped across country?

We had a Chickering Parlor Grand (think big and heavy)that we moved three times. Did it ourselves once and had movers do it twice. Was about as easy to do it ourselves as movers, but I managed to get old (and broken down too many times) and would not want to do it now.


Get a decent You Haul truck with a ramp, lots of nice pads a piano dolly or two and good ropes.


Put it on dolly and roll it up the ramp. Pad the back (most of all) and cover the other surfaces. Get it off the dolly when you get it in place. If it has good wheels, then chock it in place with 2X4s or whatever.

Tie it as tight as you can against the front wall of the truck (to keep the darn thing balanced) and go with it. It will need tuning maybe twice when you get it set back up. You will need 4 people to roll it up the ramp.


The legs and pedal assembly come off of our Chickering, so we took them off and set it side ways on the dolly, tied the top down tightly, and padded the part on the floor of the truck as thickly as possible. If you can find 6 square inch Styrofoam blocks, use those under your grand if it is worth much money.

It takes several really strong people to pick one up if you must take it over grass. If it is an old fashioned upright, they are especially heavy.


You can do it yourself, especially if you have help.


Enough from me. Good luck.

quote:

---

How do you even get a grand piano into a house through normal sized doors?

---

Stand it on the side, take the legs off and roll it with a piano dolly. Not as bad as you might think.

Hard part is turning it on the side before you remove the legs. If I had a very expensive Steinway, I would pay someone to move it. They don't survive a drop very well.

You gonna do that piano in 21 days thing?

A friend of mine’s family heirloom Steinway Grand (circa 1910-ish) went under during Katrina.

It cost around $20k for the rehab.

The rebuild was in Asheville, NC.

The freight was included in the total price, they had a insurance rider specifically for the piano.

I’d imagine at $1.25 per mile you’d be at $1,500 to $2,000 with add-ons.