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Bill Golden, Piano Tuner   
Serving Columbus and Central Ohio     
614-394-2878   

Buy, Sell, Donate a Piano
Here is some great information regarding buying, selling, or donating a piano in the Columbus and Central Ohio area!

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Have a piano to sell? Looking to donate a piano? Want to buy a piano? Check out our Golden Piano Forum Donating a Piano -                     Helpful Thoughts If you have an old piano that you just want to get off your hands, here are some thoughts for consideration. 1. If your piano has many broken keys, piano wires, the pedals don't work, etc., you may be better off to have the junk collector come and take it away.  If your piano does not have these types of problems, it may still be usable by someone.   Read on... 2. Clean it up.  Wipe the finish with a soft, damp cloth and then dry the finish.  Don't use oils or polishes and never spray anything on or around the piano.  Clean the keys with a cloth and a warm, mild soapy solution.  Pull the cloth toward you as you clean the keys. 3. List it here.  Use our Golden Piano Forum to tell others about your piano.  You want to get the word out to as many places as possible. 4. Places to call.  If you are having trouble finding someone to take your piano off your hands, here are some places you can contact:  senior centers, schools, colleges, churches, nursing homes, community centers, dance studios, fraternal organizations, veterans organizations, clubs, and the "we buy used pianos" people - check your local newspaper.  You can even give places like Volunteers of America or the Salvation Army a try. 5. Consider the moving cost.  Even if you give the piano away, your recipient may still incur a cost to move the piano.  If you can assist with the move, you may be able to better "close the deal." [back to top] Selling a Piano -                     Helpful Thoughts If you have a piano to sell, consider these pointers. 1. Clean it up.  Wipe the finish with a soft, damp cloth and then dry the finish.  Don't use oils or polishes and never spray anything on or around the piano.  Clean the keys with a cloth and a warm, mild soapy solution.  Pull the cloth toward you as you clean the keys. 2. Determine a fair value.  Search the internet for similar pianos for sale.  Go to local piano stores to get a feel for piano pricing.  There isn't a very large price range for most basic, used pianos, but you still want a point of reference. 3. If your piano has severely dropped in pitch, you may help your sale by having the pitch raised (if it hasn't dropped too much).  There is a fine line between spending too much on the piano prior to selling it and selling it when it sounds horrible, but it depends on your asking price. [back to top]

Buying a Piano - What You Need to Know If you are looking to buy a piano in the Columbus Ohio area, here are some helpful tips to consider. 1. Take a notebook, pencil, and flashlight.  You will want to make notes for comparison and review.  You will need the flashlight to help you see inside the piano and even outside if it is a dimly-lit area. 2. Take a tuned instrument, tuning fork, electronic tone device, etc. so you can determine how close the piano is to the correct pitch.  You can buy an electronic metronome for $16-$18 from a local music store or online, such as Amazon.com (see below).  Check the middle "A" on the piano for correct pitch - the standard for an "A" is 440 cycles per second, also known as A440. If the piano has dropped in pitch, you will need to have the pitch raised as part of your initial tuning.  If the piano has dropped significantly, you may need more than one pitch raising session before the piano can be stabilized. [back to top] 3. Take a friend with you so you can another set of eyes and ears.  Depending on the piano, you may even want to move it away from a wall so you can see behind it. 4. Ask when the piano was last tuned.  This will give you a feel for how well the piano has been maintained.  Industry standard for tunings is every 6 months.  If they tell you something greater than 3 years or say, "I have no idea," you may have a reason for concern, especially if the sale price is more than $3-$500. 5. Find out the history of the piano.  When and where was it purchased?  You can lift the lid of some of the upright pianos and find a manufacturer and serial number.   Go to our Piano Services page and read all about determining the piano's age. [back to top] 6. Test the piano.  Even if you don't play, press every single key to make sure it makes a sound.  It may sound terrible, but at least you will know that each key works (or doesn't).  Make note of whether the key plays with full motion, but no sound is heard, or if the key is difficult to depress, whether you can hear the note or not. 7. Listen for vibrating wood sounds as you play each note.  If you hear this, the piano may have a cracked soundboard.  Unless you want to tolerate the vibrating sound, you may want to steer clear of the piano. 8. Lift the lid.  For most upright pianos, you can lift the lid and see inside.  Look for broken wires, especially up where the wire attaches to the pins.  This will make sense, once you look inside.  Also look for rust on the pins or wires, missing parts (you can tell because there will be a hole or gap where it looks like something should be).   Look for deep grooves in the hammers (the part that strikes the wires).  Deep groves mean you may need to have some work done to the hammers, but a lot of it has to do with how the piano sounds to you and how much you want to invest in it (aka, what your tolerance level is). 9. Test the pedals and make sure they work.  Typically, the right pedal sustains the sound while the left pedal softens the sound. [back to top]

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"Your Piano Deserves the  GOLDEN  Touch!"