We had a basic upright “student” piano that our local piano shop was happy to fetch as a donation. The shop had the capability to make any repairs and tune-ups, and had a market for people looking for inexpensive used pianos.
^that’s another outlet – thanks. I wonder if I could still deduct the donation if I give it to a store…?
^ nope…it’s not a non-profit
This is a very hopeful thread for those of us who need an upgrade of the well-used “piano-shaped object” in our living room.
Depending on how much money you would be willing to front, a flooded school in Texas or Florida might appreciate it.
Bottom line: pianos are hard to get rid of, and that includes donating.
Fewer & fewer people play the instrument. Those who do usually have decent ones already. A baby grand poses particular issues with its size. Music schools sell their pianos on a regular basis, many aren’t interested in donated items even if the donor pays for delivery.
I’d recommend advertising on something like Nextdoor. And keeping your fingers crossed.
I would NOT trust the opinion of a piano technician who claims to be able to evaluate a piano over the phone.
My really old…and I mean OLD…junky piano held a tune for about two weeks. But the sound board was shot. And the tuning pegs had been driven more than once. There is NO WAY anyone could tell this by listening over the phone. NO WAY.
That old piano went to the landfill.
I think your best bests are:
- List on Craigslist.
- Give or sell to a piano refurbisher who might want it to resell.
- Put an add in your local trading times or whatever free little ad thing you have.
- List on a neighborhood tag sale or FB page...or your own FB page.
In all cases, person must move the piano at their own expense.
If it’s a Steinway or some other swanky brand…that is another story.
Schools/universities generally don’t want used pianos due to the potential repair issues, and everyone says it’s be “well taken care of” without knowing what that means. Tuning a piano several times a year, keeping in a room with the proper humidity, avoiding major temperature variations.
Most piano’s have serial numbers on the cast iron plate, that will give you the details about the instrument. http://www.total-piano-care.com/piano-serial-numbers.html
once you know what it is, head to Piano Worlds forums and see if you can find conversation about the instrument. http://forum.pianoworld.com/
You can look up the current retail on piano’s here: http://www.bluebookofpianos.com/pin.html
You can also buy the Piano Blue Book, which for $10 will tell you what it’s worth.
If you cross information between multiple sites, you can get some insight into what you have.
I would recommend you look for non-profits, focused on the arts in your area. Good luck.
@EyeVeee – thank you – this is very helpful.
We donated a family baby grand to a local non-denominational chapel affiliated with a senior community. They moved it. Actually we ended up giving it on a long-term loan basis. Some family members were not yet ready to let go (but didn’t have homes for it). So technically we could someday ask to have it returned…although both parties know that will probably never happen. We asked the person who tunes our piano, to give us an estimated value beforehand, although that was unnecessary since it technically was not donated, so no deduction was taken.