It actually isn’t that difficult to find a free piano out there. And a free piano may seem like a steal, but you may want to stop and think about it before jumping on it!
Is a free piano worth it? In order to determine that, you will want to evaluate the piano. The cost and effort of moving a piano to your location needs to be worth the piano you are getting. You will want to asses the instrument by checking some basic things on the free piano such as: the condition of the furniture, the keys, and the strings. If the cost and effort of moving the free piano is worth the piano according to its condition, then yes, do it! If the cost and effort of moving the free piano is NOT worth the piano according to its condition, then no — don’t do it!
How do you know what to look for to determine its condition?
This baby grand is being disassembled for moving. This particular piano is in fantastic condition — and would probably never be found for free.
What to Look for When Checking the Condition of the Furniture of the Piano
Pianos can be made of wood and they can also have a plastic exterior. Either way, you will want to assess the condition of the actual piece of furniture that you will be acquiring.
Check for dings and nicks and make sure you are okay with them.
Check to see how the piano opens and closes. Is that broken? Does it slide open and shut okay? Maybe it doesn’t matter to you if it closes, but you are going to make sure that you can at least have it open to get to the keys!
Probably the most important thing to check for is the condition of the legs of the piano. If one of the legs is unstable and/or broken, the whole piano becomes unstable and liable to fall. You don’t want that to happen. You would either have to be okay with finding an alternative way to hold up the piano by building something yourself to prop it up, or just leave that piano where you found it.
You may also want to check for the condition of the music stand. Some pianos really need that music stand to work, otherwise it really is a pain for anyone trying to play the piano and hold their music up.
The furniture could be painted or stained. But painting and staining is a lot of work and effort. It can result in a beautiful finish! Or it could turn into a disaster. But if it’s free, then maybe that’s worth the risk to you.
What to Look for When Checking the Condition of the Keys of the Piano
If someone is willing to give away a free piano, then often that piano is old. Older pianos have a few things that you want to watch out for. One of those is the condition of the keys. It wouldn’t be a surprise to find ivory keys on an old piano.
If the piano has ivory keys, you will want to know. Ivory keys are difficult to clean, they turn yellow, and they are difficult to replace. You can tell if it has ivory keys if the keys have a fine line between the fatter portion of the bottom of the key and the top of the key. Ivory keys are assembled in three pieces which is why you can see that line. Ivory keys have no value and they would be difficult to replace. Often, ivory keys will be chipped and cracked as well since they can chip and crack easier than modern plastic keys.
So, unless care has been given to these ivory keys, you will often find them cracked, chipped, and yellowed. There isn’t anything you can do about yellowed ivory keys except replace them.
If the keys are plastic, then watch once more for yellowed keys. Cheap plastic keys can turn yellow and there isn’t much you can do about yellowed plastic keys. The plastic could also have some chips. Some keys could be missing, too, so take note.
You will want to push every key to make sure that each of them work and don’t “stick”. Sticky keys can be solved pretty easily depending on the reason why they are sticking. You will just want to note how many are like that.
What to Look for When Checking the Condition of the Strings of the Piano
Make sure you open up the piano and take a look inside. The hammers and strings on the piano will be shown under the cover. First thing you will want to look for is lost items. How many things can you find inside? If you find a whole bunch of toys, pens/pencils, random objects and things, then that’s a good indicator that this piano is not worth it.
The more items that are inside the piano, the more chances of damage to the piano when it is moved. It is the items inside the piano that bounce around and get lodged in places that cause the worst damage to a piano when it is moved.
Having items inside the cover of the piano also indicates that this piano was sorely neglected. You won’t want to a piano that has been that mistreated as it likely has other issues not worth getting.
Another important item to consider is the pads on the hammers of the piano. You will find little wooden hammers that hit the strings when the keys are pushed. The hammers should have a decent amount of padding still left on them. If a piano has been pounded on incessantly, then those hammers will have damaged padding.
Once again, a piano that has been pounded on like that is not a good sign. That usually indicates a piano that has been allowed to be pounded on by young kids — and not a piano worth keeping.
How Much Does it Cost to Move a Piano?
If you decide to move the piano, you may want to hire someone to do it for you. A piano costs about $200-$300 to move, as a starting price. If you are looking at any kind of grand piano, the cost will be much more.
It is possible to move a piano on your own, but you do need to consider that as it can be very dangerous to move a piano.
Moving a piano requires at least three strong adults. You will need a trailer of some sort to lift it onto. I wouldn’t suggest a truck being as you would have to lift really high to get it up onto the bed of the truck.
When It Is Worth It
If you have done a thorough check of the condition of the piano, you may find that its worth it! Some people have a great piano, but for whatever reason don’t need it anymore and looking for someone to haul it away for them. If that’s the case, then congratulations! You found yourself a free piano that is worth it!
Just make sure that you do your thorough search on your piano before you find yourself with a piece of furniture that you have to pay to trash.
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Tel loves her life as a piano player, a piano teacher, and a mom. Amid piano blogging, piano teaching, and piano playing, she loves a chance to fit in a good exercise class, volunteer at her kids’ school and at her church, and go on long dates with her husband. Full bio at About Tel.
