FAQ’s

Would you buy a used car without having it checked by an expert in used cars? Are the tuning pins tight? Can it be tuned to standard pitch? Has it lost its downbearing? Have the dampers gotten hard? There are hundreds of issues that can radically alter the ‘super’ in super deal. You should expect to pay at least $100 to have the piano properly surveyed. A dealer can repair serious problems at wholesale cost where you will pay significantly more at retail.

Remember that there are many, many water damaged pianos in Houston where a heavy dew causes flooding somewhere. A piano is just too heavy for most people to easily move or raise. Water damage is not always obvious but can be ‘twenty miles of bad road’ to repair.

The reason that people sell their piano is that they do not use it. When they do not use it they do not keep it tuned. Over a period of time piano pitch will significantly ‘sag’ if not kept up. This necessitates a ‘pitch raising’ comprised of several tunings over a period of maybe a week. Typically this requires 2-3 $100 tunings before the pitch stabilizes at the standard 440.

So you purchase that super deal and now it is time to move it. You can A. pay approximately $100+ to have it moved professionally……or B, pay a lot more to borrow your neighbors pickup and pay for the damage to the piano, to the truck, to your house and to your self. Many people do not realize that pianos are extremely heavy and can be dangerous if handled by people that do not know how to properly move them. Even professional piano movers are sometimes injured on the job.

So now you have the piano home and you need to ask yourself the question……..how ‘super’ was this deal? You have the cost of the piano plus all of the above. You have an instrument that was not really the color you wanted….doesn’t sound that great…..is an off brand with no real resale value…..has no warranty nor anyone interested in whether you are happy and satisfied with it. You decide.

Or…

1. Rent a nice piano from us starting at $35 per month. Your rental equity applies towards purchase.

2. Purchase one of our ‘certified’ used pianos with all the above already done for you….plus you have a warranty, a full value trade up option if you ever want to upgrade, a free tuning in the home and because our business is based on referrals (we have no expensive freeway frontage) we have a very keen interest in making sure you are happy.

What does that mean? What is a petite grand, an apartment grand, a practice grand, a parlor grand or a semi- concert grand? We carry some of the best pianos in the world….Bechstein, Kawai, Yamaha, Steinway ….and many others. I have had every imaginable size grand called a ‘baby grand’. And guess what ..every manufacturer has a different concept of what sizes pianos should be. You could stop at practically any length between 4’7″ and 9’6″ and some manufacturer, somewhere, makes one that size.

Soooo it is a good idea to measure the space available, the size of the room it is going into and any other relevant size issues to search intelligently. Just because a piano will fit into a room does not necessarily mean it is a good choice. Hardwood or ceramic tile floors can significantly increase the volume in a given room. Other sound reflective materials can have a similar effect.

You probably do not want a piano that is so powerful that it ‘blasts’ everyone out of the rooom or has to be played with the lid down thus robbing you of the beauty of the open instrument.

These are issues that a professional can assist you with and that we specialize in at Houston Piano Company.

Most keyboards use an organ touch….not a piano touch, have only one pedal (if they have one at all), and are covered with buttons (read that chocolate candy in distracting your child from learning to play the piano). They don’t have much sound without outside amplification and look very ugly in your livingroom. If your budget is severely limited to the keyboard price range your best bet is to just RENT A REAL PIANO STARTING FROM $35 PER MONTH…..AND APPLY YOUR RENT TOWARDS A PURCHASE AT A LATER TIME…at Houston Piano Company.

A digital piano is a totally different instrument. As the exclusive dealer for ROLAND DIGITAL PIANOS in the Houston, Texas trade area….we are proud to show you the outstanding value, the touch and tone af a fine grand piano to be found in even the more modest models. All have three working pedals, superb balanced actions and sound sampling that is second to none.

1. They never require tuning
2. Easily adapt to use with computer programs
3. Weigh far less…do not require professional movers
4. Can be used with head phones to silence the speakers
5. Can have hundreds of sounds and combinations. This is equivalent to
learning to paint with not just black and white paint but with all the colors
of the rainbow. This is wonderful for the creativity of your child
(and for the adult too)

Most digital pianos are designed in asia and many from major manufacturers are NOT USER FRIENDLY. They are not at all ‘intuitive’. Often you cannot figure them out without studying the owners guide in detail. ROLAND DIGITAL PIANOS AT HOUSTON PIANO COMPANY, while the manufacturer is Japanese, ARE DISIGNED IN THE US for use by non-engineers…..people like you and me. THEY ARE WONDERFULLY ‘INTUITIVE’, SELF-EXPLANATORY… IF YOU WILL. Every year digital pianos become more and more popular and Roland is the most sought after instrument on the market.

Acoustic pianos are not like cars, toasters or other items that most consumers are used to buying. They are designed to last many generations and change very little in design if at all over many years. Used pianos generally provide the best values in pianos. A quality acoustic piano has a useful life expectancy of 80 to 100 years. Paying considerably more for a new piano provides mostly that wonderful warm feeling you get paying 20 to 50% too much for any item. The rule of thumb is 1. if it plays good…sounds good…looks good 2. you have it checked out by someone that knows pianos…you just might have yourself a sweet deal. Also, it is nice to get delivery, tuning and a warranty and a full value trade up option from a reputable dealer.

Do they specialize in just pianos?…or do they sell other stuff…home organs…church organs…sheet music…? Are they completely focused on what YOU are looking for?

Don’t confuse better value with a bigger ego trip for the owner. Generally, a smaller locally owned operation can offer the best values in pianos. A hands on dealer / owner is far more in tune with your long term satisfaction and his concern far outlasts the commission check.

A simple rule of thumb is:

1. Take a look at the monster store on the freeway with the large chandeliers
2. Understand that someone has to pay for that huge occupancy cost
3. Determine if you want to participate financially in the dealers poor choice
of how to keep costs down for the consumer. Normally, you will never see
much less talk to the owner of the monster store. You are talking to
someone that may or may not still be employed there next week.