Piano Moving and Storage
Our History of Piano Moving
Piano Moving Experts
We have been moving pianos as part of our service offering for over 2 decades. All of our movers attend professional piano moving training and are experienced working on teams to relocate all types of pianos. We offer this service at no extra cost to our customers and are able to relocate your piano on the same day as your regularly scheduled move.
Call our office today to discuss your piano moving needs with us and we’ll be happy to walk you through the process and what you can expect.
Our History of Piano Moving
Coastal Moving started moving pianos for our customers over a decade ago. The first 20 years of us being in the moving industry our customers relied on specific piano moving companies to move their pianos, as it wasn’t heard of in the industry for a household moving company to move pianos. That kind of specialized moving service was separate and very expensive. It wasn’t until we hired an employee that used to work for a piano moving service that we got the
idea to start moving pianos ourselves. It took a year of training and practicing with piano companies and speaking to insurance companies and make sure we had a solid skill set under our belt and could start moving customer’s pianos.
When we first started offering our piano moving service, customers understandably didn’t want their household movers to be moving their expensive, heavy and delicate instruments.
idea to start moving pianos ourselves. It took a year of training and practicing with piano companies and speaking to insurance companies and make sure we had a solid skill set under our belt and could start moving customer’s pianos.
When we first started offering our piano moving service, customers understandably didn’t want their household movers to be moving their expensive, heavy and delicate instruments.
Everyone was used to calling specialized piano moving companies for this service. Understandably, it took some time for our company to get the word out and to convince people that our team had the same training as the specialized piano movers. We’re lucky that so many of our customers are repeat customers and tend to use us over their lifetime of moves. The other large portion of our business comes from recommendations from our customers, so over time the word spread and people started trusting us to move their pianos.
Our customers were so thrilled that they could save the time and the money by just hiring one moving service to do everything for them. It made the moving process more seamless and eliminated the need to coordinate multiple moving services on the same day.
Two decades later and now our customers with pianos don’t even remember the days of having to hire a specialty company to move their piano! We’ve even worked with and trained other moving companies within San Diego on how to move all kinds of pianos. We enjoy that we’re able to making the moving process easier for people and to see that the industry has changed
to accommodate what customer’s need and want. Thank you for giving us a chance 20 years ago San Diego. We look forward to many more generations of helping you move.
to accommodate what customer’s need and want. Thank you for giving us a chance 20 years ago San Diego. We look forward to many more generations of helping you move.
Types of Pianos
There are 3 general types of pianos (Grand, Upright and Electric), and plenty of name brands and variations within those 3 categories. It is important to know what kind of piano you have so that your moving team can bring the necessary supplies and materials to move your piano safely and securely. The name brand or maker of your piano isn’t as necessary to know for moving, but it can be helpful to know since we would be able to look up and research
Grand Piano
This is the large piano that most people think about when they hear the word ‘piano’. Think of a large shiny black piano on stage at a theater with a concert pianist sitting on the bench playing classical music. What makes these pianos so ‘grand’ is that they are (typically) the largest, loudest, most expensive and heaviest of the piano types. Their large size is what allows them to carry the most sound and what makes them so heavy, and therefore expensive. Since this kind of piano is on the ‘grand’ scale, it is typically used for concert performances because the sound can carry throughout the venue. Because they are so expensive, they are usually owned or played by professional pianists.
Because a grand piano is so large and loud, it is not always the piano of choice to have in a house. The room size necessary to hold the grand piano, as well as the acoustics so that the very loud sound isn’t distorted or doesn’t hurt everyone’s ears, is usually larger than what the standard home has. The baby grand piano is a great choice for those who still would like the grandeur of this kind of piano, but doesn’t have all of that room space. This is basically a grand
piano, but just on a smaller scale. Because it is somewhat smaller, the sound isn’t as loud, which makes it fit easier inside of someone’s house (although, it would still need to be a very large room to accommodate an instrument of this size).
Because a grand piano is so large and loud, it is not always the piano of choice to have in a house. The room size necessary to hold the grand piano, as well as the acoustics so that the very loud sound isn’t distorted or doesn’t hurt everyone’s ears, is usually larger than what the standard home has. The baby grand piano is a great choice for those who still would like the grandeur of this kind of piano, but doesn’t have all of that room space. This is basically a grand
piano, but just on a smaller scale. Because it is somewhat smaller, the sound isn’t as loud, which makes it fit easier inside of someone’s house (although, it would still need to be a very large room to accommodate an instrument of this size).
Upright Piano
The majority of people that own pianos have an upright piano. This kind of piano fits easily up against a wall and doesn’t take us as much space as a grand or baby grand piano. The smaller size and rectangle shape that fits neatly into a corner or up against a wall makes it a sensible choice for a residential space. And following the same logic as the grand piano, the smaller size produces a quieter sound that tends to fit inside the smaller space of a house. The smaller size also contributes to the smaller price tag, and makes the piano weigh less than a grand or baby grand piano. Because these pianos are cheaper and fit better inside a house, its typical for people to buy this kind of piano when they start learning to play the piano or for people who don’t play as frequently. It is rare for someone who is not a very serious piano player to invest in a grand or
even a baby grand piano.
even a baby grand piano.
Electric Piano
These pianos are the most modern, as they only came about in the 1920s.. When people think of an electric piano they probably think about an 80’s band and a keyboard that sits on thin legs. This is an electronic keyboard, and is probably closer to a computer than to an old fashioned string/percussion instrument. This instrument usually has buttons and switches all around it that play background sounds and different beats and can even transform the key notes to sound like other instruments. Many great 80s bands used the electric keyboard to create layers of sounds within their music. You also tend to see these electronic keyboards at smaller music venues because these instruments are easier to pack, carry and set up on different stages. They are also so easy to travel with because they don’t need to be tuned before each performance.
The true electronic piano is rare today, as it is not as easy to travel with like an electronic keyboard, but not as classic and romantic as a regular piano. This piano still uses the old fashioned hammer and strings to create sound, but then it is hooked up to amplifiers and/or a loudspeaker so that the sound can be transferred to very large spaces. These pianos are still smaller than an upright piano, but larger than an electric keyboard.
FAQs for Piano Moving
1. Do I need to get my piano tuned after I move it?
Yes, after a piano has been relocated to a new living space it should be tuned or have a maintenance service appointment to make sure that the change in temperature and humidity levels haven’t changed the wood and metal components enough to change the sound of the piano.
2. Does it cost extra to move my piano?
We do not charge any extra fees for moving a piano. Our hourly rates are inclusive all everything we do and all of the materials and specialty tools that we use to do our job.
3. Do I need to prepare my piano in anymore for the move?
Please Do Not attempt to take your piano apart or move your piano or even wrap your piano in any padding. All of these steps must be done by trained professionals that have experience in all types of pianos. These instruments are very heavy and can be dangerous to attempt to move or prepare for a move by yourself.
Yes, after a piano has been relocated to a new living space it should be tuned or have a maintenance service appointment to make sure that the change in temperature and humidity levels haven’t changed the wood and metal components enough to change the sound of the piano.
2. Does it cost extra to move my piano?
We do not charge any extra fees for moving a piano. Our hourly rates are inclusive all everything we do and all of the materials and specialty tools that we use to do our job.
3. Do I need to prepare my piano in anymore for the move?
Please Do Not attempt to take your piano apart or move your piano or even wrap your piano in any padding. All of these steps must be done by trained professionals that have experience in all types of pianos. These instruments are very heavy and can be dangerous to attempt to move or prepare for a move by yourself.