Frequently Asked Questions

1.) I live across the country from your store. If I buy a piano from you, how are you going to honor the warranty from so far away?

Yes, we are all piano technicians, but even here in our home area, we rarely go out on service calls as we have our hands full here at the shop. Therefore, we work with independent piano technicians from The Piano Technicians Guild, a national organization of professional piano technicians that promotes and maintains that highest standards of professional excellence in our industry. Those members of the PTG known as Registered Piano Technicians (RPT) have passed a series of three rigorous examinations. Using the website of The Piano Technicians Guild, you can locate RPTs in you area to deal with any warranty issues that may arise and we will pay for their service under your 10-year warranty.

2.) Do all your pianos come with a warranty or just the new ones?

Every piano we sell, new or used, comes with a warranty that covers all parts & labor for 10 years.

3.) How do you safely deliver my piano to me from across the country?

We use only professional insured piano movers who will set up and position your piano in your home wherever you like. When they leave, it's ready to play. For long distance deliveries, we use Modern Piano Movers, the largest coast-to-coast door-to-door piano moving service in the country.

4.) How does your 100% lifetime trade-up policy work?

Anyone who buys a piano from Rick Jones Pianos is entitled to upgrade to ANY more expensive piano and receive full purchase price credit in trade FOR LIFE. There is NO LIMIT to the number of times you may trade-up, and NO MINIMUM AMOUNT you must spend when you trade up.

5.) Some of your pianos are from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Am I taking a big risk buying such an “old” piano.

Even cheap pianos made by minor manufacturers often last 70-100 years with their original parts. Many homes still have pianos from 100 years ago that have been passed down through the generations, often in less than perfect condition, but still functional. We sell only used pianos from respected major manufacturers that have been lightly used and very well maintained. Most of our used pianos were made in the last 10-30 years and have decades of useful life ahead of them. The older pianos often have been partially or fully rebuilt, which adds decades to the piano's useful life. We have a fully staffed piano restoration shop on the premises. Whether it’s a routine reconditioning or a full rebuilding, every piano we sell will spend quality time in our shop with our technicians before it’s delivered to its new owner. Most importantly, all of our pianos, new or used, are covered by our 10-year warranty, which is at least as comprehensive, if not more so, as new piano warranties.

6.) I understand that you rebuild vintage American Steinway grand pianos. Do you use Steinway parts in your rebuilt pianos?

Our goal is to recreate the original sound and feel of our vintage New York Steinway grands as closely as possible. Therefore, we rebuild our vintage New York Steinways using all Renner action parts from Germany. We do this for several reasons. First, it is our opinion that Renner action parts are the finest piano action parts available in the world today. That opinion is shared by some of the most distinguished piano builders in the world today, including Hamburg Steinway who use Renner action parts in their new German-built Steinway grands. While this fact alone speaks volumes, the list of other piano makers who use Renner action parts in their new grand pianos includes nearly all of the world's finest (and most expensive) pianos available today, including August Förster, Baldwin, Blüthner, Bösendorfer, Charles Walter, Estonia, Fazioli, Grotrian, Pleyel, Schimmel, Schulze Pollman, and Steingraeber. Furthermore, it is our professional opinion that Renner action parts most accurately recreate the dimensions of the original Steinway parts that were used in early 20th century. The Renner hammers of today even use the same Würzen hammer felt that was used in the original New York Steinway hammers of the past. Therefore, it is our opinion that the Renner action parts of today allow us to recreate the original sound and feel of our vintage Steinway grand pianos with the greatest possible accuracy and authenticity.

7.) Are the used Yamaha pianos you sell the “gray market” pianos I've heard about?

Every used Yamaha piano we sell is one of the so-called "gray market" pianos that were supposedly made only for the Japanese market. We've been selling these pianos all over the country for over 20 years, each one with a 10-year warranty. They have been the backbone of our success as reputable sellers of high-quality used pianos.

Since NO piano shop can claim to be truly impartial on this issue, it's best that you obtain further information from impartial sources.

Go to Piano World (an online public forum where ordinary people and professional piano technicians discuss pianos) and read THIS DISCUSSION on the subject of "gray market" pianos. This wonderful website also has a search feature that allows readers to search for threads on a given subject to get additional points of view.

Also, you could read "The Piano Book" by Larry Fine, RPT. Larry Fine is a Registered Piano Technician with the Piano Technicians Guild with over 30 years experience in the field. Now in its 4th Edition, "The Piano Book" is respected throughout the piano industry as the most thoroughly researched and UNBIASED consumer guide on pianos now available. It has helped countless people to make well-informed piano buying decisions. You can buy it at any good bookstore, online book retailer, or on Larry Fine's website.

You should know that ANY piano you buy needs to be protected from extreme uncontrolled humidity fluctuations, whether it's made in Asia, North America or Europe. You must take the same wood-care precautions you would for any fine piece of wood furniture e.g., avoiding close proximity to open windows, heating vents, radiators, fireplaces, wood-burning stoves, excessive direct sunlight and the like. If you are mindful of these basic common sense precautions, you should never have any humidity related problems, regardless of where your piano was made or originally sold. Most piano technicians strongly recommend installing a complete piano climate control system in pianos where the humidity is difficult to control. Whether your piano is brand new or 50-years old, its wooden parts need protection from uncontrolled humidity fluctuation.

8.) I have a piano I would like to sell. Can you tell me how much I should ask for it?

We cannot appraise pianos over the phone or by e-mail. Without being able to inspect the piano, any guess at its value is pointless. You may believe it's in good condition, and you may be right, but without a recent internal inspection by a piano technician you cannot know that for sure.

We suggest that you hire a local piano technician to thoroughly inspect and appraise the piano. The piano technician should be able to estimate a realistic value for your piano based on its inherent quality and the condition of its internal parts.

The best way to find a good piano technician in your area to inspect and appraise your piano is to search the website of The Piano Technicians Guild HERE. Every name listed will be a Registered Piano Technician (RPT) who has passed a series of rigorous examinations administered by The Piano Technicians Guild to certify their skills.

9.) How often should my piano be tuned?

Regular tuning is to a piano what regular exercise is to our bodies. Most piano tuners recommend tuning a piano twice per year. Regular piano tuning by a qualified professional piano tuner/technician is necessary to maintain the correct tension on the piano's hundreds of wires (17-30 tons, depending on the piano's size), which optimizes your piano's tuning stability. Re-tuning a piano after a long period of neglect, during which the wires have lost hundreds of pounds of tension, puts a great strain on the piano's internal parts, and usually requires at least one preliminary tuning called a "pitch-raising" before the desired results can be achieved. All of this can be avoided by regular tuning.

10.) How soon after delivery should my piano be tuned?

After a move or delivery, a piano should be allowed 2-4 weeks to re-settle and acclimate to its new surroundings before re-tuning. At Rick Jones Pianos, every piano comes with one FREE in-home tuning (valid for 6 months after delivery) which will be done by a local Registered Piano Technician (RPT) in your area. We suggest that you schedule your first tuning with your local technician approximately 3 months after delivery, though you may wish to do it sooner or later depending on your musical needs.

11.) I have heard that if I buy a piano from you that you give away free Rick Jones Pianos T-shirts to the whole family. Is it true that we have to wear them everywhere we go?

Yes.