Anyone have any advice or tips for moving a babu grand piano 120 miles. I
have ause of atrailer - about 9 x 4.

1 take the egs off?
2 transport it on its side - which side
3 umm

I looked on the HSS tool hire site but they don't have paino trolleys for
hire.

Thank you,

Neil

"Martin Angove" wrote in message
...
In message ,
(Niel A. Farrow) wrote:

Anyone have any advice or tips for moving a babu grand piano 120 miles.
I
have ause of atrailer - about 9 x 4.

1 take the egs off?
2 transport it on its side - which side
3 umm

I looked on the HSS tool hire site but they don't have paino trolleys
for
hire.


Sorry this is rather against the philosophy, but my advice would be to
hire a specialist firm as

a: they have big burly blokes/girls to hump the thing about

b: they have nice big trailers with proper anchorage

c: they have done this sort of thing hundreds of times before

d: they have insurance in case something goes wrong.

Given the likely value of a piano worth moving I'd say d: is the
clincher. Get the advice of (say) your regular friendly piano tuner as
to which company to use.

Hwyl!

Awwwwwwww! you've stolen my thunder!

Seriously, don't DIY.

Mary

M.

--
Martin Angove: http://www.tridwr.demon.co.uk/
Don't fight technology, live with it: http://www.livtech.co.uk/
... Happiness is a twit filter

On Wed, 03 Sep 2003 23:34:40 +0100, Martin Angove
wrote:

Given the likely value of a piano worth moving I'd say d:

SWIPBA*1 has a piano, it's an upright and looks pretty old to my eyes.
Made in London, and by W Barron & Co, Ltd.

A number of possible scenarios await this over grown cheese cutter in
nice enough wooden cabinet.

One of which is to dispose of it. Where on earth does one start with
that?

Can it be worth anything? I was wondering about emptying the box and
making it more interesting for life in the modern world, like maybe a
domestic internet station for downstairs and visitors. LCD screen in
middle of upper panel and keyboard where the erm,... keyboard is! ;O)

[1] is probably best avoided

Take Care,
Gnube
{too thick for linux}

"Niel A. Farrow" wrote in message
...
Anyone have any advice or tips for moving a babu grand piano 120 miles. I
have ause of atrailer - about 9 x 4.

1 take the egs off?
2 transport it on its side - which side
3 umm

I looked on the HSS tool hire site but they don't have paino trolleys for
hire.

Thank you,

Neil


Play light music on it for 24 hours. It'll then be easier to move.

Rob Graham

In article , Niel A Farrow (naf) writes:

naf Anyone have any advice or tips for moving a babu grand piano 120
naf miles.

You need a fat bloke and a thin bloke both with bowler hats.

--
Mail me as _O_
|

On Thu, 04 Sep 2003 00:11:57 +0100, Gnube
wrote:

One of which is to dispose of it. Where on earth does one start with
that?

I remember a long time ago that there was a competition - either on TV
or at a fete, can't remember now - where teams were given a challenge
to see who could fit a piano through a letterbox, or some other
smallish opening. I think there may have been a charity element to the
challenge.

Thus a bit of fun can be had with something like a piano that is
beyond its useful life. You end up with a pile of small bits which are
then easy to dispose of.

PoP

In article , Richard Caley
writes
In article , Niel A Farrow (naf) writes:

naf Anyone have any advice or tips for moving a babu grand piano 120
naf miles.

You need a fat bloke and a thin bloke both with bowler hats.

Or two tea-drinking chimpanzees. "Dad, dad, do you know the pianner's on
me foot?"...
--
Tim Mitchell

In article ,
PoP writes:

Thus a bit of fun can be had with something like a piano that is
beyond its useful life. You end up with a pile of small bits which are
then easy to dispose of.

Just don't try smashing a piano unless all the strings have been
slackened off first -- the force across a piano frame is very
large and presents a serious hazard if you are just going to
lay into the thing with a hammer or similar...

--
Andrew Gabriel

"PoP" wrote
| Gnube wrote:
| One of which is to dispose of it. Where on earth does one start with
| that?
| I remember a long time ago that there was a competition - either on TV
| or at a fete, can't remember now - where teams were given a challenge
| to see who could fit a piano through a letterbox, or some other
| smallish opening. I think there may have been a charity element to the
| challenge.
| Thus a bit of fun can be had with something like a piano that is
| beyond its useful life. You end up with a pile of small bits which are
| then easy to dispose of.

It would be more fun to make it a condition that the team can reassemble the
piano afterwards into a playable condition.

Perhaps a catflap rather than a letterbox would make it a little more
reasonable.

Owain

Tim Mitchell wrote:

Or two tea-drinking chimpanzees. "Dad, dad, do you know the pianner's on
me foot?"...

you 'um it son ... I'll play it.

Nick

"Gnube" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 03 Sep 2003 23:34:40 +0100, Martin Angove
wrote:

Given the likely value of a piano worth moving I'd say d:

SWIPBA*1 has a piano, it's an upright and looks pretty old to my eyes.
Made in London, and by W Barron & Co, Ltd.

A number of possible scenarios await this over grown cheese cutter in
nice enough wooden cabinet.

One of which is to dispose of it. Where on earth does one start with
that?

Can it be worth anything? I was wondering about emptying the box and
making it more interesting for life in the modern world, like maybe a
domestic internet station for downstairs and visitors. LCD screen in
middle of upper panel and keyboard where the erm,... keyboard is! ;O)

[1] is probably best avoided

Take Care,
Gnube
{too thick for linux}


Well, not an expert in such matters, but is it playable? If it has a metal
frame then it may be possible to tune it properly and therefore it could be
worth something.

If it's a wooden framed model then perhaps it won't have retained much
musical value, so unless it's a collectable name (Broadwood et al) then it's
value is probably negligable.

You may get some nice, well seasoned wood out of it for projects if you
decide to break it up...

cheers
Richard

--
Richard Sampson

email me at
richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk

In article , Nick Nelson
writes


Tim Mitchell wrote:

Or two tea-drinking chimpanzees. "Dad, dad, do you know the pianner's on
me foot?"...

you 'um it son ... I'll play it.


Ahh, they don't make them like that any more.
--
Tim Mitchell

In article , Martin Angove
writes
Sorry this is rather against the philosophy, but my advice would be to
hire a specialist firm as
a: they have big burly blokes/girls to hump the thing about
b: they have nice big trailers with proper anchorage
c: they have done this sort of thing hundreds of times before
d: they have insurance in case something goes wrong.
Given the likely value of a piano worth moving I'd say d: is the
clincher. Get the advice of (say) your regular friendly piano tuner as
to which company to use.

As one is likely to damage the piano, oneself or both, I'd concur unless
the foreman was called Frederick and was given to using the exclamation,
"Right!"...

On the other hand, a smashed piano is likely to suit one's neighbours.

--
Paul

On Thu, 04 Sep 2003 11:24:52 +0100, PoP
wrote:

I remember a long time ago that there was a competition - either on TV
or at a fete, can't remember now - where teams were given a challenge
to see who could fit a piano through a letterbox, or some other
smallish opening. I think there may have been a charity element to the
challenge.

Thanks for the idea, but I reckon the wood is worth having and by the
time it fitted through a letter box, it wouldn't be!

Thus a bit of fun can be had with something like a piano that is
beyond its useful life. You end up with a pile of small bits which are
then easy to dispose of.

I wonder how one gets at and rid of the wires and metal frame bit? The
piano wire itself should be usable assuming that is literally what the
strings are (?)

Actually, are they? Is Piano Wire an accurate name? Or is it a wishful
thinking legendary urban myth type name?)

What will unwind the tension from them to unstring such a beast -
which end do you start - low notes or high notes? Middle? shrug

Take Care,
Gnube
{too thick for linux}

On Thu, 4 Sep 2003 13:33:56 +0100, RichardS wrote:

You may get some nice, well seasoned wood out of it for projects if
you decide to break it up...

Definitely. Some hefty bits of timber in a piano, though they are
probably only a close grained softwood rather than anything exotic.

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

On Thu, 4 Sep 2003 15:44:58 +0100, "Paul C. Dickie"
wrote:

As one is likely to damage the piano, oneself or both, I'd concur unless
the foreman was called Frederick and was given to using the exclamation,
"Right!"...

The eponymous Fred was Fred Dibnah, a feller of chimneys who favoured
the use of burning tyres and pallets, because no-one would trust the
cack-handed pillock with anything more hazardous than a bonfire night
sparkler.

Not a good role model.

On Thu, 4 Sep 2003 15:52:38 +0100, "Paul C. Dickie"
wrote:

Have you never heard of an auction house?

Does not really sound like our sort of thing to be honest, we're not
that posh! ;O)

Can it be worth anything?

Yes, but that may depend on how tuneful it can be and/or how severely
one wishes to torture one's neighbours.

;O)

Next door had a *wooden* framed (not iron framed) piano, with a cracked
wrest plank caused by an idiot excessively tensioning metal strings in
it. As a result, it had the most malicious temperament imaginable...

Oh how awful, I expect!? ;O)

Well it's iron by the looks of it.

Now what? shrug

Take Care,
Gnube
{too thick for linux}

On Thu, 4 Sep 2003 18:57:59 +0100, Peter Twydell
wrote:

"Right said Fred" was a 1962 Bernard Cribbins song.
http://www.rexbrough.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/rsfr.html

So it was !

There was also a late-70s - 1980ish remake of this, with Fed Dibnah
references. I didn't know there was an earlier original version.

"PoP" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 04 Sep 2003 00:11:57 +0100, Gnube
wrote:

One of which is to dispose of it. Where on earth does one start with
that?

I remember a long time ago that there was a competition - either on TV
or at a fete, can't remember now - where teams were given a challenge
to see who could fit a piano through a letterbox, or some other
smallish opening. I think there may have been a charity element to the
challenge.

Thus a bit of fun can be had with something like a piano that is
beyond its useful life. You end up with a pile of small bits which are
then easy to dispose of.

That's true :-(

Even with an upright ...

Mary

PoP

"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 4 Sep 2003 18:57:59 +0100, Peter Twydell
wrote:

"Right said Fred" was a 1962 Bernard Cribbins song.
http://www.rexbrough.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/rsfr.html

So it was !

There was also a late-70s - 1980ish remake of this, with Fed Dibnah
references. I didn't know there was an earlier original version.

You're making me - and probably many of us - feel very old :-(

Mary

In message , Andrew Gabriel
writes
In article ,
PoP writes:

Thus a bit of fun can be had with something like a piano that is
beyond its useful life. You end up with a pile of small bits which are
then easy to dispose of.

Just don't try smashing a piano unless all the strings have been
slackened off first -- the force across a piano frame is very
large and presents a serious hazard if you are just going to
lay into the thing with a hammer or similar...


You think that someone like me has never tried such a thing?

The frame cracked with the first sledgehammer blow - the strings just
slackened themselves off as the lump of cast iron relocated itself by a
few cm.

As long as you're not standing on top of the strings, or in the line of
fire, where can a lump of cast iron actually go when it's attached to
almost 200 strong strings?

What IS dangerous is the long screws - they can make a nasty hole in
your foot of you happen top be wearing flip flops when you walk on one
which is pointing upwards

--
geoff

In message , RichardS
writes


Well, not an expert in such matters, but is it playable? If it has a metal
frame then it may be possible to tune it properly and therefore it could be
worth something.

Talking DIY here (of course) Tuning a piano isn't difficult, tuning it
well is a little harder. You have to slightly overtune each peg and it
relaxes back. You should find the average tuning and tune around that,
trying to overtension the strings to bring it up to concert pitch is
liable to stress the frame and it will take a long time to settle down.
Where you have groups of three strings, if you tune them all to the
exact same pitch, you'll end up with a very dead tone, and then there's
the even tempered scale ...

It's a challenge though, if you have a bit of patience - a bit like
plastering a wall


If it's a wooden framed model then perhaps it won't have retained much
musical value, so unless it's a collectable name (Broadwood et al) then it's
value is probably negligable.

More important is the state of the soundboard and whether it's cracked
or not


You may get some nice, well seasoned wood out of it for projects if you
decide to break it up...

It burns well

--
geoff

In message ,
robgraham writes

"Niel A. Farrow" wrote in message
...
Anyone have any advice or tips for moving a babu grand piano 120 miles. I
have ause of atrailer - about 9 x 4.

1 take the egs off?
2 transport it on its side - which side
3 umm

I looked on the HSS tool hire site but they don't have paino trolleys for
hire.

Thank you,

Neil


Play light music on it for 24 hours. It'll then be easier to move.


Why not a moving tune

--
geoff

In article , Mary Fisher
writes




"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
.. .
On Thu, 4 Sep 2003 18:57:59 +0100, Peter Twydell
wrote:

"Right said Fred" was a 1962 Bernard Cribbins song.
http://www.rexbrough.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/rsfr.html

So it was !

There was also a late-70s - 1980ish remake of this, with Fed Dibnah
references. I didn't know there was an earlier original version.

You're making me - and probably many of us - feel very old :-(

Mary




There's a terrible joke that's probably even older than anyone on this
ng: Why is a woman like a piano?
--
Peter

Ying tong iddle-i po!

On Thu, 4 Sep 2003 21:38:23 +0100, geoff wrote:

As long as you're not standing on top of the strings, or in the line of
fire, where can a lump of cast iron actually go when it's attached to
almost 200 strong strings?

It can fire fragments sideways. This wouldn't stop me doing it, but
I'd watch for chunks and not stand in front.

On Fri, 05 Sep 2003 11:55:36 +0100, Andy Dingley wrote:

It can fire fragments sideways. This wouldn't stop me doing it, but
I'd watch for chunks and not stand in front.

I think I would stand in front, ie have the piano wires between me and
the frame.


--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

In message , Dave
Liquorice writes
On Fri, 05 Sep 2003 11:55:36 +0100, Andy Dingley wrote:

It can fire fragments sideways. This wouldn't stop me doing it, but
I'd watch for chunks and not stand in front.

I think I would stand in front, ie have the piano wires between me and
the frame.

No, you'd lie the piano down on it's back wouldn't you and hit it from
(what would have been) above wouldn't you
--
geoff