So there I was, looking for a little bit of bright in my day today, when I was looking through the LEO. For those of you that are outside of the Louisville area, the LEO stands for Louisville Eccentric Observer. It’s the local underground rag, stock full of Dave Barry columns, News of the Weird, etc. While perusing through the “ads” section, there it was: “Free to a good home! Upright piano. Plays well.” Lo and behold, just what I’ve always wanted. A free piano! So I called, and have left my name and phone number, so that I might be the one blessed with the nifty/thrifty piano. I hope to hear back soon, so that I can teach myself how to play one.
That’s very cool. I was able to finagle a free baby grand that had some water damage to the exterior and some minor damage to the sound board. Being pretty naive and armed with a piano repair book from the library, I dismantled that sucker, stripped it, and stained it. Sent the keys away with the piano tuner guy to get new plasic covers. In the end, ended up with a great looking instrument. You could rarely get a buzzing from the sound board, but I’m not a musician so that didn’t bother me much.
I am no longer in posession of that piano, but would love come across a free upright. It would be cool to refinish it in a kinda ‘House of Blues’-style.
Have fun!
Damn, that’s really cool! Get it tuned before you take lessons, or buy the books, or whatever. And if you’re at all interested in taking lessons, talk around. There’s always a little old lady somewhere who gives lessons for $5 an hour.
Not bad advice, Munch. And duly noted. Thanks.
Did anybody else, upon reading the title, think of the Far Side strip with the guy walking out of the piano store in a trenchcoat that obviously had a piano under it, and the clerk rushing to give him the stool he’d dropped? 
Why does this always seem to happen to the posters I like interacting with? Superdude comes in and announces really cool news of maybe getting a free piano, and then 20 minutes later, someone else stops by the board to announce he’s about to meet Heidi Klum.
That spotlight shone bright, for a second there, Supe.
I just heard back from the owner. I’m going over in about an hour and a half to look at it. If I want it, it’s mine. Perhaps I should ask thinksnow, the big, burly ex-marine he is, to help with moving it.
Twenty-some years ago, I saw an ad in the paper for a piano for cheap. I went and looked and discovered it was too tall to get down the steps into my basement apartment. So I bought a new one. It’s sitting next to me this very moment. I never learned to play very well, but 2 years ago, my daughter took lessons and she does OK. Every once ina while, I’ll tickle the ol’ ivories (ol’ plastics) and sigh over how little I remember…
Great! Now you can develop some stand-up routines with the piano.
Or is lugging a piano to gigs a bad idea?
Piano definition in pidgin English: “Fellah b’long me, you hit 'em teeth, he cry.”
I didn’t make it up. It’s true.
Hey PolishSausage, where do you live?
I’ve got an upright I’m trying to get rid of but you’d have to come pick it up yourself. It doesn’t play well but it seems to be in fair condition otherwise.
Wow, what an great offer, mornea. But I live in Gainesville, Fl. That would be a bit of a haul, but would make for a cool addition to this thread if I could actually come and get it. Thanks alot for the thought!