Contents
- 1Who brings your piano
- 2Getting the piano ready for the road
- 3On the road: strapped in our own van
- 4On arrival: ramps, stairs and doors
- 5Setting up in your room
- 6Upright pianos travel the same way
- 7After the delivery: time to settle, then the first tuning
- 8What we ask you to prepare
- 9What the delivery includes, and what it does not
- 10Our picks: grand pianos
- ?Frequently asked questions
A grand piano weighs several hundred kilograms, and some of its parts forgive no careless move. That is why we never hand it to a courier company: the same people from our team load it at our warehouse, drive it to you and set it up in your home.
Below we show you, step by step and in photos, what happens to your piano from the moment it leaves our warehouse until you can play it at home, and what we ask you to prepare for the delivery day. This is how we deliver every Yamaha and Bösendorfer grand piano in our shop, and our upright pianos too.
Who brings your piano
The team that delivers your piano is the same team that, under the name Unacorda, our piano service, has for years been taking Yamaha and Bösendorfer concert grands to festival stages, concert halls, institutions and private homes. Your piano never passes through anyone else's depot and never changes vehicles on the way: we load it, and we unload it at your address.
Getting the piano ready for the road
At our warehouse the team takes off the legs and the pedal lyre and lays the piano on its long, straight side. Without its legs and lying on its side, the piano takes up much less width and can be handled safely.
The case is wrapped in thick padded covers and held with wide straps. The legs and the lyre travel separately and are wrapped as well. The piano rides on a tracked carrier that takes it down ramps and up stairs; you can see it in the photos below.
On the road: strapped in our own van
In the van the piano travels upright on its side, strapped to the wall of the van so it cannot move when braking or cornering.
Over long distances the journey takes several days. All that time the piano stays in our van: it is not unloaded, stored or moved to another vehicle before it reaches you.
On arrival: ramps, stairs and doors
At your address the piano comes down from the van on ramps, still on its tracked carrier. If there are stairs on the way to the room, the same carrier, built for pianos, takes it up: the machine carries the weight step by step while our team guides it. Stairs are included in the delivery, up to the 8th floor.
Lying on its side and without legs, the piano is narrower than it looks and usually goes through an ordinary door. What limits us is the strength of the staircase, which has to carry the piano, and the room to manoeuvre on landings, around corners and in the lift. That is why we ask you to show us the way to the room beforehand.
Setting up in your room
In the room the team puts the piano back on its legs: they fit the legs and the pedal lyre, check the pedals, take off the covers and place the piano exactly where you want it. With normal access it usually takes one to three hours from our team's arrival until the piano stands set up in its place.
The covers and straps are ours and leave with us. No crate and no cardboard are left for you to dispose of.
Where the piano should stand. Away from radiators, air-conditioning vents, outside doors and windows with direct sun. A piano is happiest in a room where temperature and humidity change as little as possible. For its everyday care we also stock piano care products and tools.
Upright pianos travel the same way
Our own team also delivers acoustic upright pianos, the same way and to the same countries. An upright is not taken apart: it travels standing, wrapped in covers and strapped in, and at your home we put it exactly where you want it. Everything below about tuning, preparing and the delivery price applies to uprights too.
After the delivery: time to settle, then the first tuning
After a long journey and in a new room, the piano's wood and strings need time to settle. That is why the first tuning is done after two to four weeks: tuned any earlier, it would not hold.
In Romania the first tuning is included in the delivery price; for deliveries to other countries it is not. If you would like help with it, just ask: we will help you find a piano tuner, or send our own tuner on a separate quote.
What we ask you to prepare
After your order we contact you to agree the delivery day together.
A short video helps us most. Film with your phone the route the piano will take: start where our van can stop and walk, slowly, through the entrance, up the stairs or into the lift, through doors and corridors, to the spot in the room where the piano should stand. Send us the video by WhatsApp or another messaging app, as agreed with the colleague who contacts you after your order. If we have questions, we will ask you exactly what we still need to know.
Before the delivery day, please also:
- if you cannot send a video, tell us what the way looks like: which floor, how many steps and whether the staircase turns, whether there is a lift and how big it is, and how wide the narrowest door or corridor is;
- think about where a large van can stop, as close to the entrance as possible, and ask for a parking permit if your street requires one;
- prepare the spot: the place where the piano will stand free, and the way to it clear;
- make sure someone is at home at the agreed time.
What the delivery includes, and what it does not
The delivery includes:
- transport in our van, by our own team;
- unloading the piano and carrying it into the room, stairs included, up to the 8th floor;
- setting it up: the legs, the pedal lyre and placing the piano where you want it;
- in Romania, the first tuning too, once the piano has settled;
- the covers and straps, which we take back.
Not included:
- the first tuning, for deliveries outside Romania;
- a crane or a lift through a window, if the way to the room needs one: we tell you the price before you pay.
The price of the delivery depends on the distance from our warehouse in Timișoara to your address. You know it before you pay.
Our own team delivers grand pianos throughout Romania and to every country of the European Union that we can reach by road: on the mainland, on islands joined to it by a bridge, and to Sicily and Finland, which we reach by ferry. For Ireland, Malta, Cyprus and other islands, we make you an offer on request.
Until we hand the piano over to you, it travels at our risk.
Any question about the delivery? Write to us or call us: our contact details are at the bottom of this page.
Our picks: grand pianos
Here are two of our concert grands, which we bring to your home in exactly this way:
Looking for something else? We also have Disklavier hybrid pianos, which can play by themselves, and silent pianos, which you can also play with headphones.
Need a piano for just one event? Through Unacorda we also rent out acoustic and digital pianos for concerts, events and rehearsals, in Romania and in other European countries, with transport, set-up and tuning. Details at unacorda.ro (in Romanian).
Frequently asked questions
Will the piano fit through my door?
Usually, yes. On its side and without legs, a grand piano goes through an ordinary door; tight corners and narrow staircases are the harder part. Send us a short video of the way from the van to the room, or tell us how wide the narrowest point is, and we will check before the delivery.
Do you deliver upright pianos too?
Yes, with the same team, the same way and to the same countries. An upright is not taken apart: it travels standing, wrapped in covers and strapped in, and at your home we put it exactly where you want it.
How long does the delivery take at my home?
With normal access, usually one to three hours from our team's arrival until the piano stands set up in its place. We agree the day together after your order.
Will the piano be in tune when it arrives?
Not yet. After the journey and in a new room, a piano needs two to four weeks to settle; only then does a tuning hold. In Romania the first tuning is included in the delivery price; for deliveries to other countries it is not.
I live upstairs. Is that possible?
Yes, up to the 8th floor, and the stairs are included in the delivery. On the stairs the piano goes up on our tracked carrier. What limits us is the strength of the staircase and the room we have to turn the piano: send us a short video of the way beforehand, or tell us how many steps there are and whether there is a lift, and we will check.
Do you also deliver to Ireland, Malta, Cyprus or to islands?
On request. We cannot get there by road alone, so we make you a separate offer. Sicily and Finland are included: we reach them by ferry.
Who is responsible for the piano on the way?
We are. The piano travels at our risk until we hand it over to you at your address.
Can I rent a piano for a concert or an event?
Yes. Through Unacorda, our piano service, we rent out acoustic and digital pianos for concerts, events and rehearsals, with transport, set-up and tuning. The details are on unacorda.ro.
