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Has anyone tried shopping for a piano (Used, not new) in the Los Angeles area ? Reading through ads on Los Angeles craigslist I see lots of warehouse buying situations . Also I’ve noticed many restoration services seeming with years of experience . Have any of you any experience with buying a piano through a warehouse or from a restoration business around L.A.? I’m searching for either a Steinway B or D , and read of a warehouse business with 10 Steinway model B ‘s. Thanks for any observations of a buying trip in this area

I suggest finding one of the really fine technicians in the LA area and asking for direction from them.

There are a number of fine store owners there, and they may each have something, but I suggest reaching out to David Andersen. He is a trusted friend who happens to be a nationally respected technician and teacher of piano technology. He occasionally has pianos, but more importantly, he will separate fact from fiction, direct you in your search to quality, and help maintain your investment after you choose something.

He will also tell you there are others in LA who can do the same, but David is a beautiful soul as well as being able to make pianos beautiful. That is why I recommend him.

Good Luck!

I have purchased several pianos from Knauer pianos and have had very good experiences. I’ve also talked to and heard very good things about Past Perfect pianos and wouldn’t hesitate to purchase from them.

Thank you both Rickster and spk , for your recommendations. I had brief contact asking David Andersen about a Steinway model D he had restored and provided a sound demo on his website Recently I explored the website of Knauer Pianos. And past perfect pianios sounds very intriguing to get to know .
But I’m still curious if anyone has tried making an appointment at some of the large warehouse style businesses offering Steinways and other brands at wholesale-ish prices .

For Steinway restos, you would do well to contact Past Perfect in North Hollywood. Tony Hahm has been in the game for like 40 years and always has many pianos done and ready to go unlike some of the others guys who seem to have a lot of cores around that they'll work on if you pay the deposit. Tony is refreshingly direct and straight shooting. He's very liberal with sharing his knowledge almost to a fault. He's also refreshingly free of hard sell techniques.

Easy to find him via Google.

Kurt

edit: I see now that you already know of Past Perfect. The strong endorsement remains.

Thank you KurtZ for the detailed recommend of past perfect pianos owner Would you possibly know of a piano warehouse located Lake Balboa— they advertise 11 Steinway model B’s and recently they began offering rental of Steinway for a month or more .
I’ve also noticed a warehouse named American piano Institute, Hollywood , run by PROF. MARIO MERDIROSSIAN AT, seems to have LOTS of instruments .
Thanks for your observations I really appreciate i solid recommendations !

Coda, you seem to have been taken with the idea of a warehouse sale situation. If you're looking for a bargain then the private sale route is the only way to go. My guess is a warehouse won't offer instruments of the same quality as the places that have been recommended. Don't be fooled by fancy titles (such as Professor in all caps). Professional in the industry know what their instruments are worth and those who have invested more in repair and restoration have to sell them for more in order to stay in business, but their reputations are hard earned by selling quality.

No sorry, I was shopping for uprights and confined myself mostly to storefront operations for the reasons Steve mentioned above me. I went to see Tony because he was a dealer for Hailun and was still selling lots of grey market Yamahas.

Kurt

I know someone selling a restored Steinway L in the LA area. PM me if you are interested in details. 18K

Generally speaking are pianos in Los Angeles cheaper compared to most other areas in the country? Of course we are comparing exactly the same piano, either new or used.

So if I’m understanding recommendations , particularly an observation from KurtZ, The pit fall in shopping for a Steinway grand at one of the warehouse businesses , is that they want you to pay them to do the restoration .
I was hoping to find a wholesale/bargain price of a Steinway model B or D at a Warehouse , then choose whom ever I wanted to restore it . So maybe I should contact the warehouse at Lake Balboa and ask price range for their roster of 11 Steinway model B’?
If I am catching the drift of everyone’s recommendations , David Andersen, Ben Knauer, and Tony Hahn are highly recommended as people in the business to trust finding the piano you’re very much wanting to find —-?