Piano - SOLD!!

After more than 41 years of enjoyment, it was with mixed emotions that we sold our beautiful Kawai grand piano. I had purchased the piano as a Christmas gift for my wife in 1977. At the time, we were living in Placentia, CA, while I was working for a computer software company that developed computer programs for the chemical and petroleum industries. I bought the piano new from the Fullerton Music Company on Harbor Boulevard in Fullerton. I even got them to throw in a Hohner melodica for free for making the sale. What a deal! The piano (along with the melodica) was delivered to our home a few days before Christmas and was a complete surprise for my wife.

After retiring and moving to Prescott, AZ in 2002, we decided in early 2019 that it was time to start downsizing our household, and so began advertising the piano for sale in January. We first had it tuned and serviced to be sure it was in good condition for a potential buyer and then began advertising on several online web sites on the Internet. While our ads got several hundred ’views ’, none resulted in any serious interest from the shoppers.

Then, one Sunday evening while browsing through my email messages, there was a message from Della (not her real name) saying that she and her husband were in Prescott, had seen our ad on Craigslist, and could they come to see the piano. I responded by return message with my phone number and asked her to call me to set a time for them to see the piano. She called and we made an appointment for them to come to our home the next morning (Monday).

Monday morning, Brian and Della arrived at our home shortly before lunch. As we met and got acquainted, we quickly established a rapport because of common interests and backgrounds. We learned, for example, that Brian was originally from Pittsburgh, PA (our home state) and that Della was from New York. Della ’s father had worked professionally as a drummer, and since I was also a drummer, we had another point in common. It turned out that Brian and Della were on a piano shopping trip from their home in the Las Vegas area, had seen several other pianos, and were headed back home after leaving our house.

When they saw the piano, they both seemed impressed by the good condition and beautiful look of the piano. Della had brought some music with her, and as she sat down to play, she opened a somewhat worn copy of "The Whiffenpoof Song ", which I recognized immediately and said that I used to play that song myself. (Click here to read about the The Whiffenpoof Song and The Whiffenpoofs of Yale University.) As she played a few lines of the song, she commented that she thought the piano really sounded good, rich and clear, not ’tinny’ like another one she had tried. As they left our house to head back home, they seemed very interested and said they would be in touch.

Over the next few days, I surprised myself in that I started to recall the words to The Whiffenpoof Song, a song that I had not heard or even thought about for at least the last 35 years. "To the tables down at Morey’s, to the place where Louis dwells". . .the words came back. "We will serenade our Louis while life and voice shall last. Then we’ll pass and be forgotten like the rest. ". . .seemed strangely apropos for why we were selling the piano.

Over the following week, we exchanged phone calls, emails, and text messages making plans to have the piano picked up, transferring money, and taking care of other details in finalizing the transaction. The piano mover came on the following Sunday (Easter Sunday), loaded the piano on his truck, and was on his way to Las Vegas to complete the transaction. Tuesday, I received a message from Della that the piano had arrived in fine condition and that she was delighted to have it. We are similarly delighted to have the piano in the possession of someone who will enjoy having it as much as we had enjoyed it for more than 41 years. What could make a better transaction than to have all involved parties pleased and satisfied with the outcome?

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