Does anyone know the dimensions of the box that the N3 is shipped in? Thanks.

Lawrence

I think most N3 are delivered without the box so those owners (like myself) wouldn't know. I remember Dave Horn said his was delivered in the box, but I don't know if he made any measurements or even kept the box or not. The manual doesn't have the box dimensions listed in the spec. But if you don't need to be exact, you can probably take the N3 dimensions and add a few inches to each side for the box.

I don't know if the legs and lyre come in a separate box or if they were included in one single box with the piano. If the later, then that may prevent a good guess on the box size.

Mine was opened in the street and then brought in on a dolly. It comes in two packages, one just for the piano body and another for the legs and pedal harp.

I didn't keep the box, they took that way, though I had to dispose of a shitload of that lightweight foam packing.

It is well packaged and surprisingly enough, there was no wood in the packaging, just heavy duty cardboard.

It's definitely a two man job; three wouldn't be a bad idea.

D'oh!

I've got 60-1/4" clearance at the bottom of the stairs. The dealer says that the movers need the width of the piano + 3" for the skid, which for the N3 would be 61-1/2. There is not access under the stairs, so removing a step is not a happy option.

I've thought of:

1) have it moved without a skid (they would have to be very careful)

2) have it moved on the skid but keys facing down, instead of the usual side facing down (would it balance?)

3) have it moved on an appropriately less thick skid (does such a thing exist?)

4) have it moved boxed and gingerly slide it down the stairs (keyboard down or up, which would give the shorter orientation - 4 feet plus packaging space)

5) have it moved using the packaging materials as the skid - i.e. cut away all but the bottom of the packaging material, secure the piano to the packaging material (if needed)

What are your thoughts?

I'd have the movers and\or the store come out and look for themselves.

The width of the piano to me means the thickness. It's about 42 cm \ 16.5 inches thick. Pianos are moved on their side, right? I could see a problem at the top of the steps if the piano has to be turned to change directions.

If a conventional up the steps way is not possible, consider going through a window. That's done all the time over here with old homes and very narrow entrances.

I would first have the movers come and take a look.

No, the width is 58-5/16 (which I've rounded to 58-1/2). On a typical grand, the length is of course longer than this, however with the N3 it is shorter 47-1/16.

Grands are typically moved on their side. The problem is the clearance at the bottom of the stairs. Piano + skid = not enough clearance!

All of the basement windows are too small. The movers are 1-1/2 hours away. The first thing they ask for is what is the header clearance at the bottom of the stairs.

I just spoke with another dealer. He said they would blanket the N3 and slide it down the stairs. Normally they would move the N3 with two men, but in this case they would add a third, for balance. He said the piano would not be harmed.

They might first wrap the piano in a ton of Saran wrap before they wrap it in a ton of blankets. Be sure to take pictures and post them here.

I called another dealer, a piano dealer who I really trust, but he doesn't sell the AvantGrand. I asked him if this sliding technique was "nuts" and he said no, his movers have used it. He said only two men would be needed, though. So that makes me feel somewhat better.

Of course, we're not even going to think about when the piano has to go in the opposite direction!

How much Saran wrap would you recommend? Would aluminum foil wrap work as well?

Professional movers have large rolls of clear plastic wrap. When they carted away my GranTouch, they wrapped in a lot of that clear plastic wrap.

I wouldn't use aluminum foil unless your piano is hearing voices that you know don't exist.

Well now that's interesting. I, of course, had thought that you were joking, when you mentioned Saran wrap. What is the purpose of the wrap? I would have thought that the moving blankets would be sufficient.

So, am I understanding that they plastic-wrapped your Grantouch when they took it away, but did not plastic-wrap the AG when they brought it in?

OFF TOPIC

Back in the early 70's I had a Rodgers Organ (Scarborough 110) which was of course analog. I would hear voices from it! It occurred for example, when a taxi was nearby and would use their radio. You would be playing away, and suddenly this loud voice would come from the speakers, which would scare the s--- out of you! Many Rodgers organs of that vintage would have aluminium foil placed inside to try to prevent this.

The plastic wrap helps bind the whole thing together nice and tight because all the layers stick together like a tape, while the blanket is a more loose wrap that can slip around, especially if you have to handle the item a lot. Last time I moved, my company paid for professional movers and they plastic wrapped all my loose fitting sofa pieces as well and that gave it a pretty good protection layer.

I can see why they plastic wrapped the GranTouch since it didn't have any kind of protection and had a long way to go in transit. It would have been unnecessary to plastic wrap the AG because it was just a few steps from its original container outside into the house. That's my guess anyway.

How about bubble wrap?

I think the bubble wrap is a great idea, but I don't think they bind tightly when wrapped around. But having a layer of bubble wrap inside then a few layers of the plastic wrap outside to bind tightly would be the best scenario, especially for items with hard surfaces.

I hope this works out for you Lawrence, as far being able to scrunch the AG down in your basement.

These movers, if they are good, can be pretty creative. Jeez, there was a thread here few years ago about a guy up in SF who bought a Fazioli 228 (7' 6" ). The movers had to put it on its side inside this tiny little elevator. He filmed the whole ordeal, move by move and put it up on You Tube.

It's the ultimate DP, so you should have one and enjoy it.

Good luck with it and keep us posted.

Thanks, Dave.

You are correct that movers can be creative, in a good way! When I was speaking with one the dealers today, we had quite the chat about moving pianos. In the early days he had worked as a piano mover. Some pretty wild stories about what had to (and could be) done.

I watched a pretty sad Youtube movie today. These dudes moved a vertical themselves, cut through two walls etc. Apparently they didn't know that verticals (unlike Grands) can be dismantled and made smaller, by a qualified tech, of course.

It actually made me tense watching it. In the end, they were pleased because "nobody died". Some things are best left for the professionals, and moving pianos is definitely one of those things.

They plastic wrapped my GranTouch probably in part to keep the fall board in place.

I don't believe they plastic wrapped my AvantGrand though I recall it came wrapped in another kind of plastic.