people here often talk about the need for a brand new piano to settle in. what are some of the symptoms a new piano owner might encounter during the settling-in period? what is the range of possibilities?

is it unusual for a piano to go through big daily changes? (or slightly less often?) what kinds of changes?

and if it is usual for pianos to experience these changes when they are new, does anyone ever end up with a piano that performs just like it did in the showroom? if not, does the piano get there eventually?

what should a new piano owner expect in this regard?

Yes, they can change daily. Just ask any tech who just finished a recording studio tuning, and then had the drums and amps delivered, allowing lots of cold outside air to enter the room. Or any tech who has had to tune for an outside performance. Settling in means tuning instability, possible squeaks and rattles, sluggish action. As far as it sounding the same as at the dealer's, that's not likely anyway unless the room at home is the same acoustically as the dealer's showroom.

Settling in means letting it set for a month more or less before tuning it and regulating it. Things seem to work better that way. There is probably more soft stuff in the piano room to absorb sound, rugs cureains, etc. Also the piano room is smaller than the show room. Keep it tuned and regulated and you will love it. Most pianos improve with some age.

I have had my new piano for about a month now. I had it tuned after 5 days just to take advantage of a window of opportunity I had to get it voiced for free. It has gone very slightly out of tune since, but this is partly due to my underestimation of the need for room humidificaion. (I guess I had been monitoring the room humidity during an uncharacteristically rainy period.) I think I'll have it tuned again within a few weeks now that I have the humidifier installed and working.

The piano definitely changed a lot on a daily basis during the first week or two even after being moved in a heated truck. Generally, it has gotten better over time. However, there are about five notes in the lower tenor that have changed more slowly than the bass, and I have my tech look at that.

T2