Articles by Larry Fine

In the Shop with Bob Moog

When Bob Moog called me in January 1986 to ask if I would work with him on a small project, the last thing I needed was another job. I was running a piano-service business, finishing up work on The Piano Book, writing a regular monthly magazine column, and doing about ten hours a week of charitable volunteer work. I couldn’t see fitting another activity into my schedule, so I said no. Then, after hanging up the phone, I thought, “Larry, you fool — how often do you get the opportunity to work with someone of this caliber?” So a few days later, I called back and said maybe. MORE ...

"Made in Germany"

The Bundesverband Klavier (BVK) — the German piano manufacturers’ association — has created a new “Made in Germany” certificate of quality to distinguish pianos that are 100% made in Germany from those that are claimed to be but are not. The BVK hopes that the new certificate will provide more security and clarity for customers, and help the German piano industry better compete with Asian makers of lower-priced pianos. MORE ...

How to Determine the Value of a Used Piano

Fair market value is the price at which an item would change hands between a willing buyer and a willing seller, neither of whom is compelled to buy or sell, and each of whom has reasonable knowledge of the relevant facts. MORE ...

Piano Brand Ratings

From time to time I receive an e-mail or phone call inquiring why a particular piano brand is not rated higher or lower in Piano Buyer. Usually the caller has recently played or serviced a piano, been either smitten with or disappointed by it, and disagrees with the rating I’ve given it. Sometimes the questioner simply wants to better understand how I arrived at that rating, or at the ratings in general. MORE ...

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