Classic Pianos

Great experience while buying a Clavinova during a liquidation sale. The price was great, especially considering people are trying to sell their 10-​year old models on Craigslist for not much less.
I have been to another piano dealer in Denver and came away feeling pressured by the salesman, who was a self-​proclaimed guitar guy selling pianos. In contrast, I appreciated that Don read me well as a customer. Don knew when to leave me alone to noodle around on the different models and when to check in and answer questions. Although he knew I wasn’t going to buy one, he also spent a lot of time talking Steinways with me (Onofrio is a Yamaha dealer), showing me some of the heirlooms on the sales floor. He also suggested voices on the Clavinova that I would like, based on the kind of piano I like.
When I’m finally set up to buy an grand old Steinway, I hope I’ll get lucky and hit on one at Onofrio. In the meantime, I’m loving the Clavinova!

I stopped in a bit ago to check out a few pianos. My wife and I have been looking for a while. I wasn’t super impressed with the customer service when I walked in. I had to really try to get their attention. Maybe they thought that since I wasn’t a gray hair grizzled old guy that I couldn’t afford a piano. Well, no problem, I get it. They showed me a few instruments, but everything just seemed so overpriced compared to what I can find on craigslist. Yes, I understand the instruments are cleaned, tuned, serviced, etc. However, if I bought a piano off craigslist and had it serviced, tuned, and all that, I’d still come in under what they price their pianos at. I just, I don’t know. I would hate to be in the piano business. It seems like pianos are a dime a dozen wherever I look.
I wish these guys good luck, but they’ve got to improve their customer service and pianos they offer if they want my business. I won’t go back.

I’m giving them a review because this has been weighing on my mind for a while.
Initially I went in there just for fun to see what it was all about because I had been in the neighborhood doing some antiquing that day and ran across the store. Went in and a man named Chris (sales) was talking to me about some of the pianos. He seemed to have a great attitude and was very friendly and didn’t seem to mind if I asked a few dumb questions, as I was not a piano expert. I had noticed a clipboard for four free lessons being offered so I signed up. I was called promptly by the guy that was offering the lessons and I agreed to come in and start my four free lessons to see if this would be something I would like to continue. I came in for my first lesson and was immediately told that any lesson I would take somewhere else would most definitely be sub-​par and that what HE offered was much better program and I would be playing almost immediately. I was playing quite quickly and was enjoying my lessons. When it came to the last free lesson I had asked what the price would be per lesson to continue and was told it would be $ 35 for the half hour. I agreed that that was a reasonable price and felt I would like to continue. I came in the following week for my paid 45 min. lesson which I figured would be around $ 45-​$ 50 and was told at the end of the lesson that I would have to pay for a full month which was now $ 45 per half hour and $ 65 for the 45 min lesson. ?huh? I was shocked when he had told me this. How did the prices all of a sudden jump up without me knowing? He then told me ‘oh those were the old prices and that ‘he wouldn’t have quoted me that and that he billed per month’ and that I was to pay him $ 260 for the month. I told him I wasn’t prepared to pay for the whole month and that all I could pay was what I had taken that day. He then said that was okay but next time I would have to pay for the full month on my next visit to continue my lesson. The following week I had caught a cold that ended up lasting two full weeks so I had to cancel my following week appointment and to be honest, I was not sure I wanted to continue them at that point and was still trying to decide what I wanted to do. He called me and I called him back and he asked me in a very rude tone, ‘were you going to continue your lessons’? But the tone was as if I had signed some contract or something and that I was obligated. haha It was almost as if he didn’t believe me when I told him I had been ill. That was the real deal breaker as well as him being a «price switcher» on me. Shady and sneaky as well as lacking integrity. At that point I told him that I would have to think it over as to whether I was going to continue my lessons at this much more expensive price. It seems to me he quoted me a reasonable price on my last «free» lesson to get me in again and then came up with another price after the lesson was over. He also failed to tell me he would be expecting a full month’s worth of payments on my first paid lesson. hmm??? I then decided that this was NOT a place where I was going to spend any more of my money! Something is a little fishy here with they way that they conduct business. This place in COMPLETELY UNPROFESSIONAL!
Note: I purchased an ($ 800 Yamaha piano/​keyboard) from them on my last lesson thinking that I was definitely going to continue my lessons and actually learn how to play proficiently. He also kept saying that ‘practicing was NOT important and that most of what your learn is IN CLASS’. He seemed to be very anti-​practice in his tone.
You make your own decision if this is where you want to spend your money and time.

My mother-in-law’s Steinway is about 50 years old and had never had a serious servicing. Onofrio replaced the hammers and did some other technical maintenance items at their shop. I can’t believe how much better it sounds. Amazing. Their technicians have great operational skills. Sounds better than a new piano. You might need to be patient for them to order the maintenance parts, but it was well worth the wait!
They also do a light refinishing of the case and that turned out well. Seemed to be a good value.
The only caveat from a five star review is that they aren’t too proactive in their customer service. You’ll probably want to note on the calendar to follow up with them, as they tend not to call you when work is complete. Hopefully we’re the exception, not the rule.
In the process of returning the piano, our bench was misplaced. I’m not sure we’re going to get it back, but the owner was very accommodating about getting us another bench to make up for it. His heart is in the right place; just a little disorganized.

Terrible terrible customer service. These guys are more interested in pushing their stock out the door than listening to and meeting their customers’ needs. I was «helped» by a man who told me I had no idea what I was talking about and did all but call me an idiot to my face. Not a way to keep people in the store OR get their money.