In an incredible stroke of luck, I managed to find a Krakauer piano at an Estate sale in the neighborhood.
We had been driving home with Ryan and his friend Joshua after a quick lunch out, and drove past the Estate Sale sign. I decided to give it a look-see, and so dropped Jana and the boys off at the house, and returned on my own to look around.
I saw it after walking around for a while throughout the house; it’s one of those things that looked so natural sitting in the corner that it looked more a part of the house than it’s own existence as a musical instrument. It took a while for me to think of it as one of the items for sale, and then a couple of minutes to find the price: $495! Wow! What a deal!
Even better, since this was the last day of the Estate Sale, the price was reduced by half, so that if I played my cards right, I would able to pick-up a mint condition Krakauer for only $250 (I didn’t bother to dicker over the remaining $5).
Jana’s Step-Father, Bob Jackman, is an accomplished Pianist, and Piano Tuner by trade, and he had been trying for years to get us a Piano. Unfortunately, he lives in Southern California, so it would be price prohibitive to find one there and ship it to us here in Northern California. Likewise, since he didn’t live locally, his odds of finding a good deal here in town were likewise against the odds.
So I called Bob and let him know about the great deal, and to see if he wanted me to move on this deal while I could. He was, needless to say, quite excited about the find, and was equally ecstatic about the current sale price. He gave the green-light, and so me and some of the Estate staff moved it from the Estate house to our family home with the use of their truck.
And now, it sits in our living room, where Ryan can play on it anytime!