Specialty · Pianos
Piano movers for every kind of piano
Concert grands, baby grands, uprights, spinets. Trained crews, custom dollies, padded and secured transport — and a tuner on referral when you land.
A piano is the most physically dangerous instrument in your home. Soundboard cracks from the wrong angle, broken legs from a slip, damaged pedals from a lazy lift — all common when the wrong crew shows up. We move pianos with a specialty subset of our team trained specifically on the rigging, padding, and stair work piano moves demand. We carry the custom dollies. We bring the felt covers. We coordinate the tuner. The piano arrives wrapped, padded, and ready to perform.
Quick answer
How do professional piano movers protect a piano during a move?
Muscleman Elite moves pianos with a specialty-trained crew, full-length piano skids, padded steel-swivel dollies, and felt covers — plus padded, secured transport on long hauls and hoist rigging when stairs or corners won’t clear. Every piano is photographed before wrapping, and we coordinate a tuner at the destination so it’s ready to play.
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What makes this hard
Why most movers get this wrong.
Risk 01
Soundboards crack on the wrong angle
A grand piano laid on its side without a proper skid board can crack the soundboard from the case torsion alone. We use full-length piano skids and rotate the piano onto its case-side on a padded floor — never on hardwood without runners.
Risk 02
Stairs and corners
A 9-foot concert grand has a turning radius that a tight Austin staircase does not respect. We measure landings before move day. If a piano cannot make the turn, we hoist — through a window, off a balcony, or over a railing.
Risk 03
Heat and humidity on long hauls
A piano that crosses Texas in August is exposed to heat and humidity that can pull it out of tune. We pad and secure every piano and schedule long hauls to limit time in transit — and we coordinate a tuner at the destination so it is ready to play.
What we bring
The right rigging, every time.
Every piano movers job rolls with this equipment stack on the truck — not "we will pick it up on the way."
- Full-length piano skids (concert + baby grand)
- Padded piano dollies with steel-plated swivels
- Custom felt covers + moving blankets
- Specialty ratchet straps (piano-rated)
- Stair-climbers for upright moves
- Hoist rigging for through-window moves
- Padded, secured transport on long-haul
Size & weight reference
How big and how heavy is your piano?
The quick reference we use when scoping a piano or organ move. Ranges come from manufacturer specs for real models, so you can match yours to the closest example. Exact size and weight vary by maker and model, so tell us yours when you ask for a quote.
| Type | Height | Width | Weight (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spinet | 36–40 in | about 58 in | 200–300 lb |
| Consolee.g. Yamaha b1 (43 in, 384 lb) | 40–44 in | 58–59 in | 350–450 lb |
| Studio | 44–47 in | 58–60 in | 400–500 lb |
| Full-size uprighte.g. Yamaha U1 (48 in, 503 lb) · Yamaha U3 (52 in, 542 lb) | 48 in and up | 58–60 in | 500–800 lb |
Uprights are about 21–26 in deep, front to back. Antique full-size uprights can stand 60 in tall and sit at the heavy end of the range.
| Type | Length | Weight (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Petite grande.g. Yamaha GB1K (4 ft 11 in, 574 lb) | under 5 ft | 500–575 lb |
| Baby grande.g. Steinway S (5 ft 1 in, 540 lb) · Yamaha C1X (5 ft 3 in, 638 lb) | 5 ft – 5 ft 6 in | 540–640 lb |
| Medium grande.g. Steinway M (5 ft 7 in, 560 lb) · Steinway O (5 ft 10¾ in, 662 lb) | 5 ft 7 in – 5 ft 11 in | 560–675 lb |
| Parlor / professional grande.g. Steinway A (6 ft 2 in, 695 lb) · Steinway B (6 ft 11 in, 760 lb) | 6 ft – 6 ft 11 in | 695–760 lb |
| Semi-concert grande.g. Yamaha C7X (7 ft 6 in, 913 lb) · Kawai GL-60 (7 ft, 992 lb) | 7 ft – 8 ft | 900–1,000 lb |
| Concert grande.g. Steinway D (8 ft 11¾ in, 990 lb) · Yamaha CFX (9 ft, 1,069 lb) | about 9 ft | 990–1,100 lb |
Length is what separates one grand from another. Every size is roughly the same width (57–63 in) and the same height with the lid closed (about 39–41 in).
| Type | Weight (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Console digital pianoe.g. Yamaha Clavinova CLP-745 (132 lb) | about 130 lb |
| Digital grande.g. Yamaha CLP-795GP (about 278 lb) | about 280 lb |
| Type | Size (H × W × D) | Weight (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Home spinet organe.g. Lowrey Debut E60 | 34 × 41½ × 23⅜ in | 112 lb |
| Console organe.g. Hammond B-3 | varies by model | 300–310 lb console; about 425 lb with bench and pedals |
| Leslie speaker cabinete.g. Leslie 122 | 40¾ × 29¼ × 29⅔ in | 142–149 lb |
| Church organ console (3 manuals) | 51¾ × 59¾ × 32⅞ in (Allen MDS 312) | 505–627 lb console, plus about 96 lb pedalboard and 87 lb bench (Rodgers Infinity 361) |
Church organ figures are for the console only. A pipe organ is built into the building and is taken apart by organ builders. It is not a console move.
- Grands travel on their side: we take off the legs and pedal lyre, set the piano on a padded piano board and strap it before it leaves the room.
- Most of a piano’s weight is the cast-iron plate that holds the string tension, which is why two pianos of the same size can weigh very different amounts.
- Plan a tuning 2–3 weeks after the move, once the piano has adjusted to the new room’s temperature and humidity.
- Stairs, tight turns and long carries change a piano move more than size alone. Send us the make, model and a photo of the path, and we’ll confirm before quoting.
Figures checked 2026-10-15 against published manufacturer specs: Steinway & Sons · M. Steinert & Sons (Steinway specs) · Yamaha CX series · Yamaha U series · Kawai · Piano Buyer · Hammond. Individual models vary; we confirm yours before quoting.
“The moves other movers refer out — pianos, gun safes, hot tubs, antiques. Those are our standard jobs.”
— Mike Stackable, Founder
Documentation protocol
Documented condition, both ends.
- 01
Pre-move condition photos
We photograph every angle of the piano before the first strap goes on — pedals, action, case, music desk, pin block, dampers. Insurance-grade documentation.
- 02
In-home wrap on the move
Felt cover, full blankets, shrink wrap on the case. Pedals separately wrapped. Music desk removed and crated when fragile.
- 03
Tuner referral at destination
Every piano needs tuning after a move — we partner with tuners in Austin and the Permian Basin so the appointment is already scheduled when the piano lands.
From the road
Past piano movers jobs.
Answers
Piano Movers FAQs.
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