Hi Donna Mae-

I thought you might enjoy seeing some photos of the Missoula piano

delivery this morning. It was a gorgeous Montana day. Thanks to John

and his son for doing such a tremendous job in moving my piano--their

experience and careful attention to the move was quite impressive.

Best wishes,

Jeff Birkby

http://picasaweb.google.com/montanasoaker/PianoMoveMay2008?authkey=-kgsWa6AZSs

Donna Mae,

Lately, I've neglected email, but I am told the piano arrived in excellent

condition and has been used frequently to entertain and enthrall a 22

month old girl.  Thank you for your frequent updates and responses to my

inquiries.  Please thank Mr Wrasse and his son as well.

Kind regards,

Charles

Hi Robbie, I sent a preview of this posting to Donna Mae at Piano Pro

Moving & Storage,  and it's definitely OK with them to post it.  I hope it

meets  with your approval.  Thank you.  Tom Lear}}   Hello Fellow MMDers.

I am writing to let you know that in spite of the horrendous weather

problems  in the Midwest, John Wrasse and company, located in Bellevue,

Iowa, near the  Mississippi River, escaped the flooding.  They are still

very much in  business.   John is finishing up some moves now in the

Midwest and will then head east.   They have moves in the northern Indiana

area, then Detroit on the way east in  July.  John will be on the East

coast mid to third week of July. He has  pickup/deliveries in areas of

Maryland, Washington, DC, Pennsylvania, Connecticut  and New Jersey on the

north east coast, the Carolinas on the south east coast.  There may be

room for a couple more instruments going west.  Colorado, Arizona, Nevada

and California are all good areas, along with Kansas and Missouri on the

return trip.  Plans are firming up for a trip to California in August.

They presently have  room on the truck for the return trip (to Iowa) on

the western loop.   I'm glad John is managing to stay in the moving

business in spite of the  rip-off fuel cost, but of course, he needs to

carry as full a load as possible to  make it cost effective.  Naturally I

want to help him fill up his truck so I  can get my instrument to me in

California ASAP, hence this posting.  For those who don't know about John

Wrasse, he is a tech and understands  about Mechanical Music Instruments

and how to handle them properly.  Your move  will be handled with the care

it deserves, by the owner of the company.   If you have heard or read the

nightmare moving stories related to large  faceless moving companies who

damage, lose, or steal shipments as a matter of  course, then you know how

important it is to support this type of smaller owner  owned and run

business, so we in the Mechanical Music Community have someone

responsible we can rely upon to handle these special instruments with no

worries.   In spite of the rising fuel costs, I found that the bid on my

move was very  reasonable too.  From my research, John's rates are quite

competitive, but I  would gladly pay a premium for the peace of mind

afforded by using his type of  personalized service, rather than try to

save a few bucks with some big van  lines, and possibly end up with a pile

of kindling wood.     If you are in need of a mover give Donna Mae a call

at their main office in  Bellevue, Iowa at:  Piano Pro Moving and Storage

Office: 563-580-5035 email - pianopro@iowatelecom.net.  John also has a

web page that has some information regarding storage and  restoration

services - www.pianopromoving.com  Happy 4th of July!  Tom Lear Tujunga,

California

I did not find a place on your site where I could give kudos in general

about your site, and specifically about a service I obtained through your

site.  I know you have thousands of members and posts, but I want to make

sure you know how pleased this one member is (Diva Blue Dog).

I have a piano performance degree, but because of following a different

career path, I have not played much.  However, this last summer I learned

that I was inheriting my Aunt's Steinway (Aunt Sissy was a concert pianist

and my first piano teacher).  I joined your forum a couple months ago and

the information I have received so far has been spectacular.  I have enjoyed

getting information on the age of three pianos, and helped me get ideas on

how to enjoy practicing and playing again,

Your site also helped me get information to move two Steinways from San

Diego.  To help my cousin, I volunteered to do all of the research for the

move - one to my home and a second to a dear friend in South Carolina.

Through your forum, I researched different ways to move pianos cross country

(3-movers vs. 1-mover), and solicited different movers for bids.

I quickly came to the conclusion that John Wrasse of Piano Pro Moving and

Storage were the solution we needed.  John, his son Patrick and dispatcher,

Donna Mae were fabulous and professional to work with.  I could tell from

the bid and through conversations about the actual move that they understood

the emotion that came with these instruments.  Other movers acted as though

it was just a piece of furniture and were irritated by my questions (this is

a once in a life time event), and some balked at providing me a bid via

email.

There was no doubt in my mind that Piano Pro would ensure both instruments

arrived safely, which is what happened. They kept everybody posted along the

way when they would arrive, and they worked very well with our schedules.

As an extra bonus, since John Wrasse repairs pianos he gave me great

information on the condition of my piano, repairs I may consider in the

future, how to find a good tuner, etc.

I am thrilled with the outcome, and very happy with what a wonderful

resource you have provided.  I have started playing my Steinway and am

thrilled, and know I will use PianoWorld to get help as I continue my

journey - today I looked for a tuner!  In addition, I am telling every

pianist I know about PianoWorld.com .

Thank you again for the wonderful service you provide.

Becky

Becky Magnotta (Diva Blue Dog)