I have seen this place off the freeway for years and never stepped in and decided to today after putting in my Etta James Cd and I thought to myself this is it, even though I'm not a piano player, I dabble and have some understanding and decided I'm taking the steps to getting a piano. I came in with the intent of learning and asking some questions, I play guitar and an avid fan of scales and modes and was doing my best to apply to piano theory. I walk and it's like a sports car dealership, all the pianos are beautiful and I was a kid in the candy store. The salesperson, who never gave me his so something inside didn't made me not give my name, so no real connection from the start and I felt coldness like unwelcome in someone's home. I asked if it was ok to come in and try out some pianos and told him my budget and was transparent and told him I've casual shopped around for pianos online, even mentioned craigslist and using my musically half trained ears there was whininess and sharp tones to his voice on not buying of craigslist which is a fair opinion and he politely allowed me to play some pianos. As I was playing one he came over and asked if I had any questions and I said yes, I was confused on the weight and action on the different piano keys, I asked if certain brands are known for different qualities such as tone woods, holding tune, strings used, white the key woods were made of? The top of white keys made of, i was trying to apply my knowledge of guitars to pianos such as the differences between say a Martin, Taylor, Gibson, Yamaha, Mitchell, etc. Woods redwood, ebony, mahogahney, etc. La Manet vs solid woods. The sales person became frustrated and whiny and made my questions seem unwelcome and he was even aggressive in his annoyance with me, I politely told him I was unfamiliar with the properties in the piano in terms of what controls the feel and action on the piano keys, why when I hit certain notes on different pianos and on different keys there was buzz in different parts of the piano like fret buzz, again no answer, just simply every piano is different and I have to try it out, again in a annoyed voice and aggressive manner. I was just trying to learn and build a relationship with the sales person and store to eventually build trust and buy a piano, the same person that warned me to not buy a piano on Craigslist wasn't willing to answer some questions and build trust so I would put my trust into buying a piano with no problems. Plenty of times I've bought guitars on craigslist where the seller was so knowledgeable about their instrument that it made me feel comfortable and happy that it had a happy owner and when I picked up those guitars and played it I felt it and what I played on those guitars sounded beautiful to me. When I play the digital keyboards at Guitar Center I feel like my music is magic because the people that work there are so open and welcoming and passionate. Here all these expensive even 6 figure pianos felt so cold to me. I didn't like what I was playing and they all sounded terrible to me, I could not develop and melodies, no feel for chords or chord voicing, just felt like I was not welcome. It is a shame maybe because I am ignorant and don't know much about pianos, but I came in with an open mind and intent to buy and it's a shame this place was represented in the way it was to my eyes and hopefully it's only a reflection on this store and not the piano community. However I did have one other experience in Greenwhich, CT, where I went into the Steinway & Sons Piano store and the Salesperson was amazing. I asked her if I could just come in and play and I wasn't really looking to buy and she said of course, let me played , and on my way out she even thanked me and said I played beautifully and gave me her business card if I was ever interested in coming back, great customer service. So it's a shame my experience here was so cold and unwelcoming. However they do have beautiful pianos and I was allowed to play the pianos and I have no idea about the pricing but I with they had more information on the pianos, such as type of wood, strings, keys, etc, just more information. It basically just says model, year, price. Maybe this is standard? I can't remember about CT because I wasn't even looking at the prices. Makes me kinda want to learn and sale pianos on the floor and just get to know the person, and match them with the right piano for the players needs, to me it's like dating and finding a partner to make beautiful music with. What kind of piano is better for jazz and blues, classical, chords, scales? Jack of all trades? Does it apply. What brands are known for fast and slick keys and what other are known for brute force and thunder crashing up and down? Size and shape affect vibrations? I don't know but I want to learn! read more