About Us
WHY PIANOS?
Why should you buy a piano? A piano is an investment – in yourself and your family, in music and the arts, in quality workmanship, in a lovely piece of furniture. And a piano produces the widest range of sound of any acoustic instrument except the organ.
GET SMART!
Time after time, studies have shown that there is a connection between music-making and cognitive function. Our brains thrive on music! Playing an instrument, not just listening to music, helps boost your IQ, strengthens performance in school, and enhances mental abilities and focus.
SHOPPING FOR A PIANO
So, now that you’ve decided to get a piano, what things should you think about when shopping? What size and shape (vertical/upright or horizontal/grand) will fit in your home? What room will the piano be in and what style (Queen Anne, French provincial, studio style, etc.) and finish (ebony, mahogany, walnut, etc. and polish or satin) fits with your décor? Who will be playing and what style of music (classical, popular, jazz, etc.)? How much money are you willing to invest in your future? Our sales team can help you discern the best choice for you. For more information about the various options, click here and look for our blog post from September 2010 ("How to Get Your Money's Worth in a Piano") .
ABOUT US
The Piano Outlet has been in business for thirty years and is the largest piano showroom in Ventura County. Owner Bob Auletta (learn more about Bob here) started in 1979, with Strings, Etc., a well-known education program, which became a venue for 
teaching as many as 2,200 students each week by the mid-1980’s. Soon, a music store in Hollywood with the same name, selling pianos and other string instruments and accessories, restoring pianos, and offering not only music lessons but recitals, became a natural extension of the teaching aspect. Bob moved up to the Ventura County area in 1997, with Westlake Piano, Santa Barbara Piano, and the Piano Outlet.
Based in Southern California, we’ve been providing new and good used pianos in our Oxnard Piano Outlet location for almost fifteen years, serving Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, as well as the greater Los Angeles area and across the United States, with easy access off the 101 freeway.
In mid-April of 2011, we expanded into the Central Coast region of California, opening a second store in Nipomo, just north of Santa Maria, to more locally serve the cities of San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, Atascadero, Arroyo Grande, Morrow Bay, Santa Maria, Santa Ynez, Lompoc, Buellton, Vandenberg Air Force Base, and other cities of northern Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties and the general Central Coast region. Ric Overton, a former Baldwin Piano representative and piano store owner in San Diego, is our new store manager in Nipomo. Ric is a wonderful pianist / musician himself and has been getting to know the folks in the piano community of the Central Coast. Our Nipomo store is also conveniently located right off the 101 freeway, at the Tefft St. exit.
The Piano Outlet Company specializes in selling excellent quality pianos – new grand and vertical (upright) pianos – and in reconditioning and selling used grand and vertical pianos, all at reasonable prices. We also carry new digital pianos and keyboards for those customers who need something smaller and more portable than an acoustic piano. At any given time, we have between 150 to 200 new, used, and vintage pianos available in our showrooms.
We are headquarters for new Kawai, Ritmüller, Pearl River, George Steck, Falcone, Heintzman, and Perzina pianos. We sell and service other major brands including: Kawai, Baldwin, Yamaha, Weber, Wm. Knabe, Kimball, Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, Chickering, Sohmer, Suzuki, Wurlitzer, Story & Clark, and many more…
We offer both long-term and short-term rentals. If you're not ready to purchase a piano, rent one and a portion of the rental will be applied towards the purchase of a piano from our store. Or we can provide a piano or keyboard on a short-term rental basis for weddings, parties, home staging, or other special events.
We also have a full facility shop where we can restore and refinish your family grand piano using the finest materials available. For more information, click here [to Our Shop page]
DETERMINING THE VALUE OF YOUR PIANO
Pianos can be neatly categorized and valuated by year, make, model and features, a lot like cars. They are big ticket items, they have trade-in value and can be leased or rented. But there are many variables in determining the dollar value of a piano.
Factors that affect a piano's value include: geographic location, the age, the condition of the piano's cabinet, structure and inner parts, the eagerness of the potential buyer (or seller), and the prevailing market conditions in a particular area.
Any piano is ultimately worth what someone is willing to pay for it, but many people have no idea even where to start when it comes to pricing their piano once they intend to sell it. On the other hand, potential buyers are not sure whether or not a used piano for sale is reasonably priced. Many piano owners haven't the slightest idea of whether or not their piano is worth a great deal, or next to nothing. adapted from The Blue Book of Pianos - 2010
* * For a quick determination of the value of your piano, we always suggest you try bluebookofpianos.com.
