Conscientious. Knowledgeable. Friendly. Responsive. Took good care of our piano.read more

From the owner: Bill Motsko has been a full time registered piano technician for 35 years. He began his training…read moreat the Pulsifer School of Music in Newton, Massachusetts in 1976 and became a registered craftsman (now known as registered technician) with the piano technician's guild in 1978. He has served as the Baltimore chapter president from 2012-2013 and has been a member of its Tuning Test committee. Mr. Motsko has serviced pianos for many dealers, including Stringer Music, The Piano Man, Yeager Music, Rick Jones Pianos, Jason's Music, Kleeb's Music, Kramer Piano, and the Howard County School System as well as for other registered piano technicians. He has also tuned pianos for local television stations and recording studios. While much of Bill's work involves commercial venues and institutions, he also provides service in the home to private clients.

Used them again May 2026 to tune our baby grand before a family event. Hired professional musicians…read morefor event who brought their own keyboards-they opted for our piano. Also, referred a neighbor down street who reports her piano has 'never sounded so good.'

Chaz made our hundred year old Chickering sing! He is very experienced and professional.read more

William was scheduled to tune the piano. He told me it was not yet ready for a tuning and…read morerescheduled that piece for October. Believe the care given and attention to climate control throughout the year in this house kept the piano in tune. William and I spoke of the concerns and issues with an 84 year old instrument and asked a variety of questions as to touch, key response, etc. After further discussion we decided to use this time to address those issues. His attention to detail, willingness to answer all questions, and good work made a noticeable improvement in key response/touch. I couldn't be happier with this young man's good work.

He was prompt very communicative and did a great job tuning our piano which had not been tuned for…read morea few years.

I needed my Mom's antique Chickering baby grand piano moved within the state of MD - about a one…read morehour drive away. Johnson's was recommended by the previous movers, Commonwealth. Johnson's only moves pianos, so their technique & equipment is customized to just piano moving. I had one or two entrance steps at the house in Hagerstown and no steps here - just a threshold. A team of four men moved the piano fast & efficiently, & even helped me decide its best position to save space. R was Johnson's employee with their name embroidered on his polo shirt. He was very cordial and professional in demeanor and appearance. I paid $800 for the move but I was given a discount of $50 for a cancelled booking next day delivery time window. I was very pleased with this company.

Responsive, on time & reasonably priced. They took great care in moving 2 pianos for us!read more

I have been a Bannar customer for over 40 years, first with Harold Bannar, and now with his son…read moreScott ,who inherited the business when his father retired. Scott is knowledgable and trustworthy. He knows everything about pianos there is to know and is truthful when he imparts information. He has tuned my piano for decades and notifies me when it is time to tune again, a service that removes a tiny piece of my bundle of things to be remembered on a yearly basis. Scott is personable and I look forward to seeing him when he arrives. I recommend him without reservation!

I called Mr. Bannar on a Tuesday and was able to get him over to tune my baby grand piano that same…read moreweek on Thursday. He was excellent and explained what he was doing and why he was doing it. My piano was severely out tuned as it was taken apart and moved from two different location and wasn't tuned in years so he recommended it being tuned twice which he completed. I will continue to use him for as long as he continues to serve my area.

This is the place to go in the DMV if you're looking for a new Yamaha piano…read more We were first-time piano buyers looking for a new U1. From what I read online, most piano dealers will quote an MSRP or "SMP (suggested maximum price)" with the expectation that you will haggle down the price. We went to our local Yamaha dealer [not Downtown Piano Works] and met with a sales associate recommended by our piano teacher. His first offer was already less than MSRP: I'm terrible at haggling, but I figured I'd try anyway and ask for a better price. A day later, he came back with another $500 off the price. I was feeling pretty good about myself and was getting ready to go to the store before his "offer expired." On a whim, minutes before I left, I thought I'd try the next closest Yamaha dealer, which happened to be Downtown Piano Works. I typed a chat message into their website, expecting a canned AI answer. Instead, Dan, the owner, responded right away. He told me to call him on his cell phone, and without hearing the other store's "lowest" price, he quoted a price that was $1500 less. There was no haggling, no wondering if I was getting a worse deal than everyone else on the internet. We drove with the kids an hour to Frederick just to make sure this wasn't too good to be true, and it wasn't. Dan and Theresa opened their store on a Saturday night, three hours after I'd first messaged their website. By the time we left, we were the owners of a new Yamaha U1. If you're in the market for a new Yamaha acoustic piano, within driving distance of Frederick, and want to avoid the usual stress of new piano shopping, I'd definitely try clicking chat on their website.

I put a deposit down on a Clavinova 775…read more Well, first off world class customer service. Dan and Teresa were very nice and warm. Competitive pricing. Anyway, I had to cancel the order a few days later. Refunded me immediately. Honest and trustworthy owners! Thanks and sorry it didn't work out. Great music store!

Would give zero stars if it was possible! He moved a piano that was given to me and came back a 2nd…read moretime to tune the piano. He took a part from the piano and said he had to send off to have tuned. Never returned the part and now won't answer my calls. Please do not trust this person with your piano!

American Piano Center took my dingy-looking, sunburned heirloom piano and turned into a beautiful…read moreinstrument again! I wasn't sure if having the piano renovated was worth it, but I was emotionally attached to it, and I'm so glad I made the decision to have it done. The piano is now gorgeous and sounds better than it ever has, and I know my grandmother would be pleased. The guys at American Piano Center couldn't have been nicer or more professional, and they kept me apprised of the progress the whole way. I highly recommend this business!

Our tuner was great! Always prompt and on time. Would highly recommend him! Price was rightread more

I was ISO a Baby grand rental for friend. There many choices, we will be making a choice on the…read morefinal piano soon. They were very helpful.

Jonathan managed to schedule my piano tuning within a few days, showed up at the announced time,…read moreand charged a competitive price that he had told me on the phone. Very friendly but discrete and focused on making the piano sound great. And it does sound great.

Jonathan has provided expert tuning on my kawai. He takes his time and does a great job.read more

This place was so great for renting my son's violin. They had a promotion for $20 for 3 months…read more Then the price increases per month but the opening promotion is a great deal to see if my son likes the violin. They also have all the music books available for purchase. You can tell them what school your child is in and they will pretty much take care of the rest.

I purchased a very inexpensive 3/4 scale bass guitar as a gift (along with a much more expensive…read moreguitar), and I even received a brand new model still in the box. The recipient preferred a different color, and Mike - the owner himself - refused to exchange it for a different one, despite the fact that it has been purchased within the last two weeks, was unplayed, and still in the box. You would have lost absolutely nothing to exchange a $200 bronco bass for another color, but now you've lost my business entirely. You can buy a guitar ANYWHERE (like Bill's, Guitar Center, even Music & Arts) - don't give your business to someone who can't honor one of the simplest and most common requests in retail. Edit to respond to the comment: I called, spoke to an employee who took my information down and said he had to ask you, Mike. An entire WEEK later, this kid calls me back and explains that you refused to honor the exchange. So you're right, you haven't even taken the time to speak to me yourself. The situation didn't escalate until you waited a week to tell someone else to tell me "no".