Jdaniel, I don't have problems with smearing or lack of focus (at least none that bother me), but I would agree that piano is difficult for LPs for another reason. Even a slightly off-center LP can have noticeable change in pitch, and this bothers me more with piano than most other instruments. For example, on the Satie box set I mentioned, two of the three LPs are very slightly off-center. It's not a big deal, but enough that I end up playing the 3rd LP more often.
Dave
Dave