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If black is not a colour then there would be no other colours.

What is "real rosewood"? I would find it strange if many of the most of most exclusive piano makers in the world advertise rosewood pianos for sale but don't use real rosewood. One online article says "There are at least 20 different true rosewoods with a rich variety of colors and several other woods are called rosewood because of their density and appearance."

As Henry Ford said, "Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants, so long as it is black."

But I do like wood veneer on the inside rim...

Sam

Dalgergia type of tree is real Rosewood.Some types of wood termed Rosewood do not look anything like Rosewood. One them is Teak and it is often sold as Rosewood.Some types of Dalgergia are not sold as Rosewood either but as called by other fanciful names such as Tulip Wood.(it's Orange in colour)
The type of traditional Rosewood sold in Europe and North America is an endangered species.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosewood

Do they supply a certificate to specify if it is a genuine rosewood,? (not that most "normal" people would want one, still it's a thought)

This looks like an absolute bargain in rosewood! Can that price be real?

https://shacklefordpianos.com/colle...-collard-grand-piano-in-rosewood-cabinet

Ebony, satin finish for me.

Regards,

Shiny black (never seen satin black piano in EU). If pianos were white, I would start learning tuba.

I like loud/bold veneers, but if they're busy and if they're on every surface of the piano, it can camouflage the piano's shape. Also, small-scale veneer detail which may be interesting up close can blend into a single colour at a distance. Then you've just got a big brown blob in your room.
So.
The piano finish I'd like to see is a modern take on a veneer like burl walnut. It's aimed at being more of a bold 'rock and roll' statement than a conservative throwback:

• The piano casework shouldn't be ornate
• The veneer stain should be selected to maximise contrast (the louder the better)
• A subtle fading effect should be used to selectively darken panels toward their edges
• The piano should then get a gloss finish for depth

The idea is to preserve the visual shape of the piano while still keeping the overall effect loud, and to enhance the beauty of the veneer by using it almost like a metallic flake in a paint finish - it has a broad spectrum of colour and it catches the light in certain angles.

I like the way the veneer under the lid isn't just a uniform flat slab of colour - it has depth and variation. I want to see how that could translate to the entire piano.
This is for when I'm rich and I get my burl walnut upright refinished, obviously.

Absolutely nothing in that article indicates the top piano makers are using any other than real rosewood as far as I can see. If Steinway is charging a premium of many tens of thousands extra for a rosewood case, it's hard to imagine they would use something that was not real rosewood. Do you know of any specific makers that use other than real rosewood or were you just speculating?

I heard about Homestyler on another thread, so what better way to experiment than with piano colors? Anyway, totally agree that ideally piano color and decor should be coordinated (that is, for people who have the budget for both a piano and home decorating 😋). If your home decor has soft colors, a black piano creates contrast with the surroundings, but a white piano would blend with the surroundings. IMO a white piano in such an environment is quite elegant, I'm a fan!

PS: Excuse the all white keys in the white piano. Changing the color apparently also changes the black keys.

I am also a woodworker and it is my belief rosewood is endangered. However Indian rosewood is available to purchase in the UK (at a price !) which I think is acceptable provided it comes from a sustained source. Teak is not easy to obtain. I tend to use sapele for furniture but did obtain some old stock of mahogany a few years ago.
Good quality woodworking tools still come with rosewood handles.

Palisander is not "another wood". It is the original Dutch name for Dalbergia Nigra, the true South American Rosewood, and comes from the local name of this timber in the Dutch Indies (today Surinam). The Dutch (and the Italians) were the finest woodworkers of the 17th century, and the idea of veneering was imported by them to England at the time of William and Mary.

In Italian, French, Dutch and German, the only name today for Dalbergia is indeed "Palissandre", usually from Brazil when Dalbergia Nigra, or from South Asia (generalized as India) when Dalbergia Latifolia. What the Japanese manufacturers call "Rosewood" (on digital pianos mostly) is a joke. It is a poor ersatz, and they certainly do not dare call it "Palissander" in Germany or France.

There was an interesting discussion here.

You asked me originally what is real rosewood? I now ask you what do you mean by real rosewood? Perhaps you should ask these manufactures what is real rosewood .Certain types of rosewood are endangered, for example the old silky Brazilian rosewood.Do you think it is moral to use the wood of an endangered tree to satisfy a relatively few extremly wealthy people.Do we not have enough problems with climate change?
What is wrong with NOT using the exact same wood that was used in the 19th century and early 20th.Just be happy we still have some forests left

You were the person who first used the term "real rosewood" on this thread. It appears that you were incorrect about the top makers using some wood that is not correctly classified as rosewood but claiming their pianos have a rosewood veneer. At least according to one poster on the thread who appears knowledgeable said you were incorrect about saying Pallisander is not real rosewood.

If anyone wants to explore the world of veneers, I suggest the website of Shorn & Groh, one of the two suppliers of Steinway Hamburg. The veneer and timber industries are striving components of the world economy, and particularly concerned and active participants in forestry and green ventures.

should be satin, ebony/black would be my very last choice,
will never buy any white😅

ben

When I was young - black, for sure. That's what I saw in studios and on stages. As a homeowner (many years later), I'd have preferred mahogany or better yet rosewood. Stores having typically few natural finish pianos on the floor, I ended up with black.

As for the color and finish on an acoustic piano, I've noticed that when I sit and play the piano, I focus on the keyboard (white keys and black keys) and not the color or finish of the piano itself.

On the other hand, when I'm not sitting at the piano and playing it, and looking at it from a distance, I do pay more attention to the color and finish, as I would a nice piece of furniture in my home.

As for the color and finish I prefer, I honestly like the wood finishes, with walnut satin being among my favorites. My Baldwin R is a satin cherry wood finish, not too red, and I must say that I really like it. My late wife liked the finish on the Baldwin, and it was her favorite piano that I had owned thus far. Her sister asked me if I'd sell the piano, and my wife told me not to sell it because she liked it.

But when I sit and play my Yamaha C7, in ebony satin, it sounds so good to me that I can learn to love ebony satin finish the best.

It is nice, however, to have an acoustic piano that you like the looks of and enjoy playing it. But after all is said and done, the keys are still black and white (although there are exceptions:-).

Rick

For me, black is the ultimate piano color, and I prefer high gloss, which is exactly what I have!

https://scontent.fagc1-2.fna.fbcdn....102a0f192fab179f049ea5f8&oe=61B94920