Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Would you buy a white piano?

Have you thought about how it will look to you 5 years from now? Remember avocado kitchen appliances - or copper? :rolleyes:

I think the white would prove to be an annoyance after a few years, whereas a black or dark wood is timeless.

Also, since you aspire to a grand, it sounds like resale value should be a consideration.

I once had a black spinet. It needed to be dusted every day. I now have a plain vanilla case walnut satin. I'm nowhere near 150 years old, but that piano takes up a huge chunk of my living room, and I'd be much happier if I could have afforded a case of a style to match the remainder of my furniture. Black only? For everyone? That's crazy.

I know it sounds strange..I like walnut for an upright but black for a grand.. and a white only if its free

A white piano is definitely not as good as an off-white piano. White can look quite antique. And I hate antiques. But off-white is beautiful! I'd call off-white, cream, french vanilla! If I could have found an off-white baby grand piano, I would have bought it!

Looks to me like more men are buying pianos than woman maybe!

In answer to the original question:

No, I would not buy a white piano.

Well a French Vanilla piano sounds delicious.....

Horses for courses. No accounting for taste. All that.

Its fun spending other people's money.

I vastly prefer woodgrain finishes for pianos - but then again, I like artcases too! I wouldn't want anything BUT woodgrain for an upright.

For grands, I still vastly prefer woodgrain. A close second is white or off-white (I think I share another poster's preference for off-white vs. pure white). High gloss black comes next, followed by satin black which just looks old and tired.

Which puts me in direct opposition to many/most here! But I'm weird.

Buy whatcha like, don't pay any attention to us - 'cause we're not you!

I just went camping in heck, Michigan. It's frozen over. I still wouldn't buy a white piano.

A real Steinway.
Now also in white.
Can you resist it?

http://webvoice.blogspot.com/img/steinway/louis-xv-ger-ornate.jpg

I favor satin black or wood finishes.

Curiously, where I live white finishes are popular. This fact generated many jokes when I was piano shopping. Dealers would say, "But you live in ________. Don't you want a white one?"

Actually, I would have considered a nice Steinway in white, if it played like a dream. It would have probably been a lot cheaper than in another finish, having spent years in the showroom!

My teacher has had a white Yamaha upright on offer for a year, at a 30% discount compared to equivalent models in the 2nd hand market. He can't sell it. And he only bought it because it was dirt cheap in the first place.

I'd buy a white one if that's worked best with my decor. But it would be a very conscious decor based decision. For general purposes a walnut would be the most adaptable. For an ultramodern setting perhaps black would be best. I could see a white one in a sunny Victorian wicker room with a lot of ferns for example. That would be charming.

I agree, but then the sun would be bad for the piano. Unless the ferns were shading it!

I envisioned it in a shady corner with a couple of torchieres nearby. Wouldn't want the sun in the pianist's eyes either.

The décor would have a lot to do with it, I'd think.


[img]http://farm1.static.flickr.com/24/56204348_5742b0c15c.jpg?v=0[/img]

When I lived in Manhattan I had big white room with tall windows along one wall. The floor was white and all the furniture was white - very 'moderne'.

At the end of the room I had a black grand, which made quite a visual statement; however a white grand would have had the same impact.

This is rather interesting!

Has this piano table been discussed here? It comes in black or white.

WB, those white rooms would make me feel like I needed to get into a white tux to practice, LOL.

The auction site listing Marilyn Monroe's piano says "unknown American maker." Couldn't they look at the plate? (I know, a few plates don't carry a maker's name, but isn't that rare?)

Mariah Carey bought it for $600K + .

WB: the price of the piano table is outrageous!
but..put a keyboard in the silverware drawer.
and you have a piano..LOL!

Did Marilyn play???

I don't know. She may just have been a 'poser' - but a virtuoso one.

As with any important investment all angles should be considered. With an instrument always sound, touch, acoustics are first. That should be a given. But second should always be the resale unless it is the 9 foot grand of your dreams and when you die you don't care what is done with it. But then one should always take into consideration their heirs as can they resell it so that you can really get the most for your buck if they decide they are not musicians and your investment can still bring a benefit. I love the walnut cases but in satin the best. However provided it is not an odd color like the green bosendorfer that was made for a St. Patricks Day parade I played and loved but would not buy for that reason you have to live with it.