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I had ivory white keys and ebony black keys on my previous piano. (It was made in 1932, so ivory was legal at the time.) One of the white keys broke and my tech replaced it with a synthetic ivory keytop. The appearance was extremely similar; it didn't stand out among keys that were slightly different colors already, which is to be expected in a natural material with some age on it. The synthetic keytop didn't feel different under my fingers, either. At least, not different enough to bother me while I was playing.

I really liked those ivory keys, and I felt that anything I got on a newer piano would be a step down. Nevertheless, the rest of the piano would be enough of a step up to make it worthwhile. While shopping, I played two brands of pianos with synthetic ivory keys: Yamaha and Kawai. I liked the feel of the Kawai keys a lot, but I didn't like the Yamaha ivorites. The edges of the keys felt sharp and rough. They felt harsh on my hands. Perhaps they would have smoothed over time. I don't know.

As it turned out, I bought a used Yamaha C7 that was made before they started using Ivorite, so the keys are basically plastic. I got it for the price of a C2, so I figured I could tolerate lesser keys for nearly 2 extra feet of piano.

Imagine my surprise when I realized that I liked the plastic keys. Now, I've played less expensive pianos with really awful-feeling plastic keys. The whole key, not just the keytop, feels too light. I don't know if the difference is in the key itself--maybe the better feeling keys are made of heavier wood?--or in the quality of polymer used in the keytops, but the difference is noticeable. I don't stick to my keytops like I do on some pianos. The action is light, the way I like it, yet the keys have "heft."

If anybody knows what the difference in plastic keys is, I'd love to hear it.

For what it's worth -- we are often asked to make plastic keys a bit less slippery (and shiny). It’s a fairly easy task with an orbital pad sander mounted upside down in a special fixture, sanding the tops with 220 grit to 600 grit (depending on the desired result) and then lightly buffing them (not enough to polish them again, just enough to take off the matte sanded finish and give them a soft luster. The effect is quite nice and seems to last a reasonable length of time.

Del

Del,

That's interesting! Does that mathod works on just about any kind of plastic key tops used in production today, or only on certain types of plastic key tops? Thanks.

I heard an interview with Henry Steinway who said that when they found a plastic keytop that seemed good, they put it on the concert grands they sent to Tanglewood for the summer. When they got the pianos back, they asked what people thought of the keytops. The response was that it was the first time they had no problem with the keytops. So they switched their production to plastic.

It's not just the initial cost. The warranty expense must have been significant.

We've used it on most everything. Some require a more delicate touch if the melting point is on the low side. (Don't ask....)

Del

I heard that Bösendorfer changed from plastic (I think) to whatever it is they are using now. I believe they are still using plastic although the keys have more of a satin finish, and they are more of an off-white, rather than the bright white, usually seen with plastic keys.

I never found plain old plastic to be a problem, however I find the satin finish to have just the right "friction factor"; the plastic keys now feel a bit "grippy".

Derick

My C3 has the ivorite keys and ebony sharps. The feel is gripping, so that combined with the light action, the fingers don't slip away. It's another of my favorite features in the better Yamahas.

My U3 has typical plastic whites and blacks. It isn't as comfortable as the Ivorite/Ebony of the upper C series.

After I posted, it occurred to me that bone/mammoth was probably more of a custom option than a regular feature — and that money sings as loudly as a concert grand. Thanks for the additional information, curry.

Perhaps Steinway didn't go for the mammoth bone because of warranty/replacement costs (as mentioned earlier on the thread).

It's interesting that key spacing is almost, but not quite standardized. Historically the key compass (distance from the left of key 1 to the right of key 88), of Steinway and Baldwin has been 47 7/8 inches. I verified this on a Steinway L. Yamaha uses 48 1/4 inches, with Kawai between 48 1/8 to 48 1/4. Supposedly, European pianos use 48 1/2, but I haven't tried to verify it.
It always struck me as odd that Asian pianos, where people tend to be smaller than Americans, make pianos with slightly wider keys.

Has anyone retrofitted their plastic black keys with ebony? Where does one get ebony sharps in this case? Thanks.

V, ebony sharps are available from most piano supply houses.

After changing to ebony keys, are the keys supposed to be reweighted?

V, not reweighed, but they must be leveled to the correct height above the naturals. Then the action regulation; blow distance, keydip, aftertouch, and backcheck distance, of all the sharps must be performed again.

To follow-up on Derrick's comment. During the Bosie tour I heard two comments ( at least I think I did )

1) The "plastic" on the Bosendorfer was selected for not only friction/feel/look but also its ability to not feel slippery with sweaty fingers from neverous pianists

2) Ebony is one of only two woods that sink in water. Is this important?

Does anyone know why the sharp keys ended up using black ebony? I think Ivory made sense as it is hard, finishable, low of mass, and absorbs moisture.

Charles

The other is ironwood (named for its obvious density). I imagine that one wants to have the keys be dense, but that would seem to add a fair bit of inertia.

Can someone more knowledgeable than I explain why ebony was a good choice?


George

Ebony and Grenadilla are very dense exotic hardwoods that machine fairly easily. They both have a consistent blackish brown to gray color with very fine grain. Only a little black stain is usually necessary to give a set a uniform appearance.
Other woods have been used on lower quality pianos. These woods are not as hard and need to be deeply stained for a consitent color. Over the years the stain rubs off the keys with use, and needs to be refinished again.