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.

Got to be a personal choice. But on a similar note, I am thinking about painting one the color of Barny (purple) to attract my granddaughter to the piano.

She is five and likes to 'help' me play. Little does she know that I am willing to do any trick or treat to get her interested. Probably going to send her a letter 'from' Barny telling her that she should learn to play. She has a dvd that includes a sequence where the piano is part of the story line. She also has a small piano of her own.

James

Actually if I had tons of money and no concerns about retail value I'd probably go for Elton Red.

Years ago we sold a brand new S&S M ebony satin to Vanna White. She paid us to refinish it in White of course. She was thrilled.

A few years before that Ray Charles business manager work with me on a new S&S B for Rays condo. First Ray was insisting on have it made white. Then he changed his mind and just wanted it made high gloss black. When I queried his manager about all this for a blind man, he laughed and said that Ray could feel the white color, but he could feel the high gloss.

I wonder if you can buy a concert grand in white......

How about this one?

http://flickr.com/photos/nekiy/1039704740/in/set-72157610651991645/

Pretty fancy. Of course, you would never buy a white piano, would you?

Compliments of your screen name.

I know two households that have white pianos. They both look simultaneously tacky and ridiculous.

I would look STUNNING on a white grand!

I know one household that has two white grands. And they are both Bösendorfers.

(I am not making this up, you know!)

White pianos reflect all wavelength colours whereas black pianos absorb all wavelength colours.


The white piano therfore alienates the audience and the performer is not taken seriously.

I went back to the store to have a second squiz. The walnut with straight legs does look lovely and is probably the finish I will go for.

However, having settled on that thought, I realised that I would also be sad not to have the off-white in a way...

Us Aussies are pretty laid back and are certainly not "posers" as a previous entry stated, and choosing a white piano wouldn't be an ego or attention thing. So thanks to those other ladies (and gents) that have at least "entertained" the idea of an off-white piano with me, even if it's not the finish I go for in the end. It IS a personal choice and I'm realising that my feminine-self considers white to be clean, romantic and feminine - wood (particularly dark wood) is more masculine....

I love creating, playing and loosing myself at the piano - I need to be able to fall in love with it.

So, I'm still mulling it over. I aspire to a baby grand at some stage, so I need to consider the re-sale I suppose....

Thanks for the photos. My favourite is the one posted by Whippen Boy with the photo frames on top - gorgeous!

White? Who wants white when you can have this?

Talk about reflecting......

http://www.bobsliberace.com/museum/museum.1.html

White is not always white.

Few years back, Estonia made a real beautiful white satin grand,one of which we sold to a doctor who has sadly fallen sick recently.

http://www.pianoworld.com:80/Uploads/files/whiteestonia1.jpg

http://www.pianoworld.com:80/Uploads/files/whiteestonia.jpg

For all I know, this is truly one of a kind type piano and has IMHO quite a different appeal than the glossy whites commonly seen.

Norbert

The 'poser' comment was about Marilyn Monroe; it seems you thought I was speaking of you or Australians?

(Embedded from a previous post)

Now that's my idea of a fine looking pie-anner!

I know of a technician who is refinishing a Steinway in white for his Mom.

He says she has elegant taste and I have no doubt.

In the right decor, only a white piano would do.

I am afraid I am not quite following the logic here...

This is the principal reason brides always wear black.

So I suppose a piano that is half black and half white:



...would cause the performer to be taken seriously only 50% of the time.