Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum Please help me pick the best Piano Bench for my studio

Dear Many Wonderful Teachers Here,

Please tell me your best recommendation for an artist style (or other adjustable) piano bench for studio use. I teach around 70 students a week, many of the lessons are here in my studio.

I'd like to hear some tested recommendations from other studio teachers instead of just rushing to buy the first bench I see on-line, which I almost just did!

I've been using a $60 X frame, portable, easily adjustable bench, but it squeaks now and I need an artist style or other adjustable style bench that doesn't squeak, that will last for years, that is height-adjustable. What are the good names in artist benches? Who are the good vendors? What's your recommendation? Thanks!!!!

Click on pianosupplies.com at the bottom of this page and then on piano benches. By all means, you want one which is adjustable.

I've sat on dozens of different artist benches, and they all squeak after a while. You have to tighten the screws frequently, but even that doesn't solve all the squeaking problems.

I'd suggest getting the tallest adjustable benches possible. Most artist benches are too low. The one I bought was just right for me at the maximum height, but too low for my students, and I have to use boxes and yellowpages make the bench even higher. What a waste of my $500.

I have two benches from this firm - both are excellent and have held up well. No squeaks.

http://www.burghardtbaenke.de/englisch/inhalte_englisch/inhalt_englisch.html

There may be a source here in the USA.

Those benches, John - the duet one! It looks gorgeous. I wanted one as soon as I saw it, and a Beethoven chair too.

*looks into her empty wallet and sighs*

I bought mine on Ebay for about $130 w/shipping. I know it's not the same brand as the more expensive bench but so far it's held up just fine and looks very nice in front of my baby grand. I just typed in 'artist bench' and came up with the following item:

http://search.ebay.com/search/searc...&satitle=artist+bench&category0=

John, and everbody, Thank you for helping me!

I bought my Jansen artist bench from www.pianosupply.com. It has been holding up to much use over the past year and a half very well (being used by the smallest of children to the largest of adults). I can even raise and lower it while I am sitting on it. I am very pleased with it -- the only thing that I would improve would be to have leather-covered buttons (instead of painted ones, as the paint is scraping off).

If I had it to do over, I'd avoid a vinyl covered artist bench, mine split after 3 years of use. Leather should hold up better and may be worth the extra cost. I recovered the bench in upholstery fabric and it's been fine ever since.

I sprung for the leather -- every vinyl bench that I have ever used squeaks whenever I shift my weight (as well as cracking after a few years as bondpiano mentioned).

The problem with the duet bench is if you have two different heights needed. The best thing to do is to have two artist's benches that you put sideways. But that's pretty expensive. Now, if I have to play a duet with a student, I'll just bring a stool over to the piano. The height's all wrong for me, but I can deal with it. For duet at a recital, I'll bring in my artist bench at home for them to use.

Hello,

I faced a similar experience as you with trying to find a new piano bench.

My old piano bench was a hard and stiff bench that didn't have padding or a height adjuster.

I made website that gives information on the best piano benches.

http://bestsheetmusiceditions.com/best-piano-benches/

I was actually able to try out one of the benches at Cal Arts and made a recording while using a hydraulic bench.

https://youtu.be/GHpUGus5xAA

I think that having a good bench also helps with relaxation and for producing a warmer sound on the piano.

Hope this helps with your search for a good piano bench!

Jordan, don't you think that you should reference somewhere that the reference link is your personal blog and therefore your opinions??? the 'giveaway' is that you post a YouTube link in this post to your personal testing of a hydraulic bench, but this is identical to the YouTube link in the blog. To say you 'went online and found this helpful website' is very misleading when this is your website. You really didn't just happen to find it.

You're right, I made some edits.

Just a little shy with sharing some of my personal thoughts.

For teaching I suggest you take one of those hydraulic ones, they are much easier and quicker to adjust than those with a turning knob.

PLEASE do not feed the troll, Liplylie, by continuing this thread... his original post stated he 'happened to find a website which rated piano benches' when in fact that website is his. When called on this, he changed the post to acknowledge this is his own website.

Please note that all of the links on his website are to purchase on Amazon. For each purchase made by clicking on his link, he receives 10% of the purchase price. I don't see how his statement that he is 'a little shy' is credible given this sequence of posts and that he links to Amazon as the only place of purchase.