Deluxe Grand Piano Adjustable Piano Bench Review

We are happy to introduce a new line of piano benches by the manufacturer Empire. They offer VERY high quality grand piano benches at a surprisingly affordable price, and in our opinion, are the best deals on the market in terms of quality and bang for your buck. Having examined their products personally, I can tell you that their benches are going to be a highly desired staple on the market for years to come.

Our first review is of the Empire Deluxe Grand Piano Adjustable Piano Bench. An attractive bench, it comes in an ebony high gloss finish, with a hand tufted top, and measures 16″ x 22.5″ (L). The first thing we noticed about the bench, is that it uses an extra-thick, firm foam. One of the biggest complaints we hear from people is that their padded top benches have a very thin piece of foam as a cushion, and that after a couple years, it breaks down. This is not the case with the empire bench, which is not only comfortable ( you don’t feel the piece of wood you’re sitting on), but is this enough that it won’t break down quickly. Additionally, the vinyl used is furniture grade. If it both thick and comfortable, and you don’t have to worry about it cracking and breaking like you do on  some cheaper imported benches.

Empire Deluxe Grand Piano Bench

Outside of the comfort, what really sets this bench apart from any of its competitors is quality. When gauging the quality of an adjustable piano bench, we look at two factors:  1) materials used, 2) raising mechanism.

Perhaps the best way to tell the quality of the materials used in a piano bench is in how much it weighs, and this artist bench weighs and impressive 50 pounds. In comparison to other artist benches, the OSP artist bench weighs 22.5 pounds, and the Jansen artist bench weighs 45 pounds. This is the heaviest standard size adjustable piano bench on the market, which is a testament to the quality of wood used, and the adjustable raising mechanism.

When looking at an adjustable piano bench, it is important to take a look at the mechanism that raises it up and down.  Supporting the bench and keeping it at the proper height, a complaint we’ve begun to hear is that after a while, the mechanisms begin to get loose and break down, especially if it is frequently adjustable. This Empire bench uses an extremely impressive, heavy duty, accordion lifting mechanism, that you typically only find in the highest quality benches like a Jansen. Of all the benches in a similar price range, I’ve never seen one use an accordion raising system, and you would have to go up to a Jansen (which starts at $625) to find anything like it. Needless to say, we were very surprised when looking under this piano bench.

A final note on this bench, with regards to aesthetics. The trend in the past decade or so with piano benches, is to make their corners rounded. You will notice on this bench, the edges are straighter and sharper, which in my opinion, give it a more classic, elegant look. I believe this bench would look very nice in front of a Steinway or Baldwin grand piano.

In summation, we were very impressed with this Empire deluxe grand piano bench. Anyone looking for a long term, frequently used piano bench, or if you’re a school, church, or piano teacher, should strongly consider this product. It is high quality, attractive, and comfortable, and one of the best deals on the market.

 

 

 

Brass Piano Caster Cup

The newest product to hit the piano caster cup market is an exciting one. Over the last few years we have seen the introduction of lucite as a material into manufacturing. Lucite is a strong acrylic product that is nearly unbreakable, and it has essentially replaced plastic (although plastic is cheaper, so it is still used for the lower-end inexpensive caster cups).

With clear lucite and black lucite piano caster cup already available, we are happy to introduce the brass plated lucite piano caster cup. The brass plated lucite give the caster cups a brass-like appearance, at a very affordable price.  The outside diameter of the cup if 4 1/2″, with the inside diameter measuring 2 3/4″.

We are very impressed with these new piano caster cups, and think they would add splendor and style to an elegant grand piano or upright piano. You may want to consider these if your piano has brass accents, if your grand piano bench has brass ferrules, or if the brass would compliment the design and layout of your room.

 

brass piano caster cup

Adjustable Piano Bench – Black High Gloss, Imported by Jansen

With the success of their last imported piano bench, Jansen has expanded their importation from China to include a new adjustable piano bench. It comes in an ebony high-gloss finish, with square tapered legs and a velveteen top (velveteen is a velvet like material, but the fiber is not quite as fine. It is much more durable, as a true velvet seat would not hold up). The piano bench adjusts in height from 18″ to 21″.

Jansen adjustable piano bench imported from China with Velveteen Top

 

What is note worth about this adjustable piano bench is it’s unique padded top.  Typically an adjustable height piano bench comes in either vinyl or leather, and is tufted with buttons. The velveteen top gives an alternative style choice for customers to match the decor of their living room. The bench is priced at $208.35.

Grand Piano Bench by GRK Review

American importer GRK now offers an attractive, economical wood top grand piano bench. Constructed of solid hardwood, this duet piano bench measures 14.5″ wide, 35″ long, and 19″ high. It features a spacious 2″ deep music storage compartment, with 2 1/2″ brass hinges for lid support. The grand piano bench is available in 4 different leg styles: spade, square, round reeded, and curved provincial.

Priced at $215, and with free shipping, these benches are a great value. In terms of wood top grand piano benches imported from East Asia, GRK’s bench uses higher quality wood, and is on the higher-end of imported piano benches.

Piano Lock – how to choose the right piano fallboard clamp

A piano lock is a great way to protect your piano from unwanted use. Whether it is for a church, school, auditorium, or just to prevent noisy children from slamming down on the keys, a piano lock is the best way to keep your piano lid closed.

In today’s market, there are two options for a piano lock (there is only one manufacturer that actually produces the locks, so these really are your only two options): the Jaras piano lock and the hands-off lucite piano lock. Priced at $59.99 and $89.99 respectively, the question becomes, which lock is best for me? The answer comes down to where is your piano located, and how important are aesthetics to you. Functionally, either lock will do the job of keeping the piano lid closed. Of the two, the lucite piano lock is a little bigger and stronger (lucite is a near unbreakable plastic, recently being used in piano caster cups), but no one is going to be able to break the jaras like either, which is made from a special hardened steel and has a rubber sleeve to protect the piano’s finish.  So while strength is a frequent question, it is not a factor or issue with these two piano lock choices.

Thus, the choice boils down to the importance of appearance. My advice to the consumer is that if your piano is located in a visible area, it’s worth spending the extra few dollars on the lucite piano lock, as it’s much more attractive, and it does not have a pad-lock hanging from it (as you can see from the pictures, the jaras lock is attached with a pad-lock, whereas the lucite lock has the lock built it). If you only need to keep the lid shut, then go with the jaras lock.

Lucite Piano Lock

It is worth briefly mentioning the installation of the piano locks. Piano locks are very easy to install, but you do have to connect them to the underside of you piano with two tiny screws (obviously, as how else would the lock stay in place). The idea of putting holes into you multi-thousand dollar instrument is a deterrent to many people, but one should keep in mind that the underside of your piano is not finished (go ahead and take a peak). Thus the two tiny holes are not damaging any beautiful gloss finish, and of course it has no effect on the sound quality of the instrument.

 

Jaras Piano Lock

Jansen Grand Piano Bench Review

The Jansen grand piano bench is the Cadillac of piano benches, and is the bench you want to pair with you Steinway or Baldwin piano. With more and more American manufacturers now contracting out to China to import their benches, Paul Jansen & Sons appears to be the last great American piano bench manufacturer left. Their products are still made in their factory in Wisconsin, and while others battle to produce the most economically friendly benches, Jansen continues their tradition of using the highest quality products and craftsmanship to produce the highest end grand piano benches.

The biggest difference between a Jansen grand piano bench and that of the foreign imports is the quality of wood used. Jansen uses American hardwood (maple), and their Jansen wood top grand bench features maple veneer tops with a solid maple beveled edge. The beauty of the wood grain finish and it’s ability to take a stain is truly unmatched (something you will notice on imported benches, which are often made of rosewood, is that on flat surfaced top, there are a large number of little tiny holes, the size of a pin head. That comes from the wood not being sanded down carefully enough, and it’s ability to take a stain/clear coat finish. You do not have this issue with a Jansen bench).

Additionally, the Jansen grand piano bench is the most structurally sound on the market. Both the upholstered and wood top grand piano bench feature a routed in music compartment–compared to most of the foreign imported benches, which only staple in their music compartments. By doing this, the wood bottom not only offers a sturdy surface for the heaviest music books, it also acts as structural reinforcement for the entire bench.

Adjustable Piano Bench in high gloss black imported from China for a great price

This adjustable piano bench is a welcome addition to our economically priced, imported piano benches selection. It features a high gloss, ebony finish, with square tapered legs (and the legs have rubber pads on the bottom to prevent any damage to your floor). The knobs are easily turned, making it perfect for children, and the piano bench adjusts in height from 18″ to 22″.  The black piano bench weighs 19 pounds, and is 13.5″ x 22″. The upholstered top of the adjustable piano bench is made of faux leather, and is tufted. The conservative style is preferred by many over the diamond tufted, button tops found on other piano benches.

Adjustable Piano Bench Black High Polish Finish

Bench Review: This adjustable piano bench is great if you are looking an an inexpensive, functional bench. Being imported, it’s not necessarily going to have the highest quality finish, like you would get from a $500+ piano bench, but it’s a comfortable and attractive bench, and perfect for a lot of situations. Priced at only $119.99, with free shipping, this is a great value for an adjustable height piano bench.

Duet Piano Bench – High Gloss Ebony Imported from China

We’ve received a lot of customer requests wanting a low-cost, functional piano bench that is well built, and as a result we are happy to now provide this deluxe upholstered top duet piano bench for only $99.99, with free shipping. Imported from China, this deluxe duet piano bench features an attractive tufted, faux leather upholstered top and is generously padded with 2″ of foam. The bench comes in a high polish black finish, with square tapered legs that have a rubber pad on the bottom to protect your floor from damage, and a deep music compartment. The grand piano bench is 19″ high, and 14 1/2″ x 30″ (L).

This is a great option if you are just looking for a sturdy grand piano bench (it weighs 26 pounds), that doesn’t need to be the highest quality, American made $575 Jansen piano bench.

Adjustable Piano Bench Extra Thick Padding Pillow Top Model

The “pillow top” adjustable piano bench is one of our newer products, and we are happy to highly recommend it. Manufactured by GRK in the United States (Ohio), the piano bench measures 15″ x 22″ (L), and  adjusts from 18″ to 22″. What is distinctive about this bench is its extra-thick padding, which having sat on it, is one of the most comfortable piano benches on the market. Tufted with 13 buttons (which adds both to the piano bench’s elegance and durability), the upholstered top is made of high quality, furniture grade vinyl.

In addition to comfort, what is great about this bench is its quality, especially for the price. The silent, micro-adjustable raising mechanism is well built, and is supported with heavy-duty brass hardware. The piano bench legs have rubber stoppers on the bottom to protect your floor from damage, and the top of the wooden frame as well has four rubber stoppers to help prevent any damage to the upholstered top.

In sum, if you are looking for an adjustable piano bench in the price range of $150 to $300, we recommend taking a look at this pillow top model by GRK. We are very impressed with the quality and comfort, and believe it is an outstanding deal for the price.

 

OSP Artist Piano Bench Review: 3 defining features

In the last 5 years, there has been a significant increase in the number of imported piano benches from China. Not all benches are made equal though, and there is a distinctive difference in quality between piano benches from different factories. Of all the imported artist benches we have examined, the OSP Artist Piano Bench is the highest quality and best deal for the money. There are a number of qualities that set the OSP bench apart from other imports.

1. High Polish, Wood Adjustable Knobs

Perhaps the most striking characteristic that sets the various imported artist piano benches apart are the two adjustable knobs on the side of the bench. Cheaper benches used small, plastic knobs, where you see about 1″ of the metal bar between the knob and the side of the bench. The plastic makes the bench look cheap. OSP on the other hand, uses a high polish wide wooden knob, which really ties the entire bench together.

2. 10 tufted buttons on the upholstered top

An upholstered top of a standard artist bench is available with either 6 of 10 tufted buttons. Using only 6 buttons makes the bench less expensive, but it also doesn’t look as nice. Additionally, the tufted buttons and structure and stability to the top.

3. Spade legs

Imported artist piano benches are available in either square tapered or spade legs. Of the two, the square tapered legs are cheaper. In our opinion, spade legs are more attractive, and gives more proportionality to the piano bench. Additionally, OSP includes rubber bumpers on the bottom of all their legs to prevent damage to the floor.

 

OSP Black Artist Piano Bench

In sum, the OSP artist piano bench is the nicest on the market, and is a steal for only $129.99. What sets their bench apart is their attention to detail, and their use of slightly more expensive parts. While you can find imported artist benches for $10-$15 cheaper, in our opinion it really is worth spending the extra few dollars to get a much more attractive bench.