Pianos, of course, come in many shapes, sizes and colours - upright or grand, miniscule to humungous, white and black and all shades in between. One of the worst I've seen was a bright blue upright - fortunately the sound was just as bad as the colour.
Traditionally, most grand pianos that one sees are black. This, I suspect, has more to do with the quality of the timber used than it does the aesthetic quality of the piano. The problem with that, of course, is how do manufacturers then tell the discerning concert goer that its one of 'our' pianos rather than 'their' pianos that the unfortunate pianist is doing his or her damndest to coax some musical sounds out of. Simple, really, when one thinks about it. You simply write your company's name in big, bold letters on the side of the piano so that it distracts everyone from looking at the performer. In my view, such a thing is a distinctly black (pun intended) mark.
Giving the Stuart piano an 'Australian' look and feel is an integral part of the design philosophy. For example, the words
'Terra Australis' are clearly imprinted on the frame. The use of rare and exotic Australian hardwoods allows a unique opportunity to provide a stunning visual appeal to the entire instrument. Black (although available if required as a special order) is not on the
a la carte menu.
Of course, some people don't like this. They prefer a traditional, conservative approach to the visual aspects of the piano. To me, that immediately rings some very loud alarm bells, since they are then more likely to prefer a traditional, conservative approach to playing the piano as well, and as I have made clear elsewhere in this blog that is not the way these instruments can and should be played.
My piano is finished in Tasmanian huon pine, estimated to be up to 2000 years old. The detail and symmetry of the veneer is quite astonishing and I cannot fault the finish in any way. Wayne has recently started using Tasmanian black heart sassafras, which is equally as stunning in its visual appeal.
Everyone who sees my piano for the first time is stunned. Come to think of it, they’re still stunned the second time as well …