Piano Bench

danno858

I saw this ad today for a smart piano ### bench. Overkill?

https://petervary.com/

Gombessa

Holy cow. That thing belongs on the Starship Enterprise!

Damien

It looks like they are taking preorders, but I could not find a price. The company appears to be in Hungary.

Jane

But will it compensate for my lack of talent, training, and practicing??

Gombessa

I have to wonder who will bother carrying an NFC keycard with them everywhere they travel, on the off chance they happen upon a piano with a "compatible" bench? Especially when the seat already can be adjusted manually, has in-chair storage/memory, and also has bluetooth functionality with smartphone app support? Who loves hotel keycards that much?

I will say however, an electronically-controlled height adjustment with a smooth, friction-free "steer-by-wire" knob is a pretty sweet idea....something for the pianist who has everything!

shawarma_bees

Seems pretty bulky, I also wonder how much noise it makes when performing the lateral movements. Even with unlimited money I’m not sure it would be my choice in a home environment. But for a performing venue or public space, it would sure add a futuristic and luxurious touch!

danno858

In the video they had a guy playing, but the bench kept sliding back and forth as he played at either end of the keyboard. It was making me sea-sick. But I do like the auto-height adjustment and it will remember your parameters. Probably over $1,000

shawarma_bees

danno858
Oh easily, a Jansen Artist bench is like $900

twocats

danno858 Probably over $1,000

The home version didn't come up on Google but it looks like this is the cost of the concert version:

danno858

twocats OMG!

PianoMonk

This is one of those things for people who have way too much money, and happen to own a piano. I see this seat as more of a conversation piece, something extra for the maid to dust. I gave up the bench a while ago and went with an adjustable task chair.

Pallas

Yes, I was going to guess $5,000, as my dumb but sloped/ergonomic bench is about $1100 with tax and shipping. (It keeps my hypermobile pelvis aligned so my arthritic lumbar vertebrae don't rub together.) So I figured this robotic gizmo would be a heck of a lot more expensive, because it looks like it's designed by someone who engineers luxury seats for Jaguar.

danno858

I actually like my wooden piano bench - it came with the piano originally in 1911 and matches it - somehow through the last century and 13 years into this one the bench did not become separated...

It has enough room for two people to sit

Pallas

danno858 I think that's a beautiful bench.

Gombessa

danno858 It has enough room for two people to sit

I love duet benches. They're functional, and aesthetically they work well with the width of the piano and the keyboard. I often wish I had an extra-wide version of my own bench.

FrankCox

It has a back.

I wish more piano benches had a back....

danno858

FrankCox Yes, and it looks like its optional so it can be removed or set. If I was wealthy I would try one!

Bellyman

FrankCox I wish more piano benches had a back....

I haven't used a piano bench in a long time. I have an office chair with adjustable height. I find that a lot more comfortable to sit on than on a bench, especially for longer gigs.

danno858

Gombessa It's funny because when I was growing up I learned on an old Steinway K52 which had a matching wooden bench. Fast forward to my digital years (when I had no acoustic) and I could never find a good strong wood bench like that. When I bought the grand last summer I was blown away that the original bench was there with the piano. It feels so solid.

ShiroKuro

yikes, that bench (in the OP) is ... something. First, probably it's overkill. Second, there are probably some nice things about it, but how many people need to raise and lower their bench all the time? Maybe if you run a music school.

But in the home? Definitely overkill. Kinda neat, but overkill

What4

Hello all, I’m going to jump in. Admit it, it’s hideous! Also doesn’t match my homey, hand me down decor. 😂