Some plastics imitate ivory very well, with reproduction “veins” on the surface, and similar luster and feel. Luckily, there is an easy tell, with no research needed.
So how do you tell whether your key tops are ivory? Cheap plastic keys also yellow easily, with no easy remedy.
But plastics and resins are both subject to characteristic “crescent moon” chips at the end flange (closest to you, as you are sitting at the piano), especially with repeated abuse. However, they are more expensive to produce than plastic. Today, on higher end pianos, resins are also used as an alternative to plastics–their major advantage being that they are even more resistant to cracking, chipping or yellowing than their counterparts. With the Ivory ban of the ’80’s, plastic would forever remain king as key covers.
After the recovery of the economy, materials were short due to the onset of World War II, and the few pianos that were produced during this time followed the same mantra of being an affordable investment. Plastic maintains a stronghold as the material of choice of piano keys to the present day. Plastic was also far cheaper than ivory, and seeing as how the great stock market crash of 1929 launched the United States into the Great Depression, the surviving piano makers were looking for every possible way to make the piano more affordable. Plastics were cheaper, easier to work with, and less prone to the damage caused by extensive abuse and wide temperature changes that easily damaged ivory. Plastic keys were introduced with the advent of better plastic technology that came around 1929. However, ivory keys are more susceptible to chipping or cracking, especially at the ends, than their plastic or resin counterparts. Ivory absorbs sweat, which provides for a better feel of the instrument in general. Ivory keys are better to the touch, more responsive, and less likely to “stick” to one’s fingers because of perspiration that may accumulate while one is playing a particularly difficult piece. Even today, pianos with ivory keys are in high demand by the discriminating pianist for its many advantageous properties when compared to plastics. Ivory was used on just about every piano made previous to about 1930 (the date is not exact by any means).
WONDERING HOW TO CLEAN YOUR IVORY KEYS? JUMP OVER HERE AFTER YOU’RE FINISHED READING: cleaning-piano-keys/įirst, let’s discuss the advantages of each material. But how does one tell if you have the ‘ol ebony and ivory, or just imitation plastic? And what are ivory keys really worth in today’s market? Well, let’s put forth some answers and dispel some myths regarding this often misconstrued topic. Are the keys of my piano made out of ivory? If the answer is yes, then nine times out of ten the next question regards the value of either the key set or the piano in general. This is a question that I and many other piano technicians get asked on a constant basis. I like folks to comment, as it may answer a question for other visitors, but unfortunately, I may not be able to see the comment right away (the internet gods are against me on this one). ADMIN MESSAGE: Hello folks–If you have a question or need a bit of advice, please contact me directly at my email in addition to commenting.