Adjustable Artist Piano Bench Stool in Ebony with Music Storage

I am actually excited to review this piano bench. Before I bought it I read every single review that had been posted. By far the good reviews outweighed the bad ones, so I decided SOMEBODY had to be wrong :). Here's what I discovered: *This bench is absolutely perfect! *The buttons do NOT come off. (Unless you want to get out some tools and pry them). *The legs do NOT wobble, nor do they squeak. *Once assembled properly this is a very sturdy, durable and handsome product. *Raising or lowering the height is effortless, but please note in the product description that it's only about 3/4 inch. *The seat storage capacity is adequate for a hymnal and quite a bit of sheet music. The only comment I will make concerning those reviewers who had a different experience, is that there is no instruction sheet included for the leg assembly, and you do have to know that there is a small metal ring that goes on the bolt before you add the nut when you're attaching each leg. If you forget and leave it on the bolt (the way it was packaged for shipping), I could understand why the bench would seem unstable. Also, the tool for tightening the nut is taped to the box with the legs in it, it's not in the box itself. I hope this helps someone else who may be concerned about buying this bench, like I was, because it really is a great bench at a great price... and it's very nice looking to boot!

Value: I went shopping at several piano stores, and most benches seemed unreasonably expensive since even a standard collapsible one was a hundred dollars. When I bought this bench, it was priced at $119, and a similar one at the piano store was asking for $450. Install/Assembly: I have to confess, I didn't assemble this bench.... my sister did, and she said was super easy. The four legs were apparently inside the bench compartment, and all she had to do was screw them on and tighten a few things Quality: I was shocked at the quality of this bench. Even ignoring the value, the bench and all the components are very well made. The height adjustment works well, everything was polished black ebony without any plasticky feeling, and it seemed to work well for my nephew who is almost six years old, and my adult sister that use the bench. I bought for a Christmas present to replace the one that came with the piano, and pretty much six months later the bench is still functioning great, everything works, no paint is chipping off, and it's not breaking at the corners or falling apart. It actually still looks like new even after regular daily use. Lastly, at the end of the day, it's a bench. It's a height adjustable chair without a backrest and the only purpose it serves is for people to sit on it. It works great and my family that uses it, loves it. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a piano bench.

I bought this bench to upgrade from the standard stool that I was using with my digital piano. I've now had the product about a year and can say I think it was a good purchase and would be willing to purchase it again. When it arrived the legs were tucked into the bench and needed to be assembled by the buyer. This was no big deal, and I was able to throw them on using my leatherman in under 10 minutes. I can tell it's not the BEST quality of construction but for the price point I got what I expected. The bench is easy to adjust going up and down. I use it pretty much as high as it will go and don't notice any slipping or wear on the mechanisms. The bench does give a little from side to side, and does make a fair amount of noise anytime I move. Lots of squeaking. Lots and lots of squeaking. This could easy be remedied with a little wd-40 but it doesn't bother me too much so I will probably just put up with it. If noise like that is detracting to you it is something you will want to consider. In the past year I have only had to tighten the legs once, and this is taking into consideration that I move it around every few weeks (for cleaning the room it sits in). I practice about an hour each day and can say that I sit comfortably through the whole session, and have not noticed the cushion wearing down too much from repeated use.This will only seat one person. Perhaps two small children. If you are wanting a true two person bench you will want to look into other options. Overall this is a solid product. It's not perfect, but it certainly looks nice and is definitely an upgrade from a standard bench height that gives you no options for adjustments. I expect it will last me a good 5-10 years and at that point I will probably replace it with another.

This bench has it all, and at a very reasonable price: it is sturdy enough to have in a home with a three-year-old (unlike the less expensive folding type), it's attractive and comfortable, it has good storage, and the height adjustability makes it equally accessible to kids and adults. I also like that it is not excessively long - the bench I grew up using was full-length, which would be a waste of real estate in my small living room. Additionally, it was so easy to assemble, I let my little one do most of it. I couldn't be happier with this purchase.

Two problems: It just smells. I have to leave it in the garage for 2 weeks before it becomes tolerable. Suggestion to all (Chinese) furniture makers: why not air it out before putting in the package? Between a pre-aired vs. a smelly brand-new, I'd pick the former without a doubt. Bigger problem: at its highest, it's still quite low to sit on. Not high enough for my daughter. (21 inches) I guess I will wait for my daughter to grow faster then :) Too bad it's so heavy. I'd hate to pay shipping cost again. Oh well.

The Ebony bench was the second one I tried. First I purchased the Yamaha BB1 bench. While an OK value for a low price, the Yamaha bench was solid but plain-looking and had no height adjustment or storage compartment. It had hollow steel legs, and came packaged in a plastic bag within a box, no real protective padding of any kind. I may have kept it, but it arrived damaged, so back it went. The Yamaha was also just a bit too low for me, so I decided to try an adjustable bench. The Ebony came in one week, meticulously packaged, surrounded by foam, and frankly I was shocked at the bench's level of quality. The legs are solid wood with a black gloss finish. The vinyl covering the cushion is at least double the thickness of the vinyl on the Yamaha bench, and the padding is thicker and more firm. The storage compartment is finished beautifully, no bare unfinished wood like some I've seen. It will hold at least 8 -10 music books. The hinges for the compartment are two nice gold colored piano hinges.. The height adjustment is amazing and works well even when adjusting from a seated position. The Ebony Adjustable Artist piano bench is well made, comfortable, and attractive. Keeping in mind that this bench was almost twice the cost of the Yamaha bench, I would make the same decision again if I needed a second one! It is simply an exceptional value. PS: You'll save yourself a lot of time and trouble if you have a metric open end wrench or socket set. The wrench they include is pretty flimsy.

I normally do not write reviews for items I purchase online. This time I decided to write one after receiving this bench because I felt for the price it is an outstanding deal. Is it as nice as a $600 bench? Of course not but at the price it is offered at it is a good purchase. Shipping from CPS imports was quick and the item was well packaged. It was delivered without any damage and I felt the way they packaged it if UPS bumped it around a little it would be fine. The company also took time to put fragile stickers on all sides. Does UPS pay attention to things like this? Probably not but I received an undamaged item. For the price I find the build quality very good. The height is easy to adjust and it seems so far that with my 200lb frame it is holding and not sliding down. As others had mentioned the padding is firm but I see this as a benefit and it is quite comfortable. After reading some negative reviews on this some people have complained about the bench squeaking a little after some use. Jeese people. Looking at the mechanism it is pretty easy to lube if it should happen and not a big deal, after all it is not a $600 bench.

Pretty decent construction with slotted wood to make sure the heavy steel corner brackets do not move should the screws loosen. Very sturdy and the raising mechanism is robust and works well. The storage is not as small as some say- perhaps they are only looking at the depth of the storage bottom, but the lid is also recessed. I have 3 books of sheet music and a 625 page book on top of them and it still closes without touching the books. This manufacturer makes the same bench in genuine leather, which I would avoid, because a reviewer for that bench said the leather was peeling after 4-5 months. This is typical of Asian leather that is not tanned through so much as having the finish applied to the surface. In this case, you are better off with synthetic leather and will save $30 or so. 4 stars for its very good workmanship and construction but docked a star for 2 cons. 1. The foam is only marginal. It bottoms out after a while and replacing it with premium grade urethane foam would be difficult with the tufted/button surface. They ought to make these with a premium foam option for $10 or so more. 2. The button caps often make a loud popping noise when you get up and remove your weight- seems like the press fit of the button caps is not tight enough. I am contacting the manufacturer to see what they recommend. I thought of lubricating them with talcum powder and wiping off the excess, but I am not sure if this is a good idea since it might cause the caps to pop off entirely. After a few weeks, I see no signs that the popping sound will resolve itself after breaking in.