Dear list, I have a client who recently had his Steinway "M" rebuilt by a reputable shop. The keys had been recovered a number of years back with plastic, and thus this was not included in the job. Now that he has this nice piano to play he has suddenly become aware that the keytops are not as nice as he would like. Being a professional player he is very fond of the feel of Ivory, however, he is well aware that this is no-longer an option, at least an affordable one. We have discussed the possibility of installing bone keytops and he really likes the idea. Not having done this before, can someone reflect some of the pros and cons of this material? Who is doing bone today, and about what would this cost ME (wholesale) to have the job done? As an alternative, what other materials have some of you used? I have traditionally used plain or yellowed plastic. I have never really found a source for the so-called "textured" plastics that simulate the ivory feel. Who has these and about what would the run?
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