yamaha recycles unused rare wood into all-black keyboard for the digital piano ‘torch T01’

Yamaha digital piano and keyboard made of rare wood

Yamaha recycles unused rare wood, Grenadilla or African Blackwood, into an all-black keyboard for the digital piano, Torch T01. Around the keyboard, the Yamaha digital piano comes with wood boards, hand-finished using natural oils. These bring out the natural texture and warmth of the material. The musical instrument’s body as well as the sides of the accompanying chair also feature African Blackwood and their bark patterns. The company adds these lines through the laser engraving technology often used by car brands for their vehicle’s interiors.

The seat of the wooden chair uses Hinoki cypress and other materials instead of the usual PVC sheet material. The edges of the body and seat are also hand-finished, and the craftsmen carve the volume knob from the recycled African Blackwood as well. Because the keyboard of the Yamaha digital piano comes from a natural material, its color changes over time alongside the wood board used for the body. The shift takes place depending on the temperature and other environmental factors, including humidity. Users can also have the wood waxed for a glossy finish.

all images courtesy of Yamaha

Natural oils used for the hand-finished wooden parts

For the digital piano Torch T01 and its all-black keyboard, Yamaha chooses to recycle the unused rare wood Grenadilla or African Blackwood. This type of wood is often used in clarinets and oboes. The company says, however, that about 90 percent of it ends up being used as fuel along with other woods. The design team adopts what they describe as wood flow-molding technology to shape the wood into different parts of the Yamaha digital piano and keyboard. Still, they’re able to maintain the material’s natural properties as well as its acoustics for the instrument.

The design team opts out of using standard PVC sheets for the exterior as part of their mission to reduce environmental burden. It’s because of this that they utilize natural oils for the hand-finished parts. The team shares that the wood and resin compound of the Yamaha digital piano and keyboard emerge from 70 percent African Blackwood. Because of the absobent nature of this material, users can glide their fingers across the keys easily. The keyboard used for the recent model is based on the company’s GrandTouch-S instrument. The release of the wooden Yamaha digital piano and keyboard is set for April 2025. 

Yamaha recycles unused rare wood, Grenadilla or African Blackwood, into an all-black keys

because the keys come from a natural material, its color changes over time

the edges of the body are also hand-finished

the design team uses natural oils for the wooden parts of the musical instrument

because of the absobent nature of the material, users can glide their fingers across the keys easily

project info:

name: Torch T01

company: Yamaha | @yamahamusicglobal