From J. Elliott & Co.:
We would like to thank Chris Gero, VP at Yamaha Entertainment Group, for allowing us to be a part of this amazing piano project. Our prayers go out to Prince's friends and family.
The purple piano was featured in Keyboard Magazine. See below for excerpts of their article.
"The purple-piano project was the work of a small, top-secret team coordinated by Chris Gero, founder and vice president of Yamaha Entertainment Group, the same division of Yamaha that created Elton John’s “Million Dollar Piano.” Prince’s piano was selected from Yamaha’s U.S. headquarters in Buena Park, California, based on the artists specifications, and with the color to be coordinated with fabric samples from the purple furniture at his Minnesota compound. Prince rejected several paint swatches, eventually accepting a color Gero and his team had sourced from automotive paint."
"Next, the piano traveled to Tampa Bay, Florida, for painting and customization by J. Elliott & Co., a husband-and-wife design team. “Justin Elliott is a remarkable piano customizer,” Gero explains. “Prince has exceedingly high standards, and if you’re meticulous about painting a piano, especially a piano that will be going on the road, you need the best.” And as a Disklavier tech, Elliott made sure all the sensors and electronics worked, in addition to voicing the acoustic part of the instrument based on Prince’s requirements."
"After a stop in Nashville for a “making of” documentary, the piano was sent to Paisley Park, where Elliott traveled to touch-up the paint and get the instrument concert-ready. “In addition to tuning and prepping the piano, I buffed and polished it, and made it perfect for [Prince].” When asked if the artist saw the instrument before it was done, Elliott says no. “We were trying to keep it a surprise for him. That was tricky.”
For the full article: Keyboard - Rhapsody in Purple
These videos are directed by Yamaha Entertainment Group founder, Chris Gero, and produced by Yamaha Entertainment Group.
Prince - Yamaha Purple Piano (Behind-the-scenes Teaser)
Prince - Yamaha Purple Piano (Piano & A Microphone Tour Official Opening Video)