The "Case" of the piano is the outer wooden cabinet that houses all the components and adds aesthetic beauty to the piano.It must be strong and durable and should be constructed of very hard woods. Most are made up of laminated construction in order to add more strength. In fact, solid wood cases have been extremely rare in piano construction at any point in history because such a piano would be less likely to endure over time.
The most common woods used are maple, mahogany and luan. A very popular feature in pianos today is the finishing of the wooden case with a material known as "polyester". This adds an extreme lustre to the finish known as "high polish." However, their is still a great deal to be admired in the more traditional finishes.