If Poplar Is The Poor Man's Walnut...

[EricU]

it shocks me a little that you can get more than a couple bucks per BF for poplar.  It's ugly.  I think I'd rather have pine on a board that shows, poplar is strictly a secondary wood for me.

[giradman]

it shocks me a little that you can get more than a couple bucks per BF for poplar.  It's ugly.  I think I'd rather have pine on a board that shows, poplar is strictly a secondary wood for me.

Eric - LOL! 
   The sap & heart woods w/ the yellows/whites + greens just are difficult to stain, much less trying to match more expensive hardwoods, such as walnut - NOW, if painted, poplar is a good choice - but for myself I rarely paint wood and use poplar (for its cheaper price) mainly for shop storage projects or for use inside a carcass, such as a frame to bring sides together.  A very professional finishing schedule will be needed to make a poplar piano bench look like walnut?  Dave

[Rob Young]

I didn't scroll back to re-read about the piano bench...  But heck, if building up from scratch, how about a quick black dye job, followed up with maybe GF Espresso gel stain.  That should hide the grain/color.  Top coat with a satin something or other and away you go.