where have the book holders gone?

[sussexpianos]

My pet hate for new pianos is the lack of music book support. How come new pianos have come in leaps and bounds in terms of quality and tone design etc but they all have rubbish music desks?
Have the designers every tried to put a music book on their design? It dosn't work. The worst thing is that some of the new pianos don't have a lip, its flat, making the issue worse.
How many technicians sweat trying to drill holes for book holders, trying not to damage the polyester & keep the hole central?
Solution is, make the desks thicker and have pre-drilled holes which have rubber stops in them if the customer dosn't want the holders( I think they will after getting a new music book).
I have a design made by a cabinet maker which hooks over the top door and gives the owner a longer desk and as many book holders as they want. But why should I have to do this?
Sorry, but as a technician, I get it in the neck when a customer complians about the music desk, and some are too thin to do anything about it.
So, piano designers of the world!!! Instead of designing great caseworks, get the basics done first. When I turn a page, it would be nice if it stayed there.
happy xmas everybody

[Barrie Heaton]

I do quite a few. Yamahas are to thin you end up with a bulge on one side.. However, as I type I have a man who is making polished music trays with the book holder and hinges fitted 18" and 30 " in Black Gloss
Piano music book holders as well

Barrie,

[Openwood]

Very pleased to hear about those new music trays. It's always annoying to have to fight with the sheet music on modern pianos. Yamaha supply a book of '50 Piano Greats' or something like that with new pianos; very nice of them and all that, but try putting the thing on the music tray and see what happens......

I do a fair amount of accompanying - nearly all of it on modern pianos and the lack of retaining pins is a constant problem (ok, so it's not up there with global warming, but everything's relative you know). I now spiral-bind any chunky accompaniment which I'm going to be using for a while.

AND ANOTHER THING; why do the keyboard lids of Yamaha uprights have that 'crest of a wave' shape at the top? It forces the sheet music forward and just makes it all the more inevitable that the whole lot's going to end up on the floor.

Right, glad I've got that off my chest, must go and shout at the cat.

[Openwood]

Hang on, I don't have a cat.

[sussexpianos]

Im glad Im not the only one moaning about this.

[Barrie Heaton]

There a lot outthere who bitch about this we are also working on a universal music desk that you can take for piano to piano bit like the olds ones on the 1920 pianos

Barrie,

[sussexpianos]

My desk system is very much like the old ones. It is fixed ( dosn't swivel)and all you need to do is lift the top lid and hang it on the top door. Very simple design which can be mass produced cheaply but we do them to order to we can make it to the right height, length and colour. What you need, is someone with some engineering brain to come up with an adjustable height brass one, then it would fit all.

[PianoGuy]

Sorry, but as a technician, I get it in the neck when a customer complians about the music desk, and some are too thin to do anything about it.

So if the customer looks big enough to biff you one in the neck, you offer him one of your special desks eh? And if he's too thin and weedy to do anything about it you don't bother.

Excellent!

[sussexpianos]

When I left the special forces to join the piano tuning corp, I decided that i would never use my tuning lever in anger again. But for you Mr PG, I'll make an exception.

merry xmas

[PianoGuy]

haha!

Merry Christmas!

I'm off for a few shandies.