CAUT

Hey everyone,

What solutions do you have for the failing practice room upright music desk?  Specifically, I'm thinking of the flimsy little fold-down cleated thing found on the U1 or the Boston 126, for example.  Or the Kawai BL-71, an ungainly specimen with a flimsy base that hangs from two brackets via metal angled rods.  All these desks tend to fail after a couple years of practice room use, unlike the more institutionally designed P22 or 118s, which build the music desk into the cabinetry.  I'm thinking of chucking some of these desks and screwing in a long cleated piece of wood.  Anybody have a good idea?

Thanks,
Zeno Wood

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Zeno Wood
Brooklyn, NY
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Original Message------

Hey everyone,

What solutions do you have for the failing practice room upright music desk?  Specifically, I'm thinking of the flimsy little fold-down cleated thing found on the U1 or the Boston 126, for example.  Or the Kawai BL-71, an ungainly specimen with a flimsy base that hangs from two brackets via metal angled rods.  All these desks tend to fail after a couple years of practice room use, unlike the more institutionally designed P22 or 118s, which build the music desk into the cabinetry.  I'm thinking of chucking some of these desks and screwing in a long cleated piece of wood.  Anybody have a good idea?

Thanks,
Zeno Wood

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Zeno Wood
Brooklyn, NY
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Are the screws pulling out of the shelf and/or fallboard, or are the hinges bending?  

I've purchased a bunch of replacement hinges from Yamaha and replace them when they start to sag.   The occasional stripped screw holes are repaired with leather shims and glue.  I always have two in my toolbox.

Yamaha sold me a new shelf to replace one that was broken in half.  It was longer and glossier than the old one, but easy enough to make new screw holes.  It is the only one I've seen so severely damaged.

A professor shimmed up a U1 shelf with round, black, self-stick felt punchings, about the size of thin front rail cloth punchings, stuck to the fall board where the shelf pivots against it.  They look like something meant for the bottom of objects like silver chests so they don't scratch the fine furniture.  

The most annoying thing to me is when the U1 style music shelf flops down on the sharps while closing the fallboard.  Keeping the hinge screws tight, and tapping the little protruding brass pin to swell it ("upsetting" in blacksmith terms) helps.   When I replace the hinges, I also put in a new pin.  The music shelf stays up, and the new hardware is nice and shiny.  


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Greg Graham, RPT
Brodheadsville, PA
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-21-2018 17:07
From: Zeno Wood
Subject: Practice room upright piano music desks

Hey everyone,

What solutions do you have for the failing practice room upright music desk?  Specifically, I'm thinking of the flimsy little fold-down cleated thing found on the U1 or the Boston 126, for example.  Or the Kawai BL-71, an ungainly specimen with a flimsy base that hangs from two brackets via metal angled rods.  All these desks tend to fail after a couple years of practice room use, unlike the more institutionally designed P22 or 118s, which build the music desk into the cabinetry.  I'm thinking of chucking some of these desks and screwing in a long cleated piece of wood.  Anybody have a good idea?

Thanks,
Zeno Wood

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Zeno Wood
Brooklyn, NY
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