Topic: PianoTable, anyone?
Only $6,000 US.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt...8AawnuGJAg
and http://www.bornrich.org/entry/functiona...-a-double/
A shame that there's no keyboard stand that's similar.
Only $6,000 US.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt...8AawnuGJAg
and http://www.bornrich.org/entry/functiona...-a-double/
A shame that there's no keyboard stand that's similar.
I tried the link (through the second link) to the actual product page and arrived at Ye Olde 404 Error Message.
Honestly, I can think of much better ways to spend $6,000.
First, the ends of the keyboard look rather cramped. Since it's a full keyboard, I probably wouldn't play at those extreme ends too often, but I could easily see myself whacking my hands on the none-too-inviting borders.
Second, the "lid" above the keys actually invades "key space" -- I could see this being a much bigger problem! More hand whacking...
Third, the corners -- I HATE corners! I'd be rounding off those suckers in no time. (I seem to be magnetically drawn to stabbing myself on sharp corners -- perfect for gashes and black-and-blue marks.)
Fourth, the lid doesn't seem to have any ridge on which one could place a music book or display -- kinda stupid to overlook this detail!
I think ol' Georg needs to go back to the drawing board. I like the fact that the keyboard is offset (simply wheel your chair over to the left to have a meal or work on a jigsaw puzzle!), and the body of the table looks nice and solid (hmmm, wonder what the total weight happens to be...), but it's definitely not worth $6,000 -- unless it has super built-in speakers and the best darned "electric piano" simulation in the world. (Pianoteq, anyone?)
Oak? What KIND of oak???
And "certain buoancy" -- I see that we left the spell-checker at home today.
This kind of novelty would normally set off my "JOKE ITEM" radar, but it looks sincere enough... for something designed by a person who makes tables, not pianos! ("Let's see how we can cram a keyboard in there...")
I'm not sure who makes the (electronic) keyboard. I wonder what happens if someone spills a glass of wine, in any case.
But I do like the general idea of a good-looking keyboard stand. On this one, at least, Ms. Pheiffer would have more room.
Well it could be useful.
Say you have some guests over and someone says they heard a tune, but don't know the name. Have them hum/whistle a few notes, then whip up the table top (aka fallboard), and dash off a few measures.
Oh yah.
Glenn
Maybe good to play "Supper's Ready"
Occurs to me that the pictured table, if the enclosed keyboard is like most keyboards, will need an electrical cord running to the wall. Strange sight.
It's really a shame that no one has come up with a good-looking case for a synth or controller. Seems as though the design for what used to be called a "secretary" or "secretary desk" might be adapted.
I guess it doesn't help that keyboards vary so much in size. No one receptacle would hold most synths. An alternative might be to create a synth with a wooden frame and face. But then no one would want to carry it to play out...
I tried the link (through the second link) to the actual product page and arrived at Ye Olde 404 Error Message.
There's a link on the page my first link goes to. Just click on the red "Source" to go the creator's page, which has more a few more photos.
Not quite the same proportions, but it reminds me of the DP-990.
http://www.roland.com/products/en/DP-990/
Would it be possible to build this into a wider table?
I don't know what could be done with the standard fiber board stands. Something about those two slabs on each side makes me just hate them. I've been considering just using two trestles--either wooden ones that look like small saw horses or the steel ones that Ikea sells for $10-$25 each--just put on some rubber grips and set the keyboard on them. I like the look of the "Vika Leifs"--they look fairly stable:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categ...ces/11811/
But I'd rather have something vaguely like this, with a hinged lid:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00133401
That way, there's a desk for working. The trouble, then, though, is that the raised lid would prevent the use of a computer--the lid would crash onto or hide the screen. Unless the underside of the lid held a flat screen monitor, but that's getting complicated?
So the best solution is probably removing the keys from an old junk piano and setting in the keyboard and computer.
Something else Ikea makes me think about: they sell table tops, so it would be possible to buy two, precut to the same size so there are no carpentry worries, and build a kind of box on top of the table, with the second top hinged to open, or a section of it hinged to open, like on an old stand-up desk, exposing the keyboard inside. The hardest part would be making it look good inside. If you just set the keyboard inside, it would still be as ugly as a keyboard sitting on a table. There would need to be covers for the endcaps, etc. And the lid still would hide the computer monitor...Surely there's a way to make it all look better.
Ran across this link today at PW. A company that makes piano shells for keyboards:
http://www.stanfordcustompianoshells.com/upright.html
Here's another company:
http://planbpianos.com/cabinets.html
Googling "piano shell" in fact brings up lots of hits. But they seem to cost as much as a good keyboard. The original post at PW has a picture of a home-built shell:
http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthre...tml#UNREAD