Material to protect music desks

[seb1982]

Hi everyone!

I'm taking delivery of my gorgeous new piano in the next couple of weeks.  It has a gloss black polyester finish, and I'm hoping to protect it as much as possible.

Books have played havoc with the music desk of my current Bechstein.  I know that some people put a layer of fabric on the music desk to protect it.  I was just going to order some black felt, but I just thought I'd ask if anyone had any great ideas as to either better materials, or any genius ideas about how to attach it to the music desk - does one just drape it over, do you think?  I would imagine it's prone to slipping on a shiny finish... /

Thanks for any ideas you guys and gals might have! 

[faulty_damper]

Some pianos already have a hard finish only on the music desk to reduce wear.  Does your piano have this feature?  Otherwise, you can buy a polyvinyl cover, similar to what they put on cars or cellphone faces, on top of it.

[chrisbutch]

Together with several others I know, I have a home-made 'false desk' constructed from a sheet of plywood and a few lengths of batten. Since it's entirely covered in black felt, the carpentry is invisible and can be very basic! The whole thing simply hooks over the back of the existing desk (short lengths of batten again) and is instantly removable to close the lid. Nothing touches the piano except felt. The added advantage is that you can fit book-holder pegs if your piano doesn't have them. Many grands don't, but the poor quality of most modern bindings make them essential if a score is to stay open and flat on the desk.

[piano4kay]

I just purchased a new Yamaha U3.  I did not expect the finish to be so prone to scratching.  I posted a question on this forum when I noticed the scratches appearing the first week of ownership. I received some very helpful responses.  Bottom line is this finish is a pain to maintain.  You are wise to protect your music desk from day one.  I wish I had known this.  I ended up just putting a black cloth behind the music to protect it from future scratches.  I did a quick search of the poly vinyl cover mentioned in the previous response, and did not see anything.  Does anyone know where to find this product?

[faulty_damper]

Sorry, I should have meant POLYURETHANE finish or plastic sheet cover.
You can spray it on for a thicker coating to prevent it scratching the original polyurethane coating.

I wouldn't ever worry about the original polyurethane coating on piano desks since scratches can be buffed out with a buffer and buffing agent.