Rubber bumper material for pianos on trucks.

[John Musselwhite]

>>My friend at GWU would like to put rubber bumper material on pianos that
>>people play bumper cars with, not only to protect the cabinets, but also

>Our Hamburg D in the concert hall was showing too many signs of the stage
>hands demolition derby.  We have black autobody molding on it now - around

At the Jubilee Auditorium here in Calgary we keep the pianos covered when
not in use, and covered while being moved as well. We had a local
tent-and-awning company make us a multi-layer cover for each instrument
(five Steinways and two Heintzmans) with a tough outside made of a fairly
heavy canvas, lined with kevlar and a thin, but dense foam and an inner
layer of soft duck. Each edge has strips of denser foam sewn in to keep them
flexible, and there is another fairly wide strip along each side to keep it
protected.

The storage room for the "B" off the small theatre was designed specifically
for a seven-foot piano and is only slightly. Each side of the room has a
vinyl-covered bumper a foot  wide and thick around it so even rough stage
hands can't really damage it. It still has a presentable (barely) original
finish on it after 15 years even after being vandalized twice.

However, accidents still happen.  The first concert after the two "D"s were
refinished and fitted with new covers  (it had to be then!) the '78 was
moved into position and the cover removed when a  light slipped and a tech
had gone to the bridge above the piano to fix it. Although he was careful,
his crescent wrench broke and the piece dropped right on the middle of the
lid digging a deep gouge in it. It's been downhill ever since.

I've seen that D used as a coatrack, a buffet, a place to open a violin
case, a graffiti wall and many other things in the last ten years...  For
some reason, symphony musicians treat it with seemingly the most contempt.
They have since moved to another hall (the Jack Singer Concert Hall, home of
the Carthy Pipe Organ) so at least I don't have to worry about them any more.

        John Musselwhite, RPT
        musselj@cadvision.com