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Hello guys!

I bought a Kawai ES-8 around 3 months ago.

I want my piano to last long and take good care of it, but seeing as the ES-8 doesn't come with any keyboard cover, is there something I should do to protect my baby?

I have it set up like so:


I know there's 1 problem that I see immediately = white piano + sunlight. But I've been more worried about dust. I had a Roland E-09 and its keys got really sticky because I rarely played it and dust would just find its way everywhere beneath the keys etc.

So, to combat dust and potentially sunlight, what would be your recommendations?

You'll probably loose interest to a newer model before the dust damages it. I would, though, pick a spot away from the sun.

I guess I need to bring some perspective here; I'm a guitarist, who's interested in playing the piano every now and then. I was searching for a good piano sound and feel, and I found it. My needs are completely satisfied with the ES-8. It's like buying the Axe FX II for guitar; there's no need for more.

I don't play daily. I don't play a lot. I just need a good piano to be around when I do. I bought the ES-8 to be with me for a LONG time.

I understand as a guitarist that some people change instruments all the time and especially on the piano front there are people who are always fevering over NAMM and swapping to new models each year. But I'm definitely not that. I want this piano to last for a long time.

So, what would you people recommend as means to protect my baby?

Dust protection is trivially simple. Anything goes. I use some really cheap cotton fabric I got at IKEA for a couple of euros, and i think it looks better than most of the stretchy stuff you can buy on eBay. The amount of dust entering along the edges is negligible.

In your case I'd attach a cloth where the piano meets the stand along the back edge. When the piano is not in use, you leave it to cover the keys, and when you use the piano you fold it back and let it hang down behind the piano. Simple, cheap, and tidy.

I've protected my baby with an old bedsheet, draped over the keyboard, for the past six years, and it still looks - and plays - like new, even though I play it for some three hours every day. And the bedsheet is easily washed. Or you can buy a drape of some sort, made of any fabric you like, including plastic.

Where my DP is, the window is a few feet away, and the kitchen area is less than ten feet away, so it's important for me to protect the top surfaces from cooking vapors. For you, of course, you don't want people to think that the elephant smoked too much (pace Victor Borge) , which may occur if the keys are exposed to sunlight.

Cover it with a towel and that's a £20 consultation fee for my advice thank u very much

I will accept £20 worth of chocolate bars

I'll gladly take the advice! But it seems you forgot to read the terms of paid consultation here:
(Stolen credit card required, some details sold separately. Batteries subject to change without notice, some additional stipulations may apply. Warranty void where prohibited, which is everywhere.)

Warranty?

Would you prefer the two-part warranty? (If you break it, you own both pieces.)

Or the lifetime warranty? (If it quits, we kill you.)

A bedsheet or tablecloth would probably serve you best here, so that the stand is also covered to prevent discoloration in addition to protection from dust.

How about some curtains?

A local music store (where I bought my upstairs PX-150) sold fabric drawstring covers for slab DPs. They were a penny or two under £10 (UK pounds) each, so I bought a couple.

My furniture type DP downstairs already has a sliding cover, but keeping one over my upstairs one seems a good idea, given how dust seems to accumulate in that room.

Are you serious with that question ?

If you go to any market, you will find an Asian gentleman selling fabrics. There are the most gorgeous designa here. To match and enhance your decor or piano! Just. . . drape it over.

You know I used to cover my N2 with a very nice mulit-colored spread but then I decided I wanted to see the piano in the room and settled on some dust.

"Help protecting my digital piano"
The first thing that came to my mind was "Get yourself a good quality surge protection device". But I guess this concern has already been taken care of. For your keyboard, pretty much all of the above advices make sense.

I like using a heavier type cover with some water protection. My cat is good but he may decide to take a wizz on the gear. Also have had issues with roof leaks so I'm a little more paranoid.

Several options here:

http://www.amazon.com/b?node=491022011

I use the Gator keyboard cover, in that list. It works fine.

My microKorg is covered with a piece of light cotton cloth, larger than the keyboard, with a knot tied in each corner. It looks primitive, but it keeps the dust off, and the cloth doesn't fall off the keyboard.

Velokki, as others have noted, a stretchy 88-key keyboard cover should do the job. I gather that my colleagues at Kawai Europe will be introducing an accessory for the ES8/MP7 and VPC1/MP11 in the near future.

Kind regards,
James
x

Velokki,
To protect my MP7 in a comparable setting, I went to the local clothing/fabric store, which still employs a tailor, and bought a dense and heavy curtain fabric. Tailored to the top surface measures (+20cm to the left and right, like an oversized key cover felt). With some led weights stitched inside at the outside border, to avoid the wind blowing it off to easily. That was an surprisingly affordable solution.
HTH