Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Replacing fallboard decal

My grand piano is missing the fallboard decal (one of these days I'll post my story on the "my new piano" thread). I personally don't care, but my 7 year old is having a hard time finding middle C, so I was thinking of replacing it.

Questions:
How hard is it to do?
I found one on a Google search from Gemm Piano Supply. Are they reputable?
Does anyone know another source of fallboard decals?

Thanks!

Here's one source:

https://www.decalsunlimited.com

As long as you don't need a St***way decal you should be able to find what you need.

I saw a piano once that had the decal (on purpose, by the maker) way off to the right, with the center of the fallboard blank. I thought, How on Earth is one supposed to find Middle C?

I've always thought the logo placement here was kind of weird, but interesting:

I guess if you can afford a Bösendorfer you are probably a good enough pianist to KNOW where middle C is. 😆

For the nonce, you could just put a piece of tape over the center of the nameboard, if all you want to do is orient someone towards Middle C.

The old decals were very difficult to use, and are no longer available. Rub-on decals are easier, but you might want to spray a clear coat over them. Most new pianos these days have laser-cut brass inlays, which is beyond what most people can do.

How long would it take to get an intelligent seven-year old to find middle C without having to go to the trouble of finding an appropriate decal along with the (potential) hassle of attaching it properly?

Wouldn't a simple, erasable mark on the key be enough until orientation is secure?

Regards,

Maybe the location of the chair ------ around the middle of the piano allows middle C to be found once we just sit at the chair. Middle C will pretty much be right in front of us.

The key hole perhaps? Remember D is "doggie in the kennel" (lies between 2 black notes)

True! Or look for the set of keys that has only 2 black-coloured ones (that come in a pair). Not triplets. And the white-coloured key on the on the left of the pair of black coloured keys is 'C'. And - if we sit right at the middle of the piano, then middle C is pretty much the one in front of you.

Piano doesn't have a keyhole. Maybe I am overthinking it because her ear is good enough to know she played the note in the wrong octave without my telling her. But it would look nice to have the decal.

I actually like that much better than putting the logo above the music rest, or even worse, smashing it between the music rest and the keyboard.

I've always thought it strange that, when closed, you often can't even see what brand the piano is. I wonder why nobody places the decal on the main body. In the case of this upright, just above the latch in the fallboard when it's open.

typo ---- omit one of the 'on the'

Not sure. Maybe because the maker traditionally wants to make it look like furniture (eg. a cabinet etc). And normally - wooden furniture probably doesn't have maker logos on them. Guessing only!

I don't know if there is some unspoken rule about no logos on a closed fallboard...but I don't buy the idea of them choosing to be subtle, given how happy manufacturers are to slap their huge logos all over the sides of the rim!

Just for sake of clarification, I've known my way around a piano keyboard since I was 6, and she's known what a C is since she was 5 or 6 too. The problem is for her to identify which octave to play in.

I'm sure you were trying to be helpful but I found this somewhat condescending.

No logos on the closed fallboard does seem to be the unspoken rule, but I noticed a piano recently that did have a decal on the outside of the fallboard, so one showed in roughly the same place whether it was opened or closed. I'm no 100% certain, but I'm pretty sure it was a Viennese Classic by Kimball.

Wow, so it's not easy to find a picture of a Viennese Classic with the fallboard closed. And the one I could did not have the decal on it. As I scrolled, I had a recollection of it being in a video, and noticing it because it showed up before and after the fallboard closed (or opened...). Anyway, maybe it's a one-off where someone added the decal. ?? Or perhaps my memory is faulty.

OR you can pay someone to find it for you!!! LOL