Lighting for darker environments

[lasershow2000]

I'd like to suggest/request lighting so the control panel buttons can be seen in darkened environments. Ideally the light level could be dimmed/brightened.

I use a standard piano lamp, but this has problems. 1) It glares on the LCD display. 2) The light doesn't always illuminate the top buttons on the control panel. 3) It lights up the whole room.

One solution would be LEDs on the underside of the "lid" so as to softly illuminate the buttons. The contrast should be high so the labels stand out against the background.

A more drastic solution would be to backlight the button labels somehow.

This may sound silly, but certainly I'm not the only one playing in a dimly lit room.

[wa7bqb]

Thats a great suggestion, having just been through the same problem. However, you would need to buy a new piano to get your hands on that new feature!

My solution was to buy the Ott Lamp floor model. I have a CVP309GP, and it just fits this arrangement. I like the lights 'color' since it is sufficiently bright without too much glare and helps the contrast definition on the printed page.

It's not perfect, but is reasonably close. Available at Office Depot for $89 here in Portland, Oregon. I tried several lamps, from different sources, before I settled on this one.

It would sure be a nice feature, particularly on the CVP309 if Yamaha would build a similar light fixture into the frontal area of the sheet music rest platform. The light could 'wash' up from the bottom, and not be an intrusive glare for others around you, and not be an unsightly aftermarket add on, either.

-Dale-

[hawk85]

I also faced a similar situation with my CVP-307 as it's difficult to find a piano lamp that fits behind the music rest of the CVPs. I finally purchased a piano lamp from Lighting Universe (30135PB - Palmer 18" Piano Lamp; approx. $58 US). While it barely fits behind the music rest, it has good height, a shade mounted switch, and an adjustable shade for minimizing glare on the display. I also used a frosted bulb to help diffuse the light. It may not meet your requirements, but it performs the necessary function for me.

[hawk85]

P.S. - The base of the Palmer lamp does extend over the back of the CVP-307 a bit, but it is not unstabile.

[lasershow2000]

I already use a halogen from Office Depot, the same one that jjm542 mentioned in an earlier thread:

http://www.staples.com/Catalog/Brow...%26+Table+Lamps

But this lamp -- or, I think, any piano-type lamp that comes over the top of the sheet music -- glares on the CVP's LCD screen. Plus, it lights up the corner of the room where my CVP is.

I'd just like some soft lighting on the control panel. To imagine this, pull the rolltop cover out about 1 inch and feel underneath it. Imagine a row of LED's under there, that could softly illuminate the buttons, without the lights themselves being visible.

The location on the present CVP is not quite perfect, but you get the idea. (Or as I said in my first message, somehow backlight the buttons and labels.)

[wa7bqb]

My suggestion was to try an Ott lamp. The one I finally settled on was a model OTL13FLW. Not a halogen, but a flourescent with special phosphors. It does a reasonably good job in that it fits pretty well, and has a good color balance in the light output.

It doesn't get particulalry hot, either. Since Office Depot has a liberal return policy, you could try it out.

The halogen lamp I also tried was way too bright, way to hot, and blinding to anyone sitting in front of my piano. I must have tried at least five different lamps from various suppliers, and had about all but given up trying to find something suitable. My wife also has an Ott lamp for her sewing machine. I was thinking about trying to talk her out of it ... but it was white, and my piano isn't!

-Dale-

[lasershow2000]

I will consider an Ott lamp. I can understand a long fluorescent bulb will have a softer glow than a point-source halogen bulb.

I wouldn't be able to do the floor-mounted Ott lamp; my wife would not go for the style.

And since this is the Wish List, all I REALLY want is soft lighting on the control panel, so I can see the buttons in dim lighting. An upward-firing music light would be nice too, for times when I use sheet music (mostly I play by ear though).

Thanks for the Ott suggestion!

[wa7bqb]

You should see this lamp, before discarding the notion. The "long" flourescent lamp is only about eight inches. There is a lamp 'baffle' that rotates 360 degrees, and yet permits only about 120 degrees of light to shine on the sheet music.

In my particular case. the CVP309GP, being black and the Ott lamp also being black, works out cosmetically. The floor model lamp sits close to the right side of the keyboard, and "stands" about eight inches above the piano, where it becomes a flexible gooseneck.

Bending the gooseneck into a convenient location just happened to be about the same height as the fall board stand, when raised to the highest position. So you actually don't see much of the lamp structure, it is behind piano structures.

I looked all over the place and tried several lamps before selecting this one. Short of a factory inbuilt design, I couldn't find a better solution. The best part is the illumination. Since it is designed for office use, or in my wife's case (same kind of bulb), for sewing.

[lasershow2000]

Dale --

OK, you make a good point. I did not realize it comes in black, and that it could be positioned behind the piano.

I really appreciate you bringing this up. I will look into that model. Thanks! :)