covering up keyboard companies names?

supposedly Timbaland covers up the brand names of all his equipment.

i'm not sure they have to, but they often do, sure. there are plenty of reasons. some just don't feel like having a keyboard that doubles as a blatant advertisement. some, on the other hand, might very much want their keyboard to double as a billboard, but they're covering it up until the keyboard company endorses 'em, which is to say, until the keyboard company actually pays 'em for the billboard space. and i can imagine there are instances where a keyboardist who's endorsed by one company finds himself playing another company's keyboard for whatever reason, and covers it up to protect his endorsement.

Classic = Ronald Mael of Sparks playing Roland keyboards with the product name slightly shuffled. Could Google the picture, unfortunately; I think it ran in an early 80s Keyboard Magazine.

(I know, the letters are painted on and you can't just grab and rearrange; I don't recall exactly how the effect was achieved.)

aargh, Could not Google