Music Stand Recommendations ...

[SamIAm]

Much as I strive to learn songs from memory ... I find ... hmmmm, forgotten what I was going to say

 

Anyway, I've never really found "the perfect" stand and would appreciate your experience.  The elements that I'd like are:

• Sturdy.
• Lightweight.
• Can be folded away without the seemingly Escher like contortions to fold away the top bit that seem all too common.
• Can be used whilst sitting or standing.
• Able to take a tablet, either on the music holder or by attaching a mounting rig to just below the music holder.

 

S'manth x

[JapanAxe]

RATstands Jazz Stand.

 

Pros:

Strong

Light

Folds flat without tools

Adjusts to any reasonable height 

Extra ledge for pencils etc

 

Cons:

Pricey

[SubsonicSimpleton]

I really like this type of stand - not advocating for this specific offering, but I've bought new stagg(from local music shop) thomann own brand, and picked up another used because they are so useful(they all look like they came off the same production line).

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/314261119785

available from multiple sources - key to their usefulness is the rigidity of the one piece top and the size of the lip coupled with the strength/stability of the base, which means they can happily accomodate heavy books or be tilted backards and used as a stand for tablets/laptops/multitrack recorders/small mixing desks etc.

 

Main practical drawback is how small they fold down if you want to cart them about, I have seen a couple of versions with quick release clamps for the top, but I think you need to pay for something like this

https://www.thomann.de/gb/km_11940_orchestral_music_stand.htm

if you want reliable operation.

 

I haven't had any issues with any of my cheap ones so far, but if I needed to subject them to a hard life on the road I would pay more for someting similar from a company like Konig & Meyer rather than replacing them with anonymous chinese manufactured ones if they expire.

 

I also have a traditional spindly lightweight folding stand, but they are deeply annoying to use, and the only time I have begrudgingly carried one in recent times for my own use is when I was travelling regularly with my double bass on bus/train. I would not spend money on one unless you really must have something that folds up that small.

 

[ezbass]

Hmm, sturdy, lightweight and compact folding are probably counter indicative terms (although they may exist, but probably at a significant cost). I have spindly, fold up thing somewhere, but definitely only for home use. When using one live (yes, I know, but sometimes needs must, especially for short notice deps), I used a bolt on one with a mic stand.

[tauzero]

We have one spindly folding lightweight one and one snow shovel. I only bother with the spindly lightweight one, the snow shovel (nominally Mrs Zero's) weighs a ton - admittedly it doesn't have the lightening holes drilled in the shovel section.

 

I have also used it to put a tablet on, so it's not impossible to do that.

 

Edited December 27, 2022 by tauzero
Tablet bit

[TheGreek]

I prefer the A frame design.  I have a compact Hercules which fits in a bag but I don't trust it as much. 

[Dan Dare]

K&M always worth a look.

[StingRayBoy42]

On 10/01/2023 at 12:41, Dan Dare said:

K&M always worth a look.

+1 for K&M. 

They're not cheap, but they are incredibly well designed, built like a tank and (I'm told) they stock spare parts for all their products.
 

[Downunderwonder]

The folded metal shelf with speed holes mounting on tripod stand is what you want. The shelf part can sit flat on tour cab on its trolley.