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The stand construction thread


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As requested here's my new gig stand for the SK2 and XP30 - from my other thread.

Made from ply and coated a la speaker cabinets with textured black.

 

http://i342.photobucket.com/albums/o430/alanjpearson/2013-09-30174242_zps7db1497e.jpg

Yamaha CP70B;Roland XP30/AXSynth/Fantom/FA76/XR;Hammond XK3C SK2; Korg Kronos 73;ProSoloist Rack+; ARP ProSoloist; Mellotron M4000D; GEM Promega2; Hohner Pianet N, Roland V-Grand,Voyager XL, RMI
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I'm drooling over this one. Looks like I may have a new winter project. Unfortunately I'd like it to be large enough/strong enough for a PC3x on the bottom. Which handles fit the plywood thickness like that? Thanks for sharing.

Mark

"Think Pink Floyd are whiny old men? No Problem. Turn em off and enjoy the Miley Cyrus remix featuring Pitbull." - Cygnus64

 

Life is shorter than you think...make it count.

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I guess you wont be tweaking the Nords controls mid song.

 

You know, it wasn't bad! I gigged with it last night and it was fantastic! When the upper keyboard is too high, I find the arms-forward-zombie-walk-brains!-brains! playing position really uncomfortable. The SK-1 was the most comfortable to play since I got it.

 

When I need to access a Nord control, just slide the SK-1 back. At the time I was welding it up I wondered if i was going to want to add a "catch" at the rear so I don't accidentally push the SK-1 back too far, but last night I realized the mic attachment serves that purpose. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

 

 

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OK, I finally came up with a solution that I like. Hammer action on bottom, all keys as close as possible so that I can reach everything.

 

I'm reversing my slides and putting them on the bottom so that the PX will slide out a couple inches to reveal the panel when needed. Now to get building on the stand.

 

http://hotrodmotm.com/images/stand/mojo_over_px.jpg

 

That's the arrangement I settled on. Weighted controller seems to work best on the bottom tier.

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I'm drooling over this one. Looks like I may have a new winter project. Unfortunately I'd like it to be large enough/strong enough for a PC3x on the bottom. Which handles fit the plywood thickness like that? Thanks for sharing.

Mark

 

Sorry - missed this.

The shelves are reinforced with a batten underneath.

The case handles are into 12mm ply - seems most would suit:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/370882154641?lpid=83&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=83&ff19=0

 

 

R

Alan

Yamaha CP70B;Roland XP30/AXSynth/Fantom/FA76/XR;Hammond XK3C SK2; Korg Kronos 73;ProSoloist Rack+; ARP ProSoloist; Mellotron M4000D; GEM Promega2; Hohner Pianet N, Roland V-Grand,Voyager XL, RMI
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I finished my stand finally. I cut and recut a lot of aluminum pipe to get the ergonomics as perfect as possible. The stand is tall enough that I can stand and play organ comfortably, or sit on a high bench (27") to reach everything. With the cross bracing it is rigid as heck.

 

The bottom crosspiece also serves to hold the pedal board in place.

 

I moved the slides to the front and reverse angled the piano so that everything is a comfortable reach.

 

http://www.hotrodmotm.com/images/stand/mojoPXstand28.jpg

 

 

PX out:

 

http://www.hotrodmotm.com/images/stand/mojoPXstand33.jpg

 

 

PX in:

 

http://www.hotrodmotm.com/images/stand/mojoPXstand38.jpg

Moe

---

 

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Damn, Moe. That looks awesome. How much will they retail for? ;)

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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The T connectors have set screws where they are supposed to remain clamped, and knobs where they are going to release.

 

It takes maybe 2 minutes to break it down to a pile of tubes, and 3 minutes to set up. Not as fast as whipping out an X stand, but fast enough for me.

 

I've been building my stands this way since the 80s. This one is definitely a bit more elaborate. It's super light weight however.

Moe

---

 

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I have a stand design I have used for over 20 years, that I have been meaning to post about. My current rig reconfiguration has caused me to mod it again, so here is some blather.

 

It is built mostly from a USS Apache 3 tier A frame I bought and used in the mid 80s. All the tubes, thumbscrews, and joints are original. I've added my own pieces over the years, and it's become an erector set.

 

 

Looking at Mate's stand and thinking about the lack of Apache parts and hardware today, I was wondering if something similar could be made from small Hollaender speedrail speedrail?

Yamaha CP73; 145 gig Leslie; Nord Electro 61; Oberheim OB3^2; Wurlitzer 200A; Ampeg Gemini I amp; Speakeasy Leslie preamp; QSC K-10

 

 

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I had a bunch of Ultimate tube stuff but unloaded it a number of years ago. The connectors were all breaking, though.

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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A while ago I've been

http://www.theover.org/Keybdmg/dsc00319bcm.jpg

testing the strength of and

 

http://www.theover.org/Keybdmg/dsc00321bmc.jpg

gathering up/saving various kinds of (cheap) materials

 

to make this over-a-decade working keyboard stand (there's a picture in my posts somewhere) a two tier one:

http://www.theover.org/Keybdmg/dsc00320bmc.jpg

 

Beechwood glued panels are now available at the common hardware store, and can be pretty strong, also the length of a keyboard, contrary to chipboard.

 

Of course wing-nuts can be obtained or , but even securing a bolt on one side of a construction can be hard to get done as well as Ikea can. So making it out of detachable parts isn't easy, and even bringing a screw-driver to a session would probably wear out the screw connections in a short while.

 

So last time I visited a big DIY store they had scaffolding parts available per piece. Not very cheap, but they did give me confidence I could take a small tube metal the length of 88 keys keyboard, bolt it to some freaky side-parts, and sit right on the middle part of it, without anything giving a millimeter. Of course, substituting the standardized pipes by something more modern like aluminum-alloy, or even say a very flat U-profile to support the length of a keyboard immediately makes it weak and hard to put together.

 

So making a nice looking, light and functionally strong construction in the age of carbon-fiber getting out dated *should* be do-able, but without drilling/tapping into specialist circles isn't easy.

 

T.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Got my bench made. Since my rig is almost standing height, I needed a tall one (about 27").

 

I have a new Roc n Soc, but don't like it for this application because it locks you into 1 position, and I find myself wanting to slide back and forth playing piano or organ.

 

So I bought a cheapie On-Stage X bench and modified it. To get extra height, and because no X stands are allowed in MoeVille, I splayed the legs and added extra bracing and a foot rest.

 

Everything comes apart with wing nuts like the keyboard stand.

 

Now on to the pedal board, and I'm done!

 

http://www.hotrodmotm.com/images/stand/mojoPXstand39.jpg

 

http://www.hotrodmotm.com/images/stand/mojoPXstand41.jpg

Moe

---

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

The pedal board is coming along but wiring isn't done. It has a lid for transport that doubles as a raised platform to bring it higher for a more natural position. I can also just comfortably keep my feet out of the way when standing to play organ.

 

There are 3 pedals in the middle for the PX, leslie on the left and organ swell on the right, 2 line lumps, a Midi Solutions box, and power.

 

http://www.hotrodmotm.com/images/stand/mojoPXpedals1.jpg

Moe

---

 

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Not wanting to de-rail Moe's thread, but have you seen this quite beautiful stand designed for Mikael Jorgensen of Wilco, by furniture makers UM Project

 

http://umproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/EVENT-PAGE-wilco.jpg

 

 

 

 

It highlights, once again, that we have been poorly served in the stand department.

 

No disrespect intended, Moe - your stand is beautiful too. Good on you for not putting up with the mediocrity of the off the shelf options.

 

We call it the Pinocchio...

What we record in life, echoes in eternity.

 

MOXF8, Electro 6D, XK1c, Motif XSr, PEKPER, Voyager, Univox MiniKorg.

https://www.abandoned-film.com

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Well, it was only a matter of time, but I have to bring up the dreaded (and widely derided) X-Stand.

As I've said many times on this forum, I own MANY keyboard stands. Every time someone gives a positive review of a new (or old) stand, I have to go out and buy one. It's an illness.

It would be refreshing if we could find a stand that didn't have SOME sort of compromise.

I keep coming back to this On-Stage "Heavy Duty" 2-tier x-stand.

($80 at MF): X-Stand at MF *CLONK*

Pros:

* It has a small footprint

* It's strong as Hell

* It only takes one trip to schlep in, and leaves a second hand to carry something else

* It takes about 30 seconds to setup/tear down

* It's fairly light

Cons:

* It's an X-Stand

* Not a lot of foot area for foot controllers/pedals

* There's always that potential for "Catastrophic X-Stand Failure"

* The 2nd tier is WAY out of position (see below)

* It's an X-Stand.

 

With the On-Stage brand, the 2nd Tier is RIDICULOUSLY high, and AWKWARDLY forward. More like bunk-beds than a useable, comfortable 2nd tier -- bunk beds for really tall kids. When using this stock setup, I would have to actually pull my hand back, and then move it WAY up to access the top keyboard, rather than just moving up to the upper board. Horrible design.

 

Stock Stand:

http://imageshack.com/scaled/800x600/34/xein.jpg

 

Luckily, when I bought this from MF, they didn't send the "crossbar" that reinforces the upper arms and keeps them from racking, so when I called them to complain they just sent an entire upper "kit" with new arms. So, since I had two sets of upper tier arms, I wasn't afraid to get out the sawz-all and do some modifying.

First, I cut the uprights - not sure how much (4"?), but I cut them at the original hole for the cross bar. Then, I used my drill press to drill new holes for the uprights, and for the cross bar. Can't remember exact measurements but I did put my lower keyboard on the stand and placed the upper arms where I wanted them before drilling. Then I measured and cut holes for the cross bar. (unfortunately, this put the crossbar at the exact height of the input/output jacks on the lower keyboard, so that might be a consideration for you).

All that was left was to pop out the little "stops" at the end of the upper arms, cut them back about 4", and put the stops back in the holes.

This brought the upper keyboard down about 4", and back about 4". MUCH better position.

http://imageshack.com/scaled/800x600/593/rayt.jpg

http://imageshack.com/scaled/800x600/32/kwxh.jpg

http://imageshack.com/scaled/800x600/713/xla0.jpg

I lost one of the top "caps", but a little work with a file cleans up those sharp edges in no time.

I still bang my shins sometimes when I go for a pedal, but this is great when stage space is limited. I prefer my Standtastic 2-tier, but the footprint is enormous.

So, that's it: don't be afraid to modify your stand to suit YOUR needs!

p.s. Pictures in my garage. That's the beer fridge in the background, currently full of tasty Sam Adams' Octoberfest!

Muzikteechur is Lonnie, in Kittery, Maine.

 

HS music teacher: Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, Chorus, Music Theory, AP Music Theory, History of Rock, Musical Theatre, Piano, Guitar, Drama.

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I finally got the first piece of my first stand built. Nothing fancy, just a dolly for the B3 so it's easy to roll around the room.

 

http://B3and88.com/img/B3-dolly-f.jpg

http://B3and88.com/img/B3-dolly-r.jpg

 

The next step is the carpeted clamp blocks to secure the organ to the dolly with tee nuts and 3/8" bolts. That'll all serve as the foundation for the case. I don't intend to gig with it, but I do hope to move soon. So far, none of the little nicks are mine and I want to keep it that way. The case is being designed to stay on at all times because I'm old and clumsy. It's so pretty I'm afraid of it.

 

It rolls around nicely on six 2 1/2" wheels. There are two additional lengthwise supports underneath to catch a piano dolly for real moving. It's also got oak skids along the front and rear so it can slide easily over a tailgate or top step.

 

I'm not a big fan of the Roll'n'Kari organ dollies. I'd rather use a piano dolly and 2" cotton straps.

--wmp
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My pedal board is giggable now, although I still have not hooked up midi.

 

Packed up:

 

http://www.hotrodmotm.com/images/stand/mojoPXstand44.jpg

 

 

Ready to go. From left to right - slow motor switch for mojo sim; volume, pedal 2, pedal 1 for PX-5S; swell pedal and kick switch for fast motor mojo sim.

 

http://www.hotrodmotm.com/images/stand/mojoPXstand42.jpg

 

I figured out a better way to wire the 2 leslie switches. Instead of brake (which I hate), the kick switch always does tremolo, and the separate switch just turns the slow motors off. It's more like switching between a single speed and dual speed leslie.

 

The 2 Midi Solutions boxes in the back are for injecting midi from an iPad and the control pedal into the PX-5S.

Moe

---

 

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