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I seem to be in the market for a new stand


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My two-tier X-stand just collapsed on me during playing. I've attached an image of it to show which kind it is. It might have been my fault, maybe one of the two thingies in the middle of the X wasn't tightened enough, so my father tested its strength later by leaning on it hard, and that's when the thingie broke.

We've put in a replacement thingie but I'm not trusting this stand anymore. It's quite old and I had gotten it as a gift from a friend whose neighbour wanted to throw it out to the trash.

 

So now I'm thinking of getting a brand new, strong and reliable stand for stage use while retiring the old one for home use. The requirements are:

- Two tier

- Ability to place the two boards really close to each other as well as farther away

- Ability to set it up for playing standing up, as well as for sitting down. (I kind of prefer to put the keyboard unusually low when playing sitting down: I just did a quick measurement and the bottom of the NS2 is just 54 cm from the ground.)

- Does not get in the way of cables. With the X stand I always have to juggle and tetris because of the upper tier supports blocking the output or pedal connectors of the lower tier board.

- I'd like it to successfully prevent the board sliding around on it during playing.

- No fiddling required to set the two boards even with each other and the ground. As you can see on the picture, with the current one a very asymmetrical position is required so that the upper board is (mostly) horizontal, and I had to mark that position with a marker pen to remember it.

 

What are your recommendations?

367.thumb.jpg.e8c0e14f8d16d8654a0f94683bb8e154.jpg

Life is subtractive.
Genres: Jazz, funk, pop, Christian worship, BebHop
Wishlist: 80s-ish (synth)pop, symph pop, prog rock, fusion, musical theatre
Gear: NS2 + JUNO-G. KingKORG. SP6 at church.

 

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I'm a huge fan of the K&M Spider Pro. I got the silver one when it was 100 bucks off (still not cheap at 250)...but I love the portability, everything is self-contained and it goes into a carry bag. Looks super cool if that matters, and I simply marked the "stalk" for sitting vs standing heights for the tiers...just slide them to the mark and done. The legs allow room for pedals etc. unlike an apex-style stalk stand. I also use the mic stand adapter for the top so I don't have to bring a mic stand (which I tend to forget)...though I did beef this up with a different bolt and reinforced it somewhat with a nut under the stand top.

 

However, the top tier is angled and you can't do anything about it...I'd prefer horizontal myself but I'm used to it now. Also, some people say it's a bit too shaky, but my boards are light and I guess I don't play that fiercely...I haven't had any problem with this. You can adjust the height simply enough; "further away" can be done by extending the arms on either tier and just having the keyboard sit out further forward.

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Have you seen this thread?

 

https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/3013301/keyboard-stands-its-an-illness-gas#Post3013301

 

Great discussion about stands, and one of the most popular choices was the K&M 1888x lineup as they are collapsible, lightweight and strong, in addition to having an unencumbered footprint. I ended up picking one up to take along for gigs to reduce my load, as I have been using Apex stands for years and they are pretty heavy.

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I'm a huge fan of the K&M Spider Pro. I got the silver one when it was 100 bucks off (still not cheap at 250)...but I love the portability, everything is self-contained and it goes into a carry bag. Looks super cool if that matters, and I simply marked the "stalk" for sitting vs standing heights for the tiers...just slide them to the mark and done. The legs allow room for pedals etc. unlike an apex-style stalk stand. I also use the mic stand adapter for the top so I don't have to bring a mic stand (which I tend to forget)...though I did beef this up with a different bolt and reinforced it somewhat with a nut under the stand top.

 

However, the top tier is angled and you can't do anything about it...I'd prefer horizontal myself but I'm used to it now. Also, some people say it's a bit too shaky, but my boards are light and I guess I don't play that fiercely...I haven't had any problem with this. You can adjust the height simply enough; "further away" can be done by extending the arms on either tier and just having the keyboard sit out further forward.

It'd be a bit more expensive but you could buy the Spider Pro and an extra horizontal tier arm set. Very simple to swap one out for the other. I made mine in to a 3 tier stand and i used the angled tier for the top synth.

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On-Stage KS7365 Z-stand is what I use. Fully adjustable upper tier in terms of height and slant angle. I used to play with my two boards parallel so it works fine for that. The keyboards can be very very close together on the lowest setting. Heights of both tiers can be adjusted further than the five settings that come with it if you don"t mind using a drill. Heavy duty, I"ve never had any concerns about my boards collapsing. Only gripe is that it"s a little heavy and has sharp corners that can scratch the plastic of a vehicle interior if you aren"t careful. But it"s pretty sturdy.

 

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ZStd2Tier--on-stage-stands-ks7365-ej-pro-heavy-duty-folding-z-stand-with-2nd-tier

 

Edit - the only thing you want that it doesn"t do is the cable jack thing. It does block stuff sometimes but the nice thing is that the base"s width is very adjustable as well so you can minimize it, as long as your upper board fits on the upper tier at said width.

Yamaha: Motif XF8, MODX7, YS200, CVP-305, CLP-130, YPG-235, PSR-295, PSS-470 | Roland: Fantom 7, JV-1000

Kurzweil: PC3-76, PC4 (88) | Hammond: SK Pro 73 | Korg: Triton LE 76, N1R, X5DR | Emu: Proteus/1 | Casio: CT-370 | Novation: Launchkey 37 MK3 | Technics: WSA1R

Former: Emu Proformance Plus & Mo'Phatt, Korg Krome 61, Roland Fantom XR & JV-1010, Yamaha MX61, Behringer CAT

Assorted electric & acoustic guitars and electric basses | Roland TD-17 KVX | Alesis SamplePad Pro | Assorted organs, accordions, other instruments

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I"ll say it again: Hercules Z-Stand. Easy adjustments with zip tabs. Low enough to sit, tall enough to stand. Stable. Room for pedals and your knees. Folds flat, easy pack. Take out the plugs in the arms, fashion your own supports out of 1x3"s, slide em in, supports your upper board while the front edge rests on top of your lower board. Nothing can be closer.

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Rod

Here for the gear.

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+1 for the On-Stage Z stand. On-Stage has various attachments you can buy so that you can have 2 attachments that are above the 2d tier on either side, like mic attachment, small speaker stand, laptop platform, etc.

Numa Piano X73 /// Kawai ES920 /// Casio CT-X5000 /// Yamaha EW425

Yamaha Melodica and Alto Recorder

QSC K8.2 // JBL Eon One Compact // Soundcore Motion Boom Plus 

Win10 laptop i7 8GB // iPad Pro 9.7" 32GB

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A two-tier Onstage Z was what I had prior to the spider pro...while it was a fine stand (I had the mic adapter too), it was awkward to carry unless you took it apart, which I tended not to do. Price was certainly in the Onstage favor.

 

I'm still using it at home though as it's very configurable and no doubt it is sturdier than the Spider Pro.

 

As far as 3 tiers on the Spider, the main issue is that you have to take off the top, no? Which kind of defeats some of the draw of it for me, which is easy and self-contained setup. The other thing I've read there is that it *might* put one of the tiers a bit low for some people, especially if you are tall and/or stand to play.

 

 

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Swore by the Spider Pro for years, but now I am even happier with the Stay 2-tier stand (I'm told Korg actually makes it). Meets all your stated requirements, very easy/quick set up and breakdown, you can set your preferred tier heights forever and forget 'em (or of course very quickly and easily change them at any time); it's way less expensive than the Spider Pro and unlike that one comes with the carrying case included, and is also much lighter to carry but completely stable and sturdy (there are weight limits to what you're supposed to put on it, so check those but I'm guessing you'll be fine). The cable management clips are even more convenient to work with than the ones on the Spider Pro. Only thing is the top tier isn't angled, but the way I use my rig these days, I don't need that.

Rich Forman

Yamaha MOXF8, Korg Kronos 2-61, Roland Fantom X7, Ferrofish B4000+ organ module, Roland VR-09, EV ZLX12P, K&M Spider Pro stand,

Yamaha S80, Korg Trinity Plus

 

 

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Swore by the Spider Pro for years, but now I am even happier with the Stay 2-tier stand (I'm told Korg actually makes it).

 

Stay lists eight different keyboard stands, three of them 2-tier: https://www.staymusicstands.com/products/supports-for-keyboards/

 

Do you know which one is yours?

They look intriguing, and a two tier that I saw on Amazon was only $136, but for that one it only supports 22 pounds per tier and is designed for 61 note boards. How much room do you have for your feet and pedals? It looks like they provide a space, would two FC7s and 2 sustain pedals fit? How about a Behringer FCB 1010?

Numa Piano X73 /// Kawai ES920 /// Casio CT-X5000 /// Yamaha EW425

Yamaha Melodica and Alto Recorder

QSC K8.2 // JBL Eon One Compact // Soundcore Motion Boom Plus 

Win10 laptop i7 8GB // iPad Pro 9.7" 32GB

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  • 2 weeks later...

Always a good topic.

 

I currently have a Spider Pro, a platform style with second attachment, Z with second attachment, and a basic X. Z is by far the most stable, but also the most difficult to transport and setup, by far. I find myself using the platform for single board gigs, and the Spider for two or three board gigs...but in reality, I haven"t used three boards at a gig in at least 5 years.

 

So basically, I love my Z, but it stays at home. Spider Pro not quite as stable as the Z, but stable enough when not using a 50+ pound board. Not sure I"d trust my Yamaha on it. Love the platform stand for stability and ease of transport. That thing folds flat in 5 seconds and you can pretty much sit on it, second deck gets a bit wonky, so don"t really use it anymore. Spider Pro definitely the coolest of my stands, always gets comments.

Steinway L, Yamaha Motif XS-8, NE3 73, Casio PX-5S, iPad, EV ZLX 12-P ZZ(x2), bunch of PA stuff.
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I just added the Stay 69 to my rig. I love it and am going to pick up the Stay81 for single board gigs. I am a convert. The design is a perfect combination of tower and platform, with the perfect amount of room for knees and pedals, and massive stability. I can't imagine a better stand, at least for what I do. We will see how it holds up, since the bag makes it comically unwieldy, so I just take it in the raw. But honestly, it's the best stand I've owned, and I have gone through probably 15 trying to find the right one.

Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material.
www.joshweinstein.com

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I'm looking at this Pilixio standXrwFcck.jpg

 

here's what I have in mind for a second tierfn9Gsiz.png

Triton Extreme 76, Kawai ES3, GEM-RPX, HX3/Drawbar control, MSI Z97

MPower/4790K, Lynx Aurora 8/MADI/AES16e, OP-X PRO, Ptec, Komplete.

Ashley MX-206. future MOTU M64 RME Digiface Dante for Mon./net

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I just added the Stay 69 to my rig. I love it and am going to pick up the Stay81 for single board gigs. I am a convert. The design is a perfect combination of tower and platform, with the perfect amount of room for knees and pedals, and massive stability. I can't imagine a better stand, at least for what I do. We will see how it holds up, since the bag makes it comically unwieldy, so I just take it in the raw. But honestly, it's the best stand I've owned, and I have gone through probably 15 trying to find the right one.

Did a search, no Stay 69 came up. A link please!

Numa Piano X73 /// Kawai ES920 /// Casio CT-X5000 /// Yamaha EW425

Yamaha Melodica and Alto Recorder

QSC K8.2 // JBL Eon One Compact // Soundcore Motion Boom Plus 

Win10 laptop i7 8GB // iPad Pro 9.7" 32GB

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MofI

Thanks! How many pedals do you have? Would you be able to get two expression and two sustain pedals in there?

 

The link you sent shows it's discontinued. I went to their site and they show a model Piano 1000/02 that is also a double column and 2 tiers, but I didn't found anyone that carries it.

Numa Piano X73 /// Kawai ES920 /// Casio CT-X5000 /// Yamaha EW425

Yamaha Melodica and Alto Recorder

QSC K8.2 // JBL Eon One Compact // Soundcore Motion Boom Plus 

Win10 laptop i7 8GB // iPad Pro 9.7" 32GB

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I think the name changed at some point. I know it's not discontinued (or presume it's not) because I just ordered mine. :)

 

I fit: 2 sustain pedals; 1 FC7 expression pedal; one wide patch up/down pedal; one of them little square Leslie on-off pedals; and sometimes one stereo DI. I set them up in a half-moon. There is more room under there than the picture makes clear--something I was initially dismayed about until I set up my Z stand next to it and realized the footprint is actually smaller on this, just more versatile.

Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material.
www.joshweinstein.com

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Spider Pro is very nice. I have one. Presently, I play a custom stand I made out of Gibralter drum parts and couldn't be happier. Best stand I've ever owned. It takes a bit to think about what you want, but then it is EXACTLY right every time, rock solid and easily breaks down for transport. Not inexpensive, but then that seems to be about how it goes. I'm also 6'6" and not much is designed to work for me, so that may also play into my appreciation for my custom stand.
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