2 Tier stand recommendations needed (or alternative ideas)

[StanC]

The 18880 stand looks great if you're a stander. Where do your knees go if you're a sitter?

[AnotherScott]

The easiest way to carry a monolith is upside down grabbing the bottom or sticking you arm through the stand and setting the bottom on your shoulder. I also carry it where the legs would swing toward me if they would happen to want to swing.

Or you could try swinging a bone at it.

[ABECK]

K&M Spider (Pro) --

 

With the Spider Pro, is that top tier permanently tilted down, or is there a way to make it flat?

The upper arms that come with it are permanently tilted. I belive you can order straight ones though.

 

Does the spider remember it's height settings when you break it down for transport?

 

Not necessarily. The top and bottom tiers when folded in, have to be a minimum distance apart to fit in the column. I would say it would be unlikely that you wouldn't have to move either when folding it up. The best approach to "save" height settings would be to make a small mark on the column (tape, or marker) to align to when setting it up. It's very simple to adjust.

 

How heavy is it? I've heard many reports that's quite a bit of weight to lift...

.

 

Heavy - yes. Too heavy - subjective, but in my opinion, it is not too heavy. The bag would be a good purchase for transport.

 

I have 4 foot pedals -- two piano style sustain pedals, one expression pedal, and a UMI USB 3, 3 foot switch pedal ... would these fit under or with the spider's legs? ... Could I put them onto a pedalboard of sorts and still have them fit properly?

I have a pedal board with a Ventilator, volume pedal and 2 sustain pedals that fits underneith. It is tight and I have to angle my foot to reach one of the sustain pedals. But, it's not too tight. I zip tie my pedal board to the legs to ensure it does not float around.

[theGman]

Spider Pro weighs just under 22 lbs.

 

The arms fold into the "spine", the legs fold (like a spider, I guess) up tight, so I carry mine in one hand at my side, horizontally. Nothing sticks out that much. The folded up length is about 4 feet long.

 

The total folded up stand I find very easy to carry and slide into my van next to the 2 keyboard bags.

FWIW, Paul

[DanL]

I have a 2 tier standtastic, it's sturdy, sets up relatively fast (except for the 1st time when you adjust everything to how you want it) it's 4 pins that lock the tiers in place, 2 braces that wing nut on from front to back, and 2 knobs that you tighten to adjust the width. Fits in a long, narrow bag. It's a little heavy but no more than any sturdy stand. You can adjust the height of both tiers and have them at any angle you want. Plenty of room for pedals underneath.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/dan88z/E8BD4B6E-1DB2-4BE0-9633-FE31A0078E5D-7795-00000BBCBD3CD8C6.jpg

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/dan88z/1B8A062A-E161-4665-96B4-55F53013EFAD-14290-0000170F6909C538_zps600d41c4.jpg

[frogmonkey]

The biggest issue I have with the Monlith is that while it folds flat (as do the ones listed above), it's still pretty big (especially with the tier), and I'm not sure it would work well in my minivan -- I'd have to completely change how I load stuff, and maybe take the rear bench out (which I can normally leave in).

 

At 23 lbs it's no lightweight, but probably a lot lighter and easier to carry than my two X stands.

 

I've never had trouble packing it in a van (lately a Honda Odyssy), even one that's full of gear and people. I usually leave the 2nd tier on. The trick is to pack it last, standing up, behind the rest of the gear (you need to leave an inch or two between the pile of gear and the back door).

 

In my Subaru wagon, I stand it up behind the front seats and wedge in a towel or something to hold it from rocking. I like to imagine it serves as a cargo shield (not really).

 

If I need to make it more compact, I take off the 2nd tier (which I don't like), and I can lay the thing flat and put gear on top of it.

 

But as long as I don't have to take off the tier, it requires zero assembly on stage!

 

Carrying it 1-handed requires a certain balance to keep it from swinging open, but I do it just fine. I'll have to try CEB's carrying method tonight!

[enigma0Z]

Thanks again everyone -- I'm really liking the Spider and Monolith stands at the moment, but the standtastic looks interesting too...

 

Spider -- Weighing 22 lbs -- that's not too much. My keys weigh more. My Z stand probably weighs as much. If it's more manageable than the Z stand in-bag (which is big, square, and lumpy mostly), then it's better. Do the keys wobble a lot while on the Spider? What about stability, do you worry about your keys toppling off one of the back corners? What about the Baby Spider? I'm thinking that 50" may be too tall for my purposes and better served by the shorter stand with a second tier added (need to measure my current Z to be sure) ... Alternately, what's the 50" like if you don't have that top tier extended all the way -- is it really tall and awkward looking?

 

Standtastic -- What are these stands like to set up and tear down? Are they threaded or spring-pin based, or do they just hinge and fold up? What about stability? I don't mind the footprint as my Z takes up about that much space anyway... Is there a bag available, and are there a lot of bits to be removed/reinstalled?

 

Thanks again...

[CEB]

Standtastics take up more real estate from front to back. I have a stand that was a predecessor to the Standtasic design. I only use it now if I need 3 tiers.

 

I leave my standatasic type stand together as one piece with the legs folded in. then I secure everything with the litlle itty bitty bunge hooks I use for securing biycle wheels on my car's bike rack. You won't be able to do this with mine if you haul it in most cars. The standtasic folds in some how so it is like a hauling a single fence post.

[DanL]

Standtastic -- What are these stands like to set up and tear down? Are they threaded or spring-pin based, or do they just hinge and fold up? What about stability? I don't mind the footprint as my Z takes up about that much space anyway... Is there a bag available, and are there a lot of bits to be removed/reinstalled?

 

Thanks again...

 

The Standtastic breakdown is easy. Pull the pins for each tier to let them drop down flat (the pins are connected with a nylon web kind of thing, like a stand for a speaker has for it's pins). Loosen the wing nuts for the side braces where they connect to the front legs, move the braces back and stick them to the rear upright with the velcro that is on them. Loosen the 2 big knobs on the rear of the back legs and slide them up in their channel to collapse the stand together. Push the front legs back to meet the rear legs. The whole stand collapses into about a 5 inch square and is about 4' tall. I weighed mine- 20lbs in the bag that it comes with.

 

Nothing comes off the stand for setup/teardown, it all remains connected.

 

It is a very stable stand, no bouncing at all. It will get some slight side to side movement if you don't tighten all the wingnuts and lock knobs down. I periodically retorque the ones that don't regularly get touched with normal setup/teardown.

[deetee]

Standtastic -- What are these stands like to set up and tear down? Are they threaded or spring-pin based, or do they just hinge and fold up? What about stability? I don't mind the footprint as my Z takes up about that much space anyway... Is there a bag available, and are there a lot of bits to be removed/reinstalled?

 

The arms of each tier are held in by a couple of pins. Depending on how close your two tiers are you could just remove one pin from each arm to fold it up. I've been using one for the past year.

 

- main advantages are being able to get your upper and lower tiers as close together as you want. It's infinite in that sense. It also folds away into a bag that's easy to carry

 

- main disadvantage is that it's a bit fiddly to set up. Only takes a couple of minutes though. It'll take a lot longer the first time though as because the tiers can be set up to any height it takes a while to decide on the right height and make sure both sides are level

 

I've seen the large footprint mentioned a couple of times but it's not caused me a problem (and I mostly play pub gigs rather than stage gigs). Might be worth measuring first if you often find yourself in tight spaces though!

 

I paid a lot for mine to have it shipped over to the UK and although its not perfect the only stand that I'd consider changing it for is one of the K&M table stands. Since my style is a bit 'retro' I'm not a big fan of the aesthetics of the spiders.

[JeffLearman]

At a music festival, the kb player before me had a Standtastic. We were running way behind schedule, after midnight, so I helped by handing him stuff from offstage as he was ready. It sure looked fiddly and took him way more time that I'd permit, to set it up. Also, it did take more floor space than I want.

 

With my two X stands, it's just set one down, put keyboard on, set the other down, load top keyboard. The issue with them is where to stash one when setting down the other, and carrying the two is clumsy. It's also be nicer to have a bit more foot room, and less weight.

 

The 18880 stand looks great if you're a stander. Where do your knees go if you're a sitter?

Even at a grand piano, my knees don't go under, or very far under (and I have long legs). If your knees are that far under your keyboard, your arms are bent more than they should be. It's not like using a computer keyboard or eating dinner.

[JeffLearman]

A possible issue about a Z stand is for outdoor gigs on uneven ground. Frankly, we shouldn't be doing them, but practically speaking, we do. With 4 legs, I can always get 3 feet on the ground, and shim the 4th. This seems to work well enough (with some fussing, sometimes) with the bar-feet of an X stand. But I'd worry about the bottom bar of a Z stand, on lumpy ground.

 

I suppose I could shim both feet one one side, though.

[theGman]

Ref the Spider stability, I have had not even thought about that, so I guess it is stable.

 

If I wanted a little Midget Spider, I could make it from the regular one...the center spine is an aluminum casting, so you can just unscrew the top plastic cap, get out a saw and customize it to whatever height you wanted.

 

No, I'm not recommending that, of course, but if someone really wanted a Midget, but found a regular height one for sale cheap, don't pass it up, just cut it down.

 

The modern look of the stand is feast or famine styling. I personally am of "retro" age and style, so I would ideally like a stand which looked not as modern, but what the heck...the positives outweigh the negative by a very long shot. I bought the silver one (used). If I had a choice, I would have bought the black one and that would have definitely toned down the look.

[enigma0Z]

Standtastics take up more real estate from front to back. I have a stand that was a predecessor to the Standtasic design. I only use it now if I need 3 tiers.

 

I leave my standatasic type stand together as one piece with the legs folded in. then I secure everything with the litlle itty bitty bunge hooks I use for securing biycle wheels on my car's bike rack. You won't be able to do this with mine if you haul it in most cars. The standtasic folds in some how so it is like a hauling a single fence post.

 

CEB - I'm not sure I understand the remark I've bolded above.

[theGman]

Best stand of all time is the Vox Continental IMHO. Put the Nordster on it, and then it's time to reverse the key colors!

[CEB]

Mine predates the Standtastic company It doesn't break down as far. But the Standtastic Breaks down further. The furthest mine breaks down is still about 3 feet wide and about 4+ feet tall unles you remove the tiers then it is only 3.5 feet tall.

 

[Michael Wright]

Best stand of all time is the Vox Continental IMHO. Put the Nordster on it, and then it's time to reverse the key colors!

Best stand I ever had was my CP-70B!

[CEB]

The one thing the CP-70 was good for.

[Michael Wright]

The one thing the CP-70 was good for.

[DanL]

At a music festival, the kb player before me had a Standtastic. We were running way behind schedule, after midnight, so I helped by handing him stuff from offstage as he was ready. It sure looked fiddly and took him way more time that I'd permit, to set it up. Also, it did take more floor space than I want.

 

With my two X stands, it's just set one down, put keyboard on, set the other down, load top keyboard. The issue with them is where to stash one when setting down the other, and carrying the two is clumsy. It's also be nicer to have a bit more foot room, and less weight.

 

Boo on that keyboard player for not being more prepared. Whenever we play a gig like that I have my stand set up prior to staging. Yes, the Standtastic does take a little more time to set up than an X stand, but it can easily be done in minute or 2.

[Losendoskeys]

The quik Lok folds up easy but running the second tier involves removing it and then finding someplace to store/transport it. There is a bag for the stand but you have to disassemble everything to fit it in the bag.

 

I don't know exactly which stand you're referring to but you DON'T have to remove the second tier on the Z71.

The whole thing folds up flat - I'll take a picture on Sunday when I pack up for the next gig............

 

No doubt in my mind the Z71 is the best stand - for me anyway.

I've been through the whole X-stand thing and this is the most versatile, fastest to set up and above all lightest!

 

 

Each only weighs 6Kg (I have two - one with a second tier)

Here is the photo of the two tiers folded:

http://i342.photobucket.com/albums/o430/alanjpearson/DSC00327_zpsd504b22e.jpg

 

[Losendoskeys]

PS 6Kg is 10.5lb for you Yankee doodles..............

[Losendoskeys]

Best stand of all time is the Vox Continental IMHO. Put the Nordster on it, and then it's time to reverse the key colors!

Best stand I ever had was my CP-70B!

While I don't agree with the sentiment it does work from a practical standpoint..........

 

http://i342.photobucket.com/albums/o430/alanjpearson/DSC00328_zpsb181322c.jpg

[HAMEGZ]

I just tried searching for the two tier Z7 series QuikLok stands.

It appears discoed on some sites, others I can find a Z70 single but not the second special folding tier.

Looks like it will take some digging to find a Z72.

[Losendoskeys]

I just tried searching for the two tier Z7 series QuikLok stands.

It appears discoed on some sites, others I can find a Z70 single but not the second special folding tier.

Looks like it will take some digging to find a Z72.

 

Quick check shows Quiklok Z71 on Amazon.com - you just need to find the Z2 2nd tier rather than the Z72..........

 

http://www.amazon.com/Quik-Z-71BK-Keyboard-stands-displays/dp/B001NFJLKG/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1364303919&sr=1-1&keywords=quiklok+z2

[Chris Link]

The Monolith:

 

PROS: Very stable. Folds flat. Plenty of room (I play sitting and HATE bumping my shins on an X stand).

 

CONS: Relatively heavy. Awkward shape doesn't ride on a handcart easily. Not as adjustable as some stands.

 

All in all, I'd probably buy one again, but would be open to looking at alternatives.

 

 

[HAMEGZ]

I just tried searching for the two tier Z7 series QuikLok stands.

It appears discoed on some sites, others I can find a Z70 single but not the second special folding tier.

Looks like it will take some digging to find a Z72.

 

Quick check shows Quiklok Z71 on Amazon.com - you just need to find the Z2 2nd tier rather than the Z72..........

 

http://www.amazon.com/Quik-Z-71BK-Keyboard-stands-displays/dp/B001NFJLKG/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1364303919&sr=1-1&keywords=quiklok+z2

 

 

therein is the rub. I did find the 71 on Amazon, but the second tier is elusive. QuikLok is listing the 71 as "legacy", and its a shame that its being replaced by something different.

[Losendoskeys]

Maybe in the US - they are readily available in the UK - I got mine from a UK distributor at wholesale price

[theGman]

I thought a kg was 2.2 lbs. That would make it 13.2 pounds each. Is that correct?

Or, just under 1 Stone in weight. We use "Stones" here in the backwoods of the Shenandoah Valley. ha ha ha

[theGman]

I should have said "the best LOOKING stand of all time" IMHO was the Vox Continental chrome thing.

 

If someone somehow designed a stand that looked stylistic like that one, for 2 keyboards & easy to carry, etc. I would buy one.

 

Never have understood how, with all the fancy stuff available for other instruments, we have "early industrial age" looking stands, for the most part (Spyder excepted). I mean, you can't hide it in that well even with matte black paint, so why not someone go the other extreme and make a nice looking one?