What are y'all using for a two-tier keyboard stand + music stand?

[Aynsley Green]

Contemplating getting an 88, but two-tier stands are such a pain. Any recommendations?

Bonus points if it can sit an iPad somewhere or has a music stand accessory or the like

[CEB]

Depends on the gig.  I have three I go with.  My favorite especially if the 88 is really heavy is the Monolith.
 

 If  I need to ride a dual manual organ on the top tier I use this On-Stage KS7365-EJ ( why can’t their model names be simple like Fred or Jim).   It’s fiddly with too many parts but it rides a two manual organ on top.  
 

I also use a K&M accordion foldling doomaflopper.  It super light. I like it because it’s light and to add more tiers you just get more stackers.  I use mine when I need 3tiers.  
 

All stands have issues.  I hope for the day we can have antigravity repulser lifts for our boards. 

[AnotherScott]

I like the K&M 18880 which is compact, super light, and easily expandable to multiple tiers. For an iPad holder,  I like this one, which easily clamps onto that stand, or probably any stand that has square (as opposed to round) supports, and has a lot of versatility in how you can angle/position the tablet, and supporting even the largest sized ones.

[CEB]

15 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

I like the K&M 18880 which is compact, super light, and easily expandable to multiple tiers. For an iPad holder,  I like this one, which easily clamps onto that stand, or probably any stand that has square (as opposed to round) supports, and has a lot of versatility in how you can angle/position the tablet, and supporting even the largest sized ones.

That is the K&M folding doomaflopper I own. It’s issue are the spring pins that keep the boards sliding forward off the tiers come loose after a while. No big deal. Every stand has an issue.   It’s very light.  You might worry about it load strength when you see one but it’s fine. It feels more solid as you put more weight on it.  
 

it’s a great stand. I just point out the negatives on everything because the marketers will tell you all the positives. 

[ElmerJFudd]

I’m content using the music stand built for the board if it’s designed to hold it. And if I am placing that board on the upper tier.  Done. However, I rarely use a paper book anymore except for maybe a pit orchestra gig. So if you are using an iPad or tablet for reading, I’d use a boom stand with an iPad mount solution.  

[TommyRude]

For scenarios where I need a very stable stand, I use the K&M 18950.  You can add tiers, ipad holders, all kinds.  The stand itself sets up in seconds, adding the other stuff takes a bit longer.

[CowboyNQ]

2 hours ago, CEB said:

That is the K&M folding doomaflopper I own. It’s issue are the spring pins that keep the boards sliding forward off the tiers come loose after a while. No big deal. Every stand has an issue.   It’s very light.  You might worry about it load strength when you see one but it’s fine. It feels more solid as you put more weight on it.  
 

it’s a great stand. I just point out the negatives on everything because the marketers will tell you all the positives. 

+1 on the doomaflopper.  I really like mine due to its strength, light weight and ease of set up/pack down.  I would add that when you play it at full height it does get a little side to side shimmy going, which can be mitigated by kicking the feet out a little.  I also dislike the pins that Ed has referenced, but for a different reason.  I find they get in the way of my top tier board's keys as it has a shallow draft, as boat builders would say.  I work around this by using Blu-tak to keep the 'board from sliding.

 

For a tablet holder I use this.

 

Generic tablet holder

 

I either connect it to a music stand with the top taken off or a mic stand with the clip taken off.

 

I also use a K&M iPad holder similar to the above but designed specifically for the dimensions of an iPad, which means it's less adjustable but also less fiddly to deal with.  However it looks like they don't make that specific model any more.  My iPad is very old as is the holder.

 

 

[AnotherScott]

5 minutes ago, CowboyNQ said:

 I also dislike the pins that Ed has referenced, but for a different reason. 

On one of my 18881 stackers, I just chopped the pins off. I don't use it angled, so I don't need the pins.

 

Another possibility is to use the 18882 stacker, whether you need its other functions or not, because the piece with the pin is removable, so--depending on teh length of support you need--you may be able to use it either way. The downside to that one is that, because it has the rear structure to support adding yet another tier, unlike the 18881, you can't flip it around backwards, which is sometimes handy.

[Bif_]

Put a music stand behind the keyboard stand.

[D. Gauss]

for ipad. this:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QT1E3K2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

[DovJ]

About iPad holders:

 

I really like the K&M Spider Pro with K&M’s  18873 “Universal Holder” adapter. The super sturdy 18873 has a 3/8”|5/8” adapter. In this picture I’m showing the K&M 1974 Tablet Holder I mounted on a 18873. 
 

Just above it, my Blofeld module is firmly attached with Velcro to part of a Behringer P16MB bracket, which is in turn screwed into another 18873. 
 

I got the Spider Pro because it’s both sturdy and sets up very fast. The 18873 clips into the stand’s outer rails (it’s designed specifically to do that) and holds anything that has a 3/8” or 5/8” attachment. It’s great that you can slide your iPad up and down to the desired position, right above middle C on your topmost board. 
 

The Spider Pro is an expensive system, but a system it is. I’ve never seen anything quite as sturdy that also sets up so quickly and has this level of versatility. 
 

I also love that the Spider Pro integrates cable management in the form of K&M’s “Cable Clamb.” The Spider Pro includes 2 of these, but I added another 3 of them (cheapest part of this costly system, only $1.90 each at Thomann). The Cable Clamb mounts in the Spider Pro’s inner rail (you have to remove the stand top plate once to install them), then move up and down to your desired position. 
 

Again, Spider Pro is a costly investment, but it makes up for that by being truly solid, quick to setup and breakdown and complete in the sense that it is an extremely effective way to hold lots of gear. 

[CowboyNQ]

6 hours ago, AnotherScott said:

On one of my 18881 stackers, I just chopped the pins off. I don't use it angled, so I don't need the pins.

 

Another possibility is to use the 18882 stacker, whether you need its other functions or not, because the piece with the pin is removable, so--depending on teh length of support you need--you may be able to use it either way. The downside to that one is that, because it has the rear structure to support adding yet another tier, unlike the 18881, you can't flip it around backwards, which is sometimes handy.

All good points Scott.  All in all I’m happy to leave the pins there as I do play on an angle and they’re a good fallback if the Blu-tac lets go mid-gig.  Not that it ever has or is likely to.

[Spider76]

"What are y'all using for a two-tier keyboard stand + music stand?"

 

I use a two-tier keyboard stand + a music stand.

[ajstan]

Here's my post from a different thread on my K&M 18880 with the 18881 second tier stacker.  I use a slight incline for my top board, but the pins aren't necessary since I use marine weatherstripping that holds my top keyboard securely in-place.  At home I use the Nord music rest that connects to the top board, but you will need something separate if your top board doesn't have a music stand.

 

 

[Stokely]

I have a spider pro but no music/ipad stand....my MODX7 has enough room on it so that I velcro the ipad to it.  I can still see it enough to see what I need to see:  B-3X, Behringer or QSC mixer apps, and my lyrics app--I still need that crutch unfortunately though I try my best not to just read from it.

I could mount an ipad to the top of the spider but I already have my mic boom.  I could conceivably mount the ipad to the boom but I already feel blocked enough by a column stand, and I also have had problems with drooping mic booms (yeah sounds like a personal problem....)

Now, I also have an Omega Pro single tier and I like it so much I'm considering adding either the 2nd tier or doing the 3rd tier mod I've seen described on this forum (because the 2nd tier is too tall and the bottom arm sticks out too much.)   With that stand, you can add a bunch of attachments, though with a 2nd tier they might be blocked depending on the width of the top keyboard.  I got mine at Thomann because even with the shipping it was way cheaper than all the other stores.

[stoken6]

16 hours ago, AnotherScott said:

For an iPad holder,  I like this one.

How easy is it to take the ipad out of the holder? I'm looking for a solution which allows me to easily retrieve the ipad between sets.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[AnotherScott]

It goes in and out of the holder pretty easily.

[Justin Havu]

Can't comment on a music stand/tablet holder, as I don't use either of those live.  If I need my iPad for anything, it just sits on the right-hand side of my MODX7.

 

As far as 2-tier stands, I have a couple that I use: an OnStage double-tier Z stand, and a 2-tier Stay Tower.

 

Sadly, Stay stands no longer have a US distributor.  They will ship to the US from South America, but the shipping costs could be a lot higher than what the stand is worth.

 

I've had the OnStage Z stand for almost 15 years.  It's definitely showing its age from being gigged a lot, and yes, it consists of a million parts, kind of like a piece of Ikea furniture.  I just tear it down in two parts: Main stand stays together (two sides and crossbar), and the whole 2nd tier assembly.  I will say, that it's the most solid-built stand I own.  No side-to-side wobble at all, even with a 95-lb Roland RD-1000 sitting on top of it (not that I gig my RD-1000, mind you.)

[wjwilcox]

1 hour ago, justin_havu said:

Sadly, Stay stands no longer have a US distributor.  They will ship to the US from South America, but the shipping costs could be a lot higher than what the stand is worth.

Thomann USA has them in stock.  https://www.thomannmusic.com/stay_keyboard_stands_keys.html  I just got a Slim 2-tier in black....shipping, while not cheap, was less than half the price of the stand itself.

[Aynsley Green]

On 2/3/2022 at 7:53 AM, wjwilcox said:

Thomann USA has them in stock.  https://www.thomannmusic.com/stay_keyboard_stands_keys.html  I just got a Slim 2-tier in black....shipping, while not cheap, was less than half the price of the stand itself.

 

I have a Stay Compact 2-tier stand and it kicks ass. They are hard to find though, distribution is patchy and you may end up paying insane money for shipping.

 

Very confusingly, in some markets (such as Australia) they are marketed under the name 'QuikLok by Stay', which threw me because QuikLok stands generally aren't very good. Exactly the same Stay stand, just a different label on the box.

[Aynsley Green]

On 2/3/2022 at 6:16 AM, justin_havu said:

Can't comment on a music stand/tablet holder, as I don't use either of those live.  If I need my iPad for anything, it just sits on the right-hand side of my MODX7.

 

As far as 2-tier stands, I have a couple that I use: an OnStage double-tier Z stand, and a 2-tier Stay Tower.

 

Sadly, Stay stands no longer have a US distributor.  They will ship to the US from South America, but the shipping costs could be a lot higher than what the stand is worth.

 

I've had the OnStage Z stand for almost 15 years.  It's definitely showing its age from being gigged a lot, and yes, it consists of a million parts, kind of like a piece of Ikea furniture.  I just tear it down in two parts: Main stand stays together (two sides and crossbar), and the whole 2nd tier assembly.  I will say, that it's the most solid-built stand I own.  No side-to-side wobble at all, even with a 95-lb Roland RD-1000 sitting on top of it (not that I gig my RD-1000, mind you.)

 

I have one of those OnStage Z stands, it's a studio piece now, working in those circular screw-in things before a gig just jacks up one's hands. And in it's 'assembled' form it's a beast to cart around. Ugly, too.

 

How do you find the Stay Tower on gigs? I'm wondering if would take an ~18kg 88-keyer like a Nord Stage, or should one spring for the Stay Piano Stand?

[CEB]

On 2/1/2022 at 9:19 PM, CowboyNQ said:

+1 on the doomaflopper.  I really like mine due to its strength, light weight and ease of set up/pack down.  I would add that when you play it at full height it does get a little side to side shimmy going, which can be mitigated by kicking the feet out a little.  I also dislike the pins that Ed has referenced, but for a different reason.  I find they get in the way of my top tier board's keys as it has a shallow draft, as boat builders would say.  I work around this by using Blu-tak to keep the 'board from sliding.

 

For a tablet holder I use this.

 

 

 

 

 

Good idea on the Blu-tak!  Thanks

[Justin Havu]

On 2/5/2022 at 6:14 AM, Aynsley Green said:

How do you find the Stay Tower on gigs? I'm wondering if would take an ~18kg 88-keyer like a Nord Stage, or should one spring for the Stay Piano Stand?

 

Easy to set up and tear down, plenty of room for pedals as it doesn't sit flat on the floor like the Apex stands, and it's pretty sturdy.  It holds up to 40kg (88 lbs) per tier so it can handle a Stage or equivalent.  The only thing is that the included bag is not very durable, so I would spring for another bag to carry the stand in, maybe a mic stand bag would work.