Broke out my Invisible Stand

[DaveMcM]

Out the many stands I have, this is the only one that worked well for the two keyboards I’m using tonight. Had to add some foam pipe insulation here and there which really adds to the look.  

[wjwilcox]

Industrial chic.

[DaveMcM]

2 minutes ago, wjwilcox said:

Industrial chic.

 Hold be the name of my new band.

I’ll be uploading a pic with keyboards in place this evening.

[jerrythek]

I still have two of these.

[DJkeys]

I also have two holding up my studio gear (see avatar). Also, still have my unused case for one of them-

 

-dj

[dazzjazz]

I wish I’d never sold mine. 

[DaveMcM]

[stoken6]

All-Casio rig - and how good does that Privia look in blue!

 

Cheers, Mike.

[lsj]

owned a couple of these back in the day.  they were great.  I'm surprised that no company is doing a remake of these stands.

[Bobby Simons]

1 hour ago, lsj said:

owned a couple of these back in the day.  they were great.  I'm surprised that no company is doing a remake of these stands.

Took the words right out of my mouth. I had mine stolen at a gig many moons ago, have aways missed it.

[eric]

What a nice blast from the past! There have been a ton of Invisible love threads (and some hate threads) over the past few decades. I first got one in 1987 and used them faithfully for every gig when I was using more than a single keyboard. I still have four of them and a bunch of accessories/shelves/etc. I used to write letters to Invisible back in the day before there was email. Sadly, they didn't stay in business.

 

A few of us have talked about trying to revive the design and manufacture this stand again. One forum member had sketched out designs and was investigating this a few years ago. It's a very special stand and to quote the tired pop culture phrase, "if you know, you know" LOL. 

[David Emm]

I gave mine away when I passed my Korg TR61 on to a music student who wanted to take up a synth. The main strut mechanism in the middle blew out at one point, so I cobbled a fix together with some new hardware-store cables and it held up beautifully. Best stand I ever encountered or owned, once I saw what a rock it really was. Not the quickest stand to assemble on a deadline, but for sure the most solid one ever.

[DaveMcM]

12 hours ago, stoken6 said:

All-Casio rig - and how good does that Privia look in blue!

 

Cheers, Mike.

I’ve had the PX-560 for quite a while. It’s a pity that some folks don’t give Casio a fair shake. The PX-560 has some very cool and useful features. And it’s blue!

 

I bought the little CT-S1000V to have something light, battery powered with internal speakers for quick vocal rehearsals or for just jamming around on the back porch. Turns out it has some really good sounds and surprising programmability and a nice feeling keybed. On a whim I thought it would be fun to use it on a jazz quartet gig with me, drums bass and sax. I used it for some vibes, guitar, strings and believe it or not a little organ. 😮 Obviously not as good as a Hammond or clone, but the fact is, it wasn’t horrible. Even the rotary effect was acceptable. If organ was the featured instrument I would certainly use my DMC-122/Gemini but I was pleasantly surprised at how this small, relatively inexpensive instrument held its own.

[Delaware Dave]

LOL, when I started my band Dyin Breed back in 2003 we opened for another band and the keyboard player for the band we opened for had one of those stands and let me use it.  I used my 72 pound Equinox and the keyboard player had an Electro 2 sitting on top.  My Equinox kept sliding off the stand and I remember at one point playing a solo while using my leg and left hand to hold in my lap as it slid off the stand.  Apparently my keyboard was too 'deep' for the stand.  I've never used or seen one since that show until I saw your picture just now.  It goes without saying that I'm not fond of the stand based on that experience.

[Adam C.]

On 2/6/2023 at 2:48 PM, Delaware Dave said:

The cool thing about ‘INVISIBLE KEYBOARD STANDS’ was, they were  almost kind of like customizable Erector Sets.

 

There were extra long ‘extended arms’ for larger Keyboards, special rubber pads to keep your Keyboard from sliding around or moving at all, parts to elevate and angle the Keyboard up on top for better viewing, the ability to use up to 3 different Keyboards on just one Stand while keeping the footprint and space that it would take up no larger  than the Keyboards themselves…

 

The list goes on and on.

 

The problem is, if you didn’t have some of those extra little accessories, (or if they got lost for some reason) then that would greatly diminish the usability of the Stand for sure.

 

I’ve got at least 5 complete Stands right now, (as well as a bunch of extra of the aforementioned ‘pieces & accessories’) and I wouldn’t Trade them for anything.

I’ve used every kind of Keyboard Stand imaginable over the past 37+ years and, while they all have their different strengths and weaknesses, the ‘INVISIBLE STANDS’ still remain my favorite.

[Adam Burgess]

Never seen one in the wild. Guess they weren't a thing in the UK.

Was all Quik Lok for me late 80s into the 90s. Then I could afford K&M 😛 
Then I must've gone mad and made a Gibraltar! And, that IS customisable - although, 20x the weight by the looks of that Invisible!

[zxcvbnm098]

Using mine at a gig tonight. Perfect for a two-keyboard rig. 

 

I have 4.....love them!

[AUSSIEKEYS]

On 2/10/2023 at 1:06 AM, Adam Burgess said:

Never seen one in the wild. Guess they weren't a thing in the UK. 
 

 

Similar here in Australia. I think they existed here back in day but Ive never seen one. Nor in one of the stores in Sydney in the 80s (where I made a hobby of driving around to every keyboard store in the 80s in my Morris Minors. The journey in my Morries to various stores all over Sydney was indeed an adventure hence I visited them often) Visiting stores often was similar to going on this forum to find out whats new.

 

Ive looked at the photos and still cant get excited about one as they look too "Heath Robison" to be quick and easy.

 

I get the positioning of 2 tiers is very good but the messy "Mechano constructor set" assembly puts the Sydney Harbour Bridge to shame. Theres more gantry and connecting parts than on any bridge. Hee hee

[AnotherScott]

26 minutes ago, AUSSIEKEYS said:

I get the positioning of 2 tiers is very good but the messy "Mechano constructor set" assembly puts the Sydney Harbour Bridge to shame. Theres more gantry and connecting parts than on any bridge. Hee hee

 

Once you settle on how you want it, complete setup or knockdown takes well under 30 seconds. But it travels in 4 pieces. They later came out with another version which breaks down and sets up even faster and travels in one piece, but its construction is less substantial, and you can't get the two tiers quite as close (at least not without drilling more holes).

[AWkeys]

My main two-tier stand is the K&M 18880 with the stackers, and I love it for gigs where I sit. It's a bit of a pain to readjust for standing gigs, so for those I bring out my faithful Invisible Stand. I don't even remember how long ago I got it - must have been at least 20-25 years ago. Obviously bought it used, and it never lets me down. A couple complaints:

 

1. At my height of 6'2" I have the stand set up pretty high and I get a lot of bounce when playing piano on my Kronos (set up on the first tier). That's just the nature of the build though, not a comment to the quality of it.

 

2. I've never found a satisfactory way of keeping the second-tier keyboard from sliding off the rubber "wheels" in the back and the top of the posts in the front without either using gaffer tape or velcro. The stand can take a beating but the keyboards bounce a lot.

 

Still, I made sure to buy another Invisible two-tier as a backup some years ago. Haven't needed to use it once. It's a little different from my first one in that it uses metal braces in the post holes instead of nuts/screws. I prefer the nuts/screws.

 

Another thing someone gave me a while back is a really unique Invisible X-stand. It has a very cool wing-like look and you set the width with a chain, so it's way more adjustable than any other X-stand, and while bulkier, it looks really cool!

[AnotherScott]

16 minutes ago, AWkeys said:

I've never found a satisfactory way of keeping the second-tier keyboard from sliding off the rubber "wheels" in the back and the top of the posts in the front without either using gaffer tape or velcro.

 

Yes, Invisible works for me (and I suspect many others) because we don't care to tilt our keyboards. I wouldn't recommend it for someone who wants tilt. Those rubber wheels to give you tilt are barely workable solutions for that. I don't think you can get away from the fact that wheels are designed for motion, that's kind of the point of a wheel. So especially if you're going to apply lateral motion to the keyboard (like organ swipes), if you're resting the board on wheels that are parallel to that motion, even if the wheels have some friction at their axle, it's probably not surprising to see some lateral "give" as you play.

 

27 minutes ago, AWkeys said:

My main two-tier stand is the K&M 18880 with the stackers

 

If anyone ever re-did the Invisible, I'd like the attachable front and rear keyboard supports to be squared off (as in those stackers) rather than thin cylinders. Increasing the surface area of the contact point between the tier and the keyboard resting on it should further help prevent any side-to-side motion while playing. I remember reading where people have even talked about velcro'ing down a light keyboard like a VR09 so side-swiping doesn't move the board. You can't velcro anything to a thin cylinder.

[TommyRude]

Chatbot weighing on the Invisible Stand:

 

As an AI language model, I don't have personal experiences or opinions but I can provide you with information about the invisible keyboard stand based on what's been published online and in product descriptions.

 

The invisible keyboard stand is a type of stand that is designed to hold a keyboard or digital piano in a stable and secure manner while also providing a clean and uncluttered look. Some of the features that are often advertised include its compact size, ease of setup and transport, and compatibility with a variety of keyboard models.

 

However, it seems that some users have reported issues with the stability and security of the stand, with keyboards slipping or sliding, and with the stand being prone to shaking or rattling. Some users have also reported that the stand takes a long time to set up and tear down, which can be a hindrance during live performances or in other time-sensitive scenarios.

 

It's worth noting that not all users have had these issues and that the performance of the stand may vary based on the specific model, the weight and size of the keyboard being used, and other factors. Some users may have also encountered these issues due to incorrect usage or incorrect setup of the stand.

[Dave Bryce]

On 2/4/2023 at 10:04 AM, jerrythek said:

I still have two of these.

 

As do I.

 

dB

[AUSSIEKEYS]

Ahh the collector club.

 

You are all starting to sound like me a collector or is that hoarder.

 

They are vintage so can class as collectable.

[zxcvbnm098]

Scott, I actually wrap velcro (the "hook" side) around the arms, from end to end on the top part that holds the keyboard. I then put the softer part (the "loop" part) underneath my keyboard. I only use maybe the 1/2" version of velcro, but it holds my Electro 5D and Artis quite well. I was smearing away last night on organ parts from the Nord and this held great. 

 

Every now and again I re-do it, but it holds for months like this...

[kenheeter]

Mine Invisible stand is currently set up in my studio and is holding up my NS3C and my NumaX 73. I use pieces of that non-slip matting to stop keyboards from sliding around, it works great! I gigged it for years but these days  I use a K&M 18880 with second tier for gigs, I have mounted a mic boom on it too. Mojo 61 on the bottom, whatever needed on top.

The flat top and front mounted controls on the Mojo 61 mean I can slide it under the top keyboard and get the keybeds close.

[brenner13]

Reaching for the top keys started making my back cramp up so have stopped using mine. Much prefer the On Stage Z two tier and the Hercules Z two tier; both allow a slight tilt for the top board that makes all the difference for me. It’s a shame really because the Invisible sets up in about 30 seconds and tears down in about 5. The Z stands take over 5 minutes to set up and tear down, the Hercules slightly less time. However, transporting both to the Hercules and Invisible is a pain in the patootie. I got the gig bag for the On Stage…it is of excellent quality and extremely durable.

[engineerjoel]

Love my invisible stands… 

[D. Gauss]

if any of you hoarders care to part with one the many you own, let me know.

[ChiefDanG]

Hey D.Gauss - check your messages.