Three Tier Stands

[MusicaL]

Does anyone here use a three tier stand for their rig? I am looking at a three keyboard rig, and I wouldn't want to use the L-shape config. I'd rather stack the boards.

 

However, I sit down when I play so, the keyboards cannot be too far away from my seated position.

 

I now have a three tier stand that is useless to me because I just can't get it to do what I need it to do, which is to get all three boards very close vertically to each other.

 

I am looking on the web at this stand: http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/tn/5/8/2/260582.jpg It's the Quik-Lok QL-699.

 

One of the descriptions of this stand indicates that it is designed for sit down player!!

 

Anyone has any experience with this one or recommendations for any other set up?

 

TIA

 

aL

[Joe Tee]

If you do a search on this forum you will find many threads regarding this same issue. I was using three boards for a while...seated....and found the Standtastic to be the way to go...very stable...although it does take a little longer to set up and tear down....

 

Good Luck..

[RABid]

I've grown to hate my Quik-Lok stand. It is their top of the line with all the features. Everything is great but the stability. Keyboards bounce too much.

 

Went to my favorite keyboard store a few weeks ago and they had this great, very stable stand holding a RD700SX and two other keyboards. It turned out to be a Standtastic. That's gonna be my next stand.

 

Robert

[MusicaL]

Thanks for the tips. I hadn't heard of the standtastics... They look rather austere, but who cares as long as they work!!

 

I had an Apex stand that I returned immediately because of too much bouncing around.

 

aL

[Dave Pierce]

My three-tier Standtastic is awesome. I play standing, but I'm sure it's fine for sitting too, it's completely adjustable.

 

At the rehearsal studio I've got an old Apex in the middle of a two-tier X-stand. The Apex acts as the middle tier. Believe it or not that works quite well too!

 

--Dave

[Odyssian]

That QL-699 looks like it'd be a better 3-tier stand than the previous Quik Lok X stand 3-tier model. With the old X stand, there was no way to adjust the height of the 2nd or 3rd tier. So for me, the problem I had was that the top tier was so high, I couldn't see the audience (I play standing up).

 

The next 3 tier stand I bought was the USS X stand. It was very heavy duty, and allowed for adjustments in every possible axis. Problem is, it was near impossible to set it up correctly. This is due to the fact that the upper tiers adjusters (screw, cam, whatever you call it...) allowed movement in all directions. In other words, if you wanted to adjust the tilt, it would probably throw the height off from where you wanted it, and vice versa.

 

The problem is even worse in practice, because the third tier adjustments are based on the 2nd tier adjustments. Move one to where you want it, and you lose all the other positions... It's very frustrating....

[Nordude]

I think the Quick Lok is stable enough (I own one and its stability is good IMHO, even with my RD700 stage piano on the bottom tier), but it's not as easily transported as e.g. an Apex type stand. So I leave it at home and use double X's for the heavier keyboards at gigs (I use 2 boards max). Disadvantage: less room for legs and pedals (especially when seated).

 

I realise myself that this doesn't offer a 3-tiered solution. With sufficient transport possibilities and/or the commitment to install/de-install the stand from/to its components, I think the QL is a fine choice.

[MidLifeCrisis]

Since I stand and bang a lot, the QL 3 tier did not seem to have the stability I needed. I had a machinist friend make me a solid steel bottom frame and parts for a second tier. I used the hardware from some old QL stands to put it together. I then added a regular QL tier extension to form my third tier. It's solid as a rock. I could stand on my boards and jump up and down if I wanted to.

[DaveMcM]

Ditto on the Standtastic. I still have my two and three tier Standtastic stands that I purchased some 15 or so years ago and they are great. They don't have the eye appeal of some of the newer stands out there, and while they take a minute longer to set up than the typical X stand, I don't know of anything else that does a better job of holding multiple heavy keyboards.

 

Dave

[DanL]

I made a PVC attachment for my 2 tier stand. It inserts into the 2nd tier and has padded supports that rest on the 2nd tier keyboard. It cost me about 5 bucks to make and is very stable. I can post some links to pics if anyone cares.

 

I've always like the Standtastic stands and how they look and break down but they seem to have a big footprint. We do a lot of small stages where I sometimes have a guitar amp almost under my keyboards and the larger footprint would be a hassle for the band.

[DaveMcM]

Originally posted by DanL:

I've always like the Standtastic stands and how they look and break down but they seem to have a big footprint. We do a lot of small stages where I sometimes have a guitar amp almost under my keyboards and the larger footprint would be a hassle for the band.

The footprint is no more than the typical X stand or the QL699. The width of the Standtastic is fully adjustable so the legs (and keyboard support arms) can be way under the keyboards on each side or out towards the ends of the keyboards.

 

Dave

[Rick K.]

I actually tried the Standtastic brand and didn't like it. I finally gave up on a 3 tier stand. I am now using On Stage Stands Heavy Duty Double Tier stands and just settled on two boards.

 

I know that I'm definately in the minority here, but I really did not like the Standtastic much at all.

[EscapeRocks]

I had an Apex stand that I returned immediately because of too much bouncing around.

My 20 year old Apex holds a Yamaha S08 and KorgDW8000. I get zero bounce.

 

That being said, I am moving into a 3 keyboard stage rig, and so far the Standastic looks and feels to me to be the most stable that I've auditioned so far.

[David Loving]

Standtastic is very stable. I use mine with two boards and it does not shake or give ground to drunken patrons falling into it mid song with no adverse effects, not even a bad groove. Highly recommended.

[Song80s]

I use a combination at home. I have the Ws550 quick lock for my Rd 700sx. Above that I have a new Koenig and Meyer Spider Pro which holds my Extreme 76 and Triton 61.

 

The K & M is expensive but I am pleased with it.

[DaveMcM]

Originally posted by Rick K.:

I actually tried the Standtastic brand and didn't like it. I finally gave up on a 3 tier stand. I am now using On Stage Stands Heavy Duty Double Tier stands and just settled on two boards.

 

I know that I'm definately in the minority here, but I really did not like the Standtastic much at all.

And of course that is why there are so many choices out there; not everyone likes the same thing. I am curious what you found negative with this stand if you wouldn't mind. "?"

 

Dave

[Steve in KS]

I have always designed and built my own, or had them built. It is the only way to get the optimum (short) vertical distance between them since you can design them to hold specific keyboards. It's also not particularly expensive if you can draw what you want and take it to someone good with metal working.

I'm not sure if a three-tier setup is practical for sitting down though. Have you ever seen a keyboard player doing this?

[Rick K.]

Dave,

 

I found a couple of issues with it. First, I had to have the rest of the parts shipped to me to complete the mechanism. No biggie.

 

Then, I found that when the stand was collapsed, the way the arm swivled down, it scratched and removed the sticker that helps you make sure you've got it level. After just setting it up at home to ease setup at the gig, the stand looked scratched up.

 

I don't care much for the hardware. I think there are too many sharp edges on the arms and that the wing nuts just don't make me comfortable enough supporting a keyboard that cost me a couple grand.

 

Functionally, it seemed stable. It was tall as hell, but stable. I do a bunch of singing, so they like to be able to see me occasionally.

 

I think the major decider for me was that it's much deeper than any of my other stands, past and present. This would make setup at my familiar haunts difficult or impossible. I found that with that stand, I'd literally not fit on stage at 4 of the clubs we regularly gig at. See, the way it's designed, I have to have the lowest most board extended out so that I can read the display. I literally lost over 6 inches of space with that board. That's a huge amount when there's only about 32" of depth to work with.

 

That pretty much clinched it for me.

[MusicaL]

Originally posted by Steve in KS:

I'm not sure if a three-tier setup is practical for sitting down though. Have you ever seen a keyboard player doing this?

Yes I have. Several years ago, I saw Steve Weingart, keyboard player for the Dave Weckl band using what I believe to be an Apex stand with a Yamaha S80 on the bottom most tier, and some kind of roland rompler and korg trinity on the middle and upper tiers... He was seated and had the boards close to one another but not awkwardly so... and it worked.

 

If I had the dough, and I don't, I would use the Stage as the 88 note keyboard, and a Korg CX-3 and then sitting directly on the korg would be my little An1x. This way, I can use a two tier stand...

 

aL