Stands for acoustic piano speakers

[CharlieLosGatos]

For those of you using a pair of small PA speakers (eg ZAX1) do you put them on the floor, on milk crates or on proper PA stands. My context is small jazz combo. Also, any clever suggestions on how to transport all this stuff. With a Nord, stand, seat, PA speakers, stands it's getting to be a lot of individual pieces.

[ElmerJFudd]

Playing for yourselves, just plop in tilt/monitor position on the floor so you and your band mates can hear them. For a larger space with audience, stick them on the poles to get some throw into the room. Set at least one in position so you can hear yourself well.

 

rocknroller multicart

https://rocknrollercart.com/collections/multi-carts

bungee cords are very helpful

[timwat]

I was told a while ago by a speaker designer that the typical self-powered PA speaker is primarily designed to sound best on a pole or similar elevated position. I'm no speaker designer and can't speak intelligently to this, but we have folks on the forum who do this for a living and they may be able to chime in.

 

All I can say is I was always less than knocked out using my DXR8s on the floor, even sitting on a wedge or otherwise pointed up. So Dave Ferris turned me on to these shorter Yorkville speaker stands (Full Compass sales page) a while ago. I bought a pair and have been using them for years. I now ALWAYS use the DXR8x on these poles, always their shortest position, so they're only 27" off the ground. They sound GREAT this way, and I've used them for self-monitoring and even as the entire PA for trio work. I use them for "acoustic piano only" jazz gigs, nowadays playing a Casio PXS3000 as my only board (I use to gig my CP4, but the Casio has replaced that unit on my jazz gigs).

 

I schlep the stands (as well as my Baby Spider Pro stand that I use for one-board jazz gigs) in a custom bag I had made by Studio Slips - it's essentially a wide, short duffle bag. For bigger schleps (for example, my two-board electronic gigs where it's Kronos, Wave, Gibraltar 2-tier stand and pedalboard), I use the workhorse cart I've relied on for years, the Rock n Roller R10 with upgraded front wheels.

 

Mind you, for the smaller jazz gigs, I don't run two speakers, I only use the one DXR8. That means I can wear the piano with the backpack straps, and carry the stand and speaker into the venue all in one trip, no cart required. Just a little cardio and sets up pretty quickly so I can chat up all the adoring jazz pianist groupies that always surround me.

[Reezekeys]

I've posted these pics here a few times. The local gigs I used to play were like your description - "small jazz combo." I used small, inexpensive and foldable footstools you can find at many hardware and home-supply stores:

 

 

Of course the big bonus with these is they add practically nothing to my shlep quotient. You can usually find them for $7 - $10 apiece.

 

My speakers are in back of me, but since they're only about eight inches off the ground, their sound projects mostly below my ears. That lets me turn them up so they can cover the bandstand and the venue without blowing my ears out. I hear enough of them to be completely comfortable. The bottom of my K8s are shaped in a way that lets me angle them up slighly, which helps if you're not on an actual stage.

 

 

For transporting, most of my brethren in the "club date" biz here in the NYC area use the one & only REMIN Kart-a-Bag. Gotta say though - their prices have gone way up since the last time I bought one (I think I'm on my second or third - don't ask how many years I've been shlepping with them)!

 

[ElmerJFudd]

Reeze, next time you are loaded up, if it passes your mind, snap a pic of your gear on that Kart-a-bag. I've a friend that uses it, but he's guitarist. So it only needs hold his amp and pedal board. The guitar is strapped to his back. I imagine we can do the same if using something like a Nord Electro in the backpack.

[skipeb3]

I use the same stands Reezekeys uses. Can't beat 'em...

[JimboKeys]

Lots of good ideas here. But i will add one caveat - the short speaker stands mentioned will not work for ZXa1's, as the ZXa1's are very front-heavy (relative to the position of the hole for the pole) and will fall over if placed on the short speaker stand. (oops!)

 

- Jimbo

[agitato]

I use the K & M 21455 short speaker stand with the EV ZXA1, when playing a solo piano gig, works and sounds great.

[Reezekeys]

I remember the great Mark Levine, he"s retired now, would gig with big bands with the cheapest 10' Crate $199 kyb amp and the cheapest 61 key 1990"s Kawai $399 synth and play the cheesey EP patch . He would sit on the tiny amp as his seat. He made solos that sounded better than all the other guys around town with their primo hi-end PAs and the state of the art expensive Kurzweil, Roland or Yamaha 88s plus modules back in the day. Just saying.

A great player will make you easily forget (or forgive!) their gear choices, as I often say "it's the artist not the brush." I'll also say that imo there is no implied relationship between the quality of one's gigging equipment and their playing abilities. I also believe there's an old-school mentality with some pianists from the days of when they had to play whatever piece of shit piano was at a venue â you just dealt with it. Of course Mark Levine is going to impress with his musicianship no matter what he's playing on. The question is, was he happy using his rig - did he feel inspired like he does when he's on a good piano in his house? Or, like many old school players, was his choice of gear just stuff that was "good enough" so he could pick up some grocery money when having to shlep it to a small club or restaurant? I like to think that if he were still into playing gigs today, he would hear some of the gear setups like what Dave or I have, and want that for himself as well.

[Morrissey]

I remember the great Mark Levine, he"s retired now, would gig with big bands with the cheapest 10' Crate $199 kyb amp and the cheapest 61 key 1990"s Kawai $399 synth and play the cheesey EP patch . He would sit on the tiny amp as his seat.

 

I am known to use my amp as my seat at rehearsals but haven't had the nerve to do it at gigs. Of course, I'm no Mark Levine so I'm using "hey, this guy can afford a piano stool!" to compensate for my lack of chops.

[ElmerJFudd]

I remember the great Mark Levine, he"s retired now, would gig with big bands with the cheapest 10' Crate $199 kyb amp and the cheapest 61 key 1990"s Kawai $399 synth and play the cheesey EP patch . He would sit on the tiny amp as his seat.

 

I am known to use my amp as my seat at rehearsals but haven't had the nerve to do it at gigs. Of course, I'm no Mark Levine so I'm using "hey, this guy can afford a piano stool!" to compensate for my lack of chops.

 

I"ve done the amp as seat as well. Depending on size of your backside - 12 or 15' speaker is more comfortable than say, a 10 or 8!.

[area51recording]

I remember the great Mark Levine, he"s retired now, would gig with big bands with the cheapest 10' Crate $199 kyb amp and the cheapest 61 key 1990"s Kawai $399 synth and play the cheesey EP patch . He would sit on the tiny amp as his seat. He made solos that sounded better than all the other guys around town with their primo hi-end PAs and the state of the art expensive Kurzweil, Roland or Yamaha 88s plus modules back in the day. Just saying.

 

Yeah, but he was Mark freakin' Levine! Trust me, if I employed that strategy my employment would be terminated before the first set break......

[jarrell]

I also got the Yorkville short speaker stands to use with my two ZXA1's, due to Dave Ferris's recommendation a few years ago. They are great - perfect height at their lowest setting at least for my seated position. However as Jimbo points out, at least with these speakers they are precariously balanced, probably due to the front heavy design of the ZXA1. So Dave, try them with your new QSC 8.2's at home before setting out for a gig. My guess is they will be fine and only these EV speakers have such a front heavy design. So I use them, but only when it is perfectly level ground and not anywhere near where someone would be walking (had a bass player knock one over a few years ago when tearing down - to be fair to him, he probably didn't think it would fall over so easily). I just picked up 2 of those footstools so I'm covered either way :-)

 

As far as great players and gear, well, a great player is a great player and transcends their gear. But I like to have my gear sound good when I play, it is just more fun, and so I'm willing to use a RocknRoller cart to bring my PC4, 2 ZXA1's, a keyboard stand, two bags of cables, stand lights, extension chords, power strips, extra power supplies etc. etc., my keyboard stool bungied to a music stand and stand extender along with the Yorkville speaker stands (so one 30 lb. piece of gear), and a bag with 3 books for trio playing. It's one trip, some good exercise really, and everything sounds great plus I have spares for lots of things.

[DaveMcM]

For transporting, most of my brethren in the "club date" biz here in the NYC area use the one & only REMIN Kart-a-Bag. Gotta say though - their prices have gone way up since the last time I bought one (I think I'm on my second or third - don't ask how many years I've been shlepping with them)!

 

 

I've owned a Kart-a-Bag Tri-Kart 800 for years and love it.

[Reezekeys]

Yea those Remins are happening. The newer ones with the "T-bar" handles are also much easier to maneuver too. My model is not exactly like the one I pictured, I believe it's the "Super 600" which is the same as yours without the extra wheels. Unfortunately mine does not retract anymore, which is due to one of the telescoping rods getting bent. I have heard a few stories of friends sending theirs back for repair, paying a relatively small fee, and getting a completely refurbished one back - almost like new! I should probably do this.

 

And... it looks like there's a sale going on too. Mine is now $220, the Tri-Kart 800 is $272. I think I paid around $170 for my last one, and I remember paying about $135 for my first!

[MathOfInsects]

My search for the right equipment cart is almost at the extremes of my search for the perfect stand. I do have an upright cart I can use for smaller set-ups, and it's remained viable for something like 25 years now, against all reason. But I can't use it for keys-plus anything, just for the "anything."

 

Reezekeys, do you load your cart with your keys too? Can you snap a quick pic the next time you're loaded up for a gig? I'd love to get a sense of how much "floor space" there is on it. The specs say 15", and I don't see how that covers board plus amp plus stand plus bag. But if it does, that Remin would be a nice option.

 

As for prices...yeah. Inflation is real. I think the used-equipment market is going to be the future for a while.

[Reezekeys]

I don't put my keyboard on the Remin, I carry it with my free hand. My A800 Pro weighs less than 10 lbs (4.5kg) and I carry it in an old SKB case that's only a few more, so it's not a problem. What I put on the Remin are both my QSC K8s, an SKB "studio flyer" case for my laptop, my X-stand and footstool speaker stands, and a small accessory case with pedals, Furman power outlet box, AC cords and "emergency" JV1010. I can see how having both a keyboard and amp or speakers on the Remin's bed might be a problem.

[MathOfInsects]

OK, got it. Sounds similar to my current upright one, with which I do the same. I'd like a "middle ground" cart with a longer bed but upright posture, and of course I'd like it to fold up as if it were not longer. If it could vacuum the house sometimes on its own, that'd be great too.

[Polkahero]

I carry my table top style stand, padded bench, and the above mentioned Yorkville speaker stands in one of these drum hardware sleds. Have had it for three years and it still looks new.

Ahead Armor Sled