Advice on gigging chair

[rickzjamm]

After several knee & back surgeries over the years (yeah, I'm in my sixties), standing for a full gig is sadley not an option anymore. I'm looking at gig benches & possibly drum thrones (Roc-N-Soc or DW Airlift) but nothing calls my name... what do the "sitters" in the group use? Thanks

[Stokely]

I normally stand but some stages are so small I can't move and it's better to sit.

 

I'm tall and prefer a really tall .

 

For ages I have used a barber chair we bought from when our kids were small enough to let us cut their hair. It is pneumatic, swivels and has a foot rest. My sitting height is within 3 inches of my standing height at 6'3". Iirc I measured it at 32" tall at it's highest. Wanting something that tall rules out a lot of chairs and stools.

 

Down sides, it's awkward to carry, a bit ugly, has no back and not much padding.

 

It's really beat up now so I was looking around a bit, so I'll be interested in this thread. My eye landed on some of the drafting chairs on amazon. Tall, swivelling, some have backs and footrests. None of them look super handy to carry but I figure that will be a tough ask.

[synthizen2]

This is the one I've been using for the past 4 years...

 

Gibraltar 9608OS Oversized Saddle Top Throne

 

Very comfy, extremely well built, micro-adjustable with the spindle height adjustment, and I don't need a back-rest. Perfect for me.

 

Seems kinda pricey now... I could swear I bought this for well under $100 back in the day.

[drawback]

If you must have a back or lumbar, I'd consider a Keyboard/Guitar Throne but for me, the best is still the X-Style Bench.

[Docbop]

When I was playing upright bass I needed a comfortable seat for practice so I got the Roc-N-Soc stool and the optional backrest. Really comfortable seat.

 

Link to Roc-N-Soc stool

[rickzjamm]

The X-Style bench is something I've used in the past but after a few hours felt uncomfortable. I'm leaning towards the DW Airlift with pneumatic lift system but very pricy.

[dbk]

If you desire some adjustability, the Roc-N-Soc nitro thrones are very nice, particularly the extended version.

dave

[Delaware Dave]

Funny, I hurt my back (again) last Tuesday. This time it's pretty bad. No better a week later. I've been sitting while playing for 20 years (my back doesn't allow me to stand for 4 hours). I've been using a padded chair and the chair is starting to fall apart. This past weekend I asked my drummer about his throne with a back support. He swears by his Roc n Soc. It's looking like a $200 outlay but I must say it was quite comfortable (more comfortable than the chair I'm using). I searching around for best prices. I'll also follow this thread.

[Ledbetter]

I"ve been happy with this one. They make a back support for it which is great, but it"s a bit heavy. Rock solid though.

 

https://www.k-m.de/en/products/drummer-s-thrones-benches-stools/stools/14044-14045-stool-black-imitation-leather

[Stokely]

The roc and socs are a tad bit shorter than I like which lead me to drafting chairs. I tend to be in the back along with the drummer, the other 3 out front, depending on the stage I don't personally mind being unseen but I do sing some lead and it looks a bit odd IMO.

 

Our old drummer was very handy, had a super-cool riser he engineered for himself. He said he was going to build me one for me and my rig...I'm torn because I don't want to bring tons of stuff but I'm sure it would have been really cool! He got kind of pissed at me one day when I mentioned my goal was "one trip from car to stage". His lights drums, risers and other stuff meant he had literally like 15 trips. This meant the rest of us had a few ourselves to help him out.

[nadroj]

Here's one I don't recommend: K&M Pneaumatic Stool. Looks great on paper, but it used to hurt my lower back and butt when I went through my sitting phase. I bruised my tail bone back in January, and even just 30 minutes on this makes the pain come back. My daughter's pink traditional piano stool is much better suited.

 

EDIT: It seems I've linked the same one as Ledbetter said he liked. Just goes to show that it's different strokes for different folks.

[harmonizer]

If you have back issues (I do), you will want to figure out how well your back tolerates sitting on something that does not have a back to it.

You also might want to figure out if you will be better off sitting the whole time, or alternating between sitting and standing.

 

For me, backless chairs or stools do not work at all, and alternating between sitting and standing is better than sitting.

If alternating is the best thing for you, you might want to find some sort of stool/chair that puts you high enough

to be able to play the keyboard while sitting, even with the keyboard located at a height suitable for playing on while you are standing.

[PianoMan51]

To get a lightweight keyboard stand you have to pay a bundle for a K&M 18880. Which I use exclusively for gigging.

 

But to get a lightweight keyboard bench you can spend $30 on the cheapest one. Not as cushy. A little tippy. But easy to tote in and out. I have a cheap Casio bench for this purpose. Once I"m sitting on it and playing I don"t even notice it"s there. This replaced a heavy thick foam seat and a very expensive K&M seat. They never got used again.

 

I use two Velcro straps to tie the keyboard stand and seat together for transport. Less than 10lbs total. Pick it up with one hand to carry in and out.

[EscapeRocks]

I'm a huge fan of the Roc-N-Soc Nitro with added adjustable back rest.

 

It holds up under my fat ass, and has been solid. No issues with the hydraulics in 6 years.

 

 

[RABid]

Love my Roc-n-Soc with back rest. Had it for years and it has held up well. Also have a Gibralter and it does almost as well. The biggest thing on both is the padding has not gone flat after use over the years. I would buy either one again.

[analogika]

I"ve used the IKEA Nilserik office stool for twenty years now.

 

It"s got a wobbly bottom which allows me to tilt it towards whichever keyboard I"m playing, has a good height, is dirt cheap, and the wobbliness keeps my lower back mobile.

[El Lobo]

I use the imitation leather version of the K&M performance stool linked to above in a couple of posts. I like it. It's heavy and expensive, but well worth it to me. I play standing up, doubling on keyboard and sax. I've got bad arthritis in my knees, hips, spine. At full extended height, this stool allows me to sit back and take pressure off knees and back while being slightly lower than standing. When I need to stand, it's a small and easy lift.

[ajstan]

I used to sit, and I tried using my Roc-n-Soc (super comfortable for long sessions), before I settled on an x-bench. The main reason was that I was frequently either playing high notes with my left hand or low notes with my right hand (mostly due to splits for different sounds), and with a bench I could lean or slide whereas with a throne, I was sort of stuck to the center of the keyboard.

[mate stubb]

I used to sit, and I tried using my Roc-n-Soc (super comfortable for long sessions), before I settled on an x-bench. The main reason was that I was frequently either playing high notes with my left hand or low notes with my right hand (mostly due to splits for different sounds), and with a bench I could lean or slide whereas with a throne, I was sort of stuck to the center of the keyboard.

 

I used the Roc n Soc Nitro for awhile before finally settling on a bench to allow sliding. Took an X bench, killed the X, and added a removeable back rest.

 

http://www.hotrodmotm.com/images/newrig/backrest2.jpg

[EscapeRocks]

That's awesome, Moe!

[rickzjamm]

Between the Hercules KB Bench & the Roc-N-Soc Nitro. Bench is lighter (15lbs) than the RNS but the RNS sure looks more comfy.

[synthizen2]

At the practice room for my classic rock covers band, they keep an X-Bench there for me, so I don't have to carry my own stool. But I never use it... particularly after one time when I hand to bend downward to pick something off the floor, and almost tipped all the way over (caught myself before I fell). I find the tri-foot stools to be more stable.

[Stokely]

I also tip over too easily on those x benches. Kind of good knowing it's not just me Plus they are very low. I may end up with that RNS as well, it's two inches shorter than my old barber chair but that's not too bad.

 

If instead I become a pioneer and try out a drafting chair I'll be sure to give a gig report Hopefully not that it collapsed or something...I tend to like using "things built for gigs" at gigs. Then again, my barber chair did hundreds of gigs and it wasn't built for that.

[bjosko]

I"ve used the IKEA Nilserik office stool for twenty years now.

 

It"s got a wobbly bottom which allows me to tilt it towards whichever keyboard I"m playing, has a good height, is dirt cheap, and the wobbliness keeps my lower back mobile.

I have used the same stool for a couple years now, based on a tip from you, and love it.

Before that I had a Tama Drum chair, think it was more than 30 years old, but often got a sore back after a few hours.

[analogika]

I"ve used the IKEA Nilserik office stool for twenty years now.

 

It"s got a wobbly bottom which allows me to tilt it towards whichever keyboard I"m playing, has a good height, is dirt cheap, and the wobbliness keeps my lower back mobile.

I have used the same stool for a couple years now, based on a tip from you, and love it.

Before that I had a Tama Drum chair, think it was more than 30 years old, but often got a sore back after a few hours.

Oh wow, thanks for the feedback! Glad to hear I'm not the only one who likes it.

 

And I'm flattered that you took me up on the recommendation.

[Mighty Ferguson]

I used to sit, and I tried using my Roc-n-Soc (super comfortable for long sessions), before I settled on an x-bench. The main reason was that I was frequently either playing high notes with my left hand or low notes with my right hand (mostly due to splits for different sounds), and with a bench I could lean or slide whereas with a throne, I was sort of stuck to the center of the keyboard.

 

I used the Roc n Soc Nitro for awhile before finally settling on a bench to allow sliding. Took an X bench, killed the X, and added a removeable back rest.

 

http://www.hotrodmotm.com/images/newrig/backrest2.jpg

 

Could you post a picture of this from the back/bottom so we can see how you've attached the back rest? I prefer a bench to the stool shape, but I've been missing having a back to it. This also looks like it would help with how narrow the legs get when you use the higher adjustments of the legs.

[EscapeRocks]

To be clear, while I love y roc n soc with backrest, I only use it in the house/studio where I am sitting for hours. On stage, when I sit I use a bench so I can slide around.

 

I may have to give Moe's idea a spin

 

Or..... do my mad scientists thing and adapt a bench to some Gibraltar parts I have laying around. Mmmmmmm

[mate stubb]

 

Could you post a picture of this from the back/bottom so we can see how you've attached the back rest?

 

Not to derail the thread but here's a couple of pics showing the construction. It wasn't perfect, but it saved my back every time.

 

http://www.hotrodmotm.com/images/newrig/backrest3.jpg

 

http://www.hotrodmotm.com/images/newrig/backrest4.jpg

[o0Ampy0o]

Have not tried one but the Roc-N-Soc looks comfortable. It reminds me the most surprising and amazingly comfortable chair I have ever sat in, the seat in a jury booth.

[George88]

I second. I"ve enjoyed two of these, one hydronic and one manual; and one of them since 1996â¦my longest-lasting piece of hardware.