Growing Keyboard Rig. Three-Tier Stand.

[ChrisNabil]

In the near future, I might be expanding my rig. I know that it's easy-ish to get a keyboard stand for two keyboards but the options for three are very few!
Any ideas of a three-tier set-up comprising a 88 Key workstation and two 76 key synths? I have seen a few that would be ok from a standing position on stage but I would want one that would enable me to be seated and be able to angle the top two boards for ease of play.

There has to be something out there. My 88 key weighs about 60lbs and most triple tiers don't allow for that.

Very grateful for any suggestions!

Chris

 

[Biggles]

 

[anotherscott]

That A-Frame doesn't meet the needed specs... he's got a 60 lb 88 to put on the bottom, and that stand only supports up to 40 lbs on a tier, and the width is likely an issue as well since they say it supports boards up to 76 keys wide (I suppose because its 51" interior width is unlikely to support most 88s).

Possible option: Standtastic 103KS, supports 70 lbs per tier, supports 88 widths.

One remaining issue though, is a limitation in the extent to which you can put one board largely behind another. Because if you need to access a board's control surface (behind the keys), if you can't move an upper board sufficiently far back, the only way to access that panel might be to move that upper board higher, in which case it could be hard to reach from a seated position. So basically, I think the ability for the Standtastic 103KS to work with 3 boards from a seated position will also depend on exactly which 3 boards they are, i.e. how deep they are and how much access to their rear area you need.

Another possibility could be the K&M 18880 with the 18881 and 18882 stackers. An interesting aspect of its design is that you basically have two ways of using the top tier... forward facing with tilt options, or backward facing without. I've used the latter more often, but I stand. For sitting, I suspect you'd more likely use the former. But again, I think the ability for this combination to work well will depend on exactly which 3 boards you need to stack.

(BTW, if the Standtastic looks like it's what would work for you, I have one I'd probably sell.)

 

[ChrisNabil]

View attachment 2904

Thank you Biggles, yes, AS is right. Unfortunately my main board is too heavy.

 

[ChrisNabil]

That A-Frame doesn't meet the needed specs... he's got a 60 lb 88 to put on the bottom, and that stand only supports up to 40 lbs on a tier, and the width is likely an issue as well since they say it supports boards up to 76 keys wide (I suppose because its 51" interior width is unlikely to support most 88s).

Possible option: Standtastic 103KS, supports 70 lbs per tier, supports 88 widths.

One remaining issue though, is a limitation in the extent to which you can put one board largely behind another. Because if you need to access a board's control surface (behind the keys), if you can't move an upper board sufficiently far back, the only way to access that panel might be to move that upper board higher, in which case it could be hard to reach from a seated position. So basically, I think the ability for the Standtastic 103KS to work with 3 boards from a seated position will also depend on exactly which 3 boards they are, i.e. how deep they are and how much access to their rear area you need.

Another possibility could be the K&M 18880 with the 18881 and 18882 stackers. An interesting aspect of its design is that you basically have two ways of using the top tier... forward facing with tilt options, or backward facing without. I've used the latter more often, but I stand. For sitting, I suspect you'd more likely use the former. But again, I think the ability for this combination to work well will depend on exactly which 3 boards you need to stack.

(BTW, if the Standtastic looks like it's what would work for you, I have one I'd probably sell.)

Thank you for that AS, I changed my set-up a few times but I was thrown a curve ball when I got the chance to buy a Genos at a very good price so I have a Korg Nautilus 88 as my main, now a Genos as my second. I have the means to accommodate this set-up but sometime down the line, I might get myself a Korg Pa5x also.

I have to do a little bit of research but the Standtastic does appear to be a good choice...

 

[ChrisNabil]

I am looking at the K&M too. Harder to get an idea of whether it would work as there are no diagrams of the 3 parts together.

 

[Old No7]

I purchased an Ultimate Support Apex AX-48 Pro B (black) when I got 2 boards, and when I decided to add a 3rd board up top, I just bought another base and set of arms.

The AX-48 holds up to 125 pounds -- and there's about 90 on mine and it's very stable.

I do have some weights on the back leg and I use the little adjustable-foot at the lower front because mine is placed on carpet (it slides up/down to ensure the base is level with no rocking on various surfaces). I like it a lot -- it works great, packs up easily into itself -- and I even added the top which allows a mic boom to be attached (I use that with a quick-detach music stand when I'm learning new stuff).

Top-to-bottom 1st image:
Yamaha MODX6, Crumar Mojo 61 (but now there's a Hammond SK Pro 73 instead) and a Roland RD-88.

Good luck.

Old No7

ps: See 2nd image below. If those are "good enough" for Rick Wakeman (saw him on opening night of his U.S. tour last fall), that's a pretty darn good endorsement!

 

[Old No7]

But I think I need some more pedals, right???

Or maybe 2 more feet!

Old No7

 

[ChrisNabil]

But I think I need some more pedals, right???

Or maybe 2 more feet!

Old No7

Hey! Nice set up! Yes, I think you are a little light on the number of pedals you have so I think you should get a few more! The way the keyboards are situated looks like it would work for me also. Would you mind just explaining what you did to house the third keyboard again? You can just add another base and set of arms?...

 

[anotherscott]

I am looking at the K&M too. Harder to get an idea of whether it would work as there are no diagrams of the 3 parts together.

Scroll down to the second half of the post at https://forums.musicplayer.com/topic/180208-another-stand-thread/page/5/#comment-2893181 to see one possible way of assembling three tiers (you can adjust the relative heights).

For other ways of setting up 3 boards on the K&M, also see the first post at https://forums.musicplayer.com/topic/182504-boards-stacked-close-together-or-far-apart/ - the three boards stacked with more vertical space between them is a 18880/18881/18882 combination; the three boards stacked with no vertical space between them (instead, spaced further horizontally) is a 18880/18881 with another 18880 behind (so it's two separate keyboard stands, an approach which also opens up other possibilities beyond looking at single stands that can hold three). I have a couple of these stands (obviously) and their accessories, and I have modified some of those 18881/18882 stackers to be able to get them closer together or to reduce the amount by which they overhang the board below.

 

[ChrisNabil]

Scroll down to the second half of the post at https://forums.musicplayer.com/topic/180208-another-stand-thread/page/5/#comment-2893181 to see one possible way of assembling three tiers (you can adjust the relative heights).

For other ways of setting up 3 boards on the K&M, also see the first post at https://forums.musicplayer.com/topic/182504-boards-stacked-close-together-or-far-apart/

Ooh wow, thank you! what a wealth of information...

 

[ChrisNabil]

I might also ask my sweetwater engineer about this too. I see the parts for the K&M listed on Sweetwater but not sure what ones I would need.

 

[Old No7]

Would you mind just explaining what you did to house the third keyboard again? You can just add another base and set of arms?...

In the Keyboard Stand Parts section of the Ultimate Support website (https://www.ultimatesupport.com/collections/keyboard-stand-parts) you'd need a 3rd Super Clamp (CMP-485), and a 3rd set of the Tribar Arms Pair, either the 13" (TBR-130) or 18" (TBR-180) length.

By the way, the weight capacity is 125 pounds per tier (2 tiers), so even with 3 tiers, the total weight capacity is 250 pounds -- quite a bit.

Old No7

 

[happyrat1]

Correct me if I'm wrong Chris, but you don't need a touring rig do you?

If this is a permanent installation then what about a custom shelving job in your studio, maybe built around a Music Workstation Table like one of these?

OUTPUT FAVORITES: Studio Desks

Any time the conversation of studio desks arises in the Output office, a frenzy ensues. Everyone has one at home, but no one particularly loves their setup. So we did some research and compiled what we believe to be great options for your studio.

output.com

Gary

 

[ChrisNabil]

Correct me if I'm wrong Chris, but you don't need a touring rig do you?

If this is a permanent installation then what about a custom shelving job in your studio, maybe built around a Music Workstation Table like one of these?

OUTPUT FAVORITES: Studio Desks

Any time the conversation of studio desks arises in the Output office, a frenzy ensues. Everyone has one at home, but no one particularly loves their setup. So we did some research and compiled what we believe to be great options for your studio.

output.com

Gary

Hey Gary,

Right, it would just be for home studio use. I don't know if a desk would work for three keyboards but they look really smart!

 

[happyrat1]

Take a look at adding a third tier with a hutch or a custom addition. Plus you can add a laptop drawer below.

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

Sweetwater offers a huge assortment, including a couple 3 tier models.

Studio Desks / Workstations - Sweetwater

Looking for Studio Desks / Workstations? Sweetwater has Current Updates, 0% Financing, and FREE Shipping for Studio Desks / Workstations!

www.sweetwater.com

Ultimate Support Nucleus-Z Navigator Workstation Desk

Studio Desk with Shelf and 2 x 4-space Rack Modules, 8-space Floor-standing Rack, and Removable Keyboard Shelf

www.sweetwater.com

JamRacks DT1C - Desk Top One - Carbonized

Solid Bamboo Studio Desk with 24U of Rack Space, 55" Bridge Top, and Slide-out Keyboard/Mouse Tray - Carbonized

www.sweetwater.com

 

[ChrisNabil]

Sweetwater offers a huge assortment, including a couple 3 tier models.

Studio Desks / Workstations - Sweetwater

Looking for Studio Desks / Workstations? Sweetwater has Current Updates, 0% Financing, and FREE Shipping for Studio Desks / Workstations!

www.sweetwater.com

Ultimate Support Nucleus-Z Navigator Workstation Desk

Studio Desk with Shelf and 2 x 4-space Rack Modules, 8-space Floor-standing Rack, and Removable Keyboard Shelf

www.sweetwater.com

JamRacks DT1C - Desk Top One - Carbonized

Solid Bamboo Studio Desk with 24U of Rack Space, 55" Bridge Top, and Slide-out Keyboard/Mouse Tray - Carbonized

www.sweetwater.com

Cheers Gary I will take a look.

 

[anotherscott]

Some more K&M setups...

Here's 3 boards on a silver 18880 on bottom, a black 18882 holding the middle tier close to the first, and a black tilted 18881 holding the top keyboard further up. The entire rig is at or near its tallest position, but for sitting, you could lower the 18880 quite a bit (and everything attached to it lowers the same amount).

Here's a 4-keyboard setup, using two of the 18880-with-18881 combos, one behind the other. Of course, without the top board, it's also showing another way of arranging three boards.

 

[ChrisNabil]

Some more K&M setups...

Here's 3 boards on a silver 18880 on bottom, a black 18882 holding the middle tier close to the first, and a black tilted 18881 holding the top keyboard further up. The entire rig is at or near its tallest position, but for sitting, you could lower the 18880 quite a bit (and everything attached to it lowers the same amount). View attachment 2906

Here's a 4-keyboard setup, using two of the 18880-with-18881 combos, one behind the other. Of course, without the top board, it's also showing another way of arranging three boards.

View attachment 2907

Thank you very much, this is most helpful!