Two tier keyboard stand and ideas

[happyrat1]

This is an interesting take on keyboard stands.

Gary

 

[Biggles]

Interesting but after watching the guy if and but about this and that I cannot help but think that he has it all wrong for his situation.

Attaching everything to his Z stand onstage could very easily get to the weight limit of the stand.

A platform with locking wheels would make a far less stressful and easier system, assembled off to the side of the main stage, wheeled on, locked in position and final cables connected, job done.

It would be far better for the venue, in less set up time between bands.

 

[happyrat1]

Personally I agree that the guy is expecting way too much gear attached to the stand, but he does make some very valid points about cabling and ease of assembly for a gigging band.

I mean I know that the keyboard player often has to serve double duty as the band's engineer and stage manager but controlling the house lights and fog machine is a bit much.

Then again he was just thinking out loud on the video as to his wish list.

If he actually had all the answers it wouldn't be a Youtube rant but rather a full blown advert for his successful gear company

If you read some of the comments on that video on Youtube you'll find pretty much an even split between people who agree with him and people who offer alternate suggestions.

Basically what he, and I think most keyboard players, are looking for is a robust modular system that brings plug n play to the performance world.

I've managed to attach mic booms and a sheet music stand to my rig but only barely in a very awkward and delicate arrangement that would never work if I were gigging.

Like he said in the video, synths have come a long way in the past 40 or 50 years while the stands have not really come along for the ride.

We're still using the same basic technology we've been using for decades.

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

BTW, what's your take on the X-Stand Fail Compilations I posted?

Gary

 

[Jeremykeys]

I've never had that problem and I've been using X stands for almost 30 years. I usually stand up when I'm playing live so the stand is actually narrower too. In fact, when I used to use my 88 key Triton Pro X, it never wobbbled.
I have my Kronos 73 on a rotating platform that I built that mounts onto my stand.

 

[Jeremykeys]

I almost felt bad for the keyboard players when their stands failed but I did notice that in most cases, the stands were single upright ones, The one in my picture is an old Ultimate support IQ 2000. It's rated to hold 350 pounds. This was my first x style stand and, well, here at the gig I did last year it of course didn't fail.

 

[happyrat1]

My take on it is that you've been lucky so far Jeremy. By their nature most X-stands are inherently unstable the higher you set them and they all have a single point of failure at the hinge that connects the two legs.

Of course you can minimize your risk by adding cross bracing across the top or bottom of the stand much as you have done with your custom turntable arrangement but my take on it is that for heavier keyboards with 88 key weighted actions I don't trust them as far as I can spit against the wind

You can see from the Youtube compilations literally dozens of times these stands have failed catastrophically while on camera. I'm sure there have been hundreds if not thousands more such incidents that happened off camera.

I have simply too much money invested in my two main boards to risk them on a wobbly X-Stand and I feel that saving a $100 on a stand is not incentive enough to use one.

Then again if your Kronos ends up shattered on the stage some day you'll have no one to blame but yourself.

Gary

 

[Jeremykeys]

This is a video of my country rock band called the September Skye band. I tried to cut a clip out of it but since I don't know how, you get the whole set. This is from last year in August. At about the 26:45 minute section you can see how the keyboard rotates. When I have enough room I can actually spin it 360 degrees. Yeah, it's cheesey but the audience loves it! I have teh cables all run down through the center of the spinner.

 

[Jeremykeys]

I totally agree with you Gary. That's why I spend a lot on my stand. And also why I pretty much hardly ever gig anymore!

 

[happyrat1]

I've seen Jordan Rudess use a similar arrangement on one of his Liquid Tension Experiment videos. Agreed it's great showmanship. But I don't have anyone to impress in my home studio and I prefer a rock solid keybed under my fingers as opposed to one that jumps and bounces when I hit the aftertouch

Gary

 

[Jeremykeys]

I don't use the spinner at home of course. I always found the A frame stands bounced way to much for me. I like the way my Ultimate Support stands don't bounce and collapse easily. Also if I'm in a cramped space I don't use the spinner. For my duo I sit when I play. I've just never had a problem with the x stands even when I've been doing my best Jerry Lee Lewis impersonations.

 

[happyrat1]

Well to quote an old chestnut, they don't make em like they used to.

But agreed not all X-stands are equally terrible.

But I have seen cheap X-Stands that would topple right over if the family cat decided to jump off the keyboard

And even with the best of X-Stands, a lot depends on the locking mechanism and how easy to see if it's securely locked or not.

Even a top of the line X-Stand will collapse if someone gets sloppy securing the locking mechanism.

Gary

 

[Jeremykeys]

That's absolutely true. The Ultimates that I use have a memory lock system. It's basically two cast iron plates with intermeshing teeth. you have a large bolt that you have to tighten but once you have. It takes some oomph to undo it and the way the stand is designed, it only ever opens to the preset amount. I do admit that I really like the design.

 

[Biggles]

Jeremy

Whilst it was good to see a locking bracket directly underneath the keyboard in your set up image the narrow angle of the X to me is a potentially unstable setup, a Z frame would be far safer

The gap at floor level with a Z frame would also be ideal for a pedal board.

Your system also looks like you have a full width keyboard height increasing frame, which you would not need with a quality Z frame

 

[Mighty Motif Max]

I just use an On-Stage Z stand probably very similar to the OP's stand, and like happyrat1's. Both my keyboards have large screens. Does the OP have a picture of his current setup so we can see what the issue is?

 

[happyrat1]

In his original message he stated that he currently has one keyboard, a Geno 76, and was planning to buy a Montage 7 or 8 in the near future so a photo is pretty much impossible to post at this time.

Gary

 

[Mighty Motif Max]

Ok, so then maybe the stand won't end up being a problem. It also depends on whether you are standing or sitting.

 

[ChrisNabil]

Hi!, I actually am preempting my problem. I have got a Kawai ES8 and i "did" have a Nord Stage 3 over that. Both of them dont really have screens so i didnt have much of a problem. I am keeping my Kawai for piano playing but have now bought a Yamaha Genos and a Yamaha Montage 88 key which is going to be heavy and they both have large screens.

I am thinking that with the two tier Z stand i have and the extra X stand i also have i could possibly make my own two board set up easy enough.

 

[ChrisNabil]

Ok, so then maybe the stand won't end up being a problem. It also depends on whether you are standing or sitting.

I will be sitting, i dont really "gig". Just for home use

 

[ChrisNabil]

In his original message he stated that he currently has one keyboard, a Geno 76, and was planning to buy a Montage 7 or 8 in the near future so a photo is pretty much impossible to post at this time.

Gary

All i have right now is a Kawai ES8 waiting on both the Genos and the Montage which i should have by next week!. Good job i work from home so i can take the time off to play with the new toys lol