playing stand... your recommendations

[scottw]

I used the K&M for a few years, got tired dragging it around--very heavy--then the DEG, which was a light-weight POS. It wasn't until I got the BB Stand that I was totally satisfied. And, it is guaranteed for life-really. Something goes wrong and Dave will repair or replace it at no charge. Can't deal with better people and products than that!

[TubātōTubŏtō]

Is the BB stand easy to make small adjustments on? The DEG I used off and on through High School never seemed to adjust quite right, and it was annoying to find that spot again every time it was packed away.

[Charlie C Chowder]

I too am short. I also play a 32lb recording bell York. I bought a drum throne and replaced the shaft with a like sized wooden dowl. I wrapped tape around mine to set the height, but anything would work. I have tape set in two places so that I can just turn the dowl over to use with a different tuba. I have a shorter dowl for setting. Drum throne found at Goodwill, so the whole thing was cheap. I have used it for the 5:00 AM TubaChristmas teaser for a local TV station for years. We stand for over an hour outside in Pioneer Square, waiting to play into commercial brakes. There is a lot of standing around, with people picking up and putting down. We are dress for the cold, usually playing with gloves on. Very easy on my old back to just balance it on the stand most of the time.

CCC

[kingrob76]

Is the BB stand easy to make small adjustments on? The DEG I used off and on through High School never seemed to adjust quite right, and it was annoying to find that spot again every time it was packed away.

Very.

[Stryk]

Just got my two new DEG stands yesterday - they are MUCH stronger than the old ones.

hmm...
I have an account with the wholesale music accessories/instruments company that bought DEG.
How much did you have to pay? (I'm sure you shopped around for the best price.)

$79.00 from WWBW. The stands are much better than they used to be, but also include a cool clamp in case the built in clamp fails like the old ones used to.

[tubanh84]

When I was a freshman in college in 1985 my teacher (Mike Bunn) used a short drum tripod and a top he had cobbled together out of a wood block, some kind of rod and some electrical tape (I'm sure there was more but that's what I saw). The first reason for this was posture, and later when he added a 10-20 pound weighted ring to the bell of his Alex it became a necessity. After a few years I purchased a DEG stand, which didn't last because I over tightened the collar since it kept slipping. The second DEG stand did the same thing in about the same amount of time. I took the top and stem to a local super-mega-music store and they went down in the basement and produced a drum tripod. It was very heavy and my god was it great - stable and sturdy with rubber feet so it wouldn't slip or slide. It was extremely overbuilt for the task and never failed me once. I still have it, but it's been relegated to a backup role due to its weight.

At some point in the mid to late 1990's Baltimore Brass came out with one that Dave Fedderly worked with a local machine shop to develop and manufacture. I still have it, and don't play without it - ever. It has a lifetime warranty, which I used once to get a rivet replaced. These are the gold standard IMO, but it appears BBC no longer sells them (I will be there tomorrow and will ask why this is the case). If you see one used, BUY IT. I just reminded myself to acquire a second as a "better" backup.

I'm a huge fan of playing stands for a lot of reasons, but the best one is I don't have to expend any energy or create any tension to hold my instrument at the ideal playing height for whatever random chair I end up sitting. Good posture allows me to maximize my vital capacity and being relaxed just works wonders for me.

I'll second BB stands. I used one when I played a Rudy 5/4 CC. It was indispensable. I included it with the horn when I sold it, so I don't have it anymore. But it was great.

[Doc]

I use the Wessex stand with my 496. I have an old stand that has been out of manufacture for years (don't remember the make) that I use with the 186 and Symphonie. The Wessex does a fine job and is stout.

But... if you didn't want to spend that much on a Wessex (or wait for BBC to get the right parts), an inexpensive drum throne would do nicely. One with double braced legs would make it overkill sturdy for a less-than-30lb object.

[Rick Denney]

I don’t see a playing stand working for me personally or anyone else for that matter if your horn is a water collector. Sure, if all the water came out of the water keys completely and nicely like it should 100 percent of the time. But I am doing the King Dump all the time. A playing stand would make that a very clumsy process instead of a quick and easy one. And if you have one of those horns where you have to turn the horn upside down to get the water out. So not for me.

Even when I’m using a stand, I can tilt an instrument over my right thigh to pull upper slides to empty them. The key is that the stand sits close.

To Joe’s concern about putting the instrument too far out, I sit out to the edge of the chair anyway. At present, neither Joe nor I have any other reason for the bottom of the instrument to be too far out, but we’ve had such obstructions in the past. That problem is indifferent to the use of a stand, but it might preclude using the edge of the chair.

For larger instruments, I always use a stand, simply to avoid the tension required to hold the instrument in position.

I’ll play without one if the instrument is easy to hold in the right place. I never use a stand for my F tubas, and so far I haven’t missed it with the Eastman clone of the new-style 2341. But with the water-collecting Holton, not a chance of playing that without a stand. And the Hirsbrunner is heavy and slick enough to require lots of effort to hold it in my lap, particularly in a way that leaves my left arm available for other duties. And even it requires the King spin once in awhile.

The York Master was bigger than the Eastman, but the main problem with resting it on my legs was the weight. The Eastman is noticeably lighter. Both collect water in challenging spots.

I’m predicting a 184, should one happen to come my way (hmmmmm…), would not need a stand, but I happily used one with my 186 when I had it. That’s about where the boundary is for me. I get water in the loop downstream from the main slide with Miraphones—still requires contortions, but not like the 47 slides I have to pull and dump with the Eastman.

I started with a DEG, which was fine with a 20-pound Miraphone. The York Master killed it. I bought a K&M, which is indestructible. But it doesn’t go low enough and it’s too awkward to be portable. It’s designed like a lot of things designed by engineers—they started with what the machine wants instead of what the user needs.

The Baltimore Brass stand had it all, except it’s not all that light. But as long as one replaces the lock screw with one that has a usefully large knob, it’s just about perfect. I’m sorry to hear BB is no longer offering it. That’s the problem with designing things that last and that can be maintained with parts from a hardware store—one purchase serves the user for life.

Rick “tension is the enemy, but water is annoying, too” Denney

[bloke]

Every time this thread gets bumped, I’m reminded that I have a couple of stands here that need to disappear.
To me, it’s not worth the trouble of boxing them up and shipping them to someone, but if someone comes by here to have repairs done - and wants either one of these things - I can price them out.

The only tuba that I’ve ever [borrowed] what was just ridiculously uncomfortable to hold and play was a Willson 3050 (epically top-heavy). Thankfully, I don’t on one of those… I guess I should edit my comment by adding:
also, tubas that were so swirrelly that I had to yank on both the 1st and 3rd slides, in order to play them in tune.

[JRaymo]

Every time this thread gets bumped, I’m reminded that I have a couple of stands here that need to disappear.
To me, it’s not worth the trouble of boxing them up and shipping them to someone, but if someone comes by here to have repairs done - and wants either one of these things - I can price them out.

The only tuba that I’ve ever [borrowed] what was just ridiculously uncomfortable to hold and play was a Willson 3050 (epically top-heavy). Thankfully, I don’t on one of those… I guess I should edit my comment by adding:
also, tubas that were so swirrelly that I had to yank on both the 1st and 3rd slides, in order to play them in tune.

I think I bought my 3050 from you many years ago. I liked it but yes it was top heavy and I did use I stand with it I think. I never needed to pull first valve slide but I did pull 3rd on that horn. I had a t handle installed on that third slide and it made it much better. For me having a tuba that closely matched my Eb overcame the ergonomics.

[prairieboy1]

I use the Wessex stand with my 496. I have an old stand that has been out of manufacture for years (don't remember the make) that I use with the 186 and Symphonie. The Wessex does a fine job and is stout.

But... if you didn't want to spend that much on a Wessex (or wait for BBC to get the right parts), an inexpensive drum throne would do nicely. One with double braced legs would make it overkill sturdy for a less-than-30lb object.

I have a drum stand with double braced legs and am very happy to use it. The horn is secure and I play better knowing it likely will not collapse. Overkill, I know, however it works for me!