tripod-base "display only" tuba stands

[bloke]

Here I am again triggering people who sell these - as well as those who buy them...but this isn't a troll
(and - agreed? - I'll often admit openly when I'm trolling).

Displaying instruments is sort of a self-serving enterprise. Others really aren't interested in them.
Mostly (as mostly guys play tubas) our wives are those who have people over - and it's their friends - and their friends aren't interested in admiring our tubas...

...so the purpose of these tripod NON-playing stands is - pretty much - singular: so that we ourselves can admire them as we walk past them.

Quite obviously, the safest place to store a tuba is in a hard case, with a second choice being a thinly-padded bag...
...but both of those tend to discourage practicing, as it requires just enough time to remove our instruments from those things that (when the practicing bug is borderline) it's just discouraging enough to (well...) discourage.

The claim that "resting tubas on their bells causes creases" is false. I offer no wiggle room - regarding this claim - because no tubas that I've ever used or owned have ever ended up with creased bells simply from resting on their bells. This includes my ultra-thin-walled current 6/4-size tuba, whereby resting a small "Miraphone" mouthpiece/accessories bag against the bell (in the case) resulted in the cloth PIPING on the little bag putting little dent lines (yes, really) in the bell...YET - setting this instrument on its bell habitually never has resulted in a bell crease.

Tripod stands (regardless of how sturdy-built, how black their paint, or how steampunk their design) are precarious. They all involve balancing a 20 - 30 pound very delicate object up in the air via a support system that probably doesn't weigh as much as the object itself (and places the majority of the aggregate weight up in the air.

Instrument stands are not impossible to knock over and - typically - it's the owner of the instrument themselves (or their spouse, child, or pet) that knocks them over.

me...??
I tend to keep my tubas "out"...but (again) I rest them on their bells and rest the back sides of them against something. I don't bother to do this, but some might put a washcloth between the tuba and object (wall or what-have-you). Logic dictates that walls are far better resting places than chairs, and "way away from traffic paths" is far better than "in or near traffic paths".

I have a couple of non-tuba (large) instruments that I also like to keep out and ready to play. Those are pushed way back between a dresser and a almost-never-used small desk - in the corner of the room. The reason for this is because they - unlike upright bell tubas - actually REQUIRE stands, if not stored in their hard cases...and (again) they don't extend out into the room.

OK...The sit-down-on-the-floor "bell-up" style display stands for tubas:
I would be wary of those as well, and can easily conceive of just as much damage occurring via a mishap with one of those...
...so I could/should broaden the title of this post and REMOVE the words "tripod-base".

This post is from a repair-guy's perspective. It's only opinions/advice, and to either be heeded, ignored, viewed as ridiculous, or reacted to with some sort of "yeah, but my..." Quite obviously, each will do as they choose. I do tend to PERSONALLY (yeah: me/opinion) view the tripod stands as yet another "oh cool, something I can buy to go with my tuba" thing, rather than something that's actually useful, but (again) that's just me. We all justify our own decisions, and - the older I get, and the most introspective I become - the more I catch myself (ie. realizing/admitting to myself) making lame excuses for my own behavioral, purchasing, and other decisions.

facebook post that prompted this screed:

[Stryk]

I have three old Eb horns sitting on cheap guitar stands. It has worked so far, but if they do fall over, it's no big deal - they are little more than decorations.

[tokuno]

All about convenience for me. Has to be, as my horns are nothing much to look at.
Yamaha Randall May stadium sousaphone stand typically emerges the day after Thanksgiving and holds my sousaphone handy till Christmas caroling ends.
My wife begrudgingly tolerates the visual clutter because it's temporary and out of her way in the north living room but for when she uses the treadmill.
We have neither free-roaming pets or younglings, and should we suffer an earthquake violent enough to tip over the stand (pretty darn squat and stable), I'll be dealing with much bigger problems than sousaphone damage.

[Three Valves]

I keep mine out so I play it more often.

Also, we have a large brass jardiniere on the other side of the living room and my life demands symmetry and balance!

[Mary Ann]

It has been commented on by the TE quartet that the cats don't appear to bother the tubas, which are always sitting out on their boxes. Nope, for some reason they respect my stuff. The furniture also does not get clawed -- they stick to their scratch mats and sisal stuff. Fully clawed, not trimmed. I have good cats.

[MartinMan]

I keep mine on stands because they all have recording bells so the sitting them on the bell isn't an option. Furthermore, the less barriers I have to practicing the better, so if I can easily grab one off a stand as opposed to rolling out and opening a case, I'll tend to play more.

Of course the only ones I have out on stands are the only ones I actually play regularly. The ones that live in their cases are usually the ones for sale.

[arpthark]

I dunno, I have a couple Hercules stands in my barn with less-than-precious horns or tuba carcasses on them and I bump, nudge and whack them regularly (well, not regularly, I'm not a total klutz) and they don't budge. Yesterday I somehow managed to drop a bugle on top of one when trying to hang it up on a nail. The tripod legs stick out pretty far which makes the base very sturdy. You'd have to really bowl into them or trip over one of the legs to knock 'em over, I reckon. Of course, I don't disagree that the safest place for an instrument is in its case out of the way, and I don't keep tubas inside on a stand (not a great combo with a 2 year old).

[bloke]

Y'all do ya'll's thing...

not my business...

only my advice.


A washcloth down on the bell will also catch condensation running out of the mouthpipe tube (when a tuba is stored on its BELL).

This is water which would otherwise collect and sit in the main slide bow (typically: yellow brass) if on a display stand and promote red rot.

[DonO.]

A long time ago I had one of the “Baltimore Brass” style of wooden stand where you rest the tuba on its bell but it’s held in place by the wood and it’s carpeted to protect the bell edge. It was a copy somebody made, not the real Baltimore Brass. Nevertheless, it worked like a charm and I wish I still had it. Seems like the ideal combination of features. My tuba always seemed very stable in the thing. The stand increased the “footprint” of the bell for increased stability, if that makes any sense.

[travisd]

A long time ago I had one of the “Baltimore Brass” style of wooden stand where you rest the tuba on its bell but it’s held in place by the wood and it’s carpeted to protect the bell edge. It was a copy somebody made, not the real Baltimore Brass. Nevertheless, it worked like a charm and I wish I still had it. Seems like the ideal combination of features. My tuba always seemed very stable in the thing. The stand increased the “footprint” of the bell for increased stability, if that makes any sense.

I don't own one, but the school where our community band practices has some and I tend to borrow one since they have a vinyl tile floor, not carpeted. Also has the bonus feature of reserving horn space from encroaching Bass players, and discouraging the woodwinds in the next row up from using said space for entry/egress.