Keyboard Stands

[Geo_Van_Deaq]

I need a decent keyboard stand for next week for a bob dylan tribute gig. The only stand I have is for a small beginners keyboard I got around 4 years ago and since then I've got a RD-170 which is considerably heavier than the small keyboard I have, so the chances of it collapsing seem too big for me to risk using it.

I want to get a two-tier one since I plan on getting a Motif ES8 next year when I get the money together so it needs to able to hold about 50KG between the two.

I was looking at the Quik-Lok QLX-22 and I was wondering if any of you could make any suggestions or if any of you know anything about that stand.

thanks.

[Geo_Van_Deaq]

anybody?

[ImaX]

I like those Ultimate "Apex" stands very much, they're very handy, look cool and you can put two keyboards on it (even more, but that doesn't make that much sense):

http://www.midifan.com/hardware/ult-ax48bp2.jpg
http://www.samedaymusic.com/media/fit,325by400/quality,85/ULT11556.jpg

[Geo_Van_Deaq]

yeah I've had a look at the Ultimate AX48B Apex Stand, but it's a bit expensive. I don't want to spend over £70 on a stand and even that's a bit much.

[lexodus]

i think if you are too tall apex wouldn't work very good because if you put the keyboard too high, it goes too far from your body.Do I wrong?

[Geo_Van_Deaq]

It would seem so, what a terrible design flaw! :o

[Spacehog]

Nonsense, you just stand closer in to the stand, or adjust the angle (there is a little angle adjustment foot at the bottom). Plus, the higher you have the board, the straighter out your arms will be, so have more horizontal reach, and the taller you are, the longer your arms will be anyway.

Come on, guys, Rick Wakeman uses 6 Apex stands and there aren't many keyboardists taller than him kicking around the place!

Martin

[merijn]

QLX-22, that's the one holding my k26X. Must do the job.

[lighthouse]

Hey guys I have a Deltex stand foor my keys, some people say that it`s not for heavy keys, and I`m buying the keystation pro... should I change my stand?, I also need room for two boards

[Spacehog]

The Keystation Pro isn't a *very* heavy board as far as I'm aware, so you should be fine with your Deltex, I have 2 of them, although I don't have particularly heavy boards either.

Martin

[lighthouse]

oh, thanx martin

[ProgressiveD]

Hi
I'm looking for a new keyboard stand to hold my Motif 6 and my Triton Classic. I don't know which one to choose between the Apex and the Deltex. Spacehog, as you seem to know both of these models, what would you recommend to me ? Is the Apex more aimed at players with 88 notes keyboards ? I'd like to get the Apex, but I don't know if for my needs it's worth 2x the deltex price as both boards are 61 keys. I hit very hard on my keyboards, would the Apex hold them better than the Deltex ? If so, it could be a good choice.

Also you say you can adjust the angle of the keyboard, how much can you change the angle of the keyboard support ? Sorry, but I don't fin the Ultimate support website to be really informative.

Thanks

[Spacehog]

Right, here goes, a brief guide to differences etc. Firstly, the Apex is quite cool, it folds away into itself to become a 1 hand carry (the keyboard arms detach and slot into the main frame, and the legs fold up inside). It also has a little angle adjustment foot thing that enables a small amount of angle adjustment. Because the legs fold though, it's a *little* wobbly IMO. It's pretty strong though, it will easily support a couple of fairly heavy boards, and can have a 3rd board fitted too by getting a (available seperately) extra clamp and arms. The arms are available in two lengths, the standard ones are fine for 61 and 76 note boards, but 88 note boards can be a bit unstable on them. There are also "super" arms and clamps, designed for 88 note boards, which are 5" longer and provide more support. Any 88 note board on a single column stand will be a little unstable though, simply because it's only being supported in the middle.

The Deltex is not just a "poor man's Apex", it's really a different stand entirely. The cross piece at the bottom is one piece, not two, so it's more stable laterally, IMO. You can't get extra tiers separately for it, so it's only a 2-board stand, and also to adjust the tiers you need to use the (supplied) allen key, it's not just a thumbscrew to loosen them. The stand doesn't form it's own case, although it still fits in the available bag that'll hold both stands. It's also not angle adjustable, and there is no mic boom attachment available for it. It also has a lower maximum weight rating, because it's a thinner column, as referred to on the Ultimate site, in the Keyboard Stand selection guide thingy.

On *neither* board can you adjust the angle of the individual keyboard tiers. The arms on the Deltex are designed so that, with a bit of careful DIY, you can make a keyboard tilt on it though by building some kind of wedge... the arms on the Apex aren't suitable for this though.

As for your needs, with 2 61 note boards, I personally would go for a Deltex, that's why I have 2 myself, unless they were particularly large / heavy boards (ie I intend to get an Apex for the VK8 and Andromeda combo I hope to buy myself next year). Yes, the Apex is more heavy duty, but I've never had any problems with my Deltex stands, they are rugged, look pretty cool and are very stable.

Hope that helps :)

Martin

[ChrisMcCoy]

I've been using the Apex for a long time. It not only travels well for road gigs, but it's easy to setup and tear down. I have owned other stands, such as the USS A frame with memory locks, and the quick lock multi-tier, but after a while they start to fall apart. The Apex is still going strong after having it's share of road wear and handling by myself and a long list of roadies, keyboard techs, stage managers, etc. If you want a stand that can got the distance, Apex is the one.

8)

[ProgressiveD]

Thanks both, really useful.
Yeah, If I spend more than 150$ us for a stand, I want it to be built tough. I need it to replace my quick lok that is, as you mentionned, falling apart slowly.

As my future next board will probably be a 88 notes keyboard, I think I'll have to go with the Apex. I'll think about it !

[ChrisMcCoy]

If you go with apex, for your 88key controller, make sure you also purchase the super clamp and extended bars. I had to do this so my 88 key Roland RS-9 would fit.
:D

[Shreddy]

If you want a very sturdy rock solid stand get a Ultimate IQ-2000 or IQ-3000 X style stand. Look at my setup in the gear pic thread you can do quite a bit with the stand.

I have lighter duty 2000 which holds my XV88 and 2 other boards (Juno6 and JV80). I have one for home and one for live and I'm looking to get another one or the 3000 series for the next board (Fantom X7).

Ed

[ChrisMcCoy]

Thanks both, really useful.
Yeah, If I spend more than 150$ us for a stand, I want it to be built tough. I need it to replace my quick lok that is, as you mentionned, falling apart slowly.

As my future next board will probably be a 88 notes keyboard, I think I'll have to go with the Apex. I'll think about it !

Apex is Tough ! Much Tougher than Quick Lock. :D

[Drusillus]

I've had my first Apex stand for over 12 years, and it's still holding up great, the thing's a tank.

I foolishly decided a few years ago to switch to an X-style stand so that I could tilt the top keyboard. I've used both a QuikLok LX-22 and an Ultimate IQ-3000 and have become utterly frustrated with both of them. The Quik-Lok started falling apart about a year after I got it (unable to tighten the arms anymore because they just "squeeze" onto the tubing, eventually bending the tubing so that there's no resistance anymore). After that stand died I decided to try the three tier IQ and that has pretty much died in a matter of 6 months (unable to tighten/loosen the arm attachments). Not to mention that setting up a 3-tier X stand is an exercise in maintaining your sanity :evil: - the IQ has ridges that the arms latch into, pretty much preventing you from ever setting up the arms at perfect 90 degree angles. The IQ is nice and sturdy, if you're using it for a studio setup it's probably fine, but when you're tearing it down and transporting several times per month as I am, it will quickly start degrading (along with your mental state). PLUS I've found that playing a 3-tier stand it pretty torturous for a long gig.

So the lessons I have learned:

1. Never doubt my beloved Apex stand again
2. Don't even think about using a 3-tier setup when you are playing in 3 bands
3. Seek help for my obsessive compulsive disorder :)

P.S. On a related note, I'm going to be getting a second Apex stand once I get my new keyboard, but I'm going to need the extra long tribars -- does anyone know if the long tribars will fit inside the stand in the same way the regular ones do?

[Shreddy]

Live 3 boards alone is a headache let alone thinking about at stand :) A mixer, many pedals, cables etc..

When I used to do 2 boards live I had an X stand with the top tier. Live setup was simple I would just rotate the main vertical support so its pointing down and it all layed flat in space with the stand when it was folded. Basically the tier was inverted then.


My setup is
http://www.pbase.com/image/18301754/large.jpg

With my current setup I would only have to remove the single brace that is attached to the main stand and not take apart the rest of the tier. Toss them in a gig bag just for your stand, cables, pedals.


Ed

[keys76]

I'm now the owner of an official rotating stand build by Patrick "Standbuilder" Slaats.

Jeroen

[lighthouse]

hey, does Patrick have a website, I`m an industrial designer so his work interests me a lot!


Juan Pablo

[Georges]

I will most definately go for a Spider stand. Far more stable than the 3-leg Ultimate stand, same price region and easy transportability.

[merijn]

I am waiting for the Scarab, else i drop Patrick a visit.

[hephiroth]

is there any word on the scarab stand??? i tried e-mailing them but they didn't respond...or can i buy one from patrick slaats?? i really need one, the sooner the better, so i would really appreciate anyone who has info on any sort of rotating keyboard stand. :D

-Jeff-

[GregC]

George , are you referring to the K & M Spider stand ? It comes in silver and black