Ingles Bass Stand vs.....?

[chasyboy]

I just got a Ingles Bass stand and the rubber around the two bars across the bottom has already started tearing and turning. In just a couple of days. Anybody else have the problem? Solutions?

What stand do you use....?

[Gearhead43]

Go to the hardware store and get some clear vinyl tubing (or black rubber hose).

Cut the tubing/hose to length and slip it over the metal arms. (you can remove the foam-rubber first)

I have the same stand, it's a great sturdy stand, but the foam-rubber covering the arms doesn't last very long.

No reason to throw out a good stand, rubber hose or vinyl tubing is cheap.

[Dilbertisme]

I have the same stand, and the same thing happened. Be careful about using clear plastic tubing, though. Some plastics can damage lacquered finishes. I also wish the metal arms were not curved, as it makes it hard to get the instrument well seated.

I just bought a used Eastman 105VG, and the seller tossed in a Hamilton KB550 stand. I like it much better than the Ingles; they sell for less, too.

[P.Waite]

Someone on these forums hipped me onto the fact that these stands are meant to be used with your endpin out, thereby absorbing most of the instrument's weight. I've had zero problems with the tubing getting f'ed up since using this method.

[Bass]

My Ingles stand did exactly the same thing. I disliked the stand so much that I gave it away free of charge, it is worthless. Now my bass leans in the corner like this:

[Jake deVilliers]

You can use the thick grey foam pipe insulation from your local builder's yard. It even comes in 1/2" and 3/4" inside diameter!

[salcott]

The main function of a double bass stand of this type is to fall over, making an expensive noise. Put your bass in a corner.

[Gearhead43]

You guys are ridiculous, throw out a stand over some foam covering?

The worst stand ever was the Hamilton stand I had with the stupid cup at the bottom, spindly and a dissaster waiting to happen.

I have had zero issues with my Ingles stand other than needing to cover the arms with better rubber. It has a lever to keep the bass from falling out.

I would NOT leave my endpin touching the ground with this stand, as this would surely upset the intended balance of this stand.

If I just leaned my bass in a corner I'd wake up to a broken knocked-over bass. I have cats.

[Dr. Jake]

Two hand towels secured with rubber bands did the trick for me.

[kurt ratering]

hey bass, your bridge looks crooked.

[Jeremy Darrow]

My house came with four bass stands in each room. We've got two rambunctious cats, and they've never knocked a bass over. Lean it in the corner with the bridge pointing towards the wall, totally cat-proof.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by Jake deVilliers

You can use the thick grey foam pipe insulation from your local builder's yard. It even comes in 1/2" and 3/4" inside diameter!

Excellent suggestion!

Originally Posted by Jeremy Darrow

My house came with four bass stands in each room. We've got two rambunctious cats, and they've never knocked a bass over. Lean it in the corner with the bridge pointing towards the wall, totally cat-proof.

...and sure to mar the finish on the corners of the bass over time.

[Bass]

Originally Posted by kurt ratering

hey bass, your bridge looks crooked.

I suppose it does in that photo, good eye! Does it look crooked in this photo, taken at the same time from a different angle? Either way, I dropped the bass off at the luthier's last week because the G-string is way too low.

Originally Posted by Gearhead43

You guys are ridiculous, throw out a stand over some foam covering?

The stand didn't seem to fit the bass properly, it was very difficult to get it balanced / centered. And the arms were difficult to adjust and the neck piece sometimes slipped. And I didn't like having to pick up the bass to get it on and off the stand. And the cheap foam covering wore through in days, demonstrating little thought towards design and poor manufacturing.

Save your money, lean your bass in the corner. And if you're a stick-in-the-mud and worried about marring the finish on your corners, insert rag or towel.

[Jeremy Darrow]

Originally Posted by drurb

...and sure to mar the finish on the corners of the bass over time.

Not if you put the cover back on.

[brijonrob]

Have had several (four) Ingles stands for years, no problems, not even with the foam on the lower arms. Fits everything from my little 1/10 and 1/4 basses (wishful thinking for my 1 and 4 year olds!) to my 5/8 German and big ole Upton standard. My endpin only touches on the 5/8, regardless, the foam has held up. Sturdy, not too expensive, way better than the Hamilton "disaster-waiting-to-happen-oh-crap-is-the-endpin-in-the-cup" model, and I generally like most of Hamilton's other products (plus many are actually still USA made, unlike the Ingles!). As always, my two cents.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by Jeremy Darrow

Not if you put the cover back on.

Well, that would make it a bit difficult to pick up and play! Given that stands are relatively cheap, for me, anyway, the safety and convenience they provide make them well worth it.

[Jeremy Darrow]

Originally Posted by drurb

Well, that would make it a bit difficult to pick up and play! Given that stands are relatively cheap, for me, anyway, the safety and convenience they provide make them well worth it.

How hard is your cover to take off?

[drurb]

Originally Posted by Jeremy Darrow

How hard is your cover to take off?

This seems kind of silly. At home, I keep my bass in the stand ready to play. Again, given the cost of a stand, there's no way I'd want to go through throwing the cover on and off. So, for me (and many others, apparently), the question is not "How hard is it to take the cover off? but, rather, "How hard is it to pop for the $65 or so to get the added safety and convenience?" I realize that that's a personal decision. Furthermore, storing the bass in a corner and covered would hamper efforts to control humidity. That's a necessity given that I have a carved bass and live in the northeast. It would also mean that I wouldn't have the pleasure of seeing the bass when I pass by the room it's in. I'd think you might want to do the same given that you have a Solano. So, do you actually store your basses in the corners with their covers on?

[Jeremy Darrow]

You're right, this is getting silly. I'm not trying to give anyone a hard time, though it may not seem that way. But, to answer your question, I do keep my basses in their covers when I'm not playing them for several reasons. I don't have a whole lot of room to accommodate basses in stands, keeping them in corners takes up very little space. The floor plan of my house is pretty open, so I can't humidify an individual room in which my instruments are stored. Keeping the basses in their covers allows me to keep some control over the instruments humidity. It's not perfect but it's what I got. During the course of the day there is almost always a bass out being played, so I do get to enjoy the view. Mostly, bass stands scare the bejesus out of me and it's no more difficult for me to toss the cover on and put it in the corner than it is to keep it in the stand. And if I did keep basses in stands I'd still need a place for all the covers, so in that sense the basses serve as stands for my bass covers.

Before moving back to the sweet sunny south I lived in Philadelphia, so I know all about humidity control. I always thought of the cover as a great way to slowly acclimatize the bass to any temperature or humidity shift, even those that happen in the house throughout the day.

Edit: Sorry to have dragged this thread off-topic.

[drurb]

Thanks, Jeremy. As usual, "to each his own" applies. Drag the thread off topic? Hey, that's what TB is all about! Anyway, this seems right on topic, all things considered.