Double Bass Playing Stand for DB

[Papageno]

I am very appreciative of your comments. Truly. I look forward to what other comments you may have. Thank you for your considered response.

Randy

John, you and I are on the same page. Thanks!

Randy

Hey rehoward and Randy Howard: are you the same guy?

If yes, please read this:

Rule #8: Represent yourself truthfully. Please be honest when representing yourself on TalkBass.com. Using two or more user accounts concurrently is prohibited. Registering duplicate accounts to circumvent a ban is prohibited and will result in a permanent ban of all accounts.

If you post on a thread with multiple user names, you will only confuse other participants about the message you intend to convey. Sticking with the rules will make the discussion easier for eveybody.

 

[Papageno]

That is a pretty tall order Papa, especially the "inexpensive" part. Often, you get what you pay for, more or less. I am focused on a playing stand now for a variety of reasons. If making a stand as you suggest were all that easy it would be on the market. The K&M stand I just bought is adequate but nothing more. It is lightweight and fairly well constructed but not inexpensive. I really don't like the plastic fitments on it. It does fit several of your requirements such as size requirements and it collapses easily. You can buy a tote bag for it, unfortunately at an inflated price.

Randy

Sure, you may have noticed that this is at the bottom of my requirements list. I can happily go over this criterium (and esthetics as well) if the first 4 or 5 criteria are satisfied. So far, the Hercules is the closest to my needs.

 

[Randy Howard]

Hey rehoward and Randy Howard: are you the same guy?

If yes, please read this:

Rule #8: Represent yourself truthfully. Please be honest when representing yourself on TalkBass.com. Using two or more user accounts concurrently is prohibited. Registering duplicate accounts to circumvent a ban is prohibited and will result in a permanent ban of all accounts.

If you post on a thread with multiple user names, you will only confuse other participants about the message you intend to convey. Sticking with the rules will make the discussion easier for eveybody.

 

[Randy Howard]

Yes, I am the same guy. My email address changed and I could not log on so I established a new account. Please delete the old one with the [email protected] account. Thank you.

 

[Papageno]

Yes, I am the same guy. My email address changed and I could not log on so I established a new account. Please delete the old one with the [email protected] account. Thank you.

Come on! If it is so how how could you possibly post in this thread with 2 different usernames within less than a week?

 

[damonsmith]

I did not say "stiff and stationary". You are not getting it.

Even if it had movement, then the maintenance of the mechanical aspects to keep it noise free as well as the effect on the resonance of the instrument wouldn't really be worth it.
Something strong enough that moved freely would end up being the cost of a decent bicycle.
Also, adding another bulky and expensive "need" in the way of practice and concerts is never a great idea for bassists.
On suggestion is find a table lean it on or a corner so it is ready to play for you at home without having to pick it up.

 

[Don Hergert]

I've got 2 stands. An Ingles which holds my DB when I'm not playing it, secured by the neck in a corner where people won't bump into it; with the Ingles' neck brace mechanism it would be nearly impossible to play the DB in it.

I literally move my DB more out in the open, into my K&M 141 in the mornings for my day at home alone, where it's extremely easy just to lean it forward and play it, and just as easy to lean it safely back into the K&M during breaks. I could play the DB with it fully resting in the K&M stand, but I prefer to have the base angled forward with only the end pin in the stand for greater freedom of movement; I'll play that way sometimes, and sometimes completely away from the K&M stand.

I also practice both sitting and standing since I also do both on stage and have an adjustable height stage stool just for that purpose. Stools are a whole other discussion, similar though in that they need to individually suit the player and the DB very well.

I can see that players who have physical limitations might benefit from having the DB in the K&M 141. It's setup allows for some flexibility regarding the angle of the bass, and of course the neck is completely free and available. Personally I prefer to practice a large variety of different ways so I have a lot of possible ways to adjust my posture and my DB posture as needed on stage.

I have one DB playing friend who will literally slouch back into a couch, cradle his 3/4 DB in his legs and play that way. Very relaxed of course, but also very limited in posture varieties once he gets into that position. Probably something you'd never see in an orchestra section, but he has fun and sounds good for the environments he plays in, so hey...

A part of this discussion is also targeting what genre, venues and situations you expect to play the DB in. I'd suggest for example, if you're targeting orchestral section playing, you should probably practice postures that are appropriate for that.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Having a stand from which you can play the double bass has handy moments. My bass is on a stand in the middle of my home office / music studio / video production studio. Often, as in almost every day, I'll be passing by the bass and will sidle up on a whim to play an idea I've been thinking about. Ten seconds here, 30 seconds there. Nothing serious, just testing ideas or reinforcing something I'm working on. No friction of having to "get the bass out" or plug in electronics. Just walk up and play.

This was not the original goal. I needed a stand impervious to impact from my three dogs and three cats and was stand-alone, as in placed in the middle of the room instead of a non-existent corner. I chose the Hercules stand to meet this requirement. However, the stock Hercules is too low to accommodate my extended endpin so I am using a modification to lift the stand up a few inches. (Details for printing parts custom designed for the Hercules stand are here.)

With the mod, I can comfortably pizz or bow the bass while in the stand. I'm six feet tall and have average length arms, so this is what works for me. Your mileage may vary.

Two potential negative points: Pressure by the stand on the rear side of the bass degrades resonance somewhat; I have not done tests to determine if it's less or more than what you'd experience while playing in seated position and legs against the bass body. Also, it's not comfortable to play in the stand for a long period of time. You can ease the strain somewhat by tilting the bass toward you, as would in normal standing position. It is what it is.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Having a stand from which you can play the double bass has handy moments. My bass is on a stand in the middle of my home office / music studio / video production studio. Often, as in almost every day, I'll be passing by the bass and will sidle up on a whim to play an idea I've been thinking about. Ten seconds here, 30 seconds there. Nothing serious, just testing ideas or reinforcing something I'm working on. No friction of having to "get the bass out" or plug in electronics. Just walk up and play.

This was not the original goal. I needed a stand impervious to impact from my three dogs and three cats and was stand-alone, as in placed in the middle of the room instead of a non-existent corner. I chose the Hercules stand to meet this requirement. However, the stock Hercules is too low to accommodate my extended endpin so I am using a modification to lift the stand up a few inches. (Details for printing parts custom designed for the Hercules stand are here.)

With the mod, I can comfortably pizz or bow the bass while in the stand. I'm six feet tall and have average length arms, so this is what works for me. Your mileage may vary.

Two potential negative points: Pressure by the stand on the rear side of the bass degrades resonance somewhat; I have not done tests to determine if it's less or more than what you'd experience while playing in seated position and legs against the bass body. Also, it's not comfortable to play in the stand for a long period of time. You can ease the strain somewhat by tilting the bass toward you, as would in normal standing position. It is what it is.

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One last point: a major shout out to TBer @svenyonson. Steve invented the extensions for this stand for printing and posted the instructions mentioned. He's been gracious with his time and I appreciate it! Hopefully, his work might benefit others here who are interested in using the Hercules stand.