Upright Bass Stands

The ingles is designed for both cello and bass:

http://www.amazon.com/Ingles-Adjustable-Cello-Bass-Stand/dp/B000HWGRP8

My son bought one for his cello. It is more than adequate for that use, but not up to supporting a bass.

 

IMO, bassists who use stands are thinking more about the "display" factor rather than the safety of the bass factor. I can dig that but I've seen some really bad results of stand use.
My basses have always lived in corners (bridge leaning into the corner). I've had up to eight basses at once and when I ran outta corners they went on their sides on the floor.
I do use the fabulous "PW Fan Belt Bass Bumpers" that I invented many years ago that nobody gives me creadit for around here, dammit.
Oh, well....genius is like that.

 

I have the Ingles stand and it has worked fine. I leave the endpin down so the bass is ready to play when I am. It was designed to hold the instrument with the endpin extended.

I just noticed that Hercules is making a double bass stand:

http://www.herculesstands.com/string/DS590B.html#

Don't have any experience with it, but I have one of their music stands and several of their electric bass/guitar stands and they are bomber. Looks to store the bass at a pretty large angle off of vertical, which is going to require more floor space than the Ingles... also don't see any way to lock the bass in the stand like the Ingles has...

 

Does this ease your pain?

 

I've been searching here and haven't found a link to plan for the wooden box type of stand...anybody?

 

Indeedy, Michael, it does! And I even offered you a great deal in that thread for giving me credit where it's due.
These dorks around here got no class....I knew I liked you from the minute I saw yer tasteless Avatar.

 

There are pretty complete instructions at www.thebassspa.com

Quite a few guys have made stands that they like, anyway!

 

Great! That design (on your Workshop page) looks both easy to build and sturdy. I'm looking for a stand for an old Epiphone...leaning it against the wall has made marks on the wall and I don't really want to spend the money on another Ingles right now.

 

I just received the Hercules stand. I currently have an Ingles stand. The foam on my Ingles needs to be replaced after having it for about 2 years. Here's my impressions of the Hercules stand in comparison..

The Hercules stand is more solid and stable, stronger, and has MUCH better foam on the support arms compared the the Ingles. The Hercules base is wider and the bass feels more stable.. The support arms on the Hercules are more than deep enough to fit my 3/4 size Upton Bostonian bass, and they cradle the bass better than the Ingles.

The Hercules folds up quickly and sets up in a snap. The Ingles takes more putzing around.

The Hercules does not have adjustable support arm height. With the Ingles, you can raise or lower the support arms independently to the height desired. If you have your endpin set at a medium to long length, you will have to shorten it every time you set the bass in the Hercules stand. I am 6 ft tall, and my endpin is just short enough to fit in the Hercules stand without having to shorten it.

Both stands have a hook on the back to hand a bow from.

The Hercules does not have a support up at the neck. It seems fine without it, and feels stable enough that the bass would be fine if someone bumped into it. From a display standpoint, the bass looks better in the Hercules.

The footprint is a little bigger, and the bass might back at a slightly larger angle in the Hercules compared to the Ingles, so that may be an issue if you need to tuck the bass away in a corner.



Here's my bass in the Hercules stand.





Here's my bass in the Ingles stand.


Based on these pics, it looks like both basses lean back at about the same angle.

 

Nice review, thanks Russell.

 

looks like you could play the bass in the Herc stand. How compact does it fold up to?

 

You could play it in the Hercules stand, as there is no neck support.

It basically folds flat together along the midline, so it doesn't get very compact when folded. It gets very flat, but not as compact as the Ingles. It retains the side profile shape. Here's a pic with it folded up.

 

Herc makes decent stuff. Maybe its' time for another stand.

 

Hercules makes the custom stand that came with my Azola Ultracoustic carved BugBass too, and that stand is very nice.


This is certainly a solid stand. The only drawback is the inability to adjust the hight. Not an issue if your endpin is not too long.

 

Thanks, Russell. Looks even sturdier than my Meisel stand.

 

Yeah, for cryin out loud. Don't ask a question, for christs sake. Whadda you think this is, a forum?


Intended for no one in particular: If you don't have anything to add in a thread, why reply?

+1 for Gollihur

 

Russell, about how much can you extend the endpin? Would you mind measuring if you get a chance?

Edited to add: Never mind, I found at the Gollihur site that the measurement is 9 inches.

 

Definitely not about "display" and all about space.

I don't have a corner that isn't filled with a bookcase or something else. Definitely not enough space to lay it down except for brief moments, otherwise the bass is in the way.

The lack of corner space and wanting to play my bass at a moment's notice, as per JWeiss, is why I keep my bass in a stand.

Stand 1
The first stand was home made, came with the bass. A VERY heavy block of wood with a hole for the retracted endpin and 2 boards slotted in at angles to support the lower bouts. Not being able to keep the endpin extended while in the stand wasn't ideal for instant-gratification-grabs to pizz around.

Stand 2
Folding tripod with cup for endpin and "arms" to grab the C-bouts. No neck support. Can quickly grab the bass for some quick pizzing matches, but not very stable so I bought...

Stand 3
An Engles, but it's neck holder doesn't extend enough. I'm 6'5" and my bass endpin sticks out 9" and the Engles just can't adjust to that and remain stable. It simply doesn't work. With the endpin extended, not only is the neck holder in the way but the whole schebang wants to fall over backwards.

So now I'm back to flimsy stand 2 (were it a quadpod it would be stable enough). I have my doubts the Herc would do the trick for me either, looks like I'd have the Engles problem all over again...

That's where I stand on this subject.

 

Yeah, right and duh.
I do and did have something to add to this thread. Having pretty much built my life around basses for last 50 some years, I think I have the right to say that I consider most stands unsafe for the instrument and most players I've known (and that would be literally hundreds) use them more for the the display value both at home and on the bandstand rather than any real concern for the safety of the bass. Anywhere I've ever lived I make sure the safety of my instruments are the priority not bookcases or furniture. IMO. IMHO, YMMV, SIUYA and Feral... right back atcha' and my basses are never "in the way" like some other things in my life.

 

My bass is also the priority in the room where it is. I even have a corner for it. I choose to use a stand backed into the corner. I do so in order to protect the bass. Placing it in the corner without a stand is quite safe but would mar the edges. I realize that I could attach bumpers to the wall, etc. but the stand saves me from having to make any modifications to the wall. I use a sturdy Meisel stand and am thinking seriously about the Hercules stand. No kids or animals around-- no reasonable probability of it getting knocked over. I'd feel differently if it had to be out in the room where someone could walk into it while trying to get around it. I'd consider that way too dangerous. Sure, a secondary gain is that it's nice for display but that's just icing.