Double Bass Walkstool Sort-of Review

[bshaw]

Purchased a 75cm /30inch Walkstool ‘Comfort’ (Walkstool Comfort | Walkstool) sometime during the past several years as I’d always been curious about it as an ultraportable stool option. I tried it out at home a few times, but only had a chance to try it in performance this past weekend. I can report that it was the lightest, smallest, most portable stool option I’ve ever come across; my bow case is much heavier and larger. That being said, if this model is the ‘Comfort’ version, I definitely wouldn’t want to know what the ‘standard’ Walkstool feels like. I’m 5’8” and about 150lbs, and while I was able to adjust and adapt to the stool while playing, it wasn’t at all ‘comfortable’. It wasn’t necessarily ‘uncomfortable’ / painful either, but it took some getting used to. One’s body weight sort of ‘hangs’ in the center, hammock-like, while one of the three leg topshafts threatens to either a. sterilize you for the immediate future, or b., bang up against the back of the instrument. Actually, it’s not really an either / or, both of those things kept happening intermittently.
I prefer to sit cello-style, with the bass directly in front of me, and both legs up on whatever stool I’m using. With the Walkstool, my feet had only slick metallic tubing to rest on, so they kept annoyingly sliding down (had only practiced barefoot at home, feet are much grippier than dress shoes, I suppose). Anyway, I didn’t have problems with the stool moving / sliding around, which is what I was most concerned about. Getting up for page turns wasn’t too bad, just had to take an extra second or two to get ensconced again correctly . Overall, the stool was okay, and I preferred having it vs when I played standing briefly to compare. For me, it wasn’t the most comfortable/ natural feeling stool, but loading in from a few blocks away, going through a series of entry way security doors, and doing the whole thing in reverse afterwards was waaaay easier without lugging a different stool option around. Hands down the most portable, easiest to set-up stool I’ve used. Just wanted to put it out there if there are others considering it, thanks!

 

[Ketbass]

Thanks for sharing. So this looks like a backpacking/camping stool. I guess I would've never thought using it for playing bass just because of the sling seat. Although my favorite stool by far is my Cabella’s marsh hunting stool. Folds down, easy to store in the car and has a pretty comfy seat sort of like a drummer’s throne.

 

[Don Hergert]

I can't sit on a triangular-hammock straddle seat, my voice goes up two octaves if you know what I mean . My wife's favorite jam chair has a similar triangular-hammock design and she loves it, but they just don't work for me.

If this chair were a 4-legged square-hammock seat with similar extended height, weight and packability, I'd be all over it.

 

[robobass]

I make a foldable stool based on the same tripod principle but with a solid seat. At 3lbs. it is probably heavier then a Walkstool, but still pretty light, and quite ridgid.

https://basscapos.com/other.html#robstool

 

[Francois Blais]

The wooden "thing" toward the bottom is a footrest?

 

[Martin Spure]

@bshaw I also have the walk stool 75 cm and have similar height and weight as you, and agree with everything you wrote. It’s not comfortable for longer periods, yet not exactly painful - except maybe the NutCracker ‘feature’; my Falsetto is downright beautiful for a few minutes after standing up again

Thus, I don’t actually use it for gigs (got a ‘proper’ K&M for that), but it’s great lightweight (1kg) and foldable stool to bring to band rehearsals, to rest my legs a wee bit between tunes/drum solos while still sitting at a proper height (for me). The front protruding shaft on the stool makes it impossible to use while playing, if you’re a “rear-upper-bout-into-groin-for-balance-“ kind o’ player..But as an ‘auxiliary’ chair it’s actually great.

Although maybe a bit odd; it’s great to use when I’m cooking on my stove - or cutting vegetables on the kitchen desk/table. Perfect height and the chair is so light that moving it around in the kitchen is a doddle