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Hello out there:

I need some experienced referrals regarding tuba stands. I currently own a Baltimore Brass tuba stand. It's great.. sturdy, easy to use and rather durable. That being said... I have problems with it not going low enough. I've also used an old tuba stand.. chrome finished, reported to have belonged to Jake, via Dave Fedderly, via Alex Lapins. Since we're on the road all the time, we experience different chairs. I'm wondering if anyone has experience with a stand that goes lower, to accomodate ANY chair.

This is not so much a problem at work, as I'm starting to bring my own chair. It's more of a problem outside work.. auditions.. etc...

All recommendations are appreciated!

i have problems with that too... i think mine's a DEG stand or something like that. most of the time it's ok but on occasional chairs, it sucks. The guy I bought my horn from had taken a stand of that type, pulled inside out (cradle and post) and had stuck it into the base of a heavy duty suspended cymbal stand. i don't remember allthe specifics, but it was very solid (kind of heavy). i've been thinking about doing that for awhile. it seemed to work really great. I have done a lot of tuba stand shopping so I don't really know what's out there so much.

John,

I've never experienced any issues with the BBC stand...you must be playing a massive horn, brotha!

I used the DEG stand in the past, and since the tripod is adjustable as opposed to the snap-lock of the BBC stand (which I actually prefer...no chance for slippage), you might get good results with it.

I used the K & M stand that the studio owned (or maybe you left ) at Temple and I must confess I didn't dig on it that much. It slips too damn much, and I don't remember the tripod being functional enough to be useful with regard to height. Also, the actual base is about half the size of the BBC stand.

Now when I get my Yamaha 621S F next month I'm wondering if I'll even need a stand. I'll still use it on the CC, but it was convenient to use the stand on the B & S PT-10 at Temple and here at Truman, and I used it on the Firebird that Temple bought (did you hear about that?). Anybody else had experience with using a stand on the Yammie?

Sorry to usurp your post a bit, John. I'll promise never to do it again. Today.

GO OWLS!

AVC

Have you tried the tubassist?
I haven't tried it yet, but it looks interesting.

here is their website:
http://www.tubassist.com/

here is some stuff here on the boobnet about it:
viewtopic.php?t=16762&view=next&sid=d44 ... e8d68814e2

there is a tuba news artcile about it too:
www.tubanews.com/articles/contentid-81.html

If you get one let me know how you like it.
Bill

Wht not use the Tubassist?
It fits any chair, any tuba and any individual.
http://www.tubassist.com/
I've bought one myself, actually the first in Sweden.
Using it all time, everywhere, especially worthful together with unknown chairs.
I've a Kaiser tuba, MW/Melton 200, that could be very uncomfortable without a stand.

porkchopsisgood wrote:I used the K & M stand that the studio owned (or maybe you left ) at Temple and I must confess I didn't dig on it that much. It slips too damn much, and I don't remember the tripod being functional enough to be useful with regard to height. Also, the actual base is about half the size of the BBC stand.

This confuses me. The Baltimore Brass stand uses a K&M saddle, and the spread of the legs is considerably less than the K&M.

Now when I get my Yamaha 621S F next month I'm wondering if I'll even need a stand. I'll still use it on the CC, but it was convenient to use the stand on the B & S PT-10 at Temple and here at Truman, and I used it on the Firebird that Temple bought (did you hear about that?). Anybody else had experience with using a stand on the Yammie?

I've never needed a stand with F tubas. They are lighter and smaller, and come to my lips without me having to exert all the muscles of my legs. The 621, in particular, is easy to hold, at least for me. I do recall from many years ago, however, seeing Lee Hipp use an early DEG stand with a Yamaha 621 when playing a recital. Getting a stand to extend tall enough for a 621 might be antithetical to getting it low enough for the original poster.

Rick "who had the problem of being too high with the K&M but never with the BBC stand" Denney

I,too, have (and like) the BB stand. I, too, have just a little bit of trouble with certain chairs. I solved the problem (and helped out another potential problem) by making a circular "disc" of high-density foam rubber, covered in fabric. This cushion is just the size of my bell and stores in the bell end of my gig bag when not in use. When I sit, it provides just enough lift and makes folding chairs a lot more comfortable, too! That little bit more padding is always welcome to protect the bell in the bag, too, so it's a win-win for me for the cost of a dollar's worth of foam and my wife's labor covering it.

Hey Rick...

I'm pretty sure the stand I used at Temple was a K&M....but it had a pretty small saddle on it....maybe an older K&M? Dunno....BTW....base=saddle from my previous post

And you're correct....the footprint on the BBC stand is much smaller than the K&M....but the K&M is adjustable...which is to state that it tightens into place.

As for the 621 Dilemna...just looking for consistency. I'm a bigger guy and don't like to put my horn on my lap. With the 621, however, I feel it will be a lot less unwieldy on one leg than the german style F's of B&S...we will soon see.

AVC

When dealing with chair height and seat angle problems, cellists often use a wedge type seat cushion which is about 3" in the back and 1" or so in front. One such cushion is the "Tush Cush", available, along with similar products, here:

http://www.cellos2go.com/accessories.ph ... ns-benches

Rather than lowering the stand, maybe you should consider raising the chair. Pat Sheridan, in a masterclass a couple of years ago, was very adamant that your hips should always be higher than your knees while playing.

Have you thought about getting one of those wedge cushions that the cello players use?

tubahippie wrote:

Mark wrote:your hips should always be higher than your knees while playing.

I COMPLETELY agree

Same, here.

I have tried some tuba stands, but they never felt comfortable for me. My lap seems good enough.

What really bothers me is the lousy chairs we get to sit in at rehearsals and gigs. I bought a drummer's throne (Roc-n-Soc, Nitro model). It's quite sturdy, folds up, has a very comfortable saddle-type seat, and easily adjusts over a large range to any height you like. A nice plus is to be able to adjust the seat so I am higher than those opaque heads in front of me, and can see the conductor (in case I get curious about what he's doing).

Cheers,
Allen

Allen wrote: A nice plus is to be able to adjust the seat so I am higher than those opaque heads in front of me, and can see the conductor (in case I get curious about what he's doing).
Cheers,
Allen

That may not be a good thing.

I didn't think of a cushion.. I'm going to look into this. I only use the stand with my big horn (Rudy 5/4 CC), and I like it to hit my face at an upwards angle, so it's got to be lower than the chair in most cases. This is my short term solution to shelling out oodles of $$ to have a new/bent leadpipe installed to eliminate my stand problem all together.

Thanks for the helpful replies!

Getting a leadpipe bent isn't that expensive. I have a pretty nasty overbite and I have it done on my CC and F.
Bill

A followup:

I bought the cello tushy cushion that was recommended. Awesome! It makes a huge difference!

I have been brainless of late, so thank you for the seemingly obvious recommendation!