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I know this has been discussed a ton on here but i'm looking for a good sturdy tuba stand. I play on a 6/4 horn (I doubt it makes any difference but just in case). What would you guy's suggest?

Get a Tubassist. It is the strongest tuba stand I've ever run across, other than a Tuba-Tamer. The Tubassist is very adjustable and will NOT move AT ALL once you set it where you want it unless you decide to move it.

What you want is a K&M Kingsize tuba stand
http://www.k-m.de/STAND-FOR-KINGSIZE-TU ... 298.0.html

It is the only stand which provides the support for a 6/4. I use one for both my Neptune and Cerveny Kaiser.

probably the best stand on the market (kudos to Mr. Fedderly) is the Baltimore Brass one. Good price, low profile so you are not always tripping over the legs on it, folds up very well, sturdy, etc. I have not seen the new top for it. My only issue was with the K&M style saddle that was on mine - I had to kinda' aim the horn into it. I rigged a nice flat top from plywood and other materials that solved that problem.

I believe others will also sing the praises of this stand.

Peace.
Roger

I use a DEG, and it holds my BAT fine. But even with primarily EEb use, the screw tenon will always fail; the screw strips out. I don't know why they havent figured this out.

I made one from a Hamilton Trombone stand, and it lasted years before I lost it. Cheep too!

I've tried a bunch of stands for my 6/4 Neptune and the best one i found was by far the Baltimore Brass stand. Mr. Fedderly really did a good job with those.

I like my K&M. Yes, I have to "aim it" and that only takes about 1-3 seconds. i dont see that as a downfall one bit. I do love the cradle.

I will second the Tubassist and add an accessory that I came up with.

I like the Tubassist because:
-It's highly portable and comes with a nifty carry bag
-The cradle is quite sturdy and large enough to accommodate the biggest horns, and it has a curve to prevent forward/backward slipping that some of the others lack
-VERY adjustable
-The cradle rotates freely so if you need to move in your seat (I look around in quintet a lot) the tuba can twist & turn with you
-The hardware, including all screws and moving parts, is really sturdy. It shows no wear, even after over two years of daily use, and the stem supporting the cradle NEVER SLIDES DOWN.

Here's what I DIDN'T like:
-You sit on the tubassist and either use your body weight to keep it in place or use the provided velcro strap. It seems tough enough, but I have a hard time trusting my 10K tuba to a piece of velcro. If you don't use the velcro strap, lifting of your body weight for even a slight adjustment can have catastrophic results if you're not paying attention.
-Some funky chairs with weird shaped molded plastic bottoms won't accommodate the stand.

For a while, I didn't use the strap but then whenever I would get up, say to talk between pieces in a recital, I'd have to slide this piece of metal out from under my butt, which looks awkward on stage.

My solution:
Reading talk of tuba thrones got me to thinking about perhaps getting a drum throne and permanently affixing the tubassist to it to eliminate the need for either removing it each time I got up or using the velcro strap.

As a trial, I bought a $15 wooden bar stool from Wal-Mart and some machine screws, nuts and washers. Then I just bolted the tubassist to the stool.

The ugly plaid pad on the saddle was added after the old one wore out. It's a temporary fix until I fond some good squishy rubber to put there.

The holes are already present in the tubassist and the machine screws I found fit flush against its surface, making the thing as comfy as it ever was.


Here's a look from underneath:


The only drawback is that portability is drastically reduced. I may switch it out for a real drum throne when I get some extra $$$, but this setup is working perfectly for my current needs. As an added bonus, my posture is better, with my knees now well below my hips (as the stool is taller than a chair), and I feel like my air delivery is better as a result. If this is a placebo effect, I'll happily take it.

I also use the Tubassist for playing and find it great with my solution to the sliding off chairs to screw onto a folding wooden folding chair and cover the seat with a cushion as in the picture



I have been using this set-up for two and half years and both the stand and chair have proved durable enough to take daily use for all my tubas from 2040/5 Eb to 6/4 Neptune.

JCalkin wrote:The ugly plaid pad on the saddle was added after the old one wore out. It's a temporary fix until I fond some good squishy rubber to put there.

Wally Johnson kindly supplied me with replacement rubber pad when mine wore out - I am sure he will do the same for you if you drop him an email

anyone have any info about the new BBC saddles? Thanks.

Interesting to see the responses.

to the OP: do you mean a PLAYING stand, a REST, or a STORAGE stand?

The playing stand would be something like a Tuba Tamer. A rest, the BBC or DEG or Stewart type things. A storage stand is like the K&M.

Big difference between the 3, and it helps to know what you're asking about!

I've been kicking around the idea of building tuba stands for quite a while... Guess there's no better place to get thoughts and opinions than right here!

I want to build them from aluminum and I realize this is not the most cost effective material but they will be built strong and we can customize them to meet certain needs... I'll try to put together some rough drawings so people will see my ideas...

So what's important to you in an upright / K&M style tuba stand???

Tim

Dave M wrote:We bass 'bone players have a delightful habit of putting socks over our tripod stands to keep the horn from sticking and save the lacquer

I was wondering why my director did that...

Dave M wrote:I like my K&M storage stand (don't use a playing stand), but I think I'd prefer a slightly less grabby material to cushion the uprights. To be fair, my stand is pretty new and may need breaking-in, but I find the horn doesn't want to come out unless I put my foot on the stand base. If I widen the uprights, it seems insecure.

Dave

This is a really good point - my horn is smallish, but I feel like if the K&M's upright supports are relaxed enough to 'let go' of the horn, it is not very secure. However if they are tightened down, I can even (very carefully) leave my top-heavy Silent Brass mute in the bell as I take a short break while practicing. While not totally safe to do so, the horn stays in there really well.

I'm a big fan though of the K&M.

trseaman wrote:
So what's important to you in an upright / K&M style tuba stand???

Tim, I'm probably the minority here, but I want/need a stand that will allow me to stand, or sit on a reasonably high stool, while playing. I double to string bass, have a stand for it, and I want to be able to switch instruments on the fly, mid-tune. If you've ever seen Vince Giordano, you'll know what I mean. (well, switching-wise, and stand-wise, not talent-wise!)

Don't buy the DEG! While it's price and light weight and portability make it seem like a good idea, it doesn't do what it's supposed to do, HOLD your tuba in place. The tightened, smooth plastic doesn't grip the metal, and you end up stripping the screw every couple months. I spend 5 minutes everyday jamming foam between the plastic and metal so that there's some grip. I can't wait until the BBC shipment comes in. Their stand has metal digging into metal to insure that the pole's not gonna slide. I think DEG should remove its tuba rest from the market until they come out with a better system of holding the position in place. At least put a disclaimer on it that says you can't adjust it more that 100 times before it wears out. Shame on DEG for selling a product that doesn't work.

Dave M wrote:
[quote]We bass 'bone players have a delightful habit of putting socks over our tripod stands to keep the horn from sticking and save the lacquer

Hey now - trombone players are mandated to use a Crown Royal cover!