Tuba Stand

[hugechunkofmetal]

BBC (Baltimore Brass Co) stand.

[scottw]

In all the many discussions we have had down through the years, the Baltimore Brass stand has always gotten the highest praise, both in terms of utility and the price point. There is no other stand which does all the things a BB stand does well. K&M is strong, but heavier and has high legs that you will be bumping into, guaranteed. It will also need to be modified [cut down] if you have a low lead pipe. DEG is lighter, but flimsy and will not hold adjustment for long. The BB stand is cheaper than the K&M and on a par with DEG and is built like a tank, yet only 6lbs and compact. Mine is used every day for over 7 years and still works as well as the day I bought it.There are not many things in life that I can say that about.

[Chadtuba]

I've only used a drum throne. It is a little bit of a pain, but I love the adjustability and the larger surface.

[eupher61]

I've tried both. BBC is so much more convenient, and really does the job better for me.

[scottw]

I've only used a drum throne. It is a little bit of a pain, but I love the adjustability and the larger surface.

There is no lack of adjustment with the stand, probably more than with the throne. What larger surface? Your butt takes up most of it anyway; I'd be surprised if the tuba doesn't sit more securely in the saddle of the stand than perched on the edge of the throne.

[TubaRay]

Baltimore Brass. Works great with my Rudy.

[Ben]

I also use the BBC stand for all of my tubas - from 164 to my smallest, 155. I find I have better posture, don't slouch, and don't aggravate old injuries that way.

[scottw]

I've only used a drum throne. It is a little bit of a pain, but I love the adjustability and the larger surface.

There is no lack of adjustment with the stand, probably more than with the throne. What larger surface? Your butt takes up most of it anyway; I'd be surprised if the tuba doesn't sit more securely in the saddle of the stand than perched on the edge of the throne.

Edge of the throne? I sit in a chair and the tuba uses the throne.

Wow! I wonder how the weight and size of that compares to the BBStand? And, you still do not have that nice depression for the bottom bow to sit in.

[Chadtuba]

I've only used a drum throne. It is a little bit of a pain, but I love the adjustability and the larger surface.

There is no lack of adjustment with the stand, probably more than with the throne. What larger surface? Your butt takes up most of it anyway; I'd be surprised if the tuba doesn't sit more securely in the saddle of the stand than perched on the edge of the throne.

Edge of the throne? I sit in a chair and the tuba uses the throne.

Exactly, I sit on a regular Wenger band chair with the throne in front so there is a nice large surface that is semi-squishy so the horn stays right where I put it. The adustablility comes in with the fact that the thrones I've used have the spin seat height adjust so I can adjust ever so slightly and make very quick adjustments if I need to change horns or chairs.

It is bigger and heavier than the BBC stand I'm sure, though I've never gotten my hands on the stand to compare. For me, right now anyway, all of my playing is at the university with the band room right down the hallway from the concert hall. All this said, I'm playing euphonium this semester and when I do play tuba I'm playing my 983 and don't need or want a stand.

[roughrider]

I have tendonitis in both shoulders and need help to play. After listening to the experts here I purchased two drum thrones and went to an fabric store where the staff took the the foam out of the seat and re-glued the fabric back on to the wooden discs on each seat. I then adjusted them both and left one at home and took the other to our practice hall. They work very very well and allow me to play sitting comfortably on a chair with the tuba in front of me on the throne. This is not an inexpensive solution, however I would strongly recommend it if you can afford it.

[b.williams]

Drum throne. No contest. Just as portable and much more stable than a tuba stand.

[Jay Bertolet]

I have not tried a BBC stand but I'm positive that they are good simply because Dave Fedderly wouldn't sell something of bad quality out of his shop. For many years I have used the DEG stand and the advantage I see in that is the light weight of the stand and the fact that I also have the velcro enclosed bag that they used to offer for these stands that fits snugly and safely into the bell. Since I play in so many different venues these days, portability of my setup really matters. I haven't seen another stand that is as easy to take from place to place as the setup I use, or I would have bought it.

[eupher61]

Do you really put an unevenly shaped piece of metal, weighing 5lbs or more, down the bell of your tuba? Wow. I know it's convenient and I've heard of others doing it, and I do a lot of things with my horns in transit that others may gasp at, but wow. No complaint or anything, I'm just surprised. No problem with dents? Is that bag padded?

[Jay Bertolet]

That is the stand I was looking at when I decided to write my post. It just seems light and compact - and I like the idea that it will fit down the bell. Ever have a problem with the tuba slipping off? As much as you play, having one last for years says a lot about the durability.

I've never had an issue with the horn slipping off the stand. The rubberized pad that you rest the horn on is cupped and just sticky enough to cause that not to happen. What works best for me is adjusting my legs while sitting to have one resting somewhere near the center post of the stand. That steadies it plenty to avoid problems. The durability is an easy thing to fix too. The part that wears out on these stands is the retaining collar where you adjust the height. The screw and bolt that you tighten down will strip over time. It's simple enough to remove the stripped parts and put another bolt in place with a large wing nut. Nothing else on these stands has ever worn out for me. Even better, I found out that DEG can provide replacement collar assemblies that are a 5 minute installation with an Allen wrench and that makes the stand just like new.

Regarding the bag, it is very padded. I have never had any damage from these things being in my bell and carted around in a gig bag. The bag itself is made of 1" thick padding and the outside of the bag is covered in what looks like velvet. No dents, no scratches, and the bag is conical so it kind of wedges itself into the bell and keeps everything from moving around at all. My only complaint about the bag is that the flap that you seal the bag with uses velcro and over time, that velcro can come loose from the bag. A few stitches and that problem is solved.

[Wyvern]

What I found worked best for me with my 6/4 Neptune was using a Tubassist (no longer made) mounted on folding chair. That way wherever I am playing the tuba is in same position and I have a suitable chair for playing. The shaped seats are hopeless with larger tuba!

[Jay Bertolet]

For those who use playing stands...

Do you pull slides while you play? Do you think you would need the stand, if your left hand could hold the instrument, rather than pull slides?

no snark...just curious.

Personally, I've had the most trouble holding-on-to/balancing-tubas-on-my-lap when I had to use my left hand to pull slides (particularly when they were thick-wall/heavy tubas.

Also, as my gut has retreated over the past few months, I've noticed more available room to hold a tuba.

Alas, no "gut retreat" for me. Even so, where I feel it most is in my shoulders. Even when I used to balance the horn in my lap, I felt like I also had to steady the horn front to back. The extra muscle tension required to do this was provided mostly by my arms and shoulders and upper chest. When I started using a stand, all that tension went away. I do remember taking some time to find the optimal position for everything but it was easy to maintain once found. For me, the key was to sit comfortably and then position the stand to bring the horn to me. Craning the neck is a real trap with these stands. But if you're trying to avoid that, it's pretty easy to do. Now I use stands on every horn I play (except the cimbasso, can't make a post without mentioning that ) whether I pull slides or not.