stand up stand for lap steel

Chuck Trombley · From: Broken Arrow, Ok. 74012

I've acquired an Oahu Diana,X45667, with a
25" scale and tremendous sustain and sound.The weekly lesson record for the original purchaser are dated 1951.
I want to purchase a rack so I can play this instrument standing. Anyone know where one can be purchased? The keys need to be replaced since they are a bit tight to tune. Thanks loads. Chuck

Andy Alford · Posted 6 Mar 2000 3:43 am

I bought a key board stand for mine at Mars for 19.95.You can get the same thing for about the same price at Musicians Friend or Elderly Instruments.A key board stand is perfect and who can beat 19.95?

Blake Hawkins · From: Florida

Chuck, you might want to try cleaning and lubricating those tuning keys before replacing them.
Blake

Jim Landers · From: Spokane, Wash.

Chuck, I also just recently discovered the Oahu Dianas, and I think they have got to be one of the nicest and best sounding lap steels available. The more I play mine, the better I like it.

About the stands, maybe somebody can shed some light on this. I have seen several old pictures where the players are using a single pole stand with 3 or 4 short legs on the bottom. There are several pictures in the Hawaiian Steel Guitar book. One of the pictures shows Sol Ho'opi'i using one of these stands.

Was this a type of stand made for lap steels, or were these just put together by the players because nothing else was available? When you look at them close, it looks like maybe they were part of a drum set originally. Somebody here must know about these. I would like to find something like that also. John, Mikey, Brad, b0b?????????

Jim

Bob Kagy · From: Lafayette, CO USA

Jim, I haven't seen the pictures you referred to, but I used (and I saw many others use) a heavy-duty chromed metal stand with a height adjustable single leg, and foldable metal tripod legs at the bottom. I can't remember who manufacturerd it, but they resembled lots of stands made for drums, music stands, etc at the time.

I'm pretty sure it isn't made anymore, I haven't seen one for a long time.

They were very nice for the era - there being a wing-nut replaceable neck cradle for either single or doubleneck guitars. I tend to think that Fender, with their screw-in telescoping legs presented a much cooler, more finished look that maybe led to their demise.

Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

The only stands I've seen for lap steels have been very old, and appear to be modified holders on top of a sheet music stand.
I don't know of anyone who makes such a stand currently. I've had good luck with a keyboard stand such as that made by Ultimate Support.

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Brad's Page of Steel:
www.well.com/~wellvis/steel.html
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Ian McLatchie · From: Sechelt, British Columbia

Jim, Chuck: There were stands made for lap steel. I knew someone who had one, but unfortunately I was unable to talk him into selling it and have since lost touch with him. It had an X-shaped cradle for the body and an extendable support for the neck, and was height-adjustable. I've periodically seen them advertised for sale over the years, but only as an accesory to instruments I wasn't interested in buying. A keyboard stand is a reasonable alternative, although better for standing than sitting.

Jim Mathis · From: Overland Park, Kansas, USA

I used to own one of the chrome stands. Single post, tripod legs, it cradled the guitar real nice. As I recall it weighed more than the guitar. I haven't seen one in years. The keyboard stand is probably the best deal now.

Jim Landers · From: Spokane, Wash.

Bob K., the stand that you described sounds just exactly like the ones I was refering to. To bad they are'nt still available. I think they look neat.

It sounds like I'll probably wind up with a keyboard stand too. I just thought it would be nice to get one of the old stands for an old steel. A nostalgia thing I guess.

Thank all you guys for the info. I've been curious about those stands for quite some time.

Sorry Chuck, I did'nt mean to try and take over your topic, but my question just seemed to fit in here.

Jim

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

I recently got a stand along with some other stuff in a lap steel deal- obviously a recently made piece but no maker information. It looks a lot like the collapsible amp stands made by several manufacturers, an X shape with adjustable height and an adjustable clamp gizmo to hold the guitar body. With some modification it fits my Sierra just right. I'll try to track down the provenance and pass it along...

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Mark van Allen-"Blueground Undergrass" Mullen D-10, Fender Dual Professional, Dobro, Sierra 8 string

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

Paul Beard's Resophonic Outfitter's catalog lists a lap steel stand but doesn't give a description. Check out their web site.

Bob Kagy · From: Lafayette, CO USA

Jim, a last comment. Those old stands - they weren't all that stable in a stand-up config. Sitting down was fine, but pretty top heavy when up (I had a D-8 on it)- I used to worry about it when on break, that someone would bump it and topple the whole thing.

Michael Johnstone · From: Sylmar,Ca. USA

I suspect that if you were to take your lap steel down to any pro drum shop,a good drum tech could modify a snare drum stand to do the job.Some of the new drum hardware available nowadays looks pretty sturdy. -MJ-

Ric Nelson · From: Silver Spring, Maryland

I checked with Paul Beard and he said he no longer carries the stands for Lap steels. He said the problem is that the catalog has not been up-dated by the folks who manage his web site. Also no longer available are the great guitar straps that he carried made by Jeff Bibb.

Steve England · From: Austin, TX

I remember last year in St Louis at the Excel stand they had a couple of Frying Pans, and one of them was on a very new looking stand. I don't know if maybe they are selling them as accesories for the frying pans. Also for those of you that use keyboard stands, what sort of hieght do you get I bought a keyboard stand for my Rick a couple of years ago but I found that at it's highest I still have to bend down slightly to play it, and I'm not particularly tall. Nowadays I use a heavy duty old music stand and it works just fine, solid as a rock.

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

I hunted around on the stand I've been using and found the Label: Hines Products Corp-Johnson City, Tenn. 37602- Should be easy to track down- It works great with my S-8 Sierra, and fits Melobar, Morrell and other 6 and 8 string single necks well. Good luck!

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Mark van Allen-"Blueground Undergrass" Pedal, Non-Pedal, Lap, and Dobro

Patrick Ickes · From: Upper Lake, CA USA

Hey guys;
I don't know if my link skills will work, but I saw this laptop computer stand in a catalog on my flight to Dallas for the Jamboree. [url=http://www.shopvoyager.com/ObjectBuilder/ObjectBuilder.iwx?ProcessName=SubsectionPage&path=/MobileOffice/&Level=Level1&Merchant_Id=1&pcount=6&Catalog_Id=2&Section_Id= 2210]Laptop Computer Stand[/url]
Hmmm, that's kind of long, but go to www.voyager.com and look in mobile office or there abouts. Looks like the stand would work and look great.
Pat

[This message was edited by Brad Bechtel on 23 March 2000 at 09:18 AM.]

George Keoki Lake · From: Edmonton, AB., Canada

Just as a matter of interest, I had one of those really old stands back in the late forties...sold it when I bought a National double neck. I wish I had not sold it, but you know hindsight. Anyway, it was fairly solid and had an angle brace to support the neck. When I was in Hawai'i a number of years ago, I bought the "modern day" equivilant which some of you probably have. It is heavy duty, (and I do mean HEAVY), all chrome and made in Japan. I paid 99.00 US for the beast. About 3 years ago I found a mint Rickenbacker double neck in a flee market..(teardrop design...the one they call "old ugly"..but this one is anything but ugly). I made some adaptaions to that Japanese stand and it now supports that Rick double neck beautifully in the standing position. But heck, I'm not getting any younger, my legs tire easily, so I have since bought a collapsible folding high stool. I now sit much higher than a chair. Old Ugly and I do it the easy way now and my legs no longer suffer. As I said at the top, "just a matter of interest"

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