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Topic: Stool/chair for short lap steel player? |
Mike Neer
From: NJ
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Dave Mudgett
From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 24 Jan 2022 10:36 am
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I use nothing but drum thrones or round-top wood stools to play steel, either pedal or nonpedal. There are lots of adjustable drum thrones that go very low or very high. I'm tall, so I have the opposite of your problem, so I set my seats at least 24" high. But the drummer I work with most is no taller than you - maybe a bit shorter - and cranks my thrones down for rehearsals and uses them with no issue. But I don't think they go less than 18". Are you sure you really need a <= 14" seat?
But if you really need something super short, and search for junior drum throne, drum throne for kids, or something like that on google or amazon, you'll find a bunch of really low drum thrones. My worry with the cheapest kids' thrones would be whether or not they're sturdy enough for an adult.
Pages with some ideas:
https://www.techlifeland.com/best-drum-throne/
https://www.musicindustryhowto.com/best-drum-thrones/
I can't imagine you couldn't go to a walmart or target or pretty much anywhere that has cheap furniture and fine a stool short enough for cheap. Or if you walk into a guitar center, sam ash, or something like that, you may well find something in a drum throne or keyboard seat that fits.
I just saw Mike's post about a Junior Drum Throne - yeah, that's one of many that you can turn up if you look. But if I were you, I'd figure out some other way just what height you need. I know I have chairs of wildly varying heights around the house. |
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Ryan Matzen
From: Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 24 Jan 2022 6:06 pm
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Mark Mansueto wrote: |
Ryan, what height would work for you? A folding chair for a card table is about 16 inches. I also have a folding keyboard stool that goes lower than that. I don't know the brand but it looks like the Yamaha one posted earlier. |
I am not 100% sure. 17” is too high. The folding chairs that I have are also too high. Someone suggested a Junior drum throne. That might be a good option. |
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Ryan Matzen
From: Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 24 Jan 2022 6:08 pm
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That would work great if it hold me! I didn’t even think of Junior drum throne. I’ll have to look into those more. |
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Ryan Matzen
From: Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 24 Jan 2022 6:11 pm
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Dave Mudgett wrote: |
I use nothing but drum thrones or round-top wood stools to play steel, either pedal or nonpedal. There are lots of adjustable drum thrones that go very low or very high. I'm tall, so I have the opposite of your problem, so I set my seats at least 24" high. But the drummer I work with most is no taller than you - maybe a bit shorter - and cranks my thrones down for rehearsals and uses them with no issue. But I don't think they go less than 18". Are you sure you really need a <= 14" seat?
But if you really need something super short, and search for junior drum throne, drum throne for kids, or something like that on google or amazon, you'll find a bunch of really low drum thrones. My worry with the cheapest kids' thrones would be whether or not they're sturdy enough for an adult.
Pages with some ideas:
https://www.techlifeland.com/best-drum-throne/
https://www.musicindustryhowto.com/best-drum-thrones/
I can't imagine you couldn't go to a walmart or target or pretty much anywhere that has cheap furniture and fine a stool short enough for cheap. Or if you walk into a guitar center, sam ash, or something like that, you may well find something in a drum throne or keyboard seat that fits.
I just saw Mike's post about a Junior Drum Throne - yeah, that's one of many that you can turn up if you look. But if I were you, I'd figure out some other way just what height you need. I know I have chairs of wildly varying heights around the house. |
I’ve tried many keyboard benches and drum thrones throughout the years. I still own a keyboard bench and two drum thrones. The bench and thrones are short enough for me top play a keyboard or a drum kit But, are all too high for my thighs to be level with the ground. I think a Junior drum throne would work. I have not tried one of those yet. |
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Ryan Matzen
From: Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 24 Jan 2022 6:16 pm
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Thanks for all the help. It is appreciated. I now have some new options to look into. |
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Gene Tani
From: Pac NW
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Posted 24 Jan 2022 7:50 pm
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You can have steel seat made any height and they're super practical, compartments to stash volume pedal, cable, etc. Simple kits start at around a hundred and they go up to deluxe models with powerstrips and jackplates and other stuff build in.
I think I'm 5'5", I would've been taller if I hadn't grown up in Wisconsin! (go Packers next year... )
https://steelerschoice.com/services.html _________________ - keyless Sonny Jenkins laps stay in tune forever!; Carter PSG
- The secret sauce: polyester sweatpants to buff your picks, cheapo Presonus channel strip for preamp/EQ/compress/limiter, Diet Mountain Dew |
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Lloyd Graves
From: New York, USA
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Posted 3 Feb 2022 5:33 am
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If you're just playing at home (portability isn't an issue) you could try going to aflea market or antique store. A lot of older chairs were made shorter than they are today. |
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Ryan Matzen
From: Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 3 Feb 2022 6:09 am
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Lloyd Graves wrote: |
If you're just playing at home (portability isn't an issue) you could try going to aflea market or antique store. A lot of older chairs were made shorter than they are today. |
Thanks for the tip! |
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Terry VunCannon
From: Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 3 Feb 2022 7:13 am
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I once saw a sound guy do a simple hack with a folding metal chair, same problem. A cheap fix. Take the rubber tips off the bottom of the chair, take a hack saw and saw off one inch off each leg, and put the rubber boots back on. Test, and cut more if needed. Simple, easy, & only takes a few minutes. |
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Karl Paulsen
From: Chicago
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Posted 3 Feb 2022 7:40 am
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It's not terribly difficult to cut down the height of a standard X-braced piano stool/bench. This would allow you to have a larger seat than the student seat I linked to earlier, likely at a lower price.
I just did a similar operation, lowering an X-braced keyboard stand to make a PSG height stand for a small pedalboard. See the last post in this thread for details and pictures...
https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=369655
Only took me a half hour and a couple bucks in hardware. If you bolted the cutoff arms to the bottom of the x braces (unlike my application where I used the top and side) you could retain a wide-enough support for the seat even as you shorten the height and width of the upper arms _________________ Nickel and Steel. Sad Songs and Steel Guitar.
https://www.facebook.com/NickelandSteel
Chicago Valley Railroad. Trainspotting and Bargain Hunting...
https://chicagovalleyrailroad.blogspot.com/ |
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Bill Groner
From: QUAKERTOWN, PA
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Posted 19 Feb 2022 5:20 pm
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This post was dead for a while, I thought it was time to revive it. Now here is a forumite that has the right idea....kill 2 birds with one stone!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdBpY071P0E _________________ Currently own, 6 Groner-tone lap steels, one 1953 Alamo Lap steel, Roland Cube, Fender Champion 40 |
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David Ball
From: North Carolina High Country
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Posted 19 Feb 2022 5:43 pm
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I'm not short, but my inseam is. I use drum thrones as well as regular big box store round bar stools that I cut the legs shorter on. works very well.
Dave |
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Ian McLatchie
From: Sechelt, British Columbia
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Posted 21 Feb 2022 5:35 pm
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I'm your height, Ryan, and have encountered the same problem. I bought a keyboard bench (a Yorkville, but I suspect you could probably find the same item with a number of different brand names). Even at the lowest setting my feet didn't sit flat on the floor, but repositioning one of the mounting brackets for the adjustable legs did the trick. |
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Ryan Matzen
From: Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2022 8:28 pm
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Ian McLatchie wrote: |
I'm your height, Ryan, and have encountered the same problem. I bought a keyboard bench (a Yorkville, but I suspect you could probably find the same item with a number of different brand names). Even at the lowest setting my feet didn't sit flat on the floor, but repositioning one of the mounting brackets for the adjustable legs did the trick. |
Seems like a good idea. Were the brackets just screwed to the bottom of the bench? |
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