Keyboard stand that DOESN'T work

[Bob McElroy]

Kind of turning that dead horse around:

While the end game is to find a stand to set my various "lap" guitars* on, I wonder if you guys could share some that absolutely cannot be pressed into service?

Too high, too wide/narrow, too heavy, too unstable, not adjustable enough, etc.

I plan on homebrewing the clamping aspect.

Thanks in advance.

*Those include dreadnaught with extension nut, standard electric guitars with extension nuts.

[Jack Hanson]

Hard to beat the Deluxe34 Universal that's now marketed by Asher. They're spendy, but they're worth every penny (in my opinion).

[Bob McElroy]

Thanks Jack, that is the gold standard so far but way beyond my budget which (...counts pocket change...) is not very robust.

[Peter Jacobs]

I used an inexpensive X-stand from Guitar Center when I first got started. They seemed stable enough. The two big issues for me were:
1. Can I get the steel at the height I want before the top arms are two far apart? This depends on how tall you are. I, personally, am not
2. How much do the legs intrude on floor space. We played some small places back then where space was at a premium. If it’s going to be stable, it will take up some room.

Of course, things like how easy it is to open and lock and overall quality come into play. Like I said, I didn’t run into any quality issues with this $35 stand (I can’t remember the brand, probably a house brand from 25 years ago) - I just needed to mess around with the height. It worked well enough at the time.

[Paul Seager]

I prefer to stand when playing live and before I acquired my first console, I used a no-name keyboard X stand. As with anything made "elsewhere" and branded differently "everywhere", it's a question of luck as to what you get! They work fine if they are even at the "feet" and the feet are not to short. If they wobble on a flat floor, forget it. Btw, I am 6'2" and the X frame just about supported the steels at the playing height I needed!

I made my own clip-on top - just a plank of wood with those clips to hold tools to walls, securing the plank to the stand. This made the X-stand more stable in general. Keeping the steel(s) on the top was not a problem.

If you go this route, I recommend going up the price ladder a little and buy a known brand rather than say a chain-store own brand. It will definitely be far less than the Deluxe 34.

[Bob McElroy]

Thank you, Peter and Paul.

I am gravitating towards standing while playing as well.

On the neck side I will be repurposing a garden variety guitar wall hangar mounted on a block of wood, the body side will be much less elegant.

And I am in agreement about getting what you pay for. The best I am hoping for is basic functionality, but dealing with the huge market of no-name (or strangely named) venders can be equally painful and strange.

I bought a no-name "Johnny Smith" pickup for about $25 shipped and it wouldn't mount without contacting stings. When I initiated the return process, they refunded my money and told me to keep the pup.

This caught my eye on Amazon:

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