But How Does It Work? It Works Great!
This part of the story picks up where Part 2 left off. The new bass saxophone stand that Andreas Kaling came up with, and had metal designer Ferdy Rose manufacture, is now assembled.
After watching a few more videos of Deep Schrott—and paying particular attention to how they position their horns in their stands—I made some adjustments.
Now that I have the legs of the stand in the best position to give it the greatest stability, and the lower support brace adjusted a bit higher than I originally had it, this new bass stand is amazing. It is strong, supportive, and incredibly stable.
Note: All photos are by M. Margison.
Playing While Sitting
I’ve used this stool for playing for years. I use it not only in my studio, but also at shows that last longer than 1 set… In other words any show we play at that isn’t a festival.
I got it from a friend of mine who owned a couple of hair dressing salons. It is intended for stylists to sit on when they cut your hair. It adjusts in height, so it is ideal for whatever size of sax you play.
If you prefer to play your bass more transversely, this stands allows you to do so. You can adjust it for even more of an angle if you wish. This is my preferred angle of playing while seated.
Playing While Standing
Transverse playing is now possible too while standing, and you no longer have to wear your 18 lb sax from your neck to do so.
Some Detailed Pics
I am really pleased with my new bass sax stand. If you’re looking for a really versatile stand that will allow you to play your bass either in a sitting or standing position, and even allow you to adjust the angle at which you play, then this might very well be the stand for you.
Apparently I’m not the only person who thought this stand was a great invention for bass saxophone players. After Andreas read my previous articles he sent me a couple of testimonials from other players who bought the stands. I thought I’d share them here.
This first one is from a player in the USA:
The stand arrived today. It is wonderful. Your workmanship is excellent. It is all that I hoped it would be.
The second comment is from a player in France:
I have recovered the stand. And I just tried it: fabulous! I’m very happy to blow my Conn in these very good conditions. Very, very good product, and a very fine idea… This stand fit very well with my bass Beaugnier too…
These stands are not available through stores. They are only available through special order from Andreas.
I’d also like to go on record and state that I’m not associated with Andreas in any way, and have no financial interests in his business. I receive no remuneration for sales of his stands. I’m only writing about them because I believe in the product, and think that the bass sax playing community could benefit from the knowledge of their existence.
If you would like to know more about these high quality stands, please contact Andreas directly. He would be happy to answer any questions you may have. He’s a very nice guy. I’ve found him to be a real pleasure to deal with throughout this whole exchange.
Hi, Helen
First, I want to thank you for your attention and dedication given to answer my question. It’s very good to know there is always somebody near to help.
Now, answering your question, yes, it’s a Lopes bass sax, and it was made a month and a few days ago. Lopes doesn’t make stands, neither even a case for their instruments! When I bought my sax, it came to me in a padded bag, both of them into a plywood box.
Talking to him on the phone, he told me there is a company near Campinas City, wich make custom cases for Lopes’ instruments, but they don’t make stands.
But all of your suggestion were very, very helpfull to me. I’ll do this way: First I will try to convince Lopes to make a custom stand. If he doesn’t make it, i will buy another bass sax stand and then I will adapt it to my bass.
Buy the way, I can’t believe that beautiful Buescher saxophone you had, fell down on floor. What a tragedy! I still have the pictures of it I’ve downloaded from here!
As you said: “a stand for this type of saxophone is not an accessory; it is a necessity.”
I’ll keep in touch and tell you the end of this history. A happy end, I hope.
Best regards
Rafael
Hi Rafael.
As I mentioned to you in my email, I’ll drop Andreas a note. I think the 2 of you should talk about this. Perhaps there is a way he can help you with this project.
Regards,
Helen
Hi, Helen
I often read this blog, and I would like so much if you could help me with a suggestion. I play a bass sax with Low G made here in Brazil, and I just can’t find a stand for it. I liked so much Eppelsheim’s contrabass sax stand, but he said it wont fit my sax.
I will send you a photo of my sax.
Hi Rafael.
Welcome to my site.
First of all let me say your bass saxophone looks beautiful. How old is it?
I am surprised that the makers of this sax (Lopes is it?) don’t provide or sell a stand for these instruments. Have you asked them? I would think other players would need stands as well. I know many companies that make unusually large, or unusually shaped horns, have a contract with a specific company to have stands made according to their specifications. This makes sense, and would go a long way towards helping players who have spent a lot of money, protect their investment.
I’m assuming that you’ve already asked the company, and they don’t have any stands for their horns. If I owned one these saxes, I would talk to the company and see if I could convince them to make arrangements with a local steel fabricator to make custom stands specific for the horn. That would be my first suggestion.
If that doesn’t work, and the company won’t help its customers with a stand, then I guess you could try and do what Andreas did. You could try and find a metal designer who would be willing to work with you to design a custom stand for your bass. This will not be cheap. That’s the problem I ran into when I had the custom case for my Buescher bass built 10 years ago—in the days before replacement cases were easily available. That case cost me at least twice as much as a replacement case would today. That’s why if the company would have a stand designed, and more than 1 built, it would be much cheaper for players, than if only 1 player took on the project for himself.
I have not played a sax like yours, but I have played a Buescher bass saxophone that Lopes converted to low G. It was very heavy; very difficult to hang on to; and very difficult to lay down and pick up. Shortly after I played the sax it was sold to a record company in England where it was used on a recording project. While there, it had a fall, and was quite badly damaged. As far as I’m concerned, a stand for this type of saxophone is not an accessory; it is a necessity.
I don’t know if any of what I have written has been helpful for you Rafael. I wish you luck in finding some answers to your problem. Please let me know how you go about solving it.
Regards,
Helen
I definitely like the fact that you can tip the horn to the side a bit — something that lets you know that the person who made the stand built the first one for real world use.
As for the stool, there is an easy answer for those of us who don’t know where to get a hairdresser’s stool. Get a normal, cheap ($50 or under) office chair without arms, and don’t put the back on it (or remove it if you buy it used/assembled). Some cheap chairs need their arms to support the back, in which case they’ll work too because you can dispense with the arms and back together.
Yes, the cheap office chair idea without arms idea is a good one. As long as you can adjust the height you’re all set.
As far the stand goes, it is the best idea that I’ve seen in a long, long time. I think Andreas has really come up with a winner. He is currently working on a baritone version of this same stand. Since many bass players are also bari players, he is going to make whatever they design work with the existing stand. I’m really looking forward to that. I’ve already told him to put me on the list for one when it’s completed. The stand will be adaptable for both low A and Bb baris.