Mandolin stands

[ilarn89]

I like to keep my stringed instruments handy for playing. Any preferences/recommendations for the "best" choice in mandolin stands?

[ronlane3]

See Doug Edwards from this site to get a VERY sweet looking mandolin stand.

[Django Fret]

I really like my Ingles stand. These are made for violins or mandolins, and the built-in bow holder is a handy thing to hook the strap to.

If you plug into an end pin jack, you might need to use a right angle connector since there is not a lot of clearance at the bottom.

[EdSherry]

The Ingles are good, but I prefer the Hamilton "Hanger" stand. #The instrument hangs from its neck, and the stand is almost impossible to tip over (a key feature for me). Another plus (for me) is that the instrument is higher off the floor than with the Ingles. Plenty of clearance for cables, etc.

[Jeff Baldwin]

I have an ingles and a meisel. Very similar. I like the ingles best...and it is the less expensive. I have a mando and a fiddle...the meisel works better with the fiddle...the neck support seems to cradle the fiddle neck...

[Bob Denton]

I have the K & M Stand, which is light weight and great for gigs.

K & M Stand

It folds flat.

Cya!

[DryBones]

I've got an Ingles that works perfectly! I love the bar across the neck to keep the mandolin from getting knocked out of the stand.

[John Flynn]

I like my Meisel for gigs, but the one I use the most, at home, is a $10 "El Cheapo Model" Ultra guitar stand that I cut down to mando size with a hacksaw. It only took me about 20 minutes to modify and it really works well.

[Avi Ziv]

I found out that my Gruven Banjo Safety Stand works really well for my mandolin as well. It's perfect for my Irish sessions because I can have one stand and alternate between my mando and the tenor guitar.

Avi

[ilarn89]

Thanks folks. I knew that I would get some excellent leads. I'll do my homework on them all.

[maroon]

I use a Fender Electric guitar stand. Since it's made for an instrument with a much higher center of gravity, it has the ability to adjust to an extreemly wide base and thus, is extreemly stable. I had to modify it slightly so that the two arms that hold the mando wouldn't open quite so wide. I did this in about 30 seconds by putting a zip tie on each arm near the hinge to form a stop. I then snipped off the excess zip tie.

Here's a link to some pictures of the product. (Mine came with a Fender bag with a drawstring. I'm not sure they are still marketed that way, though).

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7....=454506

These appear widely available and are both sturdy, lightweight and inexpensive.

Good luck.

[danb]

I use several of the Hercules electric guitar ones. Very small..

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product....=453079

[tnpathfinder]

I second Dan on the Hercules. I like it fairly well. That is was I use in performance and at home I have wall hangers. (String Swings).

[ilarn89]

Wow...I gotta tell you! I found pics of some of Doug Edwards mandolin stands.
(http://www.geocities.com/ntbbluegrass/Sales.html)

Awesome! Handcarved scrolls - Gotta have one!

[Doug Edwards]

This is what Tim ended up with.

[ronlane3]

Good choice Tim. (Hey Doug, can I have my endorsement deal now )

[Doug Edwards]

Ya know Ron that may not be a bad idea, Tim liked his so much he refered a friend who bought this one.

[mandopete]

I have the K & M Stand, which is light weight and great for gigs.

K & M Stand

It folds flat.

Cya!

Another vote for the K & M. It's very lightweight and it folds up and fits into my backpack. Great for gigs and works for the guitar too!

[ronlane3]

Doug, Please bring one this weekend for me to look at.

[pchristi]

Tim,

Two ideas that were not mentioned above for keeping stringed instruments handy.....

First – I find the best stands for leaving instruments out and “handy” to be the wall hanger type. I use the “String Swings” but there are others. See stringswing page:
http://www.stringswing.com/downloads...etailItems.pdf
The instruments hang from just below the headstock – not touching the wall or anything else. There is even a locking strap that can be used for extra safety and a bow hanger on the one for fiddle. The instrument groupings make great wall decorations and the best part is that mandolin, guitar & fiddle are always out and ready to be played. They hang high enough up on the wall that I can leave the instruments out all the time and not worry about the dogs or kids knocking into them. – I should add that they hang on an interior wall away from direct sunlight and are in an air conditioned space. Of course the disadvantage is that this system is not very portable.

Second – For portability I like the “Ultimate Stand” that I modified (shortened) to accept mandolin and fiddle – Even though I shortened it, it is still long enough to accept guitars. The tripod/hanger design of this stand is very stable. It is great for taking to gigs and jams because it folds up into a small unit that easily fits into the gig bag. As a bonus, the hanger part accommodates a fiddle bow too. I'm including a photo of the Ultimate Stand. _ modifications were done with a hack saw and drill (very easy).

Hope you find this helpfull.

Prescott

[jeff_75]

I second that last post. #I ordered an Ultimate and took a hacksaw to it. #It folds up small enough to go into my gig bag. Heavy duty, high quality. Very pleased with the end result.

[B. T. Walker]

Okay Preston and Jeff,

How exactly did you modify your Ultimate stands? How did you get the clutch connector off the tube without destroying it? I like Ultimate stands for my guitars, but they were always too long for mandos to hang correctly. I'd ;ove to fix them so they work with both.

Until then, I've always used Ingles violin stands. They work just great, but if the leg hinges are loose, the legs may not want to stay out, so if you pick up the stand they close. Should your other hand be full of say, a music stand or other related dreck, you cannot open the legs without setting everything down. A few hefty squeezes with a pair of pliers did the trick.

[jeff_75]

It's been so long since I did it, I'm not entirely sure. #I believe I very gently pried it off with a screwdriver or a knife. #When I re-attached it, I wraped some black electrical tape around it tight to cover any marks that may have been left (and to help hold it in place). #I probably didn't do as clean of a job as Prescott (since I don't remember any drills being involved), but it looks fine and it's very functional. Unlike Prescott, however, I cut mine short enough so that it will only accomodate my mandolins - it's now useless for a guitar.

[pchristi]

The Ultimate Stand-

How did you get the clutch connector off the tube without destroying it? #

First off, sorry about the humongous picture #but at least that way you can see the clutch cam connection thing where the smaller diameter top half telescopes into the larger lower tube and also the base part at the tripod. #

Was a pretty long time ago for me too... and I don’t have it here in front of me. But, I think I took it apart at the tripod base part and not at the clutch cam portion – And it was either a screw or a rivet holding it together. #If it was a rivet I drilled it out carefully – If it was a screw..... # Once removed, the base easily separated from the tubes.

The inside tube end is covered by a plastic cap which acts as a stop (preventing the inside tube from being raised too high and out of the lower tube). #Remove the plastic cap/stop and pay special attention to the relative lengths of the two tubes - you’ll want to preserve this difference so it will be the same after your cut. #Best way to do that was to bring both ends flush and lock the cam – Then, cut through both tubes at the same time.

As mentioned earlier, I wanted it shorter so it would work with my mandolin and fiddle but also still wanted it to work with my guitar…..which it does - but had to measure carefully.

Would recommend trying to keep the cut nice and square. #Pull everything apart and clean up the saw burrs on the ends. #Put back together and refit the Cap/Stop into place – I think it must have fit very tight since I don’t remember using glue. #

Connecting the lower tube back onto the tripod is where I remember using a drill. #* Note that the tube must be oriented correctly so that an instrument will hang evenly between the two padded legs. Check this before drilling.

Using the existing hole in the base as a guide, I dilled a very small hole into the lower tube to accept a small sheet metal screw. #After screwing the base and tube together I found that I had to shorten the screw so it wouldn’t interfere with the Cap/Stop piece as it slides up and down. #I would suggest shortening the screw only after threading it into the small hole on the tube first. #That way it will be easier to thread in the modified screw.

Well that took longer #then I expected…… almost longer then the modification itself.
But the modification was well worth the effort as it really has been a great stand. #It has held up and served me well for the past four or so years.

Hope this helps. #
Prescott