well, i'd really like the Ultimate Apex but it's too expensive, so I'll buy a simple and reliable X stand.

What are the best X stands you are all using?
It's only for one keyboard, a Ketron SD1.

Is quicklock a good choice?...

Thanks in advance.

Luis Santos

Quik-lok and Ultimate are both great stands. Although I would never personally use an X stand for a keyboard. I would recommend saving your money and getting an Apex stand or Z stand. A good stand you will only have to buy once. I find X stands to be a little too tippy for my likening and I love my keyboards too much to watch them fall.

I also have a quicklok Z stand at home, with my Roland XV88, but it's too heavy to gig with. I need something more portable... That's why I'm considering a X stand.

Thanks

Luis Santos

I have a retired Z-stand also - too big, heavy and takes too long to setup. I have had an X-stand collapse on stage and wreck two keyboards so those are no longer an option for me either. THE best stand IMHO is the QuikLok Monolith, which both Scott Yee and I enjoy using. It's light, folds flat and sets up instantly with no chance of collapse:
http://www.quiklok.com/search_list.taf?_function=detail&Layout_0_uid1=33262

I'm not sure Ultimate Apex is a good stand for a musician working with pedals. In previous posts there were some criticisms about the equilibrium of the stand. It seems to be indicated exclusively for situations where you stand on stage. I used to work with Quiklok X stand (a simple T-10 with attached music stand and mic boom). I'm presently using a Quiklok Monolith and I am very happy with it. It's heavy and not cheap but it folds completely flat (very convenient) and it's extremely stable. And there's plenty of space for pedals.

-- José.

I use the Ultimate Apex for gigging and I sit when I play. I find it very convenient for pedals since you can position them against the legs of the stand, they won't walk on you when you fumble for your pedals in the dark. The Ultimates are rock steady, easy to setup and break down, and very portable.

JMTC

Al

I have just bought a new one to hold the VA7, while my current X-model stand is not steady enough while playing and I'm also affraid that it might break one day..! That would be an expensive joke Fortunately this never happened.

So last week I went to the local music store (we have 2 now in a 6 km radius, but only one deals in more than just keyboards, organs and piano's). The stand should come this week. I had the choice between J&M (not sure, could also be K&M or so) and Quiklok. I choose for the K&M. It's a double X model and expandable.

I'm now awaiting their call. If anyone is interested in a review of when it arrives, I would be glad to post it here.

[This message has been edited by Sander (edited 02-10-2003).]

Has anyone seen the Folding Z stands? They are great and compact, VERY easy to move and the fold up pretty small.. I had a bad experience as will never again use an X stand. Those that have had luck with them, I am really glad to hear... Perphaps I may just be a clutz.

Hi Luis,

It would be hard to top the Ultimate, especially when it comes to durability and expandability. The Ultimate also has a full, lifetime guaranty, which I found was worth it's weight in gold. I had a few couplers that cracked when tightened, called their 800 number and told them the model number and they shipped a pair of replacements the same day--no questions asked. The ones they sent had been modified and improved considerably to prevent breakage. I called them a few days later and asked if they could replace the others and their reply was "no problem." Three days later, a box filled with couplers was in my mailbox. They can be expanded to accommodate any size keyboard(s) and hold an enormous amount of weight. Set up time is about five minutes if you're using a two or three-tier system.

I recently purchased a Quicklock QL-641, which is also a heavy-duty stand that can support about 265 pounds. It is well constructed, rugged and provides excellent support for both keyboards (PSR-2000 & PSR-740). It's a stable platform but not as stable as the Ultimate stand. Additionally, I had to modify the stand by removing two inches from the top keyboard rack and reinstalling the stops. The way it was designed it was nearly impossible to see the screen of the keyboard on the bottom. The modification solved the problem.

The only problem with all keyboard stands is lighting--especially when you're playing in a dimly lit bar room, restaurant or nite club. I solved this problem, however, by attaching a 22-inch strip light to the bottom of the top keyboard's cross-bar on the ultimate stand. This provides all the light you need to see the buttons and knobs, but it's quite subtle. I use the same light on the Quicklock, but I had to make a special bracket to suspend it between the support bars. The light is transported inside the keyboard case and weighs just a few ounces.

I too have used lots of other stands, but most are pretty shaky at best. Spend the extra money and go with the heavy-duty stand. It will probably last longer than the keyboard.

Cheers,

Gary

Luis: I use a Ultimate, and just love its quick set-up and break-down. I cut a 1/2 in. plywood (over size)that I set on top of the end rails of the stand with 3/4 inch moulding glued and nailed on each side of the end rails. This locks the leggs in their open position, and renders the Ultimate into a very ridgid and stiff support, with no rock. I covered the top of the plywood with Velvet cloth (black) using contact cement used for regular
Formica (applied with a paint roller) painted the remainder of the board in black spray enamel. This gives a durable non slip surface for the Keyboard to set on.(the cloth I mean) I have hooks on the back for winding various cords and also cutouts for my Mike, earphones, and anything else you want at your fingertips while playing. Cost maybe $5.00 or $6.00. I also cut a pedal board that locks in between the leggs, for my espression pedal and foot pedal, but you didn't ask about that. Works great, and I know you would like the Ultimate......ARJ