Amplifier Stands

Phil_aka_Pip

This http://www.thomann.de/gb/rockstand_rs_23010b_combo_stand.htm might do for the little Harley-Benton GA5. I think it would also do for a Marshall AS50D. It might also do for a Harley-Benton G212 Vintage with 50W Plexi sat on top, but they don't tell you how much weight it can take. Other stands on the Thomann site are tilting.

Then there's this http://www.gak.co.uk/en/stagg-stagg-gas-4.2/36029 which might just take the weight of the 2x12+Plexi, but doesn't lift all that high.

Ideally I could do with a pile of beer crates. Can anyone recommend a stand that will take lift a small combo to about 1 metre, and adjust to lift a 2x12+head to about 600mm?

Catthan

Don't know about lifting a combo to 1m but I'm getting this

http://www.gak.co.uk/en/quik-lok-bs-625-amp-stand/83556

ICBM

That only takes 40Kg, which might be an issue with a big head and a 2x12".

To be honest I wouldn't trust anything with that type of construction to hold any kind of larger or heavier amp - it just doesn't look sturdy or stable enough.

Beer crates, flight cases or a solid keyboard stand will all be much safer if you don't want to tilt the amp.

benvall

I've got a tilt back type stand. Good for my combo, otherwise I put my 2x12 on it and put the head on the floor behind/next to it depending on the room.

koneguitarist

I was given an amp stand years ago, unless I was using something really small, I never bothered with it, gave it away. Too often stage in a pub is a corner, and no real room for using these. Stick it on a chair if you must, but if it's that much of an issue I would rather tilt amp back but on the floor.

57Deluxe

Here's two cheap options

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/hamilton-unistand-guitar-amp-stand

and

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/musicians-gear-deluxe-amp-stand?pfm=sp

or this even...

http://gallery.photo.net/photo/4631660-md.jpg

benvall

koneguitarist;205511" said:

I was given an amp stand years ago, unless I was using something really small, I never bothered with it, gave it away. Too often stage in a pub is a corner, and no real room for using these. Stick it on a chair if you must, but if it's that much of an issue I would rather tilt amp back but on the floor.

Sorry I have to disagree. I tried a wobbly chair for a while, leaning the amp back just makes the sound hit your legs.

As you said most gigs you are shoved in the corner or the pub if the amp is down load all the sound is on the floor (assuming you're not running everything through the PA is a small pub)

I've been using this quiklok

http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag145/benvallins/Mobile Uploads/844BAA66-09FD-45CB-9635-C2A777577848_zps7i3ilk3j.jpg

http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag145/benvallins/Mobile Uploads/16B250B5-3273-4580-87F0-BCDE870FBADA_zpsjpjrg604.jpg

No bigger than an amp, controls up nice and high for any initial adjustments.

This, for me, was a really good investment.

koneguitarist

For me, if you are playing a gig where amp is on floor, you can crank it a little more without it being in your ears, if you raise it up you often think it's too loud as it's beaming it sound right at you.

 Who needs the sound you or the audience, sure you need to hear yourself, but out front is where it counts. 

If you can't hear yourself onstage with a 50w valve combo on floor in a small pub, band is too loud. 

benvall

koneguitarist;206863" said:

If you can't hear yourself onstage with a 50w valve combo on floor in a small pub, band is too loud. 

You've not met the drummer I used to play with. 6 4", 18 stone. If I didn't wear ear plugs my ears would be ringing for 3 to 4 days!

ash96

My problem has always been at unmiced venues, if the amps on the floor no one can hear it after the front 4 people soak it up. You need it to head over peoples heads to be able to disperse around the room.

I use the ultimate support stand, it was fine for my Cornford Hellcat  2 x 12 combo, fender HRD and now I use it with my Dr Z Maz 18

ChrisMusic

Looking at these stands, they all look a little precarious to me.  Someone is inevitably going to back into or squeeze past it, whether in performance or sometime between set-up or strip-down. Whatever size the stage is, whether it's crew, performers or punters where they shouldn't be, it's bound to happen sooner or later.

Are they really stable enough in real world conditions to entrust your amp to night after night?

The one you posted @benvall looks like a good compromise, so I need to ask from your experience, is it stable?  Even if someone backs into it?

Phil_aka_Pip

ChrisMusic said:

Looking at these stands, they all look a little precarious to me.  Someone is inevitably going to back into or squeeze past it, whether in performance or sometime between set-up or strip-down. Whatever size the stage is, whether it's crew, performers or punters where they shouldn't be, it's bound to happen sooner or later.

To secure against that, you'd need a stand bolted to the floor with the cab bolted to the stand

Rocker

Nice bit of floor timber work @benvall, did you put it down yourself?

Phil_aka_Pip

Rocker said:

Nice bit of floor timber work @benvall, did you put it down yourself?

Emp_Fab sure didn't

ICBM

Phil_aka_Pip said:

ChrisMusic said:

Looking at these stands, they all look a little precarious to me.  Someone is inevitably going to back into or squeeze past it, whether in performance or sometime between set-up or strip-down. Whatever size the stage is, whether it's crew, performers or punters where they shouldn't be, it's bound to happen sooner or later.

To secure against that, you'd need a stand bolted to the floor with the cab bolted to the stand

A flightcase lid with the amp on top of it is pretty stable.

Still the best stand by far in my opinion.

Phil_aka_Pip

It's not bad, but IMO it would be easy to topple a Bluesbreaker on top of its flight case, especially as they are thin from front to back and have a very high centre of gravity. I've seen mine wobble. AC30 slightly less so, as it's fatter from front to back.

ICBM

Phil_aka_Pip said:

It's not bad, but IMO it would be easy to topple a Bluesbreaker on top of its flight case, especially as they are thin from front to back and have a very high centre of gravity. I've seen mine wobble. AC30 slightly less so, as it's fatter from front to back.

Probably, although at that point the amp is at risk of being knocked over anyway even if it's on the floor! Agreed about the earlier reissue Bluesbreakers, they're too shallow really... the current ones are better. (Original depth to take KT66s.) At least using a flightcase lid means that the 'stand' itself can't tip.

I've seen a 4x12" with a head on it knocked over by some clown that fell back against it too.

What you really need is a combo the same shape and weight as my Peavey T-Max bass amp - basically a cube made from uranium or something - with the speakers at the top .

Sessionman

Did you know that most smaller amps sound bigger when on the floor?

The baffle area is increased by the floor by about 33%... this has the affect of increasing the bass response.

I can't bare the tone of amps off the ground!  IMO, they sound thin... even Twins!

ICBM

Sessionman said:

Did you know that most smaller amps sound bigger when on the floor?

The baffle area is increased by the floor by about 33%... this has the affect of increasing the bass response.

I can't bare the tone of amps off the ground!  IMO, they sound thin... even Twins!

The problem with that is that it causes mix problems by interfering with the bass - unless the amp has no real bottom end at all. It also means the amp is on the floor where you can't hear it properly and will almost certainly dial it in wrong (too bright) unless you're very, very familiar with it and can live with then not hearing what it really sounds like when it's pointing at your legs. If you tilt it back so you can hear it you're still decoupling it from the floor to a large extent.

I *far* prefer the sound of a larger amp up off the floor than a smaller one on it, both when I'm standing next to it and what it sounds like out front. It just makes it far easier to get a full, natural sound that doesn't fight with the bass amp - which you *do* want down on the floor.

benvall

ChrisMusic;207011" said:

Looking at these stands, they all look a little precarious to me.  Someone is inevitably going to back into or squeeze past it, whether in performance or sometime between set-up or strip-down. Whatever size the stage is, whether it's crew, performers or punters where they shouldn't be, it's bound to happen sooner or later.

Are they really stable enough in real world conditions to entrust your amp to night after night?

The one you posted @benvall looks like a good compromise, so I need to ask from your experience, is it stable?  Even if someone backs into it?

@ChrisMusic I've been using the stand for about 4 years. I gig 2 to 3 times a month. In really tight set up space I've had to be careful with the drummer squeezing past to get to his kit. It is pretty stable, I've stepped back and trodden on the feet of it before but it doesn't really wobble. I've not been concerned with punters falling into it, I'm usually in front of it, they normally fall into my pedalboard.

As @ash96 said in tight venues you need the sound up at head height not at people's knees.

martinw

I use another cab as a stand.

Best of both worlds; it's off the deck and on it too.