 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: blazian
Date: 2012-12-11 19:06
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated in any way, shape, or form with Hercules or Pro Tec.
I'm sure some of you have seen the Hercules Travlite clarinet stand (DS440B) around on the internet. It's a compact in-bell clarinet stand made for medium-duty use.
I have just started playing in an orchestra here in Austria and need to switch between my Bb and A clarinets. There are some pretty quick switches in Elijah where it's cumbersome to switch clarinets from my lap. As I didn't bring my super heavy clarinet stand from America, I needed something sturdy and preferably portable. I looked at a lot of the in-bell stands and it sounds that they are not always reliable. I'd rather sacrifice portability for the sake of my clarinets safety (I also ended up sacrificing low price as well).
My final choice was the Hercules TravLite stand.
Pros:
Light/compact - Fits into my bell and doesn't cause any problems with my bell fitting in the case. There is one related con (see below).
Sturdy - The legs extend an extra inch or so and increase the stability a ton. The whole stand folds and unfolds like an umbrella and snaps into place. There's no unwanted sliding between positions or tightening or anything. This is the sturdiest in-bell stand around.
Padded base - has a velvet padding where the bell makes contact at the bottom. A neat addition that's not completely necessary but makes it just that much nicer.
Durable - made of metal and heavy plastic. Doesn't seem to be easily breakable or bendable. I could probably try for a field goal with it and it would be find.
Cons:
Snug fit - The very top yellow part kind of has to "pop" past the smallest part of the bore in my Bb bell. It's less than a mm where there's a tad of resistance. I haven't tried it in a rehearsal yet but it may cause the stand to stick to my clarinet when I lift it. I don't have this problem with my A (also a Buffet but a Carl Fischer in the 300 serial range). I may do a little shaving of the yellow part (or may remove it altogether) and see if that helps.
Only for Bb/A clarinet - I was hoping that my flute would fit over the yellow part but it doesn't. My piccolo certainly doesn't. No problem, really. Perhaps a small modification will allow for these and C and Eb clarinets.
Price - This is the must expensive in-bell stand I've seen. The cheaper, the more unstable or flimsy they get.
Too nice? - A stand this nice may attract unwanted attention from other envious clarinetists. I must guard it at all times!
Overall I don't regret buying this stand. The cons are hardly cons at all so there's nothing to fear. If something dreadful happens due to the stand, I'll update this post. I don't foresee any problems.
Original product page
- Martin
Post Edited (2012-12-12 15:26)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: cigleris
Date: 2012-12-11 19:22
Ive been using these stands for about a year and have never had a problem. The only issue is that my Bb does stick occasionally. Really good and sturdy.
I'm surprised on the price as they are only about £19 here in the UK.
Peter Cigleris
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
