 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: super20bu6
Date: 2013-09-10 14:09
I KNOW there have been discussions about Contra stands in the past.... I wanted to see if anyone had any ideas/suggestions for a Leblanc Paperclip. I can't find the K&M contrabassoon stand that others suggested a few years back. I use a Hercules Bass Clarinet/Bassoon stand for both my Low C Bass and my Eb Contra Alto....but am needing to find a stand for a Bb Paperclip. Guessing a Contrabassoon stand???
Thanks for your time!
Mark T.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2013-09-10 14:26
A Hercules or K&M bass clarinet/bassoon stand should also work for a paperclip contra (I know it does work with a straight contrabass). Or if you can find one of the old Blayman bass clarinet stands, it too will work with just about any large reed instrument.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-09-10 18:19
I just bought a relatively new K&M bass clarinet/bassoon/contrabassoon stand the other week off eBay for £20 - they're normally around £90, so that was a cheeky bonus. It has the large rubber lined bowl for the floor spike or bell bow and a wider top bit so it will fit a contrabassoon easily (instead of having to bend the top bit out on the older versions).
There's also the Hercules bass clarinet/bassoon stand which is much less than the K&M one:
http://www.howarth.uk.com/pic.aspx?pic=./wo/t102_89cb5170be670209e09aa16cd0536b60.jpg&pid=741492
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: super20bu6
Date: 2013-09-11 10:34
Well, it helps when I don't try to spell out K&M...and use the right spelling for Konig..... I DID find the K&M Contrabassoon stand.
I DO use the Hercules Bass Clarinet stand for my straight Eb Contra...but not sure I'm comfortable using that for the paperclip. Seems to me that "gravity works" and the Contra would spin around in that narrow cradle??? I'll probably try out the Hercules stand anyway....Might can rig it so the Contra is in the stand without spinning around. The peg won't be an issue on the Contra as I sit the Contra in the chair with me.
Thank you both, David and Chris, for your thoughts!
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-09-11 12:53
The top bracket for the K&M contrabassoon stand is wide and designed so the instrument rests in it widthways, so that will prevent it pivoting round unless the keywork prevents this happening.
Maybe you could have a wide top bracket made from steel or aluminium and fitted to the Hercules stand and stick a thick layer of felt or neoprene on the inside to protect against scratches.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2013-09-11 17:07
Never put a contra on a stand. Even the paperclips are too long to be stable on any stand that's itself portable. A single tip-over means hours of readjustment.
I put the case next to me with a beach towel over it and lay the instrument on it very gently, as if it were a baby. Percussionists' trap boxes have a piece of rug on top. If they're not using any traps, borrow it to lay the contra on.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-09-11 18:17
Ken, I've used a K&M bassoon/bass clar. stand with a contrabassoon which is around twice the weight of a contrabass clarinet and never had any problems with it. Provided the floor spike is located on the actual stand and not on the floor, it won't tip over.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: GeorgeL ★2017
Date: 2013-09-13 15:23
I'll second Ken 's comment. I was subbing in a band last year which had a paperclip contrabass. The thing was on some sort of stand during a break and slid off to the floor. The owner did not think it was badly damaged.
I also carpool with a bassoon player who owns a quality bassoon. When she is not playing that bassoon, she pulls it apart and lays the sections on or in the case by her chair. Since she also has a couple of large dogs, I doubt she leaves her bassoon on a stand at home.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2013-09-13 20:05
GeorgeL wrote:
> Since she also has a couple of large dogs, I doubt she leaves
> her bassoon on a stand at home.
...because they might mistake the instrument for a tree? ![[tongue]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie6.gif)
--
Ben
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Author: super20bu6
Date: 2013-09-14 11:58
I use the Hercules stands for my Low C Bass Clarinet, the Eb Contra...and my Bassoon. The Bassoon may not be a Heckel...but close to it. I bought it when in High School from the retiring Principal Bassoonist of our Symphony...and NEVER thought about trading it in. That Bassoon ONLY goes in the stand when I'm playing in a pit orchestra and have to change instruments. Besides, I have a very active Akita that likes to run...I can ONLY imagine her hitting a stand and knocking over whatever instrument happened to be sitting in it at the time. She wouldn't think it was a tree, tictactux....but she might think it was something she could shake...and then toss in the air. NOT going to happen here!!!!!
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Author: alto gether
Date: 2013-09-14 22:45
Depends on whether the danger of tipping or getting tripped over is greater. The obvious solution is a padded case that will hold the assembled instrument, plus legs to make it stand at a convenient angle. No, I didn't make one for my contra alto, which sits on a Hercules bassoon stand when I manage to bring the stand with me.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-09-14 23:05
As long as the cup thing at the bottom holds the floor spike in while on the stand, there's no risk of it slipping. The earlier K&M stands had the cast metal cup with slots in it which is no good if the floor spike isn't fitted with a Wolf Super Endpin or similar large rubber floor protector. If not, you could find a suitable sized plastic tub or aerosol can lid and stick it in there.
At an orchestral rehearsal a while back, the contrabassoonist couldn't use the bass clarinet stand as it was one of the earlier K&M ones with the slotted cup as the floor spike kept slipping out. Had the rubber stopper on her floor spike been adequate (it had worn through so she had to use the sharp end instead) then it would've worked fine.
So the type of stand you used has to work with the type of floor spike fitted to your instruments. If in doubt, fit a Wolf Super Endpin to your floor spike.
One of these: http://www.paytons.com.au/img/large/83810.jpg
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: super20bu6
Date: 2013-09-15 12:37
Chris, I'm well aware of the Wolf End Pin...I use one for my Contra Alto now...depending on the height of the chair. My plan for the Paperclip is to not extend the peg at all.....I'll have it sitting in the chair with me. I don't like the looks of the Fox Contrabassoon stand as the cup is so small....only for the spike to fit. I'm preferring the looks of the K&M Contra stand now as the cup seems to be wider and non-metal. Since the Contra will be in a stand without the peg being extended, I'm not as worried about it tipping over......It'll be a lower center of gravity without the peg.
While most members of my group are very aware of instruments on stands, there's always a chance of someone not seeing it laying on a case on the floor. There are three of us in the bass clarinet section...and we all use instrument stands of some sort. NONE of us ever leave our basses laying across a chair or on the floor.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-09-15 13:05
The Fox stands are only useful for bassoons and contrabassoons, but not bass or contra clarinets as they're very low, whereas the K&M stands are dual purpose and the height can be varied depending on how you set the legs in conjunction with setting the height of the top part.
Another thing that could come in useful for anyone playing low C basses and straight contras is to have some wooden blocks made with recesses in the tops so you can place them under your chair legs to gain more height, as let's face it, most chairs in most halls aren't nearly tall enough for low C basses or straight contras (especially those plastic fold-up chairs that sag when you sit in them!) so anything you can use to gain an extra couple of inches in height from a chair is always a benefit.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: alto gether
Date: 2013-09-15 22:40
The Wolf end pin looks impressive. When the stupid little piece of rubber that came on the pin of my contra wore out, I stuck on about a 1-inch rubber stopper. A huge improvement, still working fine after half a year.
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