i don't think they exist commercially. i've seen a couple of home-brewed attempts on-line, but think i could design one that would do the instrument visual justice.

while i strongly believe that the player and the stick should become "one," (a pedestal stand WOULD detach you from that pursuit) a stand would have advantages not easily dismissed..
like being able to play your other instruments, almost at the same damn time. =o)

assuming it would be rock solid and would provide the stick a "perfect" relation to your body,
any thoughts on downsides of performing with a strapless, "walk up to it and play" rig?

and finally, does anyone out there think you would want one?
if so.. i'd post a "how to build one." (once i got it right)

thanks everyone. jimi

there is a "stick interface" in the classified section and the heartstrings guys use them occasionally i think. is this what you had in mind?

cheers
kev

yes kevin,

this was one of the home-brewed stands i referred to.
probably functional.. but not aesthetically pleasing at all.

i imagine a support that would barely resemble a stand. it would in no way detract from the beauty of the instrument.

guess i better get to building it. =o)

The cymbal stands with the "interface" were indeed functional and suited our purpose just fine. We are festival players, so our job requires us to play our music and quickly shift to customer service so we can run our merch table, handle money, make change, etc. The stands allowed us to walk away from the instrument and take care of business, then go right back to playing.

Looks-wise, they were indeed ugly and quite cumbersome (cables tangling with the stand and tripping over the legs of the stand). The biggest issue, however, was safety of the instrument. After months of use, even the best cymbal stands start to give way. After all, they were not made for that kind of weight and pressure that the Stick puts on them. The threaded insert that attaches to the wooden interface block is just pig-iron, even on Pearl and Ludwig brand stands. Mark almost lost his Grand one day when the insert broke. Thank God it happened when he was playing and could catch the Stick while playing, instead of one of the many times he left the Stick to run the table. That pretty much did it for him. Plus, he missed the connectiveness of wearing it anyway. I had long since stopped using the stand because I switched exclusively to the SG12s and Altos; they are just so comfortable that you can do whatever you have to and not worry about it getting in the way.

Steinberger made a cool stand for their electric uprights that I had always wanted to try, but the tripod stand threads directly into the body of the instrument, not into the wooden interface block like we used. The NS stand would work if you removed the belt hook and drilled a hole in the back for a threaded insert (too scary for me ). The link for the NS stand : http://thinkns.com/instruments/crbass-instructions.php

heartstrings,

i meant no disrespect when i called your interface "home-brewed."
hell, mine is going to be home-brewed as well. . just going to attempt a concept i have that won't leave me alone =o)

i totally agree with the stability concern. if there's any chance of the rig tipping over or breaking mounts once it's built, i'll trash the prototype before taking a risk. i recently designed/built one for the zentapper (which is a massive beast) and it exceeded my expectations. you couldn't tip or break it if you tried. even has locking wheels!

also agree with your insight on the "disconnection" that occurs between player and stick.
if i can limit my concept to ONLY that downside, i think the pros will outweigh the cons.

beautiful playing the two of you, by the way. hope you're still playing out.

No disrespect taken . Good luck with your design and keep us informed. While a Stick stand may not be for everyone, it certainly could be just the thing for some players. Glad you liked our playing! Did you check out the link to the NS stand? I think that particular design is pretty cool looking and functional as well.

yes, i saw it (after i posted)

i'm with you. NOT taking a drill anywhere near the stick. it also looks like the tail of the tripod is just begging to be stepped on / kicked around.

and again, not real pretty to look at. will let you know if the build pans out. thanks for the link

=o) jimi

I have used the stands. One problem you may not consider is the pedal scenario! It was a pain to set up my looper and tap tampo delay without having to step over the stand legs. That was actually my main killer because I'd start a loop and then frack up the loop end due to stepping over the stand arghhh! I would need a magnetically floating stand so my pedals would be easy to use.

Im still curious to what you come up with. There are definetly some great benefits. Back when I was a clown I would have bass, guitar and stick all on stands, and a mic for beatboxing. It certainly did its job and let me switch loops and instruments as desired. It was pretty hilarious and peeps loved the novelty. But then I changed my whole approach and the stands were not needed.

for the curious. it turned out just like i pictured it in my head.

thanks to my friend, kari (mental mechanic)
and my welder, ross (who can't wait to see it in action)

jimi