In-Bell Trombone Stand

[isaynaynay57]

I'm currently looking for a trombone stand that can be stored in the bell of my trombone during transit. I'm looking at the hurcules model and the k&m. This will be for a bass trombone, so I was just wondering which one has better support if anyone here has tried either or both.

Thanks!

[Burgerbob]

Hercules is not really sturdy enough for bass trombone. It'll work, but it's not ideal.

I've only heard bad things about the K&M.

[Kevbach33]

Hercules states, as I recall, that their stands are for tenor only, not bass. A strange thing, I think, as their in bell design is pretty sturdy to begin with. They could easily scale it up to a bass trombone size, I think.

Don't even think about that K&M for a bass bone; you'll likely regret it sooner than later. I wouldn't trust my large tenor on one. (14990 and UMI stand advocate here: although these don't store in the bell, they are amongst the strongest, most stable stands you can get.)

If you must store the stand in the bell, save some more and get one of those Woodwind Design carbon stands. It might be the only stand that stores in the bell and is strong enough to support the bass trombone's weight. There are a few folks here that gave very favorable reviews.

[Doug Elliott]

I have a Woodwind Design carbon stand but I haven't been using it, I mostly use an Aida. I guess I'll pull out the WD and try it again. It's a nice idea but not extremely well executed.

[dwn8ve]

I’ve been using the Woodwind Design with my bass trombone for about a year now. I’ve had no issues with it so far with it. I can’t imagine going back to another in-bell trombone stand. I’ve got a couple of the Hercules in-bell ones around and feel much more comfortable using the WWD stand.

It took a little finagling to get the discs adjusted right, but I’ve like the balance on it and it’s been okay with a couple bumps at rehearsals/gigs, seems to center back well. It has not taken a severe bump, and I’m not sure it would stay up with that, but it’s definitely reasonably secure, and easy to transport!

[MTbassbone]

I had the K&M. It was ok. Large tenor was probably the limit. It is awfully heavy IMHO. Also please consider if you happen to have an accident and the stand is in the bell it will make the damage worse. I had this happen, and it did quite a number a Bach 36. To me the juice is not worth the squeeze with in bell stands.

[2bobone]

The K&M is beautifully constructed and provides a wide base for stability, but is HEAVY ! I haven't had the experience, but I can imagine it would damage the bell in most horns if there were an accident with some substantial force involved. I don't worry, only because I use it with a carbon fiber bell. Caution advised !

[ssking2b]

I have been using the Woodwind Design bass bone stand for at least 3 years now and it is fantastic!
I marked, with a scratch tool, the tubes where I want them set for my particular bass bone when the stand is in use. It's expensive but fantastic. I used the tenor version for about 4.5 years now with absolute success. These are the best stands I've ever used, bar none!

[imsevimse]

I use the K&M for all types of trombones and have not had any accident yet because of a broken stand. I had one accident but that was a bass player who knocked my stand and I do not blame the stand for that. If you want a better K&M stand the K&M 149/9 is more solid, but all those stands are heavy and none of them fits inside a bell in a normal case during transport, or I have never tried to do that anyway because it does not seem to be a good idea.

/Tom

[hyperbolica]

I have a Hercules, K&m and a cheap noname for in-bell stands . I never use the Hercules or K&m except as stationary stands at home. I got the noname stand for $20 on ebay, and only use it with small tenors. It collapses like the Woodwind design stand, but it's made of aluminum and plastic. Like Doug, I like the Aida stand for travel because it's light and the mechanism works well. The Woodwind design looks great, but that's a lot of money for a stand. I've got a dozen stands of probably 6 different makes. I only trust the K&m stationary stands with my bass. The Aida also works, but it's expensive and not as sturdy.

[imsevimse]

I have a friend wgo bought this stand for his tenor and likes it very much

./Tom

[OneTon]

I won’t hang a bass on anything but a K&M 14990 stand. I had a smaller stand collapse under a Duo-Gravis. The repair wasn’t prohibitively expensive but finding someone to do it was not easy. No one wanted to touch it. Contrary to the majority opinion, prior to repair, g played on the d attachment sounded like an irritated elephant passing gas.