From schwartz.adan@epa.gov Mon Dec 31 13:59:13 2001
Subject:Re: stupid stand tricks

As someone who obsesses about keyboard gigging ergonomics, I
appreciate what you've shared there. Really, though, next to the
sounds produced and the feel of the keys, nothing is more important
than being comfortable and achieving the right body position, and even
when I'm happy with my keyboard rig, its a never ending struggle to
find the best ergonomic set up.

An important factor for me is that I'm fundamentally lazy, don't like
to fuss with gear, and don't like to carry alot of stuff around. Why
I'm a keyboard player is anybody's guess!

Another important factor is that I prefer the organ keyboard above
the piano keyboard. I guess its just years of conditioning, but doing
it the other way around doesn't feel right. I get confused
(especially after a couple drinks . . .) and when acting on instinct,
my hands go to the wrong board. Also, if the piano keyboard is on
top, I feel like I have to work harder to get enough weight into it.
So, even though the CX-3 has a nice flat surface on which to set
another keyboard, that isn't the best solution for me. Also, it can
tend to obscure the drawbars.

When you put the piano keyboard underneath the organ, you of course
want them close, but you also want to be able to see and manipulate
the panel for the bottom keyboard. OK, so its time to call up Goldi
Locks & Associates for that "just right" solution.

I have a couple of "Invisible"-brand keyboard stands. These were
discontinued long ago and are impossible to find now, but they are
really marvelous, especially for getting two keyboards close to each
other. Yet they sit a bit too high for my taste, and you end up
having the keyboards so close that its difficult to view and access
the panel of the bottom keyboard. I often use them, and yet they are
not the perfect solution for me.

I have the W-550 stand with the second tier. This can usually work
out very well, but the second tier has to be detached for
transporting. So that's rather unweildy objects to carry and some
assembly and so that's not ideal either.

I've never tried your dual-stand approach (Ultra in front, X stand
behind), but I can see how that might be really cool. The Ultra stand
is adjustable by small increments, so you can get that "just right"
distance between the two boards. The X-stand could be of the
lightweight variety. It means carrying two stands, but set up would
be lightning quick, and if it has the right result, it could be worth
it. I'm going to give it (or something similar) a try.

Cheers,

Adan