Best Music Stand?

[HoneysuckleHarp]

Hello!

When I first started playing the harp I purchased a new music stand (the fold up kind with about a 1 – 1 1/2″ lip). Now that I am practicing more music, I need a better, more sturdy stand (my current one has almost fallen on my harp dozens of times). Do any of you have any recommendations of your favorite stands?

Thanks!

-Eliza

• This topic was modified 6 years, 6 months ago by HoneysuckleHarp.

[hearpe]

Nothing beats a classic steel Manhasset. I’ve had mine for about 20 years now, and somehow managed to hang on to it. Its survived a major flood and I’ve painted it- (needs it again in fact- a little Folk Art shimmer this time? They’re very heavy compared to folding stands but stuff doesn’t fall off it easily either. Like a ROCK.

And then there’s Rodney Dangerfield’s classic SNL spoof of the film “Manhattan”- “Manhasset!”….

[Donna O]

I second the recommendation for the Manhasset music stands. They are great and extremely sturdy and well balanced. I got the one with the double shelf and in addition to music it holds my glasses pencil and marking pen. I am also able to clip my snark tuner to it. It is not good for traveling though as it really doesn’t fold up. Manhasset does make a portable stand as well.

[wil-weten]

Donna, I think it’s important to decide for what situations you would like a real stable music standard. For travelling you may like a lightweight standard which is a bit better balanced than the one you have now, and for playing at home, you may like a more heavy one.

[Donna O]

Wil, thanks for pointing that out. I actually use a Peak music stand for travel and it is quite stable for that purpose. I forgot to mention that.

[Philippa mcauliffe]

We have a Voyager Manhasset at home which works fine although its not very attractive. Its usually easier to transport it as is not taken down though. My everyday home stand was a present from my grandmother the Xmas after I got my pedal harp – a MisterStandMan Victorian Lyre with a double shelf with my initial in it. He did a perfect wood colour match for my harp and it takes loads of books at once. I love it but it was expensive.
http://www.misterstandman.com/Vicinitial.htm

[billooms]

I agree — the classic Manhasset. For a while, I used a different foldable stand but the legs stuck out too far and I couldn’t get it close enough to the harp. That resulted in too much head movement when looking between the music and the strings.

[frances-duffy]

http://andersonmusicstand.com/html2/options.html

If anyone is looking for a beautiful wooden music stand that folds up for travel, check these out. They are gorgeous, and very stable, yet beautiful and can match the elegance of the instrument. While they are expensive, they are infinitely more attractive than most folding stands and are more appropriate for a wedding or chamber music concert. Like the harp itself, this stand is an investment but in my opinion, well worth it.

[jill-fichialos]

Frances Duffy, I don’t see a link to or a name of the beautiful folding music stand – could you please let us know what the brand and model it is that you are referring to?
Thanks!

[frances-duffy]

The company is Anderson. the link is at the top of my original post.

http://andersonmusicstand.com/html2/options.html

[Rachel]

If you like stability of the Manhasset, but want to protect your harp, I have found no better stand than the Portastand “Troubadour” model. It’s covered in cordura. If you buy the optional cordura lip cover (which I would recommend), then the entire shelf is covered. I take it to gigs and it also can go up high enough for a violinist for example. You can often find the stand cheaper on other sites, but the lip cover I had to buy directly from portastand.

Homepage

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

The Hamilton music stand is much sturdier than the Manhasset and can hold any weight of music. After a time, Manhassets lose their grip and you cannot fill the desk with music without it sliding down. The paint also chips off and gets marred. They are lighter. The Hamilton also fits very well around the pedals of the harp, I can get it closer in.
My favorite is a wooden stand made by Lyon & Healy in the 1980s to go with the Salzedo model. It is not the strongest, but the wood is beautiful.

[emma-graham]

Frances-Duffy. The Anderson stand is the stand I use. It is beautiful, sturdy and you can get it nice and close to the harp. It is strong enough to hold my iPad Pro and I love it. Sadly though I am not convinced it is still available. I wanted to get a second one but the website “order” page no longer works. Nor does “add to basket”. They were very expensive so maybe they have gone out of business. Such a shame.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by emma-graham.

[David Kitamura]

@Rachel I just wanted to say thanks for the tip about the Portastand Troubador, which I hadn’t heard of until searching around the threads here. I was really hurting for a music stand and I just got this in the mail. It’s sturdy and moves nicely. Indeed there’s no lip cover by default but it’s a simple enough object I can likely stitch up a covering for it myself.

[Elizabeth Whitman Seabrooks]

https://www.echobayartisan.com/shop
Source for Anderson Music Stand

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