Old Motifator threads are available in the Archive.
muscarella
Total Posts: 542
Joined 11-01-2003 status: Guru |
I now have another MOXF but the 88 key version I’ve owned, in the distant past, an ES, an S90, and MOX8 but finding a stand that is sturdy and portable enough for gigging and WIDE enough for the little rubber feet to sit on (which would seem preferable then have them hang over the edge, right?) has always been the issue. And there is a rubber foot or two in the center of the larger keyboards that seems to never actually have ANY support. I’ve tried different styles and manufacturers. (We can leave out X stand type, which are useless if you have more than one pedal.) I’ve done things like add a piece of plywood or a thick rubber mat for the outer little feet to sit on and to give some support to the center of the keyboard. I have the “table” type by Onstage that has four individual legs which works (with the center plywood plank described above) for my MOXF6 but when I put the MOXF8 on it, the keyboard is literally 1 inch too long to have the feet actually sit on the metal platform. So, again, I’m back to having to make some kind of full length wood or heavy rubber plank. Should I stop worrying about the center of the keyboard being un-supported with a keyboard so heavy (and I play hard.) Does it matter if the outer feet don’t touch anything. Or the center foot (or feet)? Anyway, before I buy yet another (I’m looking at the Onstage KS7350 this time around cause it has double horizontal bracing) anybody care to share your experience with this issue? I see that Yamaha has a stand (without double center brace) but it seems no different then the others, though I’d hope THEY would make a HD stand that would conform to its own rubber feet configurations. |
Mighty Motif Max
Total Posts: 317
Joined 04-30-2016 status: Enthusiast |
Disclaimer, I actually own a Motif XF8 rather than the MOXF8, though I’ve played a fair amount on a MOXF8. So significantly heavier and more expensive than your board. This is coming from a gigging perspective, with what was weekly usage before the pandemic.
I’m a fan of the On-Stage KS7365EJ, which is the two-tier version of the KS7350 you’re looking at. It’s pretty adjustable. The main thing with the two-tier version is that you have to be careful to not block the ports you need with the supports, but the single-tier version doesn’t have that issue naturally. It’s a very sturdy stand. Note that for a comfortable sitting position you might need to drill your own holes as there’s only one sitting option, with the rest of the adjustments being for standing heights. The corners are a little sharp, so take care to not scratch your vehicle’s plastic interior.
Now, personally, I’d take a look at how famous keyboardists set up their boards. I can’t think of anyone who particularly lines up their stands so that all the feet of the keys touch. If anything, I would think that would make the keyboard much more unstable, unless you did something like putting a board across (like you did), so it wouldn’t slip off the sides. I really wouldn’t worry about none of the feet touching. The feet are meant for if you’re on a tabletop or desk, so that the board doesn’t scratch up the surface, and to provide stability and help stay in place. There’s really no reason to use them for anything when they’re on their own stand. I’ve never needed to. You could always collapse the stand to a smaller width if you really wanted to support the center. But generally if you split the keyboard into quarters and line up the two arms with the 1st and 3rd division lines, you will be as good as you can be. |
muscarella
Total Posts: 542
Joined 11-01-2003 status: Guru |
I didn’t know about the K & M 18950, so thanks already. (I’m seeing one on Ebay right now for $200 and it is in Florida.) It’s a “table top” style but WAY more heavy duty then the little cousin made by Onstage (and others) which is fine for MOXF6. Personally, my first inclination would be to go with the 18950 rather then a Z style like the KS7350, but I have no experience with Z stands so perhaps I’m missing some aspect—like weight, ease of of travel, packing, set-up, adjustability. |
Mighty Motif Max
Total Posts: 317
Joined 04-30-2016 status: Enthusiast |
The 18950 will be easier to carry and lighter than the KS7350, but either is a great stand. I’d say the K&M;gets the edge for adjustability out of the box, as the On-Stage isn’t optimized for sitting and I had to drill some custom heights into mine. One thing - if you get the K&M;, the included rubber pads don’t do much to keep the keyboard from scratching the stand (not that they’re necessarily meant to, but the On-Stage ones are four times thicker or so and do that well). The only thing that actually would be a pro for the Z-stand is stability. That thing will never have stability problems. I haven’t had any issues with the K&M;yet, but I’ve only had it a few months. For heavy boards the z-stand format is the best, with the exception of the K&M;table models. Others aren’t even close for assurance of keeping your gear steady. So it’s really up to you. And you don’t have a particularly heavy board anyways. You should be happy with either. The K&M;is quite convenient for quick setup/takedown and transport though. Not that the Z-stand is bad at all, but the K&M;can be carried in one hand more easily, and is more compact without needing any dissassembly. Edit: what’s with the semicolons every time I type “K&M;� Must be a glitch in the forum software, because even when I delete them, they come back after posting. Sorry! |
jayvee7988
Total Posts: 8
Joined 01-01-2020 status: Newcomer |
For strength and stability (and multilevel support), nothing beats the KS7350 or KS7365, I’ve been using both for years. They are ridiculously heavy, though. I used to take it on gigs - but it’s better for a stationary/studio setup. I found one (for a single keyboard) that I really love to use on gigs for my MOXF8. Gator Frameworks GFW-UTL-WS250 Its very cleverly designed, still very sturdy and stable, as long as you angle the “arms” properly, and it folds up incredibly compact. It slips into a mic stand bag easily. It’s not light, but nothing near the KS7350. Right now Sweetwater has them for about 1/2 price, $65, which is a fantastic deal. I modified mine back when I bought it (a couple of years ago) to have more choices for the angles, but I think they may have already done that to the current design. |
Mighty Motif Max
Total Posts: 317
Joined 04-30-2016 status: Enthusiast |
Welcome to the forum!
I almost bought that Gator stand when I was looking for a compact stand for college (which is why I have the K & M). Here’s a forum thread I started on a different site asking for peoples’ experiences with it, since so little was around. Gator Frameworks GFW-UTILITY-TBL Keyboard Table? - Keyboard Corner
The KS7365EJ is what, about 32lbs with the second tier? I’ve used one as my daily driver for gigs and home for the last four and a half years or so. I actually transport mine folded with the second tier on, and I don’t find there’s any issue with it aside from the bulk and kind of sharp edges (and I had a weld snap on the width adjustment bar - on the adjustment knob’s nut). Sometimes I think “heavy duty†comes with a certain weight. But I wouldn’t say it’s ridiculously heavy. A little on the heavy side, yes, but still lighter than a lot of keyboards. But for something as light as a MOXF8, that isn’t likely as much of a concern as there isn’t as much of a need for a heavy-duty max-strength stand. Max |
jayvee7988
Total Posts: 8
Joined 01-01-2020 status: Newcomer |
Yep, I agree. I added locks to mine - basically took pan head 3/8” x 1” bolts, that drop down into the holes. Drilled small holes in the bolt head to attach a small line to keep them tethered to the legs. The bolt heads still sit below the bumpers that the keyboard rests on. They work great. It’s interesting, the original design had spring loaded pin locks (kind of like the bottom of the legs) to lock the arms, but for some reason they removed them. I agree that the KS is a sturdier stand - but the Gator takes up so much less space (especially if you leave the KS partly assembled, as I did too, but I also disassembled completely into 1 bag with the 2nd tiers and a bench - THAT is a heavy bag) and weight. For a single keyboard, I prefer it after using both for quite a while. But to each his own! 🙂 |
muscarella
Total Posts: 542
Joined 11-01-2003 status: Guru |
I decided to try out the Gator and at first I was dubious, cause there was no way the rubber feet of the MOXF8 were going to find purchase anywhere. But the Gator has nice size rubber pads of its own so I adjust the angle of the legs so that they snugly straddle the rubber feet on the MOXF8 and let the Gator pads do their thing supporting the length of the keyboard. So I’m very pleased. It’s quite heavy when folded up, but its got a carrying handle designed into the main cross beam and it can be stored in a lot of different places in your vehicle. Can’t compare it to the K&M;18950 which I’m sure is just as sturdily built, but I wanted to try something quite different this time and I’m glad I did. |
muscarella
Total Posts: 542
Joined 11-01-2003 status: Guru |
Mighty Motif Max. Curious to know your opinion of the K&M;stand you said you’d only had a few months. I’m about to order another stand. I bought the Gator but need another stand for gigging and thought I’d try something else. |
Mighty Motif Max
Total Posts: 317
Joined 04-30-2016 status: Enthusiast |
Hey, I’ve used the stand at a few gigs and it’s been heavily used at college and at my home as well with a Kurzweil PC3. I have zero complaints, other than that the black finish scratches really easily. But it’s rock solid, light, super compact, and has tons of accessory options (I’m using a mic attachment and a music stand attachment currently). I would 100% buy one again. A great piece of equipment. If you don’t like the US sticker price, import one from Germany via Thomann. Even with shipping it ends up being around $100 cheaper. The only catch is that the warranty is only valid in Germany then, so you’d have to ship it back there if something happened. That said with round trip shipping for warranty you’d probably hit the same total cost of the stand alone in the US. |
muscarella
Total Posts: 542
Joined 11-01-2003 status: Guru |
I’m seeing where there is a K&M;18953 which appears to be shorter, yet from the dimensions I’m able to find for each at a couple different websites, it seems they are both able to go from 600mm (24") to 1000mm, so not sure what the difference is, though the price of the 18953 seems quite a lot higher. There is also the other Gator heavy duty keyboard table, that is a standard foldable four-legger but built more strongly. The comments about the weight of the KS Z stand has steered me away from that for now. Thanks to all for the input! |
Mighty Motif Max
Total Posts: 317
Joined 04-30-2016 status: Enthusiast |
The big difference is that the 18953’s platform is not adjustable in width like the 18950,but it’s width is close to the 18950’s maximum while being one solid piece of metal. So it’s optimized for an 88-key board probably. Look on K&M;’s site for better information than vendors usually have. |
muscarella
Total Posts: 542
Joined 11-01-2003 status: Guru |
OK. Well that would explain the design contrast, but the cost disparity between the two is a little confusing. |