Okay, today we are going to be talking about double bass stools, what you need to be considering
when you're choosing one.
I've got three here that I've bought over the years, and I'll be sharing what I like
about them and what I think you should be thinking about when you're choosing one for
yourself.
So let's get into that now.
For the first stool that I want to tell you about, it's one that I've had for a while,
and I can't remember if I bought it from Lemur Music or from Bob Gollihur, and both of those
shops are absolutely terrific, based in the U.S.
If you want great service and good prices for double bass gear, go and check out those
shops.
Now, this comes with an adjustable seat, and it's a really nice design, because the stool's
fairly lightweight, and it folds up as well.
So this is the real benefit of this stool, is that you can place it in your car really
easily...
Well, it might not be quite as lightweight as this one, but it's certainly lightweight
enough that moving it around isn't a problem.
And I also find it pretty comfortable as well.
However, there is a problem with it.
I've got the one that has these foam - sorry, rubber - grips which hold the seat in place.
And I've found that over the time I was using it, quite quickly they wore away, and I bought
replacement ones and the same thing happened.
Essentially I couldn't keep the seat stable enough when I was playing.
It was slowly moving down the stool.
So what I did is I fitted these pipe grips, I'm not quite sure what you call them, but
they just screwed onto the side there, and then that keeps the stool at the exact correct
height for me.
It doesn't look as pretty, and there's a couple of little sharp edges there, but it actually
is really functional now, because I've set the height at the height that I like, and
I can fold it away, and that's a good option.
However, I wouldn't recommend it, because of these rubber grips.
However, I looked on the Bob Gollihur website, and they do another version that has multiple,
sort of, cross bars that you can hook the seat onto to make it more stable, and although
I haven't actually used one myself, it looks very much like the same design.
So the next one is one that I use in all of my video bass lessons, and it's made by a
company called K&M, and there's some really, really nice features.
The main thing is it’s got a very comfortable seat.
I've had a lot of back problems over the years, and I find this stool definitely to be the
most comfortable to sit on for longer periods of time.
I generally don't have this back rest on the stool, because I just don't feel like I need
that.
If I was playing for longer periods, perhaps if I was working in a orchestra, this would
be a fantastic option.
Everything is adjustable.
You can raise and lower the height, and really importantly, you can also raise and lower
the height of the foot rest, and that's really important, because not everybody is the same
shape, and that's a fantastic feature that this stool has.
The downsides are it can be a bit squeaky.
Sometimes it needs a bit of WD-40 to keep it working.
But I love this stool.
Really nice.
It also folds up.
However, I don't think it's as practical to use for freelance work where you're moving
around all the time, because it's quite heavy.
It's definitely the heaviest of all the stools.
But if you did want to take it apart, you could remove the seat, and it does fold.
But as I say, when I'm going out and doing gigs, I tend to take this one, and I leave
this at home for practice, and I also use it in all of the video lessons that you've
seen as well, because I just find that it's really useful while I'm sat down for long
periods doing the filming.
The last one is made by Amadeus, in the U.K., I believe, and this is a fantastic stool that
you see in a lot of music colleges.
The music college that I went to, the Wall Northern in Manchester, had a set of these
that were actually brilliant, so when I left, I bought one.
However, the only thing I didn't realize is that this stool is actually...
It's nonadjustable, and out of the box, it's too high for me.
I've actually had a little bit sawn off the bottom of the feet to try to bring it down,
but it's still not exactly the right height.
However, they do make a model that has adjustable feet, which is the one that I used when I
was at college, so you can raise and lower the height of the stool.
You can also then lean it in towards you, if you found that more comfortable.
The seat is really comfortable to play on, and because it has the foot rests at different
heights, you can find the one that you prefer.
So I generally use the higher one.
For whatever reason, I prefer that one.
But it's a really lovely stool if you get the adjustable one.
Now, the downside - also, actually, I believe it might be the lightest.
It's certainly lightweight, very similar to this, but this one, from Amadeus, feels a
lot more sturdy.
However, it doesn't fold up.
So you can see there are pros and cons of each, but I think if you got the one with
the adjustable feet, you'd really like it.
Okay, so, I have my stools at around 28-29 inches.
These two are both around that.
This actually flexes slightly as I sit on it as well, but it comes out at about 28,
29 inches.
This one I have a little lower.
This one actually - that is 72 centimeters, and this one comes as standard at 78, which,
as I said, is too high for me.
Now what I would say to everybody is, get out there and experiment using different double
bass stools.
You can get a stool that looks very much like this one from Ikea.
But the problem with it is, is that from memory, the height isn't adjustable.
So you might find that it's a good value, and you might find that it's lightweight and
portable, and it folds up, but then there's no foot rest, or the height isn't adjustable.
So it really is a bit of a nuisance finding the right one for you, but as I say, check
out the websites I mentioned, try them out, and if you're not sure, go for one that's
adjustable.
That's probably the best tip that I've got for you there.
There's also something else that you need.
When I'm using a stool, I often have a bit of carpet like this, just in my car, and that
will stop me from either marking the carpet of somewhere that I'm working in, or more
likely I'll be playing on a really slippy floor.
So I'll just put this underneath the stool, and the end pin can just rest there, and it
won't be sliding away from me.
That's just a useful, cheap way of dealing with the problem.
And then I also have an end pin anchor, which is made by Xeros, I believe.
And again I'll provide a link to this below.
This just folds away.
It's great, because it's adjustable.
I find it a bit tricky sometimes getting the end pin in, but it holds the end pin in place,
stops the bass from moving, and that makes it very comfortable to play as well.
Well, I hope you found this useful.
As I always say, I hope you get out there and check this stuff out yourself, because
it's one thing me recommending things you should try, but these are only suggestions.
There isn't the one-size-fits-all double bass stool.
They all have pros and cons.
So make sure you do your research before you spend any money.
Also, I'd love to know what you think.
Share what works for you in the comments below this video.
Let's keep the conversation going.
Thanks for watching, and I'll see you next time.