Ok, I need a decent mic stand

  • Thread starter Thread starter danny.guitar
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danny.guitar

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With Christmas coming up, I thought a good mic stand would be a good affordable thing to ask for.

I've been struggling with 2 crappy ones since I started. Actually, they're built solid, but the dumbass at the music store sold me the wrong size boom for one of them and it didn't fit. Took it back but they were already closed. Didn't have the receipt...

Anyway, what I need is a stand that can go low enough for me to record well while sitting down and playing acoustic. Maybe even a little lower. I'd rather it be able to go this low without a boom but if I need to get a boom then that's fine. But I don't want to have to angle the mic.

I'm looking for one that's cheap. If it's plastic, that's fine. I don't toss them around. But something durable enough that won't break when trying to put it together or whatever.

And while I'm at it, good, affordable mic cables? All the ones I have seem to get little knots in them somehow and make all kinds of noises so I can't use them. :mad:
 
Stands: Tama MS205.

Apparently Musician's Friend/Guitar Center is the only place that sells them online, and indeed, that's about the only thing I ever buy from them these days. :)

BTW, are you sure the boom was the wrong size and didn't just have one of those screw-in adapters in it? A lot of my mic clips come with those. Take a quarter and unscrew the thing.

If not, since there are exactly two kinds of mic threads, that means you just need one of those screw-in adapters. Buy a cheap mic clip from pretty much anybody and you'll get one. :D
 
The Tama also comes in black, it's a great stand, though a bit heavy. Not an issue if it's for home. Other than that, there is only one choice for tripod boom stands, K&M. Atlas makes some good stands and boom arms, they have ones with counterweights that are great for really heavy mics. Cheap and good is rare in mic stands.

As far as mic cables, or any others, you have to know how to wrap them or they will get twisted and eventually ruined. Watch this, and talk to a stagehand or sound guy. I have mic cables that are 20 years old, they will last you no matter the brand if you take care of them. :)

http://stagecraft.theprices.net/gallery/cablewrap/cablewrap-qt.html

Google under over cable wrap, there are lots of sites with pictures and demos of the technique.
 
Third for Tama. I have ten of them, 3 to 7 years old, all have been gigged, all are still completely solid and even still look pretty good :)
 
Awesome guys, thanks. I'm really in need of one so I may pick one up this week or so. :D But I'll definitely want more and they're good things to put on the Christmas list.
 
danny.guitar said:
And while I'm at it, good, affordable mic cables? All the ones I have seem to get little knots in them somehow and make all kinds of noises so I can't use them. :mad:
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I have a few of the Tama stands and they are quite nice.

For cables, I'd recommend the Audiopile stuff. Nice build/sound quality at a super price.
 
scrubs said:
I have a few of the Tama stands and they are quite nice.

For cables, I'd recommend the Audiopile stuff. Nice build/sound quality at a super price.
Click to expand...

Thanks, scrubs. Mainly looking for build quality. I don't know how mine get little knots in them. I don't need very long ones and the prices on the ones you showed me are excellent.

By the way, does anyone here have a special way to keep their cables? I keep one end plugged into my preamp, and keep them laid down on the floor behind all my equipment.

It'd be nice to have something on the wall to keep them on when not in use. Would also make my room look cleaner. Any suggestions?
 
dgatwood said:
Stands: Tama MS205.
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MF site says the position height starts at about 38". Isn't that a bit high for guitar when seated, if you were wanting to avoid using the boom to lower it down? I have an old AKG mike stand that has three sections and a three section boom. If you collapse the sections, it goes down to about 24" without a boom, which is handy sometimes. Doesn't seem to have identifiers on it, but AKG might still make one like it. You could also try Wes Dooley's site. He sells a bunch of different mike stands, but they won't be cheap.

Cheers,

Otto
 
Tama stands. +111111111111111111111111:D
 
boingoman said:
The Tama also comes in black, it's a great stand, though a bit heavy. Not an issue if it's for home. Other than that, there is only one choice for tripod boom stands, K&M. Atlas makes some good stands and boom arms, they have ones with counterweights that are great for really heavy mics. Cheap and good is rare in mic stands.
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Heavy is why I like them. They don't fall over as easily. That said, they're nowhere near as heavy as the old-style solid metal base stands. :D
 
some good suggestions-- i need to check out tama stands :)!
i have a big-ass atlas ms25 stand with a hefty base that i got to hold up my reflexion filter. since mics mount on the filter mounting hardware, i leave a shure a27m stereo mic thingy on the stand itself, which is kind of convenient. i figure i'll add a boom when i need it. i also have a cheaper k&m stand which i like-- build quality seems better than average. on the cheaper side, the on-stage stands are way better than the musicians friend ones in my experience.
 
ofajen said:
MF site says the position height starts at about 38". Isn't that a bit high for guitar when seated, if you were wanting to avoid using the boom to lower it down?
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Most people just use the boom. That said, its little brother, the Tama MS205ST might be more to your liking. It is a low profile stand, adjusting from 17.25 to 22.25. The boom is also shorter and the leg spread is much smaller. This would probably significantly reduce its usefulness for anything other than seated use, however.

http://www.tama.com/drums/tama_link...ucts/microphone_stands/usa/ms205st/index.html
 
P.S. If anybody wants a great mic stand for grand piano, I would recommend the Quik-Lok A85.

You'll want to take the top half off and shorten the inner pipe by about six inches. It's just a little too tall at minimum height to use on a piano at short stick, but only because the inner pipe is longer than the outer pipe by about six inches.

With that change, though, it is an awesome stand for piano... or for putting a boom up just shy of the second floor balcony level of an auditorium or church. :D

No, it isn't a good choice for guitar/voice... unless you have a really large room and can afford to have the mic stand five or six feet away. :D
 
Regarding something on wall to store cords.

I mounted a sheet of peg board and inserted various pegs to hang cables on. In my case it's a 6' by 6' section of wall, in a storage closet that houses my computer, guitar cases and other supllies (including cables) - but I have everything all seperated by catagory (1/4" vs 1/4" stereo vs. XLR, etc. etc.)
 
For hanging cables, I have two suggestions:

In my closet, I have a bunch of boards with large screw-in hooks. It's ugly, but it does the job. You can find them in the general vicinity of the fasteners aisle at Home Depot (and probably Lowe's, though I haven't looked).

In my studio, I have a wire rack shelf. I have velcro cable wraps (the cheap Home Depot/Lowe's variety) wrapped around the outer fringes of the rack and pulled through themselves, keeping the ties securely fastened to the rack. Then, I hang a couple of cables off of each tie, each with their own cable tie to hold them together, wrapping the tie under the cable, around the front of the cable, and back up over the top. To get a cable, I just yank down on the velcro tab and the cable drops off in my hand. :)

I also hang spare velcro cable ties by simply sticking them to the permanently mounted ties in a conspicuous location, making them easy to find when I need them.
 
danny.guitar said:
I'm looking for one that's cheap. If it's plastic, that's fine. I don't toss them around. But something durable enough that won't break when trying to put it together or whatever.
Click to expand...

I thought I'd address this while I was at it. The problem with the mostly-plastic variety is that I now have two of the things because the first one didn't even make it to me in one piece. I contacted the company that sold it to me and they sent another and didn't want the defective one back, so my father and I glued it back together one summer. Still works, but you have to really distrust something that breaks in shipping without any obvious signs of damage to the box....

Oh, and there's the other problem. You can see it clearly in the full size view of my drum kit.

The stand that two cymbals and a tom tom are hanging on is a Tama mic stand. That black stand behind it that is bowing under the weight of what was at the time a Nady CM-90 pencil condenser is a cheap, mostly plastic Nady mic stand. :D No, that's not an optical illusion caused by spherical distortion in the camera lens. It really is sagging under the weight of a small diaphragm condenser with an ultra-light (about half thickness) microphone cable. Really sad.... Oh, and it's actually bent more than that. This shot was from an angle that actually diminished the curvature somewhat (shot to show the Tama, not the crappy stands).


danny.guitar said:
And while I'm at it, good, affordable mic cables? All the ones I have seem to get little knots in them somehow and make all kinds of noises so I can't use them. :mad:
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Stop using them to tie up your girlfriend. :D :D :eek: :D :D

But seriously... the cable wrapping thing that Boingoman posted... great video. Well worth viewing.
 
Good suggestion on the hanging cables.

I'm having a hard time finding a stand that is low enough. :confused:

29-30" would be the perfect height for recording while sitting down. I really don't want to have to use a boom. I already have one with a boom (even though it doesn't fit well) if I need it, but I'd like a short mic stand that goes to about 29-30" high and if possible, uses a tripod and not a round base.

ofajen said:
MF site says the position height starts at about 38". Isn't that a bit high for guitar when seated, if you were wanting to avoid using the boom to lower it down? I have an old AKG mike stand that has three sections and a three section boom. If you collapse the sections, it goes down to about 24" without a boom, which is handy sometimes. Doesn't seem to have identifiers on it, but AKG might still make one like it. You could also try Wes Dooley's site. He sells a bunch of different mike stands, but they won't be cheap.

Cheers,

Otto
Click to expand...

Do you know the model or have a link to the stand you're talking about?

prestomation said:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/OnStage-Stands-Mic-Stand-Package?sku=452062

I bought basically this recently. They are pretty cheap, but they work really well. You can't fully extend them with a LDC, but for studio use they are pretty good for general purpose use.
Click to expand...

I don't see anywhere on there that says the height? :confused:

That video on the cable wrapping was helpful.
 
danny.guitar said:
I don't see anywhere on there that says the height? :confused:
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The on stage stands are, AFAIK, about the same height as the Tama, so too tall for what you're doing.

BTW, how do you use a straight stand while playing guitar? You'd just about have to be leaning over the guitar to put many mics an optimal distance from your mouth.... :)
 
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