KraftGeek Music Stand

Jerryc41

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 4, 2015
Messages
10,278
Reaction score
3,219
Location
Catskill Mountains, NY
For me, at least, music stands seem are like camera tripods. There is always a "better" one that I just have. This KraftGeek stand was demonstrated on "Bernadette Teaches Music.

I like one-piece stands. My current favorite is a 1.5" K&G Model 100. I like the fact that it's one piece, and it's small enough to fit into my uke bag. A woman in our group liked it so much that she bought one, but the new Model 100 is larger and heavier. One odd thing: it's so tricky to fold that I had to print illustrated directions for her. If you don't follow the steps, you could bend it.

I like the looks of this KraftGeek (definitely not the name!), but I'm concerned about two things: there is nothing to tighten to maintain the desired height; the music holder portion has more "stuff" than I need. Also, the price is a bit steep.

"I came to find out that my iPad in its protective holder and my iPhone on its own mag safe holder weighs the top down and the telescoping legs goes down. If the legs could have twist locked then it would have been perfect. Still a great portable stand that will definitely get used despite the flaws (for me)."


EDITED: Amazon has it for $97, a $22 lower price. However, it does not include the very nice case. You can buy that for $38. Amazon offers an additional 18% discount, bringing the price to around $80. Adding the $38 case brings the total to almost list price. Ridiculous! I like cases.
 
Last edited:
For me, at least, music stands seem are like camera tripods. There is always a "better" one that I just have. This KraftGeek stand was demonstrated on "Bernadette Teaches Music.

I like one-piece stands. My current favorite is a 1.5" K&G Model 100. I like the fact that it's one piece, and it's small enough to fit into my uke bag. A woman in our group liked it so much that she bought one, but the new Model 100 is larger and heavier. One odd thing: it's so tricky to fold that I had to print illustrated directions for her. If you don't follow the steps, you could bend it.

I like the looks of this KraftGeek (definitely not the name!), but I'm concerned about two things: there is nothing to tighten to maintain the desired height; the music holder portion has more "stuff" than I need. Also, the price is a bit steep.

"I came to find out that my iPad in its protective holder and my iPhone on its own mag safe holder weighs the top down and the telescoping legs goes down. If the legs could have twist locked then it would have been perfect. Still a great portable stand that will definitely get used despite the flaws (for me)."


EDITED: Amazon has it for $97, a $22 lower price. However, it does not include the very nice case. You can buy that for $38. Amazon offers an additional 18% discount, bringing the price to around $80. Adding the $38 case brings the total to almost list price. Ridiculous! I like cases. I have a tripod case that would work for the stand.
 
I love elegantly engineered gear, and this stand looks really nice. Just don't know if it would hold the fairly heavy song books we use since it doesn't appear to lock the music holding part, the telescoping extension or the legs.
 
The whole shebang: stand, phone attachment, light, and case is $149 at Amazon. Looks nice if you travel with your stand a lot and it meets your needs (like not too heavy material to cause the length to shorten). Otherwise, much cheaper is available but likely not as portable or slick on its design elements.
 
The whole shebang: stand, phone attachment, light, and case is $149 at Amazon. Looks nice if you travel with your stand a lot and it meets your needs (like not too heavy material to cause the length to shorten). Otherwise, much cheaper is available but likely not as portable or slick on its design elements.

That is a good deal, cheaper than buying everything separately. Would I ever use the phone and tablet attachment? One reviewer on Amazon said that the weight of the accessories pushed the column down.

Pricing is all over the place. $97 for just the stand, but there is a coupon, making it $80. You can also buy the stand and case combo for $98. And then there's the "Everything" package for $149.

Funny: Watch the video down the page on Amazon. This is the one I want. It opens itself, and it follows you around the room. 🤣 I wonder if someone is going to buy the stand, thinking it actually does that.

 
Last edited:
.....Pricing is all over the place. $97 for just the stand, but there is a coupon, making it $80. You can also buy the stand and case combo for $98. And then there's the "Everything" package for $149.....
Also, $87 for the stand plus phone holder - no case. I may go for the stand plus case package ($98). Tried reading through some of the reviews, for whatever they're worth, and think it may be worth the gamble. I'm most concerned about weight without collapsing and the fact that it would be used on the beach, where sand and telescoping sections may not be a good match.
 
Also, $87 for the stand plus phone holder - no case. I may go for the stand plus case package ($98). Tried reading through some of the reviews, for whatever they're worth, and think it may be worth the gamble. I'm most concerned about weight without collapsing and the fact that it would be used on the beach, where sand and telescoping sections may not be a good match.

That's what I ordered - stand and case. I'll test it to see how much weight is required to collapse it, although I suspect less weight will be needed as time goes on. I ordered the silver/platinum/white one. I have a clip-on light, and I have no need for a phone or tablet holder, but I might have a holder that clamps on. That might prevent the column from collapsing.
 
Let us know how it fares, Jerry. The writeup states it will support 4.4 lbs., the picture shows 4.5 lbs., and one of the reviews says the manual states 2.2 lbs. I just weighed our thickest songbook at just under 2 lbs., so it should work for me, at least until it starts losing friction.
 
Can you adjust the angle of the part that holds the music or is it a fixed position? In other words from this / to this — or something in between?
 
Can you adjust the angle of the part that holds the music or is it a fixed position? In other words from this / to this — or something in between?
Yeah, that was another question I couldn't find an answer to. I ordered one anyway and will report back. Should arrive Friday.
 
Can you adjust the angle of the part that holds the music or is it a fixed position? In other words from this / to this — or something in between?
One review noted that the angle is adjustable some, but not enough (horizontally) for some musicians that stand (like trumpet players?).
 
It arrived yesterday, and it's beautiful! I was surprised that it's small enough to fit into the bag I use to carry my uke stuff. The case that came with it is very nice, so I'll have to decide how to transport it. I like the pockets inside the case. Setup is almost instantaneous. I'll have to see how much pressure is required to collapse the column. I usually use binders with the particular pages I need for an event, or I use my Kindle with MobileSheets Pro. I haven't tested it with Jim Beloff's books yet.

The angle of the music holder is fine. Although there is a wing nut to hold it in position, I doubt I will need it. I just fold it back all the way, and the angle is fine. I bet a little work with some tools could let it tilt back farther, or the manufacturer could do that. Yes, it is pricey, but at under $100, I can live with that, considering the appearance and the functionality.

I'll bring it on Friday, Saturday, and Monday to show the other folks.
 
It arrived yesterday, and it's beautiful! I was surprised that it's small enough to fit into the bag I use to carry my uke stuff. The case that came with it is very nice, so I'll have to decide how to transport it. I like the pockets inside the case. Setup is almost instantaneous. I'll have to see how much pressure is required to collapse the column. I usually use binders with the particular pages I need for an event, or I use my Kindle with MobileSheets Pro. I haven't tested it with Jim Beloff's books yet.

The angle of the music holder is fine. Although there is a wing nut to hold it in position, I doubt I will need it. I just fold it back all the way, and the angle is fine. I bet a little work with some tools could let it tilt back farther, or the manufacturer could do that. Yes, it is pricey, but at under $100, I can live with that, considering the appearance and the functionality.

I'll bring it on Friday, Saturday, and Monday to show the other folks.
Thanks, Jerry. Mine's due to arrive tomorrow.

Not to hijack, but tell me about your Kindle and MobileSheets. Was thinking about eliminating schlepping 5 heavy books around but have never uploaded anything not directly from Amazon to a Kindle, although I've used one since their early days. Are you using a Fire or Paperwhite version? I'll need Paperwhite in order to see well in bright sunlight. I've considered the new Scribe or some other large format e-reader but don't know how manageable they'd be used outside and having to move songsheet files over from a Google drive folder.
 
The angle of the music holder is fine. Although there is a wing nut to hold it in position, I doubt I will need it. I just fold it back all the way, and the angle is fine. I bet a little work with some tools could let it tilt back farther, or the manufacturer could do that.

By "back farther" do you mean "lower," like the performers below? Some classical guitarists (and other musicians) like the audience to be able to see their performance as well as hear it. They tend to place their music stand lower and "flatter" than seems possible with the KraftGeek music stand.

 
Thanks, Jerry. Mine's due to arrive tomorrow.

Not to hijack, but tell me about your Kindle and MobileSheets. Was thinking about eliminating schlepping 5 heavy books around but have never uploaded anything not directly from Amazon to a Kindle, although I've used one since their early days. Are you using a Fire or Paperwhite version? I'll need Paperwhite in order to see well in bright sunlight. I've considered the new Scribe or some other large format e-reader but don't know how manageable they'd be used outside and having to move songsheet files over from a Google drive folder.

I use a Kindle Fire to keep all my songbooks. Before that, I used a suitcase on wheels. It was ridiculous. MobileSheets Pro is good for Android devices. It costs about $12. It does an awful lot, but it helps if you actually know how to use it. I put all songs on my computer, and I copy them to a MicroSD card, which goes into the Kindle. Although I've been using it for years, I don't know much about how it works. 😁

Every so often, I remove all the songs and reinstall them so I have clean, single copies. You can download the 205 page manual here.

 
By "back farther" do you mean "lower," like the performers below? Some classical guitarists (and other musicians) like the audience to be able to see their performance as well as hear it. They tend to place their music stand lower and "flatter" than seems possible with the KraftGeek music stand.



What I meant was find out what's preventing it from tilting back farther and remove some material. Low and high are easily adjustable by raising and lowering the center column.
 
I use a Kindle Fire to keep all my songbooks. Before that, I used a suitcase on wheels. It was ridiculous. MobileSheets Pro is good for Android devices. It costs about $12. It does an awful lot, but it helps if you actually know how to use it. I put all songs on my computer, and I copy them to a MicroSD card, which goes into the Kindle. Although I've been using it for years, I don't know much about how it works. 😁

Every so often, I remove all the songs and reinstall them so I have clean, single copies. You can download the 205 page manual here.

Thank you, Jerry. Using a micro SD card definitely avoids the convoluted process I've read for getting files into a Kindle. I'll investigate further.
 
I thought she did a great job of showing us a really nice product. Super Presentation.
my 20th century 3 ringer binder might be a bit too much to support thou. Shucks!
 
Top Bottom