How to modify Hamilton stand

bigbandbone · by **bigbandbone** » 2019-05-22 7:46 a.m.

Has anyone modified a Hamilton tenor stand to securely hold a bass? How do I do it? Thanks in advance for advice!

afugate · by **afugate** » 2019-05-22 8:14 a.m.

[quote="bigbandbone"]Has anyone modified a Hamilton tenor stand to securely hold a bass? How do I do it? Thanks in advance for advice![/quote]

I'm not sure I would feel comfortable with putting my bass on my Hamilton stand, regardless of the modifications.

I made my bass trombone stand out of a broken cymbal stand I bought at our local Guitar Center for $20. The guy behind the counter was kind enough to say, "You do know its busted, right?" I laughed and then told him what I was going to do with it. I added a plunger for holding the bell and a walking cane tip at the top of the tube.

It's industrial strength and very stable. :good:

--Andy in OKC

BGuttman · by **BGuttman** » 2019-05-22 8:19 a.m.

I modified a Hamilton to hold a bass also. Did just what Andy did, but I found an electrical box cover with a hole that fit over the collar on the post and went under the plunger. It works, but its stability is terrible (as would any Hamilton).

whitbey · by **whitbey** » 2019-05-22 9:07 a.m.

I put my big foot on the leg.

wayne88ny · by **wayne88ny** » 2019-07-25 7:30 p.m.

IF you have a Hamilton with a solid base (and that's a big IF), you can use it as is for a bass trombone. I use mine all the time, at home and on gigs and never have a problem.

hyperbolica · by **hyperbolica** » 2019-07-25 9:48 p.m.

[quote="wayne88ny"]IF you have a Hamilton with a solid base (and that's a big IF), you can use it as is for a bass trombone. I use mine all the time, at home and on gigs and never have a problem.[/quote]

Same here.

u_2bobone · by **u_2bobone** » 2019-07-25 11:17 p.m.

My Hamilton stand has been great for almost 60 years now and has not even hinted at toppling over. Position the slide just above the floor and it's essentially a 4-legged stand ! It has garaged everything from a Conn 70H, Conn 72H, Holton 169, Conn Fuchs Model, Conn 62H, Reynolds Contempora Bass, King Duo Gravis and King 8B [10 1/2" bell ] without a whimper. All for about 33 cents a year !

Posaunus · by **Posaunus** » 2019-07-26 3:27 a.m.

[quote="2bobone"]My Hamilton stand has been great for almost 60 years now and has not even hinted at toppling over. Position the slide just above the floor and it's essentially a 4-legged stand ! ... All for about 33 cents a year ![/quote]

:good:

Though I prefer the K&M Precision Stand (14490?) for bass trombone (it just seems so sturdy!), I have really had no problem with my trusty old Hamilton. In fact, Hamilton even replaced two missing rubber feet for a negligible sum, earning my loyalty. And I use a Hamilton 'Bone Sock' on each of my trombone stands, no matter which brand.

brassmedic · by **brassmedic** » 2019-07-26 4:47 a.m.

1. Buy a K&M stand.

2. Throw away the Hamilton stand.

bigbandbone · by **bigbandbone** » 2019-07-27 10:55 a.m.

Not elegant, but much improved stability. First, bigger feet. This helped a lot. Then hot gluing some wheel balancing weights inside the leg that will be opposite the slide as a counter weight.

vetsurginc · by **vetsurginc** » 2019-08-09 11:26 a.m.

[quote="brassmedic"]1. Buy a K&M stand.

2. Throw away the Hamilton stand.[/quote]

+1

baileyman · by **baileyman** » 2019-08-09 7:50 p.m.

[quote="bigbandbone"]Not elegant, but ...[/quote]

The stand is tightened at the lowest possible position, nearly eliminating all the triangulation in the leg structure, risking leg collapse. Any little bit higher is much better.

If Hamilton would add a fourth leg it would be the best stand by far. With three it's pretty poor.

tbonesullivan · by **tbonesullivan** » 2019-08-09 8:51 p.m.

The problem with hamilton stands is mainly that the legs themselves are made of weak and thin metal, and that they are relatively short. I only use the Hamilton I have for my Alto, because the K&M stands have a bumper on the end that is too large to fit into the alto bell (Bach 39)

jrod93 · by **jrod93** » 2019-08-10 3:38 p.m.

I got a larger plunger from Home Depot and cut the center out. Then I remove the tip from the Hamilton stand and slid the plunger over the white cap of the stand. Bam.....bass bone stand

BillO · by **BillO** » 2019-08-22 10:13 p.m.

[quote="vetsurginc"]<QUOTE author="brassmedic" post_id="90458" time="1564130845" user_id="4102">
1. Buy a K&M stand.

2. Throw away the Hamilton stand.[/quote]

+1
</QUOTE>

+1

DougHulme · by **DougHulme** » 2019-08-23 2:56 p.m.

Not to completely trash Hamiltons sales prospects for the future - they do make another model now that looks very much like the K&M stands that we all like. Though everything everyone has said about the original Hamilton stand (which you can still buy) is true of course.

brassmedic · by **brassmedic** » 2019-08-24 4:03 p.m.

Right. It's not that there's something wrong with the company, it's just that the original design isn't sturdy enough to hold a bass trombone securely. It doesn't have a big enough footprint to resist tipping over, and that's not something you can fix by "modifying" it. I use one for alto and it's just fine. But bass, no way.

FOSSIL · by **FOSSIL** » 2019-08-24 4:14 p.m.

I've used them for bass in my orchestra for 35 years and never had a problem.... even though it always seems that I will...

Chris

BGuttman · by **BGuttman** » 2019-08-24 4:47 p.m.

[quote="FOSSIL"]I've used them for bass in my orchestra for 35 years and never had a problem.... even though it always seems that I will...

Chris[/quote]

I found the standard "dome" that comes with the Hamilton stand is a bit small for a bass. You have to make adjustments to the collar that holds it in position so that the dome goes up further.

I found replacing the dome with a drilled out toilet plunger made a big difference. Also, always make sure your slide is either over or very near one of the legs.

Still, I have several other stands I like better for my bass than the Hamilton. Including the new one, the System X.

stanzabone · by **stanzabone** » 2019-09-13 11:48 a.m.

A bit OT for the bass trombone question, but I have added some strips of 1 inch wide Velcro to the tops of the stand legs. I discard the hard plastic "hook" portion & just use the furry side, in a little strip about 6 inches long beneath where the slide hangs. If my slide drops onto the leg, the cushy Velcro strips keep it from hitting metal on metal & putting a ding in the slide bow or bending my spitvalve.

Vegasbound · by **Vegasbound** » 2019-09-13 1:56 p.m.

I have an old Hamilton, so it can be in two parts to better fit in a mute bag

JoshE · by **JoshE** » 2019-09-20 11:25 p.m.

I have an old harbor freight halogen shop light base I frankensteined with the top of my Hamilton stand, which I am very proud of btw. Large and in charge, the footprint is considerable but it won’t topple

pompatus · by **pompatus** » 2019-09-21 12:56 a.m.

[quote="JoshE"]I have an old harbor freight halogen shop light base I frankensteined with the top of my Hamilton stand, which I am very proud of btw. Large and in charge, the footprint is considerable but it won’t topple[/quote]

Could you post photos of your stand, or email some? I’d love to see your modification.

whitbey · by **whitbey** » 2019-09-22 10:30 p.m.

Unless it is screwed to the floor, it can topple.

This one is screwed to the floor

~~[url]~~<LINK_TEXT text="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1izx3 ... sp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1izx3nh_iQyRlF6S0loMVRWNm8/view?usp=sharing</LINK_TEXT>

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How to modify Hamilton stand