Adams Baritone Saxophone Stand

Having played tenor almost exclusively for many years, I recently (hesitantly!) decided to take up the baritone-challenge for a show that also required me to wrestle with a bass clarinet, Bb clarinet and flute. I simply had to play the larger instruments from stands, rather than slings, but at Jon D's suggestion I decided to try the Adams stand rather than one of a somewhat similar, but older design.

I was a bit concerned after reading some negative reviews of these '...similar older stands' but I was pleasantly surprised and relieved to discover how easy the mounting on the Adams was to fit (without removing any keys!) and no, it didn’t mark, bend, 'crimp' or in any way damage the bell of the horn. The height-adjustable centre column was extremely useful, so there was no need for cushions or searching the theatre for a chair of the correct height. Perhaps my main criticism would be that, on the example I tried, the spring-loaded column was quite stiff to manoeuvre: with care it could be shifted into a comfortable playing position but I would definitely have liked it a little easier. I imagine it’s quite a fine balance to get just right, however I’m also certain that this could be adjusted, to order, in the workshop at Dawkes. At more extreme angles I found that some of the feet lifted slightly off the ground but at no stage was there any danger of the instrument toppling over. Finally while the feet do spread over quite a large area, I didn’t have much trouble placing it in a fairly cramped pit. At around £100 less than the similar older design I would recommend any sendentary-saxophonist give the Adams-Playing Baritone Sax Stand very serious consideration!

Martin Dunsdon, Glenn Miller Orchestra (UK) & Pete Cater Big Band.