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I must admit I was a bit nervous about this at first, wondering what would happen if it fell off the wall. My house was built in 1925 and I'm not sure I completely trust the walls to hold something as heavy and valuable as a saxophone. Added to that the best place in my musicroom was immediately above my wife's harpsichord, so a fall would have truly catastrophic consequences.
The first thing I thought was that the mounting plate has 3 screw holes, configured with one at the top and two at the bottom. My knowledge of physics is a bit sketchy, but I presumed that the top of the plate was more imprtatnt, as the weight from the saxophone would be attempting to pull the screw out at the top, but pushing the bottom of the plate in against the wall. So I thought it would have been better to have the two screws at the top. I contacted the manufacturer, who assured me that this is not the case:
He also mentioned that if the wall is in really poor shape there are various methods to make it safe:
Alternatively you could mount a large wooden "plaque" with as many screws as you think are necessary, and then screw the stand into the wood. This could work especially well also if you wanted several stands on the wall, ie you could screw a whole plank along the wall, like a skirting board but higher up, and then mount the stands into this. It would then distribute the weight across the a large surface.
In the end I decided against the situation above the harpsichord, as an accident could happen while I was reaching for horn anyway. I chose a spot on the chimney breast and drilled three holes, expecting the drill to sink into some soft mortar or crumbly old brick, but was very pleasantly surprised to find that each time I drilled I felt a good resistance from the bricks (luckily I missed the mortar in between). Whenever I drill into walls I expect quite a few goes to find out where the bricks are and where the mortar is.
Anyway I seemed to be lucky, but what I hadn't realised is that the supplied rawlplugs and screws are for a size smaller than the holes I'd drilled (being sue to standard English plugs for which I would use a 6mm drill. Not to worry though as I just used my own plugs and screws instead. (A note to the manufacturer: maybe you should include instructions on what size drill bit to use. Or maybe you did and I lost them).
I screwed the stand in and the screws went in satisfactorily tightly (can you use two adverbs like that?). I was half expecting the brick to crack and have to redo it all, but no. Apparently they knew how to make good bricks in 1925.
On to the stand. There's not much to say about this, which is a good thing. It holds the saxophone very well and firmly giving me lots of confidence. I chose to use it for my alto, I would have been just as happy with a tenor up there but the space I chose was a bit small for tenor, but I'm sure I'll get another one to use for a tenor.
The bell support unscrews so that you can fit into one of five positions to suit the size of your horn, but I found even in the lowest position (pictured) it's still perfect for my alto so I presume it would also fit a curved soprano with the support higher up. In the lowest position it was also fine for my tenors.
Unlike a floor stand, the wall stand becomes part of your home decor, so as well as being functional, it has to look good, and this is definitely an area where these stands win out. There needs to be an adjuster so you can fit different size horns, and the look of this is rather nice IMO with a spherical knob to tighten the support, and this has very stylish look as well as functioning well.
Why use a wall stand?
Well, there are two schools of thought about whether it's good to leave a saxophone out on its stand when not in use. It's possibly true that if you put the horn away after practising it might last a bit longer between services. Leaving it out means it can get a bit dusty or exposed to sun meaning the pads might have a shorter life. Although this may be true, I don't think it makes enough difference to the inevitable trip down the tech anyway to be too bothered, but the very big plus side is that saxophone is there ready to play at all times, practically begging you to practise. Of course you can leave it out on a floor stand, but this has its disadvantages of not just taking up valuable floor space, but also being easy to knock over or walk into. Not to mention the hazards of pets and small children.
In conclusion I would say that this is not just a great space saver, but a safer way to keep your horn out and ready to play, and it's a great addition to your home decor!
The first thing I thought was that the mounting plate has 3 screw holes, configured with one at the top and two at the bottom. My knowledge of physics is a bit sketchy, but I presumed that the top of the plate was more imprtatnt, as the weight from the saxophone would be attempting to pull the screw out at the top, but pushing the bottom of the plate in against the wall. So I thought it would have been better to have the two screws at the top. I contacted the manufacturer, who assured me that this is not the case:
He also mentioned that if the wall is in really poor shape there are various methods to make it safe:
Alternatively you could mount a large wooden "plaque" with as many screws as you think are necessary, and then screw the stand into the wood. This could work especially well also if you wanted several stands on the wall, ie you could screw a whole plank along the wall, like a skirting board but higher up, and then mount the stands into this. It would then distribute the weight across the a large surface.
In the end I decided against the situation above the harpsichord, as an accident could happen while I was reaching for horn anyway. I chose a spot on the chimney breast and drilled three holes, expecting the drill to sink into some soft mortar or crumbly old brick, but was very pleasantly surprised to find that each time I drilled I felt a good resistance from the bricks (luckily I missed the mortar in between). Whenever I drill into walls I expect quite a few goes to find out where the bricks are and where the mortar is.
Anyway I seemed to be lucky, but what I hadn't realised is that the supplied rawlplugs and screws are for a size smaller than the holes I'd drilled (being sue to standard English plugs for which I would use a 6mm drill. Not to worry though as I just used my own plugs and screws instead. (A note to the manufacturer: maybe you should include instructions on what size drill bit to use. Or maybe you did and I lost them).
I screwed the stand in and the screws went in satisfactorily tightly (can you use two adverbs like that?). I was half expecting the brick to crack and have to redo it all, but no. Apparently they knew how to make good bricks in 1925.
On to the stand. There's not much to say about this, which is a good thing. It holds the saxophone very well and firmly giving me lots of confidence. I chose to use it for my alto, I would have been just as happy with a tenor up there but the space I chose was a bit small for tenor, but I'm sure I'll get another one to use for a tenor.
The bell support unscrews so that you can fit into one of five positions to suit the size of your horn, but I found even in the lowest position (pictured) it's still perfect for my alto so I presume it would also fit a curved soprano with the support higher up. In the lowest position it was also fine for my tenors.
Unlike a floor stand, the wall stand becomes part of your home decor, so as well as being functional, it has to look good, and this is definitely an area where these stands win out. There needs to be an adjuster so you can fit different size horns, and the look of this is rather nice IMO with a spherical knob to tighten the support, and this has very stylish look as well as functioning well.
Why use a wall stand?
Well, there are two schools of thought about whether it's good to leave a saxophone out on its stand when not in use. It's possibly true that if you put the horn away after practising it might last a bit longer between services. Leaving it out means it can get a bit dusty or exposed to sun meaning the pads might have a shorter life. Although this may be true, I don't think it makes enough difference to the inevitable trip down the tech anyway to be too bothered, but the very big plus side is that saxophone is there ready to play at all times, practically begging you to practise. Of course you can leave it out on a floor stand, but this has its disadvantages of not just taking up valuable floor space, but also being easy to knock over or walk into. Not to mention the hazards of pets and small children.
In conclusion I would say that this is not just a great space saver, but a safer way to keep your horn out and ready to play, and it's a great addition to your home decor!
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