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Chat about the latest toys and innovations.

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#219752 by Paleopete
Sat Jul 27, 2013 3:05 pm
Finally got around to building a tilt back amp stand for my Fender Champ, considered it a while back but didn't really need it around the house, now I Have band practice and the amp is fixed, so I need that stand. Thought I'd pass on some info about it for any of you who might want to try one for your small practice amps.

This is made from thick wall Sched 40 PVC, same stuff you use for home plumbing, cost would be about $10 US if you had to buy everything. I used mostly stuff we already had, only had to buy a couple of caps.

This holds my Fender Champ quite well, and judging by how sturdy it is I probably wouldn't mind setting a Peavey Classic 30 on it too. I saw this online a couple of years ago, probably not the same design, I didn't look it up again. I knew about what I wanted, drew it out on paper and figured it should work, and started measuring...

Here's what it looks like

Image

Image

What to consider for measurements - IT needs to fit between the amp's feet, bottom needs to be wide enough to hold the amp, mine sticks out in front about 1/4 inch at most. Back brace should be high enough to hold the amp well and not hit an open space, mine sits on the back plate at the top, right where the tube access is. You set the angle however you need it, mine is set so it's pointing to my ears at 8 feet in front of the amp. I originally thought it would need more tilt, but this does the trick nicely. I leaned it against a wall and propped it up with a couple of books, that gave me a very close estimate of what the front legs should be.

I opted to put feet in back so it would be more stable, I was afraid if I just went with a 90° fitting and let it sit on that it might tip over, so I used a tee instead and added feet a couple of inches back. That only needs a short piece, the tee and caps add a little distance too.

I tried everything out before gluing it, used it at home for a day and took it to band practice, it worked great just the way it is so I glued everything but the front and back feet. I'll probably go ahead and glue the back feet but I plan to leave the front ones unglued so if I need a different angle later, I can simply swap feet. It sounds like we'll be doing some low volume gigs, and if I don't have much room onstage I'll need longer front feet, so I can either make longer legs or put together a coupling and nipple and add that to these when needed for another inch or so. These put the front of the stand about 3 1/2" off the floor.

I like it so far, cheap and it works great, plenty sturdy for this amp plus some, but if you do want to build one, do remember to use thick wall PVC only. This is 1/2 inch PVC, and the hot water style CPVC would work too, but again thick wall only. I originally was going to use 3/4 inch, but after looking over the 1/2 inch decided it would work fine. [/img]

#219755 by mistermikev
Sat Jul 27, 2013 8:51 pm
nice, I love diy projects like this.

I was thinking about doing something similar with some 12" poplar stock and some door hinges but haven't gotten around to it due to all the yard work I've been blessed with.

I like your idea.

It's surprising too, how much of a dif a stand makes especially with a smaller amp. points it right at ya.

rock on.

#219758 by GuitarMikeB
Sat Jul 27, 2013 11:25 pm
Wow, that's only 1/2" PVC? Guess it's ok for your little Champ amp, but wouldn't hold up to a heavier amp. I was thinking 2" pipe wouldn't be strong enough for a typical 2 x 12 amp. That's the maximum size I'd recommend on the On Stage stand I bought: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/RS7705/ which of course has the advantages that you can adjust the height )somewhat, buy adjusting the leg angles) and the angle it sits at.

#219759 by gbheil
Sun Jul 28, 2013 2:05 am
Thanks for posting Billy.
Was wondering how you went about that project.

#219763 by Paleopete
Sun Jul 28, 2013 2:01 pm
Mike - You'd be surprised how sturdy this is with 1/2 inch, and 2 inch is the same thickness...don't think it would make much difference. I'd be willing to set a Peavey Classic 30 on it, don't think it would be a problem. Not sure if I'd trust it with a 2x12, might have to set one on it one day and see what it does...if the back was high enough I'd try my Super Reverb...

George - I thought it out, drew it on paper, looked like it should work so I dug up some fittings and started cutting up some PVC. I don't remember what the designs I found online a while back looked like, this is what looked - on paper - to be stable and sturdy and shouldn't have a problem with falling over backwards. That's what the rear legs are for. Haven't glued those in yet, thinking about extending them an inch just to be on the safe side.

Also thought about adding a crossbar at bottom for more stability but after trying it out, I don't think it needs it. Not difficult to add, cut it and add 2 tees and a crossbar...

#219802 by Deadguitars
Mon Jul 29, 2013 2:10 pm
I am really having some issues with hearing myself on stage ....
I usually put my amp on 2 milk crates ...... I dont like my amp on the ground but at our last gig the stage was so tight the bass guy was up against it ....
Been thinking something like Pete Built would be cool ..... aimed at the ears and not the ass .... prob use 2 x 4 's or 3's though ..... might help me " hear " better ....
very cool ' Petey
:)

#219807 by Paleopete
Mon Jul 29, 2013 3:59 pm
Whether something like this would work depends on how big and heavy the amp you use is. I wouldn't try it with a Twin Reverb...something heftier would be needed.

If you know how to work with electrical conduit, that may be a possibility, but again weight is an issue. I don't know how much weight conduit would handle. Grey steel pipe would certainly work, but could you make it look decent, and you have to have the tools available to cut and thread it.

With PVC, the main issue with heavier amps is that when you start using longer runs of PVC, it has a tendency to bend easier. I think short runs of 1/2 or 3/4 inch might handle the weight, but would bend when you get into the longer runs required for something like a 2x12 amp.

So if you use something too heavy for this, look into a commercially built amp stand like the one Mike linked to above. You might be able to find something less expensive, but you know it will be strong enough to handle a larger and heavier amp. This DIY stand is mainly intended for smaller, light weight practice amps, probably up to about the size of 20 to 30 watt single speaker tube amps like the Classic 30 or the 20 watt Mesa JW uses.

Google for "pvc amp stand", you'll find some other designs. The first one I looked at, from the Instructables site, is being used to hold a VOx amp that weighs in at 40lbs.

http://www.instructables.com/id/PVC-gui ... ier-stand/

completely different design.

Another one here but I don't like it as well as mine. Scroll down to post #16

http://www.gretsch-talk.com/forum/ampag ... stand.html

Here's another one, made from 1 inch, again I like mine better...

http://www.fenderforum.com/userphotos/i ... ecid=75075

OK I might be wrong, this one shows a Peavey 2x12 amp on a PVC stand. It doesn't say what size was used, but the first 2 pictures show the stand and the amp on it. Might be stronger than I thought...

http://www.instructables.com/id/double- ... amp-stand/

That's about all the searching I want for now, but it looks like if you design it right this might actually be usable for a larger amp. Surprised me...The design looks pretty good, and with the bigger base, middle pivot position and vertical supports, it should be sturdy enough. More complicated to make but looks like it might just work for larger amps.

#219820 by jw123
Mon Jul 29, 2013 6:02 pm
Looks Cool Billy.

I bought a stand like that and I use it for my Subway, which is real small, but I also used it for the Roadster amp I had for a while and it held it fine.

For smaller amps I prefer to tilt them back and up slightly, just opens them up to me.

#219867 by Paleopete
Tue Jul 30, 2013 2:51 pm
JW - that was the idea here, I needed it tilted up toward my ears, it's useless playing to my feet. I noticed all I was hearing was the bass end. Bass spreads, treble is lots more directional and is absorbed by everything. Probably the same thing you've been hearing with your smaller amps. Before, just for practicing at home, I've always just leaned it against a wall or a chair back. This is a lot better...I can put it anywhere and don't have to tie up a chair.

I've seen your stand, those work great, if you get a sturdy one. I had a friend in Houston years ago who used one for a 2x12 cabinet, he loved it. Looking up info on PVC stands I saw several complaints about some of them being not sturdy at all or falling over too easy. That was my main issue building this, I don't want my amp hitting the floor...Weight is not an issue here, it's not a heavy amp, but if it's not stable and falls over it's worse than no stand at all, that's why I put the feet on the back, to extend it behind the amp a little to help with stability. So far it's working great but I'm thinking about adding an inch before I decide to glue the rear legs in place.

#220981 by AJ6stringsting
Thu Aug 22, 2013 6:37 am
Love it man !!!!
A guy posted on youtube, on how one can make a multi 7 guitar stand with PVC like you did !

#221000 by Paleopete
Thu Aug 22, 2013 2:40 pm
I've seen those, I think there's one on Instructables dot com too. I didn't bother, I Had already bought a 7 guitar stand when I found it...
#291105 by richard484767
Sun Sep 02, 2018 2:00 pm
What you have is an excellent idea. This works very well for lighter equipment like smaller amps such as that Champ. I don't play out much anymore, so am putting together plans for a studio down in the office; I have retired, so I don't need that space. I purchased some slotted angle stock a while back, and will be mounting everything feasible on these systems. This stuff is easy to use, it primer and paints up well, can be bolted to structures, and will hold a surprising amount of gear, including the two Sunn Beta bass speakers I have (a 15" black widow and a 15" Altec-which I am loath to part with). If I were building cab mounts for stage gear where travelling was a part of the agenda, I think I would be using a product called 'IMC'; which is intermediate metallic conduit. It is light, works easily, holds up well, and is not too pricey. If you want to use PVC or ABS plastic, try to use something more substantial; and if you can get it, schedule 80 PVC conduit and make sure that whichever material you choose, you use solvent type cement that is compatible for that chosen material.

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