French Horn Stand

We are offering a radical new approach to French Horn stands. Most other designs are simply variations of the “display plate” approach, where the horn is placed on three points of contact, with the majority of the weight being distributed on the two lower points. The total area of support is very small; on many models well under ½ square inch. “Soft Stands” gently cradle your horn with a support area of over 25 square inches of soft polar fleece fabric. This means that there is over 50 times less pressure per square inch on the support area. If properly used, it is impossible to dent your horn with a Soft Stand. Another problem with conventional stands is that where the top point of contact touches the instrument is basically random. It is hard to position the instrument so that it is not touching a delicate slide. One unfortunate bump, and you have a bent slide. Worse yet, a small bump in the other direction can result in the instrument simply flopping out of the stand onto the floor. Your valuable horn will be held very securely by a Soft Stand.

The feature that has recieved the most comments is how easy it is to place the horn in the stand. You simply drop it in! No rotating the horn for the optimal contact points, no fussing about placing it gently to prevent dents to the flare. Soft Stands work fine with ‘duck’s feet’ and hand straps. Great for those times you have to change music quickly, such as outside on windy days, when you need both hands for moving music and wind clips.

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Construction Details: All stands are handcrafted. The sling is made of black, pill-resistant polar fleece fabric purchased from Malden Mills. It is the highest quality fleece fabric available. Soft, closed-cell foam is secured inside the sling to pad the top and inside surfaces of the top rails. The top rails and feet are made of your choice of two hardwoods: Red oak and walnut. Nylon gliders are attached to the feet. The vertical legs are satin-finished anodized aluminum tubing. An elastic “bungee cord” inside each leg holds the stand securely together. Stand is easily (after just a little practice!) broken down to a compact 4” by 12” inch bundle for easy transport. Assembly and care instructions are provided. An attractive nylon bag is provided for storage. The Soft Stand for Horn weighs about 2 1/2 pounds, which is a few ounces less than Koenig & Meyer stands that are designed for guitars but are sold for use with horns. Soft Stands are inconspicuous on the stage. Your horn can be placed in stand quickly and securely. One-year parts replacement guarantee from defects in materials and workmanship.

Will your horn fit? We have carefully designed the stand to work for all models of double and triple horns we have tested: Schmid, Alexander, Paxman, Hill, Conn, Rauch, Hoyer, Finke, Holton, Kruspe, Yamaha, Patterson, and Lewis. If you are in doubt, measure the thickness of the corpus of your horn. If it is greater than 4.0 inches (10 cm) then there could be need for a special set of feet that widens the opening. These are provided at no additional charge. Contact us for assistance.

Soft Stand in Red Oak

Oak Soft Stand, softstands.com

Soft Stand in Walnut

Walnut Soft Stand, softstands,com

Mute Holder Accessory

Mute Holder Accessory, softstands.com

The mute holder is made of sturdy ABS plastic and is manufactured locally by B Machine Products of Parkersburg, West Virginia, a female owned and operated machine shop. It is secured to the stand with two knurled knobs. Easy to install and remove, just loosen the knobs, line up the slots in the holder and slide it in.

Mute Holder Accessory underside, softstands.com