Not a sound or lighting review, so here it goes :-)

When I nipped to the last SEDA meet-up, I met a guy who was fabricating custom Deck Stands out of Alloy.
The quality was good - and it was generally nicely finished off and was nice and strong, and also very light.

Forwarding a few weeks, I called him up for a chat and subsequently ordered a custom build to suit my needs.
The plan was to use the NJD 2.1M wide starcloth, machining velcro to the top and bottom of the cloth to provide a nice fit (instead of the many ties).
I wanted it to accomodate my swanflight case, and use the lid as storage alongside the main console (so about 1100mm wide)

To his credit, Andy turned it around very quickly. Less than a week.

The result is 7Kg weight, removable shelf (with stainless locating pins on the frame), folds flat, and the shelf was a built-in stop to reduce strain on the frontage hinges.

I guess the only problem is outside our control. The NJD starcloth is not to the specified width.
I spoke to the retailer who measured their stock (all stock was short in width), and Andys cloth (sourced from a difference supplier) was also too short!
The booth was designed to fit the specified 2.1M wide NJD cloth, but all measurements were between 1.90 and 1.99 - so at best 100mm short!
Balancing out, this leaves about 20mm gap on the rear of each side.
Andy adhered black Velcro on the vertical bar, and so its barely visible. The Height of the NJD cloth is to spec @ 1.2M, so I'm not sure whats going on. I have reported this to them, as this is a quality issue.

As time was against me (I wanted something neat for the 40th), I decided to make good of what we had. The retailer (rsdmusic) were very helpful, but this is a manufacturing problem, and I did need a solution.

Anyway, some pics;
Folded Flat;


Partially open;


The Shelf;


Assembled;


Close up;



Andy added some captive nuts to the shelf, so I could add a board (don't think I'll do this- extra Kgs!)
However, I used on my Daughters 13th, and a 40th on Friday, and set-up was reduced with a much better look.

So... very happy with the project. I'm checking freecycle for a sewing machine, and may try to get some different coloured cloth (not starcloth), so give a bit of flexibility. I'm also considering using a white cloth (washable!) and backlighting it with a few Par Cans.

I've now got my old giraffe stand+ledj cloth, and basically enough for a complete spare rig (amp+passive speakers+mixer+lights) We need a bigger house! lol

Jason

Looks good,

How much did it cost?????

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ WHAT HE SAID LOL

Not a bad price for the labour+materials.

£290 for the frame.

nice one. look forward to seeing a piccie with the cloth on. Was thinking of doing this myself by altering my 4ft
rhino stand and adding velcro. A big saving on the s&h/deckstand booths and similar quality

I wouldn't say its the same as an S&H, the beveled top looks nice, but it comes at a cost.

The same guy can also provide a replacement frame to fit the S&H cloth - but this costs quite a bit more due to the work involved.

Best piccy I have is;


Unfortunately, a rushed set-up hence the creases on the front

I also have a Rhino 4' stand. Its fairly easy to setup but I wanted something quicker, lighter and able to hide most of my case.

looks Great Vokf and i bet it is very light indeed, one thing i do like about my stand is it has adjustable feet for un level floors how are you finding your new stand so far in that regard?

I was thinking of having some add on bars made for my giraffe stand and modifying my njd star cloth (which is not as you say 2.1m but is taller than the stand but not wide enough to go all the way around. i know it will add weight but if my idea works i may get some white material (spandex if possible)with white velcro and use a led par can behind it a bit like dragon front boards

also if funds permit i may buy a giraffe stand and have it painted or powder coated white in the coming year and i have a few older NJD Chaos lights that i could spray white too just an idea for weddings ..getting the look right and finish right rather than looking cobbled together will be the hard thing to achieve. may go with recent advice and hire pros to do this but these are all just ideas at the moment. a full white set up may look better than a black one for some weddings.

Hi Rob,
I've only done 2 gigs with this. Kays party was on a hard floor in her school hall. The stand is nice and square- so if the floor is flat, it doesn't wobble..
The other gig was on Carpet, and didn't notice any problems.

I guess if I come across an uneven floor I'll find some beer mats

I could fit some adjustable feet, but I do like the starcloth reaching the floor, totally hiding the cables. If I fitted feet, there would be 15mm+ gap at the bottom.

Jas

Clearly a lot of work gone into this. The latest photos show a lot of detail.

If this is any good I could do with one of these too...but a couple more questions/advice

- with the flight case etc weighing so much on what is quite a thin frame, doesn't it wobble??

- I'm surprised the hinges are riveted. I'm not a metalwork expert at all but won't they loosen up?

I think many will agree the market is due for some new stand technology and this could be a step in the right direction.

Hi Teez,
no - it doesn't wobble. There is cross bracking on the front and sides, and its very solid.
Andy used industrial adhesive to bond the steel hinges to the alloy frame.
I did chat to him about this - but have no issue with using the correct adhesive. A few years ago I developed a system for bonding the chassis on a Merc sports car in Portsmouth. The fixing was so strong, they needed to create crumple areas.

He has also worked for the automotive industry, so has used the right stuff.

I don't have any concerns about the rivets at the moment.
I do have a rivet gun though, and so could re-make the fixing if it failed.


I est my case (with DDS80+Mixer) is approx 20Kg poss less - this is based on a comparison with my Mackies.


To be honest, I did consider a DIY job.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdu3qITsTI8...feature=related

However, I did like the idea of a combined stand and booth. Set-up time is important, and so is less equipment.

Hi Jason,

Do you have contact details for the guy that made this for you, looks really good.

Cheers

Stephen

That looks fantastic. That's the first stand that's tempted me away from my goalpost.

Full marks for innovation.

Cheers Paul,
Credit should go to Andy who built it, it is a nice bit of work.

A few months and gigs later, I'm still happy with it.
The Giraffe stand has all those cross-members to remove. I do have a bag, but its still a pain to pack away/and assemble compared to the new stand.

For me, I would have trouble justifying the expense of an S&H booth, and would be concerned about the extra weight and space needed when transporting it.

Last nights wedding was a good example;
4 Speaker system
T-Bar with Pre-Rigged Cables
2 Par-Cans for Backdrop lighting
Stand+Cloth+Playback
Wireless Mic

Pack-up took less than 30mins. The venue staff were very happy!

Jas

hi Jason, any chane you could pm me Andy's contact details please?