I'm about to buy a kawai mp5 and i need a stand for it. i have an old x stand thats kind of crappy.

what is the best stand for balance and playing ability for a 45 lb. dp like the mp5?

also how about an adjustable bench. is it worth it for someone whos 5'11"?

im more of a guitarist, so im a total newb to these types of things

im looking for as much bang for my buck here, not necessarily most expensive

Get the IKEA Galant desk frame with A-legs. Depending on the DP, you may or may not need the table top, saving you a bit off the price shown here:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S09836977

With my CP300 I did not need the table top.

This is super stable and the legs are adjustable.

This "stand" is not as portable as x-frames, etc., but the legs do come off making it possible to transport with relative ease.

I bought one similar to this for my yamaha, to replace a rubbish X stand.
http://www.zzounds.com/item--MUPKS7150

Before you buy a new stand you should try it
with the old x-frame stand. That'll probably
be all that's needed. You'll need some kind
of bench. Some people just use a chair.
An old piano bench would do.

The standard height from the floor to the
top surface of the white keys is 28 to 29
inches. The standard ht. from the floor
to the top surface of a wooden piano bench
is about 18 1/2 inches. All adjustable stands,
no matter how expensive, have a problem
with adjusting to give this 28-29 in. ht.

Ditto the stand that Sundew shows. Old X stand is in the landfill where it belongs.

I have a couple of the stands that Sundew shows, one for my SP88X stage piano in the living room, and another for playing gigs with my K2661 synth. Excellent stand - nothing in the way of the legs, pedals can be reached.

One suggestion: I bought acouple of pieces of black felt large enough to cover the "table" parts of the stand, and cemented them firmly in place. Keeps the keyboard from being scratched up on the botton, and makes it less likely that it will slide around on the stand.

For a two level stand, I use the OnStage model like this:
http://www.zzounds.com/item--MUPKS7365EJ

Does an excellent job holding an 88 key weighted keyboard on the lower level and a 61 key unweighted keyboard on the upper level. The horizontal parts below the keyboard are far enough back that I can place pedals in front of them, and the unit is very sturdy and stable. I use this one in my studio.

I like a keyboard that sits firmly in place and doesnt jiggle about. Never found an X stand that gave me good results.

Jim