Pull-out Stands for Digital Pianos

I am looking for digital piano stands that I would be able to pull out from under a desk.

Something like in the picture below.

Is there anything out there without having to go the custom-built route?

I've seen some studio desks with pull-out trays for keyboards, but I worry that an 88-key digital piano would be too big/heavy for that to work well. But I'm open to suggestions either way.

A normal desk has a table-top height of around 29". If, say, the top is one inch thick, then the underside is at 28". Allowing an inch clearance below the desk, the piano key tops would be at 27". (Normal height is around 28".)

But this would require the piano/keyboard to rest on a table whose height is perhaps 23" or 24" high.

There is (or used to be) a kind of table called a typewriter table. These were meant to set beneath a normal table top. They were often on wheels or casters. I used to have one. It's tabletop was at 26". (But I think 27" is more typical.)

This would put a keyboard's piano keys at 29" or 30" ... a bit higher than normal (though perhaps tolerable), but entirely too high to slide under a normal-height desk.

So I don't know of any "standard" solution for your problem.

You might see something here that could give you ideas if you end up going the custom route.

If I were doing this I would find the furniture, a suitable desk unit large enough for the 88-key piano to go under then if it was not already designed for the weight and size of your piano I would replace the hardware and tray with something customized and stronger.



Do It Yourself:











HERE is an idea using heavy-duty slide out shelving.

Thread of topic elsewhere:


...and elsewhere:


Another DIY:


...general rec. studio furniture discussion elsewhere:

Are those custom affairs? Or can you just buy those?

Some are custom some are available as pre-made furniture. If I did not make any errors each image is linked to its source for further information.

Beautiful collection Ampy - thanks for posting!

On the boat, I'm limited in all dimensions, and am using stainless ball-bearing drawer-slide assemblies from McMaster-Carr:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#drawer-slides/=kus6e0

Some of those are exceedingly robust and can easily handle both static and dynamic loading of a full-size heavy stage piano. I've been tempted to take a Nord and use it as the shelf (self-supporting with end brackets) to minimize the knee-clearance problem, but more realistically I'll put something cheaper on a foam-core shelf suspended between two slides, with long enough travel to get out of the way when retracted. (Waiting for NAMM to decide on which board.)

Here are some cheaper ones that aren't stainless, and would be fine for most applications:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#drawer-slides/=kus89a

Cheers,
Steve

Thanks a lot guys for the feedback!

I guess the custom route is the way to go. Some very nice ideas posted by Ampy!



Those look great. Though the website is very strange. Didn't let me browse until I created an account.

EDIT: Btw, do you know what they mean when they say "Friction Release"?

Clicking on each image will link you to their source in case you did not discover this.

Quite a few are pre-built non-custom furniture.

Inceptic, (OT): what are the nice chairs on the first pic?

Herman Miller Aeron chairs. They are standard office chairs.

Those can be disconnected by just pulling all the way out, overcoming friction rather than having to push a release button. I don't think that style would be ideal for such expensive cargo, especially in earthquake country (like a boat)! The other methods either require disassembly (screws) or pressing a button.

Steve

Ummm keyboard porn.

Yeah I noticed that. You did a great job preparing that post with source links. I'm still evaluating options that's for sure.




Well that first picture is NOT my studio! But Frank is correct. Be careful with those though, as they come in three sizes, so make sure to try them out first. If you get the wrong size your legs will hurt.



Thanks for the explanation Steve. I went to my local hardware store here. They didn't have nice fancy ones like in that website. I might have to order some of those if they're tried and tested.

Another company is Omnirax. They have both designed and custom options.