Cheap amp stand recomendation?

[Cornwalled]

Hello,

I'm re-doing my living room, and ditching the coffee table which has also served as the stand for my tube amp. So, I'm on the lookout for a cheap amp stand. Any ideas? I would be using it for my VTL ST-85 amp, which weighs about 50-55 pounds, so it would need to be sturdy. Preferably stained wood, but black could do as well. I tried looking online, but most of what I found was crazy expensive. I'm not going to be $300 for an amp stand!

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jon

[Daddy Dee]

I used poor man's amp stand which worked nicely. Seems like I might have picked up on the idea from Mark Deneen.

Take a large paving stone and paint it black. Of course, paint is optional, but not a bad deal. A good primer will be needed, though. Concrete paving stone will soak up paint like nothing else on the planet.

Use four raquet balls (three for audiophiles) for the feet.

Glue them on the bottom of the paving stone with a generous amount of silicone glue.

Let the glue season overnight. Turn the stone over and voila!

One effective (and not bad looking IMO) amp stand for just a few bucks.

[Cornwalled]

Hmm, that's not a bad idea!

My parents recently re-did their walk, and at one point had some old paving stones left over. I don't know if they still have them or not. I know they do have some cinder blocks, which my Dad suggested spray painting black. While a little taller than ideal, the price would certainly be right. Another idea I had was to put some fabric over them instead, for a bit more polished look. I like your paver idea thought, and will check to see if my parents still have some left over.

And of course I would have to use those neat unusual color racquet balls. Perhaps green ones?

Thanks for the idea. Any others would also be appreciated.

[Daddy Dee]

I used the green ones, too. Cool.

[frankphess]

I use Target "cube shelves" turned on their sides as supports for VRD's. I drilled holes, then inserted small doll rods on the corners to act similar to carpet spikes.

http://www.target.com/Shelves-Ledges-Wall-D%C3%A9cor-Accessories/b/ref=nav_t_spc_6_33/178-8567814-5328640?ie=UTF8&node=12957231

I also use Ikea table tops without the legs for my solid state stands. You can screw in spikes where the legs would have screwed in.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40104270

[tigerwoodKhorns]

Too bad you are not near Las Vegas. I have a bunch of granite shelf and table tops (coffee, side and sofa table) as well as nice steel stands that I welded up that I want to get rid of.

[Fastlayne]

The Sanus Euro amp stand is also the base for their 2 to 8 shelf equipment stands. I had a huge amp and needed the depth this one has (not all of them do). Search Amazon , saw it for $69 delivered in black. You could make a shelf from wood to replace the black shelf that comes with it if you wanted.

[Cornwalled]

I appreciate all the advice from everyone. I think I'll end up going the paver /racquetball route. I found that Lowes carries pavers real cheap. I can get a 16 x 16 for under 5 bucks. Then, go to the local sporting goods store and get some r-balls, paint the paver black, glue it together, and I'm in business.

The only thing I'm worried about is gluing the racquetballs to the paver. I'm afraid the silicone won't hold well. Any special tactics to get it to work? Do you have any pics of your stand? I found a local seller of green balls, by the way. I'm excited. []

Also, Chris, I appreciate the offer. If I was closer, I would most likely take you up on it.

-Jon

[Daddy Dee]

Jon,

I guess I was surprised how well the silicone holds. Of course, you want it to be good and dry before turning the paver over for use.

Once ready to put it in service, I'd suggest to place the paver with the same care one would use if the paver had carpet spikes on the bottom.

As attached, the contraption is stable and surprisingly durable as long as the pressure is all down/vertically oriented.

I moved them from time to time with good results with the same method. Of course, I had to try moving them with a little less care sometimes. When subjecting them to too much sliding/horizontal pressure, did have to reattach a ball on occasion. If it's not convenient to reglue and set, it is also possible to cheat by getting the paver in place as desired and slipping the mistreated "leg" back in place. Gravity holds it in place pretty well! []

[winchester21]

I kep a stash of concrete bricks of various sizes painted black. PITA but they work once the paint is soaked up. Also a stash of 3/4" oak shelving- rejects bought cheap- spray painted black- cut to 12" x 29" for regular sized components. . For the big stufff I use a wire tech 3 shelf cart with plywood inserts/shelves cut to fit the components and snap down itho the wire shelf dims. The brick and shelk looks like a professional installation- I can change and swap stuff easily.Once I settle on some semi- permanent components- I will build something more permanent. For now -this works great . 13 components- less than 200.00 invested in shelves.

I also saw an amp stand made out of a slab of marble and 4 pcs of 3" dia PVC tubing cut and painted black for legs. looked great