Rock Band Guitar Stand With Optional Built in Drum Supports

Intro: Rock Band Guitar Stand With Optional Built in Drum Supports

Have you ever thought how nice it would be to be able to put all of your Rock Band equipment in one place, and store it away, all nice and tidy-like? Instead of buying or building a guitar stand to hang my Rock Band and Guitar Hero guitars on, then still needing to put the microphone and controller somewhere (usually on top of the television), I thought to myself, "Self, why don't you build a guitar stand that is attached to the drums?"
So here it is, the guitar stand that is built onto the drums. At the end is a quick tutorial on how to also add outer supports for those two pads that take a beating (in my household anyhow) and are starting to sag, or worse, crack. All of this, and none of it voids the warranty!
And the best part? Glue, saw, and all PVC was purchased at the local huge hardware store for less than $45 bucks!

STEP 1: The Parts List

Mini Hacksaw
PVC Cement
6 1 in. x 1/2 in. Tee
2 1 1/4 in. x 3/4 in. Tee
2 1 in. x 3/4 in. Clip-on Tee (3/4 in. threaded)
2 1 1/4 in. 45 Degree Elbow
2 1 1/4 in. x 1 in. 90 Degree Elbow
6 1/2 in. 90 Degree Elbow
2 3/4 in. to 1 in. Adapter (3/4 in. threaded)
4 Pipe Clamps
5 Ft. 1 1/4 in. Schedule 40 PVC Pipe (2 pieces 12 in.) (2 pieces 3 in.)
5 Ft. 1 in. Schedule 40 PVC Pipe (7 pieces 2 in.)
5 Ft. 1/2 in. Schedule 40 PVC Pipe (6 pieces 3 3/4 in.)
6 Ft. 1/2 in. Wall Tube Insulation
Felt padding

STEP 2: The Clip-on, Part One

Thread the 3/4 in. to 1 in. adapter into the 1 in. x 3/4 in. Clip-on Tee.

STEP 3: The Clip-On Part Two!

Insert the 1 1/4 in. x 3/4 in. tee into the 3/4 in. to 1 in. adapter.

STEP 4: The Clip-on, Part 3!

Insert 2 in. piece of 1 1/4 in. pipe into the top of the 1 1/4 in. x 3/4 in. tee.

STEP 5: Getting the Bends!

Add the 1 1/4 in. 45 degree elbow to the top of the pipe, at a 90 degree twist from the rest of the assembly.

STEP 6: The Upright Arms

Insert 12 in. piece of 1 1/4 in. pipe into the top of the elbow.

STEP 7: The Elbows

Add the 1 1/4 in. x 1 in. 90 degree elbow to the end of the 12 in. piece of 1 1/4 in. pipe.

STEP 8: Twins!

Repeat steps 2-7 for the other side. Don't forget to reverse the 45 degree elbow!

STEP 9: The Thing That Holds the Stuff

Creating the crossbar: Since the distance between the two upright arms is 17 in. and the length of all the 1 in.x 1/2 in. tees used for holding arms is 18 in., you will have to cut these down. I chose to cut 1/4 in. off both sides of the two middle tees that are used to hold the mike. Try spacing the tees out and adjust where you like. Cut the 1 in. pipe into 7 pieces about 2 in. long, then use them to join all the tees together. Remember that which ever tees you cut will need shorter pieces to hold them together. Cut straight or your crossbar will look as bad as mine!

STEP 10: Making the Hooky-Bits

Insert the 6 3 3/4 in. long pieces of 1/2 in. PVC into the 1 in. x 1/2 in. tees. Add the 1/2 in. 90 degree elbows onto the end of each.

STEP 11: Leveling the Playing Field

Since the two uprights will be attaching to the black pieces of the lower section of the top drum piece, and that section is shorter than our clip tees, we will need to make the legs of the drums level with the top plastic piece. I used some left over self adhesive felt from my drum pads. I made a 3 in. x 10 in. rectangle for each leg, and then just wrapped it around until it was even with the top black plastic piece.

STEP 12: Face Forward, or Backwards?

Place the crossbar inside the two upright arms. You have two configuration options here: Hooks facing in, or hooks facing out. Hooks facing in seems more stable and compact, but hooks facing out looks cooler. This is your decision to make. Take into consideration if you are on hard floors or carpet. The connections should be tight enough to dry-fit it and hang your gear on it to test which you prefer. Make sure everything is good and level! I ended up going with the hooks facing in option, since I am on carpet, and it just seemed more stable. Plus, it kind of looks cool from the drummer's seat!

STEP 13: Time to Make It Permanent!

Now that all your dry fits look good, it is time to take everything apart and start gluing! Remember that PVC adhesive sets up pretty quick, so get all of your angles right as quickly as possible. I ended up getting one of my 90 degree bends off, just slightly, and nothing would go together afterwards. I ended up having to cut it off, insert a junction, and glue it again.

STEP 14: Give It the Clamps!

Time to finish it out! Using the hose clamps, attach the two clips a little more sturdily to the legs. Also, now is the time to use the tube insulation on your hooks, to give the instruments a softer hook to hang from, and also to give them a slightly more secured position.

STEP 15: Finish It!

You are done! Your guitars can go in sideways, and then just give them a twist to lock them into the foam. The mike seems to feed in from the top nicely.

A few afterthoughts: The long 12 in. arms could easily be shortened by at least 2 in.-3 in. and still fit everything nicely, but make it even more compact and stable. I have played on this setup, on carpet, and nothing moves. And I play pretty hard. There is a ton of room for expansion, since PVC comes in all shapes and sizes. One thing I thought of doing was replacing the tees at the connection point to the legs with y shaped pieces. This way, I would be able to use the part of the Y going straight up as a place to stash drumsticks. Also, some sort of cable management might be in the next design; however, I really don't mind just wrapping my cables the way they are in the photo. Another easy modification to this would be to make a mike stand projecting over to where the drummer sits, then all you singer/players could do both! Overall, this project cost around $40 to make, but that includes buying the mini hacksaw, and 5' lengths of the pipe used. I used barely half of the pipe, so there is plenty of pipe left over to do a second one for someone else, all they have to buy is the joints. Obviously, if you have pipe lying around, this project could be quite a bit cheaper.
Head on over to the next step to see how I built supports for the two outer pads!

STEP 16: Super Secret Bonus Step: Pad Support!

If you play as hard as I do, or you play quite a bit, then you probably have noticed the cracks developing around the arms that support the two outer pads. If they are not there yet, I assure you, they will be. To alleviate this problem, I modified my Guitar Stand to include two arms that come up underneath the drum pads, holding them up and taking all the abuse you can give them!

Parts:

4 1 1/4 in. 90 degree elbows
Leftover 1 1/4 in. pipe from previous project

All that you have to do is take a short piece of the 1 1/4 in. pipe, insert it into the tee on the side of the leg, and the 90 degree bend, another piece of pipe, another 90 degree bend, and another piece of pipe going up to the base of the drum. You will want to measure how long this piece will need to be, since it could be shorter or longer depending on how long you made the whole device. Also, it helps to cut the top at a slight angle to match the bottom surface of the drum pad. It was a case of trial and error for me, since I was trying to do this whole project only using a tape measure and a mini-hacksaw. However, it worked out really well, and now hitting the outer two pads feels just like hitting the two inner pads. Doing this before your drums crack should really help prolong the life of the kit. My red pad was already cracked, and nearly just hanging, whereas the green pad was not even slightly cracked. Now they both work great!

Comments

[drewmg]

" 5 Ft. 1 1/4 in. Schedule 40 PVC Pipe (2 pieces 12 in.) (2 pieces 3 in.)"

Later on in the instructions, you refer to the 2" piece of the 1 1/4 pipe, but here you say 3".  Wondering if there's a discrepency somewhere?  Anyways, I cut them to 2.5" and that seemed to be about right.

[evilbunnee]

Good catch!  I don't remember which size I used for sure, but I think it is 2".  Like you said, though, I think either would work.  How is it coming?   Lets see some pics!  I just realized I never answered the question about what size clamps I used.  I honestly don't remember, I just bought one of those assortment packs you can get anywhere, and used the ones that fit on the legs.  I know, not much help.  I am really sorry!

[drewmg]

I finished mine up last night.  Here's an image!  It's not perfect, but I don't do much handywork like this, so I'm happy it turned out at all.

Thanks a lot for putting this on here!  This project was exactly what I was looking for.

[evilbunnee]

Very nice!  Looks great to me!

[drewmg]

Just curious, what type of felt padding did you use this design?  I've never shopped for felt padding before, so I don't really even know what to look for.

Also, what size hose clamps did you use?

[evilbunnee]

You should be able to find the felt at any craft store locally or online.  I got mine locally at Hobby Lobby, here is a link to the item online:  http://shop.hobbylobby.com/store/item.aspx?ItemId=108913&dep=50&cat=5&subcat=25&Search=Y

Hope that helps!

[drewmg]

In case anyone else is having enormous trouble finding the clip-on Tees, as we did, here is a link to an online retailer who has them: http://www.drillspot.com/products/564124/lasco_464-131_tee

[evilbunnee]

Yeah, apparently those clip ons are harder to find everywhere.  Here where I am, they sell them at the local Lowe's, so they were really easy to find.  Thanks for the link!

[dodo91]

If i made it, i would make it behind. this is because if you just want to play guitar, you wont have to go through the hasle of the the drum in the way.

[chardster]

This is awesome. You can tell that this is genuine and well thought out. Totally original. Whats up with your drums? I have the new rock band for Wii and they look way different.

[dodo91]

I want one of those type! where did he get em, there AWESOME!

[evilbunnee]

Thanks! My drums have pads made of two layers of rubber and one layer of felt to help deaden the sound, since I play so hard. They are cut in such a way to make them almost look like eyeballs. :-) Also, I have an aftermarket kickpedal, since mine broke a few months back from, as previously mentioned, playing too hard. :-) Other than that, and the mod described in the instructable, they are completely stock. Thank you again for the nice comments!

[chardster]

Thats pretty cool that you made your own drum silencers but they do have them at gamestop for $19.99. You probably made them for cheaper than that though.

[evilbunnee]

Only a little cheaper to be honest with you. It was about $3 a pad, which was about 12 bucks total. Mostly, though, I made them myself so I could make them thicker than the store bought ones. The store bought ones are much cooler looking, but mine are easily three times as thick, making them a lot quieter. Like I said, I play really hard. :-)

[cherrybowls]

hey there, I'd totally love for you to give some more info about the drum pads, I play very hard and i'd like to protect them as much as i can... where did you purchase the rubber and the felt from? thanks!

[kcfandjc]

Awesome instructable! I really want to make one of these for my Guitar Hero World Tour set, but I can't find anyplace that carries the clip-on tees. Did you buy yours locally or order them online?

[evilbunnee]

I got my locally at Lowe's, however, you may be able to find them online as well. Thanks for the comment!

[mammajamminator92]

very nice i like alot and plan on making one when i can get rock band

[Chevyscrounger]

OK, I know you can't really tell what i did because I painted it all black.... I took your idea and kinda modified it a little by making the uprights a lot shorter,tucking the uprights in closer to the drum kit legs,making a different style mic storage holder and even added a detachable mic stand. I didn't do the drum supports because I had already Made a different style of those. Pretty good project all in all. Keeps everything off the floor at least.

[evilbunnee]

That is really sharp looking! I still haven't gotten around to painting mine, but it is still holding up since I posted mine. I love the design on yours, with the shorter arms and the mic stand. Really great! Your design is making me want to get a couple of adapters and shorter down my arms a bit, pulling the rack in closer to the drums. And oh yeah, get some paint! Excellent work!