Product Review of the RockStand Combo Amp Stand

I had a bit of money and decided to make a few musical instrument accessory purchases. Among them were a brand new guitar amp. Now at my age, I have no desire to have a big and heavy "stack" amp that stands about 6 feet tall to lug around. I chose to stick with a combo amp going no larger than two, twelve inch speakers. These are the type of amps that I've always used in my 23+ years of performing. Combo amps present a bit of a problem for some players.

Because they sit close to the ground, the sound tends to be projected from behind you at about shin level. Now this doesn't bother some players but it does others and I'm included. Now some amps have things that allow the musician to tilt the amp back but my new amp did not have this. In the past, I've used milk crates, bar chairs (not stools), or a small table to set my amp on. Well this time, I decided to spend a bit of money and get myself an amp stand. Upon a bit of research and looking at the options out there, I found the RockStand Combo Amp Stand to be the best value so I picked one up.

The RockStand Combo Amp Stand features Black metal construction, and rubber feet. Locking pins on the RockStand Combo Amp Stand will keep your amp in place. The unit is collapsible and is capable of supporting an amp or speaker up to 150 pounds.

Now as with any new purchase, before buying the RockStand Combo Amp Stand, I researched many user reviews of this product on the Internet. One thing I kept seeing were stories of how the RockStand Combo Amp Stand while holding a normal medium sized combo amp would tip forward causing the amp to fall on it's face.

Now my new amp has plastic shafts that hold on the knobs, so I did NOT want that to happen. I also found just as many users who reviewed the RockStand Combo Amp Stand who said that they had no problem with the RockStand Combo Amp Stand tipping forward and many of them were using amps that were much heavier and/or larger than mine. I decided to take a chance and purchase the RockStand Combo Amp Stand.

I ordered the RockStand Combo Amp Stand via the Internet and it arrived at my door via UPS promptly. The box was damaged and torn but the unit was intact. It was poorly packed but I don't think it was considered fragile but the RockStand Combo Amp Stand just bounced around in the box and one of the legs punched through the box. (Hence the box damage). There were no instructions included with the RockStand Combo Amp Stand but that was OK. It didn't appear to be very difficult to figure out.

I assembled the RockStand Combo Amp Stand and placed my amp on it. I had to stop it from tipping over! "What the hell??" Upon closer examination of the RockStand Combo Amp Stand, I noticed that the top pieces that are actually responsible for cradling the amp could be placed in place in two different positions. I removed them, turned them around and replaced them to the unit. Again, I set my amp on the RockStand Combo Amp Stand and this time, there was no stability problems whatsoever.

I then decided to challenge the RockStand Combo Amp Stand and adjusted the height to the highest position. Though I would never use the RockStand Combo Amp Stand at such a high position, I just wanted to see if it would still be sturdy. It was rock solid.. I even kind of knocked the amp and it didn't even come close to tipping over. It seemed that the users who reported the unit tipping over, did not have it assembled correctly.

Nothing is perfect and as always, there are some cons (as well as some pros) to the RockStand Combo Amp Stand.

Pros:

At a street price of about $20 US, the RockStand Combo Amp Stand is certainly in the affordable range.

The RockStand Combo Amp Stand is constructed of thick steel with security welded joints and I have no doubt that it can easily handle the unit's 150 pound limit.

Cons:

It came with no instructions at all and this is why I initially assembled the RockStand Combo Amp Stand incorrectly and I'm sure the reviewers who had the RockStand Combo Amp Stand tip over assembled the unit incorrectly as well. That in itself is more than an annoyance but can result in the damage of your expensive combo amp.

The RockStand Combo Amp Stand is not the easiest thing to carry around. It IS indeed collapsible but unless you remove the top pieces (the pieces that cradle the amp) collapsing the RockStand Combo Amp Stand makes little difference in how well you can carry it around and load it in and out. If you remove those pieces (as I do), the RockStand Combo Amp Stand is easier to carry and pack up but then you are left to find something to do with those two pieces that you took off.

Conclusion:

The fact that the RockStand Combo Amp Stand isn't as easy to carry around as I'd like it to be isn't a big deal as far as I'm concerned. I think the RockStand Combo Amp Stand is an excellent value and highly functional. I have plans to purchase another RockStand Combo Amp Stand to use with my acoustic amp.