Petersen Folding Music Stand

Pro: large shelf fits 4 or 5 pages easily portable, even without buying the bag Cons: clumsy to assemble, no instructions unstable legs tend to fall off at inconvenient times There are probably better portable "maestro" stands out there,

I bought this one to replace my old set. The legs of this stand may not be strong enough compared to those of the metal stands. However, if you need to travel a lot, this one has a bag for us to carry on our shoulder and the light weight makes any one feel comfortable. I like it because it is very portable.

I've owned this for many years but not used it much. The slots that the legs go in have cracked and even after repair, the cracks continue and it likely won't withstand much additional disassembly. It was always a bit of a Chinese puzzle packing it up also. At this point it is no longer reliable now that I am doing gigs again. Will get something not made of plastic next time. I don't recommend this stand.

This stand is very durable and very compact. It looks far better on stage than a metal stand. The only reason I did not give this 5 stars was because if you are over 5'5" you can't comfortably use it standing up because it is too short. Great for sitting though...

A little flimsy, but does the job and folds down into a nice neat package for easy traveling. Worth the money

A friend recommended this to me, because of the convenience of folding away into it's own case. However, it doesn't have a handle, and it doesn't fit into any standard size bag The music shelf is very flimsy as was previously noted, so I expect to be taking pieces in an out of my big music notebooks constantly. The stand back folds up to become the case, but it doesn't seem to lock when you unfold it, and the screws that tighten it aren't great. You constantly have to watch that it's not going to fold up and dump the music. I used the stand three times, and the ring that allows the height adjustment just snapped. Not as I was adjusting it, but as I was sitting and playing. The whole group stopped playing to have a laughing fit, but fortunately it was just a rehearsal. I'm hoping that the merchant will agree to replace or refund this item, but all in all, I am very disappointed in this product.

I rated it a 5, because this product is really a GREAT CONCEPT! Everything is designed to mount fully (with no "left overs") both folded and standing. Good look, light weight. As the product mixes metal and plastic, I would recommend some careful handle when mounting, dismounting, and not to "heavy load" it, avoiding scratches and cracks. I had a little incident with mine, but it was fully taken care. I Strongly recommend for musicians and speakers (which is what I plan to use it for). The instructions are the best, in simple pictures and clear. I Will happily go for another buy!

There are a couple of other small, folding plastic stands on the market, but this Petersen is the most compact of all (too small to require a handle or bag of its own, as another reviewer has suggested, though the company appears to make available individual pieces and even a miniature custom-made bag for the stand). But if you have a fairly large gig bag for all your cables, power strips, etc., it should accommodate this stand, which is OK for emergency use. But under no circumstances should the stand be mistaken for a Manhassett. If you use a music stand on a regular, recurrent basis, and moreover if you place fake books or heavy folders on it, not to mention reading lights, more than likely the Manhassett will still be an essential first-line piece of equipment. What I've found most frustrating about the Petersen design is packing it up after a gig. The 5-6 pieces have to be stored in a precise, exact manner or the box simply won't close. I've spent as many as 20 minutes before giving up the fight. I've even consulted the Petersen site in search of a diagram to no avail. If, like me, you're an individual who embarrasses himself and provokes his wife (those problem-solver father-in-laws!) every time he tries to pack the car trunk for a summer vacation without wasting a square inch, you just may find the Petersen design more of a hassle and headache than a handy space-saver. I'm beginning to suspect the product is more suited to an engineer's or chess player's temperament than a musician's.