Manhasset M48 Symphony Music Stand 4801

11/29/18 – Manhasset Model #48 Sheet Music Stand

I should be ashamed. I ordered this Manhasset Music Stand well over a month ago, received it the same day, put it together in less than five minutes and was playing music from it in less than 7 minutes from the time my husband carried the box upstairs for me. It quickly became my pride & joy, my best purchase of the year and I haven’t written a peep about it. Actually, I did write about it–I wrote to a friend to recommend he buy one for his wife for Christmas!

I returned to playing a musical instrument from my HS days some decades back. I had my share of “music stands,” starting with an open desk drawer, and then my old reliable but wiggly, silver, aluminum, 2-piece folding stand. I had two of those. And then, I recently got a very sturdy steel stand. It was great except the lip that holds music was only 1 inch deep. Seriously, 1 inch? Even my old $10 aluminum stand had a 1 1/2 in. lip.

I decided not to mess around with the inadequacies and frustrations of an unprofessional music stand. As much as lower quality stands cost, it wasn’t that much of a leap to splurge for a top-quality Manhasset Music Stand, especially when it’s on sale. The lip is 2 1/4″ deep! I can leave some of my select music books open, so I can easily resume where I ended my previous practice session. With my 1-inch thick Klose book, the stand is as sturdy and stable as ever, even with other books on the stand.

I must admit, I read a lot of reviews in which reviewers complained of receiving stands with missing parts, difficulties getting the bottom bolt loose and bookplates that wouldn’t raise because of the poles being stuck. And then there were those with dented bookplates, and “feet” that scratched wooden floors and snagged carpets. All of these issues prevented me from buying sooner.

After wasting money on a crap stand a couple of months earlier, I decided to quit messing around. I’m just too old to deal with music stand irritations. I decided that out of all of the problems some reviewers reported, there was a larger number of reviewers who received Manhasset stands with all of its parts, bolts that came apart just fine, poles that raised up & down with ease, bookplates without dents and feet that didn’t scratch floors and snag carpets (although, I did purchase the floor protectors for $3.71.)

I took a chance and don’t regret it. With a Manhasset Music Stand, my practice sessions are all about the music, without a hint of music stand drama.

I’ve spent a substantial amount to replace the music I had decades ago, plus some additional stuff, but my Manhasset Music Stand is my pride and joy–perhaps, my best purchase of the year.

The Manhasset stand is very sturdy, and very stable. The bookplate tilts all the way back, upside-down. (I can’t say I understand why or how someone would use it that way.) The bookplate also swivels around & around to the left, and around & around to the right. The pole telescopes smoothly, up and down without touching a button. When it’s at the height you want, you just stop raising or lowering the neck or bookplate–there’s no tightening a screw or pressing a pressure latch against the pole. You just stop and the bookplate stays right where you stopped. The bookplate, itself, is pristine–not a dent, scratch or rough edge. The feet are also smooth–no rough spots to scratch floors or snag carpets. As I mentioned, I purchased the floor protectors, but they weren’t necessary.

This Manhasset Music Stand is exactly as I remember them from High School. Obviously, I’m very pleased with my purchase and I highly recommend it.

I apologize for sounding like a commercial, but it’s such a pleasure to have. I truly can’t think of a better music stand.

I did not receive any compensation for my review. All of my comments are strictly my own, based on my actual use. If you find any of my comments beneficial, could you please click on the “Helpful” button below? I’ve been trying to write more reviews to help others as others have helped me. So, I would appreciate knowing that my comments have helped at least one consumer. Thank you.

7/17/19 Update – I just wanted to say thank those who indicated that my review was helpful. Thank you, I greatly appreciate it! Also, I must say, I still LOVE my music stand! It’s among my Top 5 purchases over the last 1 1/2 yrs. A close runner-up is the Black Leather Prestige Buffet Case I purchased for myself last (2018) Christmas. One last thing: I mentioned above, recommending a friend buy a Manhasset Music Stand for his wife. Well, she absolutely LOVED it! She loved it at least as much as I did. It really is a great Christmas gift. In my H.S. and college days, I never had any money. I worked, but for some reason, I never had any money! (It’s hard to accumulate any savings at $2.00 – $2.35/hr!) Back then, even if I was aware Manhasset would sell their music stands to the public, I never could have bought one because I was always poor. It might be a little pricey for an average gift, so, it would be a great gift idea for a parent, grandparent, or significant other to purchase for the musician in their life. Or, if you want to make a good impression on a musician you would like as a significant other . . . well, it definitely would have made a good impression on me!

Thank you very much for taking the time to read my review.

Todo bien

This is a classy music stand. The ease of height and angle adjustment is great.

When you can find these stands in packs like this they are well worth picking up. It feels like Manhasset has thinned the metal down a bit on the stand part over the years, but still a great workhorse.