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What is the best and the cheapest hydraulic bench for piano and where can I get it in Canada?

Thank you!

The Andexinger lift-o-matic is a very good one and comes at a good price. Order it from Thomann.

So you are asking for two different models?

Like a K&M model and a Gewa model...

+1 on the Andexinger.

+ 1 on the Andexinger

+1

Thanks. I can't buy Andexinger lift-o-matic from a local store here in Canada. Need to pay the shipping fees plus a significant all kinds of tax fees. Is there any other alternatives?

Yep, with Thomann it ships from the EU so you've got to deal with that (and it's a HEAVY bench, too).

I recall finding a local US seller for the 484 shortly after I bought mine from Thomann, but the price wasn't actually much different in the end.

That’s up to you, of course. But you should know there have been several people here on PW who bought it from Thomann to the US without problems. So if you don’t find an alternative, you may want to consider it anyway.

Why a hydraulic? Wouldn't a knob-adjustable unit do just fine?

Also ... why an adjustable? Is a standard bench not the right height?

This comment question makes me think of something.

I've read that the optimal height for classical piano is so that when your arms are hanging down your sides with your fingers on the piano keys and your elbows near your sides, that the lower surface of your elbow at the bend is 0.5 cm below the top of the keys.

I've always assumed that since people come in different shapes and sizes, this means an adjustable bench is required in order to attain the optimal bench height for the above.

But perhaps we are a bit more standard than I think and makers of standard benches know that? Do standard benches allow you to position yourself in the manner above for most people? I do know a standard bench doesn't do it for me, but perhaps I'm in an off size?

Some people live in households with more than one player. And if those include children, you're bound to fall outside a one-size-fits-all mold.

A pneumatic mechanism is convenient and more or less instant to adjust, like any office chair most of use use everyday. Just lift or drop to the height you want. To me, knobs are so cumbersome and slow, especially if you're adjusting it every day.

I'm looking at one MacMacMac. Doesn't have to be hydraulic but that would be nice. I have back issues and sometimes I need to have it at a higher height.

This is what I have at the moment:



This is not really easy to assemble and disassemble. After some usage, the internal pressure on the interior plastic parts has caused some deformation and it is hard to adjust or take the top attachment apart.

It is also making a lot of noise when I move my butt while playing my keyboards.

I just realized that it is actually better to get a hydraulic stool instead of a bench as I don't have any difficulty reaching out to the left or right part of my keyboards set up. So I think something like this:



Would serve the purpose and it's 1/3 price!

FWIW - when I was building a stand for my digital piano I visited several stores to measure the height of pianos from the floor to the key tops. They mostly fell within the range of 28-29 inches but there were some extremes up around 30 inches and down to around 27 inches in height.

MP7SE sits on the stand higher than other ordinary DPs. So a standard seat hight is not an option. For my set up:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Fcf8snh1a18Uj-oBzdr-pqZcCZVhHxT-/

I couldn't use a standard height piano bench with my stand (Quiklok Z-726L). A bar stool or chair stays too high and I cannot play. The only option is to get an adjustable seat that I can adjust the height to my stand.

Sorry MacMwcMac, but I do even understand how someone playing the piano ask another pianist why he needs adjustable bench!?. Adjustable bench in the only proper one for the pianist, period .

@Abdol,
Do you really need hydraulic bench? I mean, I was always unhappy on when had to sit on the , as the regulation is not so precise as on the knob bench, but I know many fans of hydraulic benches as well so it's matter of preference.

Also if you change the height often, this is definitely better, as adjusting knob can be annoying sometimes

for a fixed, standard bench/stool height to be the proper height for every adult, here's a partial list of the factors which would need to be constant for all combinations of instrument and player (and which clearly won't be) - - height of the key tops from the floor, distance from the bottom of the player's seated posterior to his/her shoulder/collarbone joint, lengths of the long bones in arms. even then of course some will prefer their elbow height to be a little lower (g.gould famous for requiring a low seat) or higher.

Proper bench height is sometimes of extreme importance. I remember how I used to sit at a certain height for ages until very recently. In a totally unrelated thread I posted my struggles with the Khachaturian’s Toccata complex rhythm and Ando suggested I may have to change the bench height, something I haven’t even considered as important. So I lowered it to its lowest possible position which in fact isn’t too low but yet was much lower than I was used to and voila! It really helped me so much with forearm stability and control, hence speed. It’s one of the most significant improvements I have experienced in my piano adventure. I don’t think you should underestimate the bench height adjustment and experimentation. And I’m nobody but there are examples such as the divine Evgeni Bozhanov who, at the suggestion of his professor, lowered his bench to an extremely low position (he’s famous for that, as is Glenn Gould) and in his own words that allowed him to play very expressively.

Consider a "drum throne" . Any music shop that sells drums will have some. They are available with hydraulic lifts. Some have backrests.

I attached a Roc'n'Soc seat to an hydraulic office-chair rolling base. It works well, for me.