I am a percussionist and have been all my life. But I have also always loved the bassoon. It is the most beautiful instrument in the orchestra. Three months ago I began lessons on the bassoon. I am certain I have done things in my life that were more difficult; I just can't remember right off what they were. At any rate, one learns rather quickly that a stand is indispensable. After checking local and web vendors, I decided to purchase this stand, primarily for the cost. I found it is quite easy to spend considerably more for this item. It works well for my bassoon, however it is now holding my wife's bass clarinet at the community theater where we are currently presenting "Oliver". I recommend this stand for its security, ease of handling, and cost.Having had an opportunity to use the stand for awhile, I must revise my initial review. One day I found my instrument on the floor. It had fallen from the stand because the rubber underneath the cup which holds the base of the bassoon had cracked, causing the cup to collapse and allowing the bassoon to slip out of the cup and hit the floor. The instrument was not damaged. I contacted Hercules and was sent a new cup. That's all well and good, but I expect the same failure will recur. My ingenious father-in-law had a better solution; he crafted a replacement from a sink plunger. No mishaps since then.