K&M 17650 Guitar Stand

I bought this stand because I own a Paradis guitar which does not fit in a normal stand. It has its cable output right there where conventional stands have their supporting arms (since my guitar is headless, I can't use a hanger stand). 'Carlos' is different because it's the only stand with central support. This stand is a good match for this guitar.

But how about 'plugged' acoustic guitars with a central jack output? I tested this with both straight and angled jack cables. Straight jacks: no problem. They will sink through the open middle part of the support member. Angled jacks are more of a problem. Some time is lost positioning them well.

Apart from that, is this stand any good? I mounted a test guitar, and whacked the stand from all directions to test stability. It can take quite a heavy impact, and wiggle back to its feet. A great benefit: the guitar won't fall out because the neck holder has a safety lock, which is easy to operate. Because of this you need two hands to retrieve your guitar, instead of just one with an unprotected stand. BTW: A back to front hit is the worst hit for a guitar stand, so on stage it makes sense to put an obstacle behind your guitar stands, so nobody could accidently walk into them.

BTW: I used to have a move where I put the guitar's strap in the neck holder of my (unprotected) guitar stands, behind the guitar's neck, so I could grab guitar and strap in one move with one hand each, and be running in seconds. This is impossible now because of the safety lock, but I experimented a little and I found that I could grab neck and strap in one hand and open the lock with the other, so nothing much in efficiency was lost. Yes, sometimes you cannot afford to lose any time..

This stand is made of molded plastic and will fold flat for easy transport, which is quite unique IMO (mind, when folded it might be flat, but it's still very wide, no folding feet here). It's also very light, which is a nice departure from the usual heavy metal (and you won't risk knelling a finger, as could happen with some stands..). Some heavy handedness is required in setting up the stand.

During assembly, the neck holder clicks into place. I have to say that this click does not provide a solid fixation. As long as the guitar is in, nothing will happen, but the part might fold away when retrieving the guitar, and that's clumsy. A more firm click is needed here IMO. During transport, this folding part has a habit of falling off altogether, and could get lost. This is annoying. And I hope it won't wear prematurely from all this.

Then the price (69 at Thomann). Let's say it's ridiculously expensive for a piece of molded plastic. These stands should cost a third of the price, the most expensive metal neck-gripping stand for a single guitar costing 44 euros. It's an innovative K&M design, but I cannot help thinking that some competitor could imitate it for a fraction of the price. I hope the best for K&M, but at this price, I'm afraid the Carlos won't be a big hit for them. And that's a pity, because, apart from the central support, this stand has several other USP's, like light weight, and good safety.