Doubling Contrabassoon can involve interesting and vexatious handling problems, especially if the composer has not been over-generous with rests in which to make the change.
Excellent bassoon stands are available for about $10.00, but obtaining a proper contra stand is quite another matter.
When I first took up the job of doubling it did not take long for me to realize that reaching for an expensive contra laid alongside me was most unsatisfactory. It wasted time, endangered the instrument, and looked awkward on the stage, so I set out to see what better arrangement I could contrive for myself.
Tossed in a corner of a local hobby shop, I spied the leg-work of a cheap artist's easel. It consisted simply of a tripod of 3/4" fir, stained redwood. The three five-foot legs were fastened parallel at the top with a long bolt, with washers and wing-nut. The two outside legs were bias-cut on the inside so that they spread out when tightening the wing-nut. The storekeeper let me have this rig for $2.00, but the entire device, complete with frame, would have cost no more than $4.00 or $5.00.
Anyway, the leg-spread of the easel was too wide for my purpose. To narrow the spread, and for rigidity, I bought three 12", 3/32 gauge brass bars, and six cup hooks (with flange) of similar gauge, for 84 cents. I bent the ends of these bars and combined them with the cup hooks (compressed into hook-eyes), into gate hooks. I obtained a leg-spread suitable for my purpose by attaching two of these gate hooks 22" from the base of the legs, and the third 29". Each leg was covered with a rubber leg cup (10 cents each). Now, with the wing-nut tightened at the top, the device stood quite rigidly, and remained very light, yet collapsible and readily portable.
For concluding refinement of this contrabassoon stand, I covered the projecting end of the bolt with heavy rubber tubing, and attached a soft leather flap to go over the top of the tripod and its hardware to prevent marring the instrument finish.
In use, the player extends the instrument's floor spike to the desired length, then engages the final bend of the instrument over the leather-protected top of the opened and locked tripod. The instrument, thus at rest, in effect adds a fourth leg to the tripod. I find that, kept at my left side, the instrument may be readily picked up or set down securely at will. With the bassoon on the other side, switching is done efficiently, and, I may add, the set up looks attractive and professional on the stage.
This device is useful, of course, only with the descending bell design of the contrabassoon.