It hit me, right as I took out my car keys to cut through the packing tape of the Axsys 1.0 shipping carton, “What if this is like that desk I got from IKEA?”
“Will I have to flip through the phonebook-sized instructional booklet to find my native tongue?”
“Will I be able to build something cool out of the leftover parts?”
The answer is no to every preconception above. First off, the Axsys 1.0 is a US-made, high-quality guitar-seat-and-stand combo. Secondly, it’s pre-assembled with one sheet of three easy directions — with pictures! To get going, all I had to do was remove the safety pin, fold out the back leg, re-apply the safety pin and click the seat in position. To go from seat to guitar stand mode, flip a switch and the seat folds down.
Now this seat alone won’t make you play like Jimi Hendrix, but some standout features are: There are no chair arms to smack your instrument against, and although it’s a comfortable seat, it keeps you upright, so no more leaning back, dozing off and dreaming you got your practice routine in!
It makes gigging life easy; you have a seat while you’re playing and a stand while you’re on break. (Note my pictures below; it can comfortably seat electric guitars, a bass and even an acoustic guitar with a cable plugged in.)
The Axsys 1.0 is rated at 300 pounds. The frame is built from some serious 1 ½-inch aluminum tubing. The support pads that hold your guitar are made from rawhide leather. The seat is made from a non-skid vinyl with 2-inch padding under it. The seat sits just over 18 inches off the ground and is 18 inches long and 10 inches wide and the widest point.
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The seat is comfortable and reminds me of similar keyboard and drum thrones, except the material doesn’t get hot after sitting on it a long time. I had no trouble getting good guitar-playing posture. If you rest the heel of your foot on the guitar stand post, you can get similar elevation to a foot stool a la proper classical guitar posture.
Even with the burly build, the manual suggests never standing on the Axsys 1.0, and always sit back on the wider part of the seat after you’ve double-checked it is locked into the seated position. Felt pads for the bottom are included, so no worries of scratching hardwood or painted floors. The whole package weighs less than the average electric guitar, folds up nicely and can be carried with the handle attached under the seat.
Web: iconicmetal.com Price: $149.95 (Customizations are available)
You can't believe everything you read on the Internet, but Billy Voight is a gear reviewer, bassist and guitarist from Pennsylvania. He has Hartke bass amps and Walden acoustic guitars to thank for supplying some of the finest gear on his musical journey. Need Billy's help in creating noise for your next project? Drop him a line at thisguyonbass@gmail.com.
