(really) tall mic stands for organ recordings

[MBishopSFX]

I use the Ultimate Support lighting/speaker stands with 6' extension tubes. I can run a stand up around 50' without too much sway as long as the mics aren't too heavy. I think USS may not currently make the extension tubes, but if enough folks requested them, maybe they'd cut a few? The extensions are the same aircraft aluminum tubes from which they make the stands.

TS-99BL Tall Leveling-Leg Speaker Stand and Lighting Tree Base

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[studentjohn36]

Criminy! One gig I have is to record in a suburban church where the pipes are in a gallery loft in the back, and the musicians (i.e. a Handel organ concerto) are gathered up front. So the obvious thing is to put one omni pair up front, and another omni pair about the same distance in front of the swell box. But the organ pipes are up there 18 feet off the floor, and there is absolutely NO place to hang a rope from. You see, the organ was built for some other church around 1860, but it has been put in this drywall & stucco 1978 box, so there is no convenient hammer-beam protruding from which to tie some twine. I courted near-disaster with an Ultimate Support MC-125 straightening it out and raining it high. The clutch brake for the boom is too weak for that kind of stuff (I had a spreader bar way up on top!) So we had to re-inforce it with gaffer's tape and a piece of 3/4" aluminum pipe. Looked very "professional", I'm sure.

JG

[mpdonahue]

Originally Posted by studentjohn36

Criminy! One gig I have is to record in a suburban church where the pipes are in a gallery loft in the back, and the musicians (i.e. a Handel organ concerto) are gathered up front. So the obvious thing is to put one omni pair up front, and another omni pair about the same distance in front of the swell box. But the organ pipes are up there 18 feet off the floor, and there is absolutely NO place to hang a rope from. You see, the organ was built for some other church around 1860, but it has been put in this drywall & stucco 1978 box, so there is no convenient hammer-beam protruding from which to tie some twine. I courted near-disaster with an Ultimate Support MC-125 straightening it out and raining it high. The clutch brake for the boom is too weak for that kind of stuff (I had a spreader bar way up on top!) So we had to re-inforce it with gaffer's tape and a piece of 3/4" aluminum pipe. Looked very "professional", I'm sure.

JG

******Edit********
JG.
I thought you were talking about the large pipe ultimate stands that Michael was commenting on just above your post, so the comment below is not applicable in your situation. Sorry for the confusion.
******End Edit********

This may be a stupid question, but did you counterbalance the the pipe? I've boomed out a pair of M50's on a 1m bar about 10 feet over an orchestra and not had any issues with the knuckle. (Getting it up and into place is another story...3 people required). They are rated at something like 80 lbs. Balance is the key.
Also, always use the metal sleeved pipe couplers when going high, they are MUCH stronger (I won't tell you how I know.....)

All the best,
-mark