Blazing Saddles

Originally Published in Rhythm Magazine, May 1999

A Review of a Drummer's Experience with the Bambach Saddle Seat.


Will the Bambach Saddle Seat have you sitting proud and fully erect? Or will it render you a grouch with a slouch? Sit up and take notice

I can see why so many Tory MPs are scared of losing their seats; they must have all bought one of these new Bambach saddle things from Australia.

Wow, this really is a babe of a sitter. It's less of a drum stool and more of an in-depth exercise in bun cake ergonomics, and the experimenters have really come up trumps with this one. The strange looking seat has a sort of wrap-under effect that not only leaves you sitting pretty, but also delivers you into a perfect, ready to play drumming position. A high rear lip pushes your pelvis forward and ensures your back is always straight no matter how hard you try to bend it.

As we know, many back problems stem from either a previously injured spine, or the drummer's insistence on slumping at the kit as a result of bad sitting habits. However, by its unique shape this throne of thrones permits only one playing attitude, promoting a healthy straight back and hopefully eradicating any posture problems. After two full days using this stool, I have become most attached to it. Very comfy.

The design looks very much like a condensed equestrian saddle covered in black PVC and stuffed with layers of foam, which strangely enough it is. The whole thing can be adjusted via a tilt mechanism that allows the front end to be raised and lowered to suit the sitter's needs. The entire top area is incredibly well put together. The basic seat shape is provided by a thick chassis structure which is then added to with the aforementioned foam.

The plate that connects the stool top to the base stand is an immensely thick metal design coupled together with four big, burly, beefy bolts that bind and brace the two parties together in an intimate and permanent marriage (How very poetic - Ed). Traditionally, of course, this is an area that in other stools has let the design down somewhat.

The base stand for the Bambach Saddle Seat appears to come directly from the F. W. Whittle and Sons office supply catalogue, whose motto is, 'We're moving fast to get you stationery...' Where was I? Oh yes, the bottom bit looks uncannily like it's been nicked from a very posh office chair. It has a central gas piston post that supplies the height adjustment and a small amount of suspension.

The height allowances range from squat to toe-stretching, the gas piston pushing you up into the air with ease and dignity. A lever at the back of the top section releases the piston pressure returning you rather quickly to earth - bloody gravity.

The only problem with this system is that, once you have discovered your own personal height, there is no memory lock system to retrieve your chosen position. This could be a bind if you're forced to share the stool with others; you will have to find your own height each time. The double braced tripodic legs are the usual drummy-type thing, expanding enough to support any potential load.

On the whole this is what I would consider the ultimate drummer's butt buttress. On the furniture evolutionary scale this bit of kit falls somewhere between the waterbed and Jimmy Saville's armchair.

Drawbacks? Well, due to its shape it will perhaps require a case of its own since it's not likely to slip neatly into a traps case; it also weighs a ton - both side effects of its brilliant uniqueness. Oh yes, and when the top is placed on the stand it's not locked on, so when you try to lift the whole thing to move it the seat comes off in your hand. A clip device to secure the two together would do the trick (writes a man who's never designed anything).

At £276.60 it's not at all cheap, but it has a durable build quality that Volkswagen would be proud of, and a design that directly deals with areas of posture and comfort - two things that affect everyone's playing. It could help with the relief of back pain and fatigue.
But the main advantage of this drummer's front row seat is that it's bloody comfortable, putting you in the right place to play the right time.