This might be one of my shortest blog posts ever, but that’s doubtless a refreshing change from some of my very long ones, especially if you read them on your phone! Anyway, I was just putting together the gear for a recording tomorrow morning and while grabbing a stereo bar, I thought it perhaps worth highlighting, first, how over the years I have found the Manfrotto 154b to be a great option and, second, how easy it is to modify.
Like many others, I have found the 154b to be an eminently affordable stereo bar, a decent length (spigot centres up to 620mm), really adaptable, quick to set up and adjust, keeps the mics as set, strong, and robust. And if you have a few, like I do, you can add more of the connection clamps that hold each mic when you want, say, four mics on the bar: and it is much cheaper doing that than ordering additional clamps (part R154,01). But, over the years I have noticed that some dismiss it, especially for field recording, for two features: it has an aluminium tube construction that can resonate (not often an issue) and it has two holes near the ends that, if the movable spigots are not over them, can catch the wind when used outdoors. For many uses I deploy the 154b as sold with no issue, but often I don’t want such a long bar so I have a modified version that is 520mm long: this fits neatly in a rucksack I often use when field recording, and is no longer than the (folded) tripods and stands I pack with it. Obviously cutting an aluminium tube to length is no great deal and needs no special gear (care and a junior hacksaw would suffice if you don’t have much of a workshop) and, as long as you cut both ends off, then the two offending holes will be removed. The plastic end caps can then be knocked out easily from inside, so no need to scuff them by prising them off. And, finally, you can do as I did and stuff the inside to damp any resonance: I just used a bit of Rockwool insulation I had spare, but I am sure anything similar would do the trick. So, 10 mins work and, voila, a slightly more compact stereo bar fit for anything in the wilds.
All very obvious, I know, but it might just help someone view the 154b a bit differently!
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