Great Topic Bro ! Personally, I have no issue w/ 4 lug bongos since I use solid rims that evenly distribute the tensions of tuning & I posture my self & my bongo lugs where it is comfortable. But still, pressure on the thighs will still be pressure. In 1987 ( I believe ), I built my own low stance bongo stand using a Rogers snare stand tripod & attachments to a bongo mount. This worked well, to brace the drums and allow me a quick standing & quick sitting at the bongo chair with out dropping or rolling the bongos to the floor. I later used a better internal bongo shell mount to a better stand using drum shop hard wares that was even more secure, had a quick release and allowed some flexible suspension of the shells instead of a rigid solid mount to the tripod. My drum adjust more than typical stands today. Perhaps some one copied me ? I do not know...but I have always experimented in my own bongo stands and did so for many tears before Asian made models came to market. Mine is simply better & solves the ergonomic issues and does not require lots of bracing hard wares. I like things simple, strong & light weight. We really do not need more hard wares to carry do we ? I once owned some 3 lug bongos that were sold in Slingerland catalogs. They were smaller shells but the position of 3 lugs was great. A modern design that preserves the heads, tune quickly & evenly can be done. Its quite easy actually. But old designs are not going to accomplish this. 5 lugs...to me...is a step in the wrong direction. I 'd rather correct the old designs for 4 lug bongos first & move to a superior 3 lug design. These are things I keep to myself until I can protect my design innovations...but I know it can be done...I have done it !

But...as with all things about drumming...its a matter of what a drummer can live with & get the job done. All options are valid & good. But if a drum ever fails me ...there is usually a mechanical or structural failure. I only give them 1 chance...I never buy a brand or product that does not do what it is designed to do. A drum should never need replacement parts except the heads, maybe a few washers ! My simple remedy for bongo comfort is to use a padding as cushion on the bongo shells that also give friction so the shells do not slide on my pants. I put lots of work into perfecting my hard ware designs to eliminate these problems that are caused by tuning systems designed in the 1950's ! It's 2011 now ! I have solved the issue to my satisfaction.
