Custom Drum Hardware Blog

How many times have you purchased a cymbal stand not fully understanding what you were buying or how it would jive with the cymbal it was intended to hold? I am guilty of this, and the team here at Gibraltar knows there are many of you who would benefit from a thorough discussion on the topic.

We felt it best this week to discuss some of our Gibraltar cymbal stand lines, their practical implementation with our preferred partner and friends at Sabian cymbals, with due consideration given to tube and arm diameter, weight, durability, silence, and height and extension options.

First, it’s really important for drummers and percussionists to understand the overall anatomical design philosophy of cymbal stands before making specific gear investment decisions. To help guide you, I have included a summary below from one of our cymbal stand videos, which details each standard component part and the engineering reasons behind them. Though not reflective of all our stands’ components, this particular video provides one of the most fitting examples of why Gibraltar makes some of the best drumware on the planet.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND OUR STANDS

Working up from the floor, our patented round rubber foot design works great in tight drum kit set-up situations where your stand legs may not be able to extend out all the way.

Next up the tube is our cast tripod collar. It should be noted that we were one of the first companies to use this innovative design versus stamped metal pieces from competitors who simply wanted to save costs at high stress point areas of their stands. The rigidity of the cast versus stamped is critical to the longevity of the stand.

Our unique design innovations extend upwards to our tripod key collar (the area where the first tightening screw is placed to extend and retract your leg extensions). What is great about this feature is if you have an issue with the key screw threads at some point, we designed them using a softer metal than its adjacent cast chamber. This makes the key screw easily replaceable. A nylon insert is used to avoid metal-to-metal contact at the tripod collar, which also helps greatly in reducing vibrations that drive studio engineers nuts, not to mention preventing dents and ease when opening and closing it.

Our pioneering hinged height adjustment point of the stand again utilizes the unique nylon insert that sits within the hinge section, which secures the stand without need to over-tighten or inflict dents and scratches. Our black hardened steel screw is used throughout all of this stands’ height adjustment points. Hardened steel eliminates the threat of stripping. A plastic sleeve is inserted into the hinged height adjustment receiving tube to create a nice tight and silent fit. So it takes less pressure to hold our stands’ height and stops any stand noise vibration.
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The next integrated level is the boom rod and arm adjustment component, which essentially performs two functions: gripping the cymbal stand boom rod and holding the boom arm angle adjustment. While some other companies cut corners by offering only a single tightening adjustment to perform these two critical jobs, we developed and use a two-point boom section to handle these functions and prolong its life.

And finally, Gibraltar’s standard brake tilter gives infinite cymbal angle adjustments compared to standard ratchet tilters that have set angle limits. In addition to the wing angle adjustment, we take it one step further by adding a back-up drum key lock to hold the tilter position, if needed. Gibraltar also uses an ergonomic wing nut here, extra thick cymbal felts, and a one-piece nylon cymbal seat that threads onto the stand to avoid losing parts and adding stability.

SO WHAT’S THE RIGHT STAND FOR YOUR CYMBAL?

In terms of matching up your Gibraltar Hardware stand with the most appropriate Sabian cymbal, the biggest consideration is with regard to weight followed closely by positioning ease. For example, if your stand is Gibraltar’s newer Turning Point 9710-TP straight series, you probably would want to use one of Sabian’s brighter and lighter series, like AA, AAX, PRO or Sonix. For Sabian’s lower pitched and heavier series, like Hand Hammered and HHX, our heavy or medium double braced single stands – or even our newer 7709 eliptical leg base models – would be more in tune to properly balance the weight.

The key point to remember is it’s not that any of our stands couldn’t support any Sabian cymbal, it really comes down to how often you plan to open and collapse the stand and how road worthy it is. Our boom stands are designed to give you all the strength offered in single models, but with the extra length and maneuverability you need to access taller heights and tighter positioning zones around your drum kit or percussion assembly.

While there is certainly no need to attach a AA 6-inch Sabian splash to our 6609 heavy double braced boom stand, which has three-tiers and cast hideaway boom with memory lock height adjustment, you may want to consider attaching one of our SC-CMBAC medium cymbal boom attachment clamps to it as shown in this instructional video. Even if you desire to mount one of Sabian’s big bad boys like its 22-inch Legacy heavy ride, you still have to think beyond the stand’s ability to just hold it steady.

As I mentioned earlier, it’s the little things in a cymbal stand that add up to many years of playing enjoyment. Small things to look for include an unending angle adjusting brake tilter; high quality cast components; no metal-to-metal contact; hardened steel screws to avoid stripping; and how long the boom rod is so you don’t end up short of where that cymbal needs to be positioned.

There are endless configuration options with cymbal stands, but the wise drummer and percussionist does his or her homework first. Think about why you need that stand in the first place, or why it failed to last. Gibraltar has done that homework for you.

- Tim Kane is a freelance drummer, instructor and writer living in Massachusetts. He writes a regular blog for Gibraltar Hardware.