Gibraltar’s Brent Barnett, all 200 lbs, performs pull ups on a Gibraltar rack and tom mount to prove that using memory locks correctly will prevent your toms from slipping. Brent demo’s how to use memory locks, in this case a combo of slip on and hinged, to prevent any movement on the bar or the clamp.
Pretty much this ends the discussion on slippage… unless your toms are over 200 lbs!
Archive for the 'Custom Hardware Setups' CategoryPage 3 of 6
Our new Avenger II 6611 series pedals have everything that working and student drummers alike would ever need to satisfy their diverse musical styles and abilities.
With a simpler but equally comparable construction to our top line Intruder series, the Avenger’s single and double pedals work as well in highly syncopated jazz and funk situations as they do laying down heavy 32nd note patterns in a metalcore band. As for durability, retraction and speed, you would be hard pressed to find a better product on the market today. And the pedals come with our 5-year warranty, which is almost unheard of these days.
Both of our Avenger’s 6611’s single and double pedals capitalize on the uniquely patented and highly praised CAM drive, which offer two bearings each. Powering our hardened steel, self-aligning flat head beater is a rock solid double chain that attaches under the pedal board with two firm nut screws. We also allowed for flexible action and height adjustments using a slider hole assembly about a half-inch long positioned just below the CAM drive adjusted with a key screw. What’s more, we have taken the extra care necessary to place a more durable rubber bushing where the chain meets the pedal board to avoid potential noise and damage. As almost half-moon shaped, the double chain wraps around the cam’s felt backing and attaches to the hexagon-shaped beater support bar. The beater holder is also adjustable with a key screw as is the beater shaft’s height.
The pedal board itself not only has a sleek design with its curved silver surface finish, but we also left four vertical slots in the upper board’s plate design to reduce pressure resistance while playing and lessen the pedal’s overall weight. The holes also look really cool by revealing a black base below.
Connected with three base screws, the heel plate attaches to the upper pedal board hinge with a very solid rod. The fixed rock plate is stabilized with a Velcro base on the heel end and two spring-loaded anchor spurs on the other. Though we recommend using our pedal on carpet, the pedal’s hoop clamp attaches to the bass drum easily with a key screw and reduces the possibility of hoop scratches with a threaded rubber bushing. We even threw in a drum key to assist you with pedal adjustments that fits nicely into a stationary holder attached directly to our base plate. We felt that enhancement would come in real handy if you lose your main tuning key.
There are also several notable innovations we designed into the adjustable pedal spring and tension assembly. We made the bottom tension screw nut’s length longer than most similar ones on the market, adding ease and agility to your beater tension options. The spring CAM assembly is ratchet adjusted and we built a top key screw in for specific angle beater positioning. All of the spring CAM’s components are replaceable.
When connecting the Avenger II double bass drum pedal to its sister companion, the center connecting shaft rod is designed to extend out longer than most similar competing products for those drummers who require more leg and foot width span. Fastening screws are used on either end of the rod’s u-joint to connect the shaft to the spring CAMs. And we placed two key screws on either end of the shaft to tighten your rod down once extended. We built two bearings into each drive system as well.
Whether you play heel up or down, our newest Avenger II 6611 series pedals perform flawlessly, quietly, and with the speed required for drummers of all types and styles.
- Tim Kane is a freelance drummer, instructor and writer living in Massachusetts. He writes a regular blog for Gibraltar Hardware.
In conclusion of this two-part series (click here to read part one) on the most common top 10 drum hardware problems, we hope to guide you through potential solutions through wise investment in Gibraltar products and discovering other unique spot repair innovations.
6 – A SHELL GAME
One of the largest problems at a gig or practice that can be a real downer is when a piece of hardware actually tears away from your interior wooden shell and/or exterior lamination. Stress is the most common culprit such as when too much pressure is applied to a Gibraltar tom hoop while its mount is integrated with a shell. Another common issue involves continuously over tightening a Gibraltar tension rod, ultimately warping your shell’s beveled edge and causing lug screws to eventually tear through the shell. While it is easy enough to replace Gibraltar lug screws and tension rods, the more difficult challenge is repairing the cracked wooden shell itself. The best medicine to avoid this is to ensure you have the proper Gibraltar washers under all your lug screws.
As an amateur drum repair guy myself, I’ve found the easiest way to fix a cracked shell – minus just sending it back to the manufacturer or a local drum shop – is by removing all the hardware and injecting wood glue into both sides of the cracked wood and then clamping both sides together to dry. Rather than writing a 2,000-word diatribe on this complex topic here, a really well prepared article on cracked shell repair was recently featured in Drum Magazine that you should check out.
7 – WHY SO TENSE?
Mentioning tension issues, there are several other potential problem areas to consider. Using the wrong sized tension rods in their lug receptors (also called swivel nuts) causes stripping. At Gibraltar, we carry plenty of replacement lug screws and tension rods and can help you find that perfect dimension. Given you do have the right size, unfortunately not much can be done once the stripping has occurred in the receptor chamber itself. An ounce of prevention here is certainly worth a pound of cure.
Before writing off that piece of gear, however, it would be wise to remove that tension rod from the lug’s swivel nut and see if the teeth are in fact stripped. Use a headlamp or hand held flashlight to probe for strippage inside the receptor. If detected, replace it immediately, as putting the same stripped rod back in its swivel nut will only advance the dilemma. If the swivel nut inside the lug is damaged, you will need to take your drumhead off and unscrew the lug from the shell’s interior to replace it. Gibraltar carries two different sized swivel nuts that fit most drum kits in small and large sizes that will spare you the expense of replacing the entire lug.
The good news is you can play a gig or practice without a tension rod or two, if need be. If your stripped swivel nut is an important top batter side element of your kit, I suggest you borrow another lug for the time being from a bottom resonant side drum until a replacement arrives.
The other problem that often occurs with lugs on older, vintage kits or even some new beginner level sets is the metal spring inserts produce excessive noise. Most drummers describe it as a “weird boinging sound.” The best way to fix this sound problem that can wreak havoc in a studio or while mic’ed up live is to literally take the lug off its shell and stuff the inner cavity with cotton or cloth so that it surrounds the spring insert, and reattach the lug to the shell. Trust me, the noise will be gone or greatly diminished.
7 – YOU’RE SCREWED
Stripping is also common among screws used to fasten your hardware stands’ components together. Prone to grime buildup, the particular screw most impacted is your cymbal stand wing screws.
First, it’s always a good idea to carry screw and nut spares and Gibraltar carries a full line of them. Two problems occur when a stand’s screw becomes stripped. Your stand will either be stuck in its fully extended position, or unable to be extended to the desired height. While playing and then transporting a frozen stand is no big deal, duct tape is certainly your temporary friend for stands that can’t be adjusted.
The problem with stripped screws is the receptor hole most likely is also stripped and needs to be re-bored by a professional machinist or drum shop tech. And often times that can cost as much as simply purchasing a brand new replacement boom stand or boom arm from Gibraltar.
8 – WHAT’S UP YOUR SLEEVES?
We’ll keep this topic short. While most everyone knows – or at least should – not to place your cymbals directly on the metal mount without a Gibraltar nylon sleeve in place first, the reality is sleeves do get lost – even our black flanged base threaded varieties. I’ve used anything from gaffers tape to a plastic straw for the quick fix until I can order replacements. That’s much better than causing irreparable damage to your cymbal.
9 – BEING THE CLUTCH PLAYER
The hi-hat stand gives drummers immense pleasure and can cause a great deal of suffering as well. If you break even one component of your hi-hat stand during a performance, you basically lose the transmission drive powering your drum kit. I bring two hi-hat stands – or at minimum a second clutch – to every gig or practice just in case. The reality is not all drummers own two hi-hat stands, though Gibraltar carries a large array of replacement parts. Before you can fix the problem, however, you need to know what it is.
Starting at the top, you should first check to see if the upper and lower clamps of your clutch are separated. If those are ok, your next step should be to see if the upper pull rod that essentially lifts your hi-hat cymbals up and down has separated from its bottom pull rod counterpart. You will need to take the stand’s upper shaft off to access the rods. If they are screwed together fine, your next process of elimination involves inspecting the hi-hat’s chain or strip that connects to your foot pedal. Check. Continuing down your stand, the hi-hat foot pedal is the final element to review. If your pedal is swaying from side-to-side, you have probably disconnected or broken the heel plate’s Y-shaped radius rod away from the frame.
While there are no easy answers when hi-hat parts break, duct tape can get you through, including taping your top hi-hat cymbal directly to the pull rod for the time being. Doesn’t look pretty, but neither does a drummer playing without a hit-hat.
10 – GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR TOM…
Finally, our top 10 drum hardware problems conclude with a salute to errant tom-tom support. Realizing the great innovations with Gibraltar tom-tom suspension system technology, the so-called tom-tom sway is really a thing of the past. Still, stuff breaks. I own an extra tom-holder for my kit just in case. Nothing looks worse than a tom-tom falling off your kit or suddenly taking a dive mid-song. Gibraltar’s tom mounts are amazingly diverse and well built, but not all tom holders are made with the same integrity. I’ve found some competing models’ tom mounts employ small wingnuts to secure the mount tilter. Replacing that nut with a rack system T handle definitely tightens things up and avoids potential stripping and weak connections.
If the tom clamp is beginning to lose its grip, a proven get-me-by is to cut two 1-inch squares from a plastic coke bottle and put them in the jaws of the clamp that grip the rotation ball. And if all else fails, use the top basket portion of a back-up snare drum stand attached to either a Gibraltar boom stand base or universal grabber clamp to hold your tom-tom up for the time being.
- Tim Kane is a freelance drummer, instructor and writer living in Massachusetts. He writes a regular blog for Gibraltar Hardware.
I once used a credit card as a makeshift screwdriver when my kick pedal decided to take 5 during a gig. I’m sure all of you have been there as well. When things go wrong with your drum hardware, we’re often left without easy alternatives and quick solutions.
As a general rule of thumb, I never play a gig or practice without a spare hi-hat stand and second kick drum pedal at the ready. You lose either component live and you’re cooked. At Gibraltar Hardware, we understand stuff does breakdown from time to time, so we compiled these top 10 drum hardware problems as a way to help the working and practicing drummer become better prepared. Please bear in mind that Gibraltar carries a boatload full of replacement parts found online here, which is a fully searchable database.
1 – DETHRONED
Most drummers sit while playing so the stool or throne they own is an essential component and natural extension of the drum kit itself. What can go bump in the night with drum seats is support failure. First, it is very important that you own a seat that is comfortable and provides maximum support for your body. Otherwise, get ready for back pain and possible future spinal injuries. Spend the extra money on a good quality throne like ours.
Most often the chief problem with seats is they become wobbly. Another common symptom with gas lift thrones is they could eventually leak and lose height-positioning finesse. And anther common issue involves the leg support bar becoming separated from its center support pole.
If beyond warranty coverage, check first with our parts department or your local office furniture manufacturer or retailer to see if they can repair your gas lift system. You’d also be amazed with what your car repair guy can fix with all of his neat gadgets and know-how.
As for annoying wobbles, the most likely culprit is because you purchased a chair with a threaded shaft, requiring you to tighten the wing nut holding the seat into its height. Those holes can become stripped over time, but the larger problem is that the thread itself – not the wing nut – is damaged. One of the best recommendations I can offer is to invest in a universal back rest like Gibraltar’s GUBR. Most wobbles begin to occur because drummers are shifting around on the chair too much changing posture positions. Drummers should remain in a relatively straight position while playing and a backrest helps that effort as does buying the right seat. Gibraltar has several drum throne seat varieties you may want to check out here, including the motorcycle oversized seat that I prefer, a domed shaped seat, or the industry standard vinyl round seat.
When a rivet holding your leg’s horizontal support bar to the center pole falls out or snaps, you do have a few options to exercise. Beside pulling a MacGyver and putting a nut and bolt of similar size in the open hole, you may want to avoid that happenstance entirely by investing in one of our double braced throne bases like our B9608 product. The extra strength engineered into the supports prevents rivet erosion for occurring in most cases.
2 – BEAT IT
Beyond your seat, one of the top things that can wrong on your drum kit is with kick drum pedals. Before a gig or crucial practice, check the condition of your pedal’s springs, beater nut, beater and tension rods to avoid losing use your bass drum in the middle of a song. Re-tighten and check everything. But what happens when one of these critical ingredients of your pedal system goes down? The first sign of trouble is your bass beater doesn’t spring back like it once did. The most common problem is the nut attached to your spring is too loose or has just fallen off. I carry around spare Gibraltar nut and pedal spring assemblies on my key ring for that very reason. As for squeaks, a non-lubricated pedal chain or spring can sound like someone dragging their fingernails down a chalkboard over mics. Best option is to carry lubricant with you to gigs and practices.
3 – DON’T WING IT
The best way to avoid stripped cymbal stand wing nuts is to purchase one of Gibraltar’s new Turning Point stands or booms. That cool system does not employ the use of wing nuts. If that is not an option for you, the best way to deal with a wing nut that will not screw back on securely is to not further tighten it. Often times, drummers will purchase or place the wrong sized wing nut atop their cymbal tilter, thus eventually stripping its threads. Routinely lubing your tilters with oil or WD40 will help extend their lives, too. But if a wing nut breaks or flies off in the middle of a show, your best medicine is to have some wire at the ready. When unable to properly attach a wing nut, you can temporarily lock it to the tilter’s screw by winding wire around the threads extending beyond the nut. That will get you through until you can replace the nut or purchase a new Gibraltar tilter.
4 -WHAT’S THAT BUZZ?
There is nothing worse than too much buzz emanating from your snare strands. This is often evident in the interaction between your drum and bassist’s amp and monitors. It’s an annoyance that can be fixed for the most part. As is the resounding theme of this blog, a bit of pre-gig maintenance can solve a whole lot of worries later. For a full check, take your snares completely off your resonant head. Lay them on a flat surface such as your batter side floor drum head. If all the wires are evenly spaced with no slight bends, they are OK. If some (or even one) is slightly bent, they need replacing.
Another tuning method to consider for reduced buzz that I spoke about in a video blog last year involves how the wires interact with the head. I usually tune the lugs closest to the wires either looser for thicker tone or tighter for more sensitivity.
We sell 11 different snare wire products that are among the best on the market designed in standard, extra length and smaller varieties from 14-inch, 20 and 42-strand models to 12 and 13-inch 16 and 20-strand ones.
Those are the easy fixes for snare related issues. But what happens when you have tightened your snare-tensioning knob beyond what is reasonable and still lack a proper buzz? I always bring a back-up snare drum to gigs, but not everyone owns one. In most cases, your strainer’s tape or string that attaches to the wires’ butt plate has issues. If you forgot to bring Gibraltar spares, I have cut a makeshift strap from a drum head in the past. Another option is to buy a few extra nylon strips from us. And if all else fails, use shoelaces or old guitar strings for strainer cords that break.
If the wires or strainer connections are not the issue, then there is a problem with your tension knob control itself. On the fly, apply a drumstick between the bottom of the snare throw off and your hoop to tighten things down. If all else fails, duct tape your snares to the bottom head. After the gig, you should assess the working value of your strainer system, which we carry plenty of models on, and see if your shell bearing edges are worn.
5 – RACKING IT UP
For drum kit rack system owners, we could write an entire blog on how to resolve challenges. In our minds, the worst possible thing that can happen to a heavily used rack system – beyond the components mentioned elsewhere here – is your bar connection points failing. I watched our own recent rack makeover video with Gibraltar-endorsed artist Jagger Gonzales of Opus Dai. He was literally holding his old rack together with duct tape and butter knives. Those patch-it methods won’t last long and luckily we offer a vast array of replacement rack parts and conversion kits for those using other manufacturer’s products. Owning a few extras or reinvesting in our chrome or road series rack clamps will resolve many of your challenges as will our hinged memory locks.
Like anything, drum hardware does vibrate and excessive noise does not bode well for miced musicians. I have heard of drummers with rack systems actually stuffing their tubes with packing popcorn, insulation or foam to dampen them and hopefully reduce crosstalk issues. The reality is that is not normally needed. One simpler method to try is to replace your bars’ stock plastic end-caps with rubber stoppers as a dampening method.
The strength, stealth and sturdiness of our modular and power rack systems, or unique hybrid mounting bar, are products you really should consider in the event of rack system failure. They have all withstood the tests of time, road worthiness, and extreme uses by our own in-house experts, and those results have proven true out in the field.
COMING NEXT IN THIS TWO-PART SERIES: How to prevent and repair lugs, tension rods, hi-hats, tom holders and hardware-related shell tears and indentations around the drum kit.
- Tim Kane is an independent drummer, instructor and writer living in Massachusetts. He writes a weekly blog for Gibraltar Hardware.
By Tim Kane
Drum set, percussion and amplifier microphone mounts run the gamut today from simple clip-ons to more heavy-duty claws and just plain old-fashioned vocal stands. The design team here at Gibraltar Hardware has a few interesting varieties of our own specially geared to the demanding musician who does not have time for cluttered hassles and needs longevity from their equipment investments.
What’s ultimately important for musicians that regularly use microphones live and in studio are they’re placement possibilities. We understand that you need to easily maneuver mics to the sweet part of your snare, conga or amp’s sonic atmosphere, and position them in a way where they won’t be hit by an errant stick, overzealous hand, or guitarist’s stomping leg. Then there are the valid concerns we’ve read online about excessive vibrations channeled through some clip-on mic mounts that adversely impact sound quality. That’s one reason why most of our mic holder models have SC-GSM shock mounts installed on their ends. Likewise, the ability to isolate mics enough to separate certain percussive elements in a mix is crucial. To meet those demands, drummers require versatility in product line and we deliver on those expectations.
We’ve chosen eight Gibraltar Hardware microphone clamps and mounts to showcase this week as examples of the innovations we continue to achieve.
For our beloved Gibraltar drum rack owners, the SC-GRMM GIB RACK SHOCK MNT is the perfect assembly with dimensions fitting the same set-up efficiency and agility reasons. The GIB Rack Shock Mount is 16.5 x 16.5 x 1.5 inches and only weighs 1.2 pounds. It slides easily before locking and can be left in tact on your rack for breakdown when your playing time ends. Enough said.
The SC-GMBA GIB BOOM ARM W/SHOCK MNT comes in a cool black finish that attaches to virtually any cymbal stand or small accessory clamp. How many times have the legs of your traditional mic stand tipped over or posed a problem in getting the mic where you need it to be? This product is absolutely perfect for that outstretched ambient cymbal mic and exacting amplifier speaker placement. It also makes for a great replacement when the top portion of your vocal mic stand breaks.
What we love about the SC-GMQC GIB MIC QUICK SET CLAMP is its ability to attach to tubes 1.5-inches in diameter. With tube clamping, musicians can place this baby almost anywhere on a drum kit or percussion arrangement, or even hang it out in the audience off of a rafter or skinny support beam if you want to record a live crowd mix. The best part of SC-GMQC is its two different ratchet adjustments, greatly enhancing horizontal and vertical positioning options. The curved rubber bushing on the clamp itself also makes mounting a breeze and rock solid tight.
For drummers and percussionists who tend to hit their microphones by accident, the SC-JDRMM GIB JAW DBL RATCHET MIC MOUNT lessens that risk big time. Besides its seven inches vertical adjustment of the rod, it also tilts side-to side and backwards. That backward adjustment is an especially nice feature to accommodate different microphone sizes and placement. The rubbery coating on the claw and rubber fitting where the mic attaches eliminates unnecessary vibrations. And we’re proud to say that there are six other varieties in the Gibraltar jaw mount family to secure mics via drum hoops and percussion tension rods.
If height and maximum reach is what you need for mic placement, you should also definitely check out our SC-GMCMA SHOCK MOUNT CYMBAL ADAPTOR. This small but adaptive piece treads on to any standard 8mm cymbal tilter, essentially turning it into a microphone arm.
Same applies with our SC-MMMC MULTI MOUNT MICROPHONE CLAMP. The SC-MMMC is a quick on and off variable size clamp with a gooseneck mount and single wing nut that fits square or round 1.5-inch rack tubes, cymbal stands, marimba frames, any tube or metal piece down to 5/8-inches.
If you require something a bit more permanent in a particular set-up, you may want to try-out our SC-DMM NYLON CLAMP W/GOOSENECK MOUNT. All this nylon clamp needs is a gooseneck and you’re on to tightening the dual clamp wing nut and hex nut down on virtually any piece of hardware.
We’re really excited about this model, too. The SC-GBDIMM BASS DRUM MICROPHONE MOUNT attaches directly to the lug screws inside your bass drum shell to get perfect internal microphone placement – not to mention more pure sound recording and mix production. No more worries about external kick drum boom stands denting your resonate side drum head, or being shifted around during a gig by uncontrollable forces.
When micing a drum kit, percussion set-up, or amplifier, selecting the right mount or clamp can be the difference maker between a great recording and live mix or muddied mediocrity. We would like to think our options are made with high quality sound spirit meets efficient positioning in mind.
- Tim Kane is an independent drummer, instructor and writer living in Massachusetts. He writes a weekly blog for Gibraltar Hardware.
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