hi hat dis-assembly

opentune

Platinum Member
Am curious, do most gigging drummers here dis-assemble (unscrew) the upper pull rod, from the high hat stand for transport and re-assemble, or simply carry hi hat all as one long piece?
 
Never. In fact I've always bought traps cases long enough to fit the hat stand as is. I even cut the top off a new rod once because it was about half an inch too long for the case I was using at the time.
 
In order to fit a hardware bag across the back of my hatchback I had to get a short one. Which forces me to break down stands in the middle. I've done the cut off the pull rod to fit in a case thing before and it surely makes set up and tear down faster. (caveat, raise up the top tube so that it's near the end of the pull rod and the rod won't get bent)
When I always used a full size van I had one of those rolling golf bag things. I just folded up the legs and left everything sticking every which way out the top. It was great, set up in a flash. But a full size van eats half the gig money in gas so I only use it if I have to bring a lot of PA or other stuff.
 
I used to when I carried all the hardware in one case. Now the hi-hat stand just goes in the car in one piece.

Either way, you have to take some precaution not to bend the pull rod. I used to carry a piece of 12.7mm tubing around and store the pull rod in that. Back when I could carry hundreds of pounds of weight up three flights of stairs without a thought...
 
I have an iron cobra. I take the top tube off, unscrew the rod, and put the rod in the bottom tube and put the top one back on. It only takes a few seconds. It makes the stand shorter for transport and protects the rod.
 
I have an iron cobra. I take the top tube off, unscrew the rod, and put the rod in the bottom tube and put the top one back on. It only takes a few seconds. It makes the stand shorter for transport and protects the rod.

Ditto for me. I unscrew the rod off, drop in in the bottom half of the hi hat, and position the top tube up so it encloses the rod to protect it from getting bent.

The real question is....where do you keep your hi hat clutch? Mine goes in my Zildjain cymbal carying case.
 
The real question is....where do you keep your hi hat clutch? Mine goes in my Zildjain cymbal carying case.

Same, in the outside pocket of my cymbal case, along with a drum key for the locking nut on the bottom retainer. The key then goes in a holder on the hi-hat stand until it's time to pack.
 
My clutch stays attached to upper rod as I don't break down my hihat. I also cut down upper rod to an inch or so above the clutch so no bending.
I always think to break down the hihat to 2 pieces, but cut corners for that 2nd step.
Thats a good idea how to protect the rod.
 
I just throw it in the truck as is after taking the cymbals off it.
 
I tie mine to the back of the van and drag it home, cymbals and all.

:p

What do you do when it rains? Oh that's right, it never rains in Southern California, I forgot.
 
i do a full breakdown. I now attach the cymbal-less clutch to the rod. i used to leave the clutch attached to the top cymbal and not the rod, in a very padded case, until one day when the cymbal became inverted.
 
I tie mine to the back of the van and drag it home, cymbals and all.

:p

What do you do when it rains? Oh that's right, it never rains in Southern California, I forgot.

I live in mid-california. You're maybe thinking of Bo. And actually, rain has been an issue in the past. We usually borrow something with a closed back instead of using the mainstay truck. One time we used a bunch of cars instead of one truck. Loading in/out is still a mess in the rain though, hate it. Good thing we don't get much.
 
I use a DW Remote Hat as my main hat...so its is very compact. no need to remove the HH Rod for space concerns in transport.
 
I disassemble it because I've been using a gym bag with wheels for my hardware. Everything fits but the hi-hat is of course too long so I don't have a choice. No big deal.

Back in my "band in a van" days I had a case long enough but now I transport my stuff in my car and a case like that would be way too big.
 
Ditto for me. I unscrew the rod off, drop in in the bottom half of the hi hat, and position the top tube up so it encloses the rod to protect it from getting bent.

The real question is....where do you keep your hi hat clutch? Mine goes in my Zildjain cymbal carying case.

Mine goes in my hardware bag along with a spare.
 
^ This.

Even for the cymbal stands, I take off the boom arm and fold up the tripod, and stick them in the case at their full height.

Ah yes, the cymbal stands. Definitely a man after my own heart, Ian. I also just pull the top section out, fold the legs up and leave all the heights 'as is'. I told you our tale of the tape was similar.........I'm starting to wonder if we may have been separated at birth. Bone idle, the both of us!!
 
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