Drummers who don't use cymbal stoppers

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petey

Member
...on top of your cymbals to keep them on the stand, ya know what I mean?

How do the cymbals stay on? In a big rock show, I tried that once and both my 16" crashes
flew off the stands.
 
To each their own. You need them. Others don't. Yay diversity.
 
petey said:
...on top of your cymbals to keep them on the stand, ya know what I mean?

How do the cymbals stay on? In a big rock show, I tried that once and both my 16" crashes
flew off the stands.
Click to expand...

With proper setup and technique it's possible to not hit the cymbal off the stand but still get all the sound you want.

I personally stick to the Pearl wing locks since I want to control the cymbal movement and how it responds to my stick.
 
Some drummers think they get a better sound by not having felts atop the cymbal. I myself cannot hear the fine difference, but horses for courses, as we say around here.

If you want the benefits of no top felt but you don't want your cymbals to take a ride, get some of the Tama-style sleeve and nut combos, leave off the top felt and screw these in. The flanges on top will keep your pies in place.

shopping
 
I guess it depends on how much post you have above the felt, but all my cymbal wing nuts are laying on the floor and I haven't had a cymbal leave the stand yet. I often smack my cymbals pretty hard - occasionally cracking them - but they're larger size (nothing smaller than an 18") so they don't swing as much as a 16".

The only reason I don't use them much is because I have a small collection of cymbals that I like to swap out from time to time at practice, so futzing around with the wingnuts gets tiresome.

I do always use them at gigs though, but that's because I don't want them falling off while moving on and off stage, and it keeps felts/washers from getting lost during transit. Also, I never swap cymbals at a gig.
 
I use wingnuts but no top felts.

Honestly, I can't hear that much of a difference with or without. Maybe if I'm right on it I can hear a bit more sustain without the felt, but it doesn't matter 20 feet away and in a band context. However, I still don't use them.
 
disclaimer : the following is an opinion

top felts and wing nuts are absolutely pointless and as useless as tits on a bull

not only that but anyone who enjoys unscrewing a wing nut every time you put on or take off a cymbal has a few screws loose themselves ... the time and bother it saves not having them is worth its weight in gold to me

never use them and never will ... but I do use these ... not in fear of the cymbal flying off but simply because I prefer the look to the raw threads showing

2mcybyw.jpg
 
Small cymbals fly all around for me too, but never off the stand! I don't use wingnuts or felt on my ride anymore, tho. It's easier to hit the bell. Everything else is lightly tightened down, so I have more control over where my cymbals go without fearing they'll end up looking like donuts. To each their own, but I don't see the point in taking the stuff off in most cases.
 
I circle/heart/slash wingnuts too. Only if I have to on a windy day. I don't want anything taking up any real estate up there, because I'll hit it. I use cymbal crowns that offer a little fall protection but not much. I keep my crashes flat with a lot of post showing, and I don't smash my cymbals full force. Never had a runner except my little splash cymbal that I literally abuse and do smash to crap. A little theater never hurt anyone.
 
I don't use the top felt. I'm not a heavy hitter and my cymbals are big enough to stay in place. However, I use the wing nut to keep track of the lower felt when I'm packing/unpacking. Sometimes the wing nut goes back on the stand sometimes it goes in my pocket til I pack up again.
 
I use hi hat felts on my cymbal crowns for underneath the cymbal only. They hug it real tight and don't come off unless you take them off. I don't like searching for felts in the bottom of my hardware bag either. And the minutia keeps on coming lol.
 
WhoIsTony? said:
disclaimer : the following is an opinion

top felts and wing nuts are absolutely pointless and as useless as tits on a bull

not only that but anyone who enjoys unscrewing a wing nut every time you put on or take off a cymbal has a few screws loose themselves ... the time and bother it saves not having them is worth its weight in gold to me

never use them and never will ... but I do use these ... not in fear of the cymbal flying off but simply because I prefer the look to the raw threads showing

2mcybyw.jpg
Click to expand...

Who makes those, and what are they called? I take it there is no direct contact with the cymbal?
 
TheDrumster said:
Who makes those, and what are they called? I take it there is no direct contact with the cymbal?
Click to expand...

no contact with the cymbal

my sleeves meet right up with the T top.... and when they don't I just cut a small piece off another sleeve..... just enough to cover the thread up to the T top

you can get them right here

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Camber-T-TOP-Two-Piece-8mm-Cymbal-Wing-Nut-Replacement-Percussion-Hardware-/200941928414?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ec9127fde

you can sort of see mine here... I'll take a better pic later when I get home if you are interested to see it closer

2dvtv5y.jpg
 
Winegums said:
With proper setup and technique it's possible to not hit the cymbal off the stand but still get all the sound you want.

I personally stick to the Pearl wing locks since I want to control the cymbal movement and how it responds to my stick.
Click to expand...

I try to use as little on the top as possible, not for sound reasons (that's more affected by the tightness of the felt than its presence) but just for simplicity. I hit hard a lot of the time so I usually use just a plastic topper on cymbals 17" or smaller. I need a top & felt for my chinas, though, or they'll flop all over the place. Splashes will come off easy for me as well if I don't put something on there. TBH it's quite easy to control crashes on the stand if they're relatively flat already by hitting with good technique (off to the side, glancing blow, etc.)- hitting straight-on makes them jump more in my experience. I do need to replenish my stock of Tama quick-set tops as they're super easy to use and my cymbal sleeves tend to fall off during transport...
 
Anthony... I spy a new kit!

Edit: Just found your thread on it. I'm not on here often enough 8)

By the way... I don't use top felts/wing nuts. The only cymbal I've ever had fly off a stand was a splash, because it was upside down on the bell of another cymbal (again, with no wing nut).
 
WhoIsTony? said:
no contact with the cymbal

my sleeves meet right up with the T top.... and when they don't I just cut a small piece off another sleeve..... just enough to cover the thread up to the T top

you can get them right here

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Camber-T-TOP-Two-Piece-8mm-Cymbal-Wing-Nut-Replacement-Percussion-Hardware-/200941928414?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ec9127fde

you can sort of see mine here... I'll take a better pic later when I get home if you are interested to see it closer

2dvtv5y.jpg
Click to expand...

Yeah, a closer shot would be great. BTW, I love how tight you've got your kit set up. Everything is close and easily reached. What size bass is that?
 
TheDrumster said:
Yeah, a closer shot would be great. BTW, I love how tight you've got your kit set up. Everything is close and easily reached. What size bass is that?
Click to expand...

it's a 14x18 bass drum

here is a close up shot... you can see where the sleeve wasn't long enough so I just cut a piece of another one to make it more streamline

cymbal.jpg
 
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