Decent Hardware Pack?

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Sully151

Member
I am building up a new kit from scratch. The set will live 90% of it's life in my den, so it won't be moved a lot. I started my hunt looking at Ludwig Classic Flat Based hardware. Sweetwater suggested DW 5000. I kind of feel like the 5000 series my be too heavy weight for what I am going to use it for. I play mostly Indie/Alternative rock, but am not a crazy basher with a heavy hand.

Do you all have a better suggestion?

Also, a good throne...
 
Yamaha hardware is excellent, especially the 700 Series stuff. Well worth a look.

I have a bunch of the 600 Series stands and no problems there, either. I gig with them often. It is worth buying a heavier duty Hi-Hat stand, however.

Gibraltar and Tama (First Chair) make great thrones. Buy the best you can afford, for sure.
 
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I tried the Ludwig Classic flat based stuff a while ago. One thing I didn’t like was the cymbal tilter - it’s one of those, once you loosen it, it’s like a ball joint so the filters can tilt in any direction if I wasn’t holding on to the tilter - I must’ve smashed my thumb a few times when forgetting that fact. But it’s good solid stuff.
 
I had a full set of the Ludwig Atlas Classic and they all failed me at some point. If I was starting over and buying a full matching set, it would be Yamaha, no question. Probably 700s, maybe 600s or Crosstowns.
 
I can't recommend Yamaha hardware enough. I have a mix of 600, 700, and 900 stands, and some of it is almost 30 years old and still looks and functions like new. I think the 700 series is the perfect balance between heavy and light for probably 99% of possible uses.

I have more limited experience with the Tama Stagemaster hardware, but everything I've seen looks great and feels solid.

My hi hat and bass pedal is Pearl, which I like an awful lot, but I wish Pearl's current wing nuts were comfortable or ergonomic.
 
Sully151 said:
Wow! I am surprised so many people recommend the Yamaha Hardware. I guess I need to look into it.
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I think there are two kinds of drummers; those that LOVE Yamaha hardware, and those that haven't used Yamaha hardware. Unless you really have to be match-y-match-y with your hardware I really can't think of a compelling reason to NOT use Yamaha stands. They're not the cheapest out there, but they're pretty close to the comparable stands from other brands, and I've literally had ZERO issues with any of my Yamaha stuff. It's solid, lasts forever, and has a proven track record.
 
Winston_Wolf said:
I can't recommend Yamaha hardware enough. I have a mix of 600, 700, and 900 stands, and some of it is almost 30 years old and still looks and functions like new. I think the 700 series is the perfect balance between heavy and light for probably 99% of possible uses.
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Spot on. I have used nothing but Yamaha 700 hardware (cymbal, snare, and hi hat stands) for the last 15 years. My hardware has been gigged extensively; have not had one issue. Ever. Extremely well made, thoughtfully designed, and bulletproof reliability. Reasonably priced as well. IMO you cannot go wrong with the 700 series.
 
I've been very pleased with my DW 3000 hardware pack I bought a year or so ago. I've got maybe 30-40 gigs with them, and they are fantastic. I have a set of DW 9000 stands, and they stay at home because of their weight.
 
Winston_Wolf said:
I think there are two kinds of drummers; those that LOVE Yamaha hardware, and those that haven't used Yamaha hardware. Unless you really have to be match-y-match-y with your hardware I really can't think of a compelling reason to NOT use Yamaha stands. They're not the cheapest out there, but they're pretty close to the comparable stands from other brands, and I've literally had ZERO issues with any of my Yamaha stuff. It's solid, lasts forever, and has a proven track record.
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I agree with this 100%. You can say the same for Tama. However, I do take two issues with Yamaha hardware, one of which they have since fixed. From around the mid-90's to the mid-2000's or so (not exactly sure of the production run), Yamaha, on at least one series of their boom cymbal stands (maybe 700, possibly a few others) had the boom arm only held in place by a t-screw. It came with a memory lock, but they were notorius for coming loose, even when memory locked. They also scratched up the boom arm pretty badly. I'm not sure whomever thought that was a good idea. I remember seeing Aaron Comess with the Spin Doctors in about 1996 (who was a Yamaha endorser and might still be?) and one of his crash cymbals was mounted on one of the aforementioned booms and was constantly slipping, literally at least once a song. The tech would go and tighten it up mid song, only to have it slip again. I remember thinking, even back then, that was not a good design for that stand. Fortunately Yamaha corrected this a number of years ago by going to a clamp style holder for the boom arm, and now it works perfectly. Yes, Yamaha hardware is great, but I can't help but think why in the world they even tried that design, and then stuck with it for so long!

My second issue with Yamaha hardware (cymbal stands in particular) is that the cymbal tilters do not fold flush against the stand/boom arm. I haven't purchased any Yamaha cymbal stands recently, so maybe they have since changed this, but it always bothered me that the tilters never folded up flat.

Having said all that, Yamaha hardware is great......................now back to your regularly scheduled Yamaha Hardware Admiration Society Meeting.....................
 
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I prefer the DW 6000 (non ultralight) series over the Yamaha pack (that I used for some years with much pleasure).

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They can be more expensive, but that comes with the features (and of course the name too).

When bought used, like I did, you can get them for around the same ball park as a new CT set if you are patient.

As mentioned they have more features, and are just as sturdy.

I used the 700 series for years before the Crosstown and 6000 series, and those are concidersbly heavy.

As the throne is even more inportant (at least to me it is) spend as much as you need.

I use a roc n soc nitro extended, and a porter and davies with regular roc n soc nitro base.

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Heavy? Maybe, but its the first thing I take along regardless the gig.
 
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Sully151 said:
Wow! I am surprised so many people recommend the Yamaha Hardware. I guess I need to look into it.
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Another Yamaha hardware fanboy here. Virtually all my stands are either Yamaha 600 or 700 single braced stands. Hats, snare, & cymbals. And hex rack for when I use a rack. The exception being a DW 9550 Universal Remote hi-hat (for when I need a center hat).
 
Sully151 said:
Also, a good throne...
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I used a Gibraltar wide-butt model with a screw post for a decade. The lock not busted three (?) times and Gibraltar stood behind their lifetime warranty every time.

I eventually fell to the sirens' call of a floating seat and bought a Tama with backstop It's going on 20 years old and still holds its position. The float is nice! There's other brands of pneumatic thrones (the main spindle isn't threaded, it's a piston) and if you get the right one, it'll spoil you.

www.tama.com

1st Chair Ergo-Rider HYDRAULIX "Cloth Top" | Drum Thrones | HARDWARE | PRODUCTS | TAMA Drums

Find a great collection of 「1st Chair Ergo-Rider HYDRAULIX "Cloth Top"」 at TAMA Drums. The Ergo-Rider provides absolute ergonomic comfort and support. The hybrid of a round seat and a saddle style seat, it offers the maneuverability of the former, and the playing support of the latter. The front...
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bigbangdist.com

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The most comfortable and supportive drum throne that you'll ever own. The Ergokinectic™ technology eliminates tail-bone compression and supports the wa ...
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As for hardware, I'm a Tama fan, but I've never used their flat base "jazz" hardware. My first kit had two flat cymbal stands and they never felt stable on an uneven surface.

www.tama.com

The Classic Stand Hardware Kit HC4FB | Hardware Kits | HARDWARE | PRODUCTS | TAMA Drums

Find a great collection of 「The Classic Stand Hardware Kit HC4FB」 at TAMA Drums.
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And Tama's "matching" bass drum pedal. A few users on this forum gave it 👍

www.tama.com

The Classic Pedal HP50 | Drum Pedals | HARDWARE | PRODUCTS | TAMA Drums

Find a great collection of 「The Classic Pedal HP50」 at TAMA Drums. While super complex and technical playing can wow audiences, sometimes a simpler and stripped down approach is even more moving. Sometimes, eliminating everything but the most essential can produce greater creativity and boosts...
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Sully151 said:
I am building up a new kit from scratch. The set will live 90% of it's life in my den, so it won't be moved a lot. I started my hunt looking at Ludwig Classic Flat Based hardware. Sweetwater suggested DW 5000. I kind of feel like the 5000 series my be too heavy weight for what I am going to use it for. I play mostly Indie/Alternative rock, but am not a crazy basher with a heavy hand.

Do you all have a better suggestion?

Also, a good throne...
Click to expand...
Yamaha single braced hardware is functional, fairly light weight and bullet proof.
 
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