Cymbals tilting, worn felts? (Update in OP)

bud7h4

Silver Member
A common occurrence I'm sure, but even though my crashes are level, the felts lose their shape and the cymbal(s) start leaning in the direction of the wedged felt. Are there felts made of better material that won't do this? Or at least last longer? I've read about Cympads and the concensus is that they don't hold their shape either.

Update: The tilt wasn't caused by the felts at all.
I have two Roland cymbal booms left over from my old VDrum kit and the tilters don't allow a plastic sleeve to seat properly. Sometimes it happens to sit flat, then it will eventually tilt. I've been using these two booms while I decide what brand I want to replace all my booms with. Anyway, problem solved.
 
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Felts get worn out; I just replace them when they get too out of shape.

Alternatively, Mapex offers (or at least used to offer) rubber "felts" on a lot of their cymbal stands. These will probably be a lot more durable, and are probably sold separately.

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A common occurrence I'm sure, but even though my crashes are level, the felts lose their shape and the cymbal(s) start leaning in the direction of the wedged felt. Are there felts made of better material that won't do this? Or at least last longer? I've read about Cympads and the concensus is that they don't hold their shape either.

I’m wondering how heavy your cymbals are? And how long does it usually take to reach the point of failure?

Pete
 
A long time ago I was having this problem with a ride that was at an angle. The felts kept deforming and tearing under the weight of the cymbal. I took an old skateboard wheel, removed the bearings, put a washer where the bearings go, and dropped it on the stand. Problem solved.

It has to be a thin, small diameter wheel. Trick wheels fit under the bell better than speed wheels.
 
Thanks for those suggestions. These look interesting too. Sonall Percussion "Cush Pads".
"Since the material is solid and does not have any air pockets in it, the pad will NOT collapse on you or take shape. Your cymbals will NOT start tilting. Your Hi-Hats will stay exactly how you set them."

For now I think I'll just try harder/denser felts.
I’m wondering how heavy your cymbals are? And how long does it usually take to reach the point of failure?

Pete

Thin crashes, 16 to 18", and a 20" ride. But the felts are indeed about 5 months old.
 
Google "Cympad" and check them out. They are foam. Not cheap, but I'm guessing hold their shape. Or try a swimminmg pool noodle. One dollar at the Dollar Store. Cut slices with a bread knife and never run out.

My felts are over 7 years old and are just fine.
 
Google "Cympad" and check them out. They are foam. Not cheap, but I'm guessing hold their shape. Or try a swimminmg pool noodle. One dollar at the Dollar Store. Cut slices with a bread knife and never run out.

My felts are over 7 years old and are just fine.

Great idea thxs a lot.
 
Cympads deform faster than felts. Unless your cymbals are perfectly level (which they probably aren't if your felts deform too) Cympads make keeping your cymbals from tilting maddeningly difficult.

Not all cymbal felts are created equally either. Denser felt (like what Yamaha uses) retains its shape much better than most.
 
I'm sold on CymbalChiefs and Grombals on all my cymbals and cymbal stands. Quite simply they not only work, they work very well.


I've also been using Sonall Percussion Products Cush Pads for half a year now, but only on my hi-hats. So far I'm really impressed. They open up the sound and clarity of the hats a bit which benefits recording, and depending on which combination you use they can tailor the feel/response of your hats. Owner Marco Llanos is great to work with. Karl Crafton uses Cush Pads on his cymbals and high hats and perhaps he will chime in here with his perspective. Karl did an extensive A/B comparison of all the combinations and understands all their nuances of how they perform together.

 
Google "Cympad" and check them out. They are foam. Not cheap, but I'm guessing hold their shape.

Guess again. ;) I tried those out and they compressed at the angle of the cymbal after a few months. Lost more than half of their original thickness. My drums are set up 24/7 so they might last longer if the cymbals are off the stands. The good news is they didn't cost that much. The bad is it was a total waste of money.
 
they compressed at the angle of the cymbal after a few months... My drums are set up 24/7 so they might last longer if the cymbals are off the stands.
There it is. My felts on my gig kit (stays packed in the cases between gigs) last forever. The ones on my rehearsal kit (stays set up all the time) get flattened out. I try to remember to turn them 180 degrees after rehearsal. It happens rarely. :D
 
cheaper felts do this quick, more expensive ones last longer, the ones that come on the higher end stands from the big companies last longer. ive got some cympads on my stands at the moment and theyre holding up fair well, even with my cymbals tilted towards me (18" medium crash and 19" thin ride as a crash).
 
Yikes. I have been playing for 48 years, and I have no idea what you are all talking about. :)
 
A common occurrence I'm sure, but even though my crashes are level, the felts lose their shape and the cymbal(s) start leaning in the direction of the wedged felt. Are there felts made of better material that won't do this? Or at least last longer? I've read about Cympads and the concensus is that they don't hold their shape either.

I've had cympads on my cymbals for like 1.5 years - under my 21" and 23" rides (and my 18"efx stack, but that's not super heavy) and they have't deformed at all.

Plus I swear there's a slight sonic difference - you should be able to buy they basically last forever (or at least a couple years per my experience!).

There's also different styles and sizes (thickness and diameters) to accomplish different sonic tasks. There's also cool colors if that's your thing - (which isn't mine haha - but I can see the appeal).

Really great little upgrade.
 
I've had cympads on my cymbals for like 1.5 years - under my 21" and 23" rides (and my 18"efx stack, but that's not super heavy) and they haven't deformed at all.

Strange that there are such conflicting testimonies with these felts.

cheaper felts do this quick, more expensive ones last longer, the ones that come on the higher end stands from the big companies last longer. ive got some cympads on my stands at the moment and theyre holding up fair well, even with my cymbals tilted towards me (18" medium crash and 19" thin ride as a crash).

I'm using relatively cheap Gibraltar felts. I was looking at the ones sold by Yamaha and they're about $4 a pair. I'll give them a try.

High-end cymbal felts! I can't wait to post in the "What's your latest purchase" thread!
 
I want to find some softer felts, tbh. The felts on my DW stands are so hard that my smaller crashes and splash cymbal can barely move when I hit them.
 
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