The remote speedy hat

Terry Branam

Official DW Chief Transcriber
Hey everybody,

I was at PASIC this year and ran into my friend Bill Bachman. He showed me this new hi hat stand design that he came up with, and I was pretty blown away by it! I've never played a hi hat stand that felt so smooth, and the cool thing is, you can place it anywhere you want to. It pretty much owns all of the remote hi hat stands that I've ever tried. Absolutely no lag.

Here's a link to see it:

www.remotespeedyhat.com

I've been really pondering my setup ever since trying this thing. Check it out!

Terry
 
Thats awesome! First remote hat i've ever seen that looks like it makes sense and feels good. Is he selling them yet?
 
Hey bamdrummer,

Yeah, they're on the market now. Looks like Bill's got an online ordering thing on the website.

I'm telling ya, that thing is even faster than a regular hi hat stand!

Good stuff.

Terry
 
PLUG!!! ahah jks, ya that looks pretty smooth, any idea on the price?
 
I have a DW 9550 Remote Universal Hi Hat, which is similar in that it's a remote hi-hat stand without a cable.

It uses the same kind of linkage that you find on a double bass drum pedal. It's great except for the fact that DW decided to have the connection between the actual pedal and the remote linkage (i've circled it on the attached image) completely round and smooth. It is held in place by two screws that can be tightened or loosened with a drum key.

Unfortunately, even with two screws it frequently slips. It gives you the ability to set the height of the pedal and all of that precisely, but it's not worth it when it doesn't stay in place. It is definitely more responsive than a cable hat (which I used for a while before picking this one up but finally ditched it because the cables kept breaking on me), but I wonder if this Remote Speedy Hat is any better in that department. At least it seems that it does not have this fatal slippage flaw that the DW has.

I'd love to try this thing out to see how it compares.
 

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PLUG!!! ahah jks, ya that looks pretty smooth, any idea on the price?

Hi bradmapex,

Ha, yeah I know...well, I wouldn't mention it if it weren't cool! Bill's a good buddy and I'm proud to see what he's doing.

I think it is about $300.

ahector,

After playing on it and looking at it up close, I think it;s safe to say that you won't have that issue. That's strange that the linkage is round...I would think that even having a flat part on the top would stay in place even if the screws loosened.

Bill mentions the cable breakage thing in that video on the website. I've had that happen as well. It's a bummer!

Terry
 
Just watched the video - very, very cool. $300 is a bit high for a hi-hat stand...but with increased production will come lower prices.

The hi-hat crossover thing is the only real point of tension for me anymore. I'm always sitting there thinking, "Man, if only this sucker was exactly where I wanted it...".
 
I agree, the price is a bit steep, but it is in line with what other companies charge for remote hats. My DW remote hat contraption cost me more, actually. :(

If the remote speedy hat was on the market at the time, I likely would have bought it instead.

I really wish these things were maybe $100 cheaper or so. It does seem excessive. Unfortunately for me, now that I've stopped playing with a straight hat (it's been several years now), I can't imagine ever going back unless I become really comfortable playing open handed (and that isn't happening any time soon).
 
Unfortunately for me, now that I've stopped playing with a straight hat (it's been several years now), I can't imagine ever going back unless I become really comfortable playing open handed (and that isn't happening any time soon).

See, there's my dilemma and what holds me back from trying a remote hat or some other contraption. On one hand, it seems silly to resist innovation and progress on the old trap set concept. OTOH - the stubborn traditionalist in me keeps me from doing anything "exotic" with my setup that would prevent me from playing on a "normal" kit.

Then again...it's not often I play someone else's drums. Man...I'm torn!
 
the stubborn traditionalist in me keeps me from doing anything "exotic" with my setup that would prevent me from playing on a "normal" kit.

Actually, when I was checking it out, it was in a "quasi-traditional" position. It was moved over a tad to help with the hand position. maybe around 10:00-ish. It could be placed in the traditional 9:00. position as well.

I tend to play near the front area of my hats to open the path for my left hand to raise up for accents. The problem is, I either smash my right thumb with my left stick, or I end up gripping the right stick near the butt to keep my thumb out of the way. Not great for control!

I'm thinking that my problem would be solved with this stand. Heck, even if it was used as a "conventional" stand, It would still feel better than anything I've ever played on.

Terry
 
Hey everybody,

I was at PASIC this year and ran into my friend Bill Bachman. He showed me this new hi hat stand design that he came up with, and I was pretty blown away by it! I've never played a hi hat stand that felt so smooth, and the cool thing is, you can place it anywhere you want to. It pretty much owns all of the remote hi hat stands that I've ever tried. Absolutely no lag.

Here's a link to see it:

www.remotespeedyhat.com

I've been really pondering my setup ever since trying this thing. Check it out!

Terry
That's not really original, as Gibraltar and DW have done it before. A remote hi hat is a lot easier to position and isn't that much worse than a normal hi hat. I use a DW 9000 remote hat as my main hi hat and it feels just like a normal hi hat stand.
 
Hey guys Bill Bachman here. Thanks for the kind words Terry!

If you read the reviews on the remotespeedyhat.com site you'll hear from many who tried it at PASIC and confirmed that it far surpasses all of the other hi hat options mentioned. Anything with a cable in a cable housing is much slower and less responsive having mush and drag. When I first played my prototype over a year ago I was jumping up and down happy because finally I had a remote hi hat that really works (& I'd tried all of the other options). Many at PASIC said it's faster than a straight stand and I agree.

Oh, and it's $249, not $300. If you get it and don't love it you can return it, no problem.

thanks!
 
Hey Bill, first of all, that's a great product you got there! Price is a bit high but I guess for a decent reason.

I was wondering, since you are already here, can you tell me if you can ship to Israel? Will it increase the total cost?
 
I agree.




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Yeah, a properly made remote hi hat works very well. This speedy hat thing without friction and resistance is pointless. I don't feel any friction, resistance, sloppiness, or anything unlike a standard hi hat stand. The DW remote stand featured at the top of the thread and the snake-oil ripoff being promoted offer the same features, but limited positioning. My remote hats are mounted in between my rack toms. There's no way one of these things could achieve that.

I've owned 4 hi hat stands: a BOA, an Eliminator remote, a Yamaha super heavy duty, and a 9000 remote. The best feeling one was definitely the BOA, with the 9000 in second, Eliminator in third, and the Yamaha in fourth. The BOA is only better because it's literally the smoothest hi hat stand in history. It's literally a footboard attached to a rod. There isn't a single moving part, praise Gatzen. As for the Eliminator, it felt like a stereotypical remote hi hat stand. It wasn't smooth at all, had friction, and felt "heavy," but it had absolutely no effect on my playing. I can play just as well with it as any other hi hat stand. As a matter of fact, I plan on getting some mini hats and using the Eliminator stand next to my right kick.
 
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