Working man's hardware!

Bo Eder

Platinum Member
Last week in another thread I said I was getting some lightweight hardware for my Zep kit. Well I have it all now and wanted to report in about it. I had used Yamaha hardware in the past (the old 7-series from the late 80s) and was impressed with it then. But this time around I got:

(2) SS-740 snare stands
(2) CS-650 straight cymbal stands
The 740 hi hat
The FP9500C bass drum pedal
And Yamaha's lightweight throne I found used for $40. It can be seen here:

http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-DS550U-DS-550U-Adjustable-Cushion/dp/B006G3LKTA

I got the stuff pretty cheap (even for new) so I couldn't resist getting all new stuff to replace my aging Tama stuff. And now that I've been playing it for the last couple of days, here's my thoughts:

Yamaha just seems to engineer stuff right. I hate to say it (risking sounding like a fanboy) but everything Yamaha does is engineered right. I'm not saying it's better than the other big manufacturers, but we've all seen general hardware from third party companies that just isn't up to snuff. You can't say that about this stuff. Every wing nut works, nothing is loose. The attention to detail, even on this low-line stuff is well thought-out. The snare stands are just that. Lightweight and sturdy, nothing is wasted in the design. And they use rubber tips on the basket, so my rack tom rings just fine in it.

The cymbal stands are quite nice. The legs open up pretty wide. Ironically, these actually weigh less than say, Gibraltars' flat-based straight cymbal stands. And they are more stable since they actually have tripod-like legs. I had an issue with flat-based cymbal stands since I needed the stability (not from playing, but from people moving around me and grabbing stuff to help move it) so I can't do flat-based hardware for safety reasons (having my 17" thin crash take a dump was not a fun experience).

The hi-hat stand is smooth and quiet. Yamaha does this thing with the three legs - usually, the legs would form a triangle if you looked at the three points on the floor, but in this case, it's more like a square, with the pedal being one part of the square. I think they did this to accommodate players with double pedals, but the whole stand is incredibly sturdy regardless, so you wouldn't have to worry about that being an issue.

I talked about the 9500C pedal in another thread, and in a word, I think the pedal is awesome. I did note that the Yamaha stock beater is lighter than other offerings out there, so if you like the feel of the pedal, just pick up another Yamaha beater for a spare. As soon as you try another beater, it will throw the action off a bit causing you to have to readjust the whole pedal again. I had gotten used to the DW two-sided beater on my Tama Camco pedal but when I put the same beater in the Yamaha, it was much too heavy.

The most impressive piece though, is that throne! It's cheap, and it's light. But I set it up, put the memory lock where it should be and tightened it up and it works great. When you fold the legs out, there's no wingnut to tighten it at the bottom. So that is free to move a bit. But once it was set, it didn't budge. This thoroughly impressed me. For years I've had that DW9000-series throne base with a Roc-n-Soc top and as much as I loved it, I didn't like hauling it around! The throne itself in my trap case made up about 30-pounds of it. Yes, I agree you need good support. But I think you can achieve it with less weight. And I found out I could.

In fact, all this hardware is so light, it all fits in my ONE trapcase! (I was splitting it between my trap case and a hardware bag). And the one trapcase has to get loaded into a pickup truck when I go out so anywhere I can save my back from the lifting is worth it. And since the hardware is of smaller diameters, it's a match for my vintage Ludwig Zep kit - you don't see the usual "chrome forest" - and I like that.

The stuff works great, and is light. Am I impressed? Heck yeah!
 
Yup. Darn near all my stuff is Yamaha (600 and 700 series, or related family). I've had Tama, Pearl, DW, and a few others .... and my favorite, is Yamaha. Sure, if I need a specific dimension, and I have to go elsewhere, I will. But Yamaha does it right.​
 
Preaching to the choir over here. Infinite adjustability and tighten it up and forget about it. Basically , what some good hardware is supposed to do.

Now , you just need to try the drums as well ;) ;)
 
I've been saying this for years. I'm glad YOU finally see the light! Together, we can spread the word about Yamaha hardware as the well-engineered, compact, sturdy-yet-lightweight hardware it is...
Count me in as a Yamaha hardware fan. Almost all my hardware is Yamaha, & I still have some stuff from eons ago that's done some serious road miles. Never a single issue with reliability - ever! I can't say the same for DW or Pearl.
 
I've been saying this for years. I'm glad YOU finally see the light! Together, we can spread the word about Yamaha hardware as the well-engineered, compact, sturdy-yet-lightweight hardware it is...

I'm surprised to hear you say this Phil, because if I recall correctly, you're famous for not liking Yamaha drum shells. Why is that again? Just curious.
 
I too use all single braced (600 and 700 series) Yamaha cymbal stands, hi-hat stands, and snare stands. Can't beat them. Super lightweight and work perfectly.

Congrats!
 
Couldn't agree more, I am using a 9500 direct drive double, very good pedal. I am actually thinking about getting a hithat stand too.
 
You know one of the reasons Yamaha hardware is so good is that it is made in the Yamaha motorcyle factory. And that's actually one of the things some people complain about ! That Yamaha "make too many things".
I have used Yamaha hardware for 20 years , (about 15 of those years exclusively) and just joining the choir here - it is so well engineered and it just works , week in , week out.

And, like Bo said, my experience with the brand is that everything they do is well engineered, well thought out and is almost always the best 'value' for your money.
In my weekend warrior band, we have have used an 01v96 digital mixer for ten years straight - without a single problem. I can't say that about any other piece of gear I have ever owned.
Show me another mass producing drum company with the same consistency and high build quality. You can't. They are peerless. I'm sure they have built the odd drum that had manufacturing defects...but I actually have never heard any stories, here on DW or elsewhere. After talking with friends who have been to the factory in Japan, I'm not surprised.
 
I'm a fan. I'm still using 800 series stands from 1988. I have 1 single braced stand with a wide stance. I would like to get some more of these and not use the Dbl. brace stands. I'm getting old and weak. My hi-hat is a 2 leg stand. I think it's good stuff.
 
I've helped set-up the Yamaha drums section at NAMM the last 3 years, and I can attest to their hardware being top notch. Though I personally don't own any, I wouldn't hesitate to refer it to those who are looking for good hardware.
 
I'm surprised to hear you say this Phil, because if I recall correctly, you're famous for not liking Yamaha drum shells. Why is that again? Just curious.

What I was saying, Julius, is that the hardware is made well. The 600 series hardware is durable and sturdy, and yet compact and relatively lightweight. I am world-renowned as a Yamaha drum hater, though. Their shells just sound generic and tubby, like Pearl drums. They're good if you want a set of drums to mount some heads on, but if you want character in the sound, Yamahas fall short in that department.
 
What I was saying, Julius, is that the hardware is made well. The 600 series hardware is durable and sturdy, and yet compact and relatively lightweight. I am world-renowned as a Yamaha drum hater, though. Their shells just sound generic and tubby, like Pearl drums. They're good if you want a set of drums to mount some heads on, but if you want character in the sound, Yamahas fall short in that department.

After having played Recording Customs back in the late 80s, I'm sorry to say I sorta' agree with this. I was really jazzed about having a set of "Steve Gadd" drums, but after the honeymoon was over, the sound was pretty generic to me, and actually made me miss my old Slingerland and Ludwigs. I think the inherent flaws I grew up with gave those brands character and I missed it. But hands down, if I needed a generic set of drums that could be tuned however you wanted quickly, with flawless hardware, Yamaha fills that ticket. When I played a bit on the new Club Customs (the Steve Jordan drums), those had this ring that made them feel a bit vintage - so maybe Yamaha is on to something with those. And I did like the Oak Customs, they have this nice "boing" that puts them in the Tama Bubinga range too. But besides from those, Yamaha drums are a bit vanilla for me.
 
I'm also a big fan of Yamaha hardware. I have several 700 series stands and a little 650 (I think) hi-hat. I love 'em. I also have some Gibraltar flat-base stands and they're great for what they are but for stablilty when I need to clamp stuff on like toms I use my Yammies. Extemely well designed stuff that just works.

They also last forever too. I have a friend who has stands from the 80s or early 90s that he still uses quite regularly. Built to last.

They also have a look all their own. You can spot one from a mile away.
 
I'm also a big fan of Yamaha hardware. I have several 700 series stands and a little 650 (I think) hi-hat. I love 'em. I also have some Gibraltar flat-base stands and they're great for what they are but for stablilty when I need to clamp stuff on like toms I use my Yammies. Extemely well designed stuff that just works.

They also last forever too. I have a friend who has stands from the 80s or early 90s that he still uses quite regularly. Built to last.

They also have a look all their own. You can spot one from a mile away.

As a sort of update - this weekend I'm doing my regular gig on a provided drumset. And tonight I brought in my lightweight Yamaha throne and my new 9500C pedal, and both performed flawlessly. I am totally diggin' this pedal - there's a couple of spots where I'm doing straight 8th notes on it at high speed for a few bars and that pedal really helps me slam it home.

Too bad the drums I'm using it on are quite up to what I prefer (tonight was a Gretsch Catalina Birch with a hole in the reso head and a very dead Aquarian batter head - it was either slam it, or you wouldn't hear it. Quite a shame, actually. Had I had the time and a full front reso, I could've tuned that kit up and made it sound awesome. Oh well.
 
A similar situation happened to me with the kick a few weeks ago. I was using someone else's kit and the bass drum head was just flappy. I gave it a key turn up on all the rods before my set. Helped a little but it was a 24 and could have used a tighter batter. I didn't want to change it too much since it wasn't my kit.

I'm in a Yammie hardware worship phase. Buying up all the used stands I can find.
 
I just scored another used 745 boom stand for 40 bucks. Now I've got a full set of Yamaha hardware. 3 booms, 1 straight, 1 snare and hi-hat. Also have a boom arm for clamping. I love this stuff.

One of the boom stands I bought from a local guy (also $40) is a mis-match of a newer top and middle section in an older (80s?) double braced bottom with small round rubber feet. I gotta say, those are some ugly little feet. Wasn't sure if they were stock so I did a search and sure enough there was pic of an old Yammie with the little fugly feet. Works fine, obviously. Glad they eventually changed them though!
 
I just scored another used 745 boom stand for 40 bucks. Now I've got a full set of Yamaha hardware. 3 booms, 1 straight, 1 snare and hi-hat. Also have a boom arm for clamping. I love this stuff.

One of the boom stands I bought from a local guy (also $40) is a mis-match of a newer top and middle section in an older (80s?) double braced bottom with small round rubber feet. I gotta say, those are some ugly little feet. Wasn't sure if they were stock so I did a search and sure enough there was pic of an old Yammie with the little fugly feet. Works fine, obviously. Glad they eventually changed them though!

I kinda' liked those old little feet. Now to get that look you have to go with Sonor ;)
 
Back
Top