Flat-Base Hardware - DW vs. Ludwig vs. Gibraltar

SgtThump

Platinum Member
I'm in the market for a full set of lightweight flat-base hardware (2 straight stands, hi-hat stand, and snare stand) and I'm not real sure which way to go.

I'm looking at the DW 6000 series, Ludwig Atlas Classic series, and the Gibraltar stuff, but I'm not real sure which way to go without putting my hands on them. Of course, I can't find any of this locally at the moment (but I'm still looking.)

Does anyone have thoughts on these three options? Of course, I'm after lightweight, but also something that will last a while and not wear out quickly.

Any opinions are welcome!

Chris

PS - I own a combination of single-braced Yamaha stands now and love them (600 and 700 series.) They are light and work well. I'm just looking for another set and want to try something different.
 
From what I've seen, the Gibraltar ones are the lightest. I have 3 of the flat stands in my set up.

I almost went with the Ludwig ones--just to match the kit--but Gibraltar was easier to find and matched the rest of my gear. I'm a little OCD in that respect.

I didn't even consider the DW ones because I believe they are over-built and over-priced, as most of DW stuff is.

The Ludwigs may be the most versatile since they can overlap each other. But the Gibraltar ones are probably the lightest and have held up to a couple years of gigging.
 
From what I've seen, the Gibraltar ones are the lightest. I have 3 of the flat stands in my set up.

I almost went with the Ludwig ones--just to match the kit--but Gibraltar was easier to find and matched the rest of my gear. I'm a little OCD in that respect.

I didn't even consider the DW ones because I believe they are over-built and over-priced, as most of DW stuff is.

The Ludwigs may be the most versatile since they can overlap each other. But the Gibraltar ones are probably the lightest and have held up to a couple years of gigging.

Thank you very much for the feedback! The Gibraltar stands are quite a bit cheaper too. I really don't need anything really heavy duty, as I'm not really a wild player (even though I do play rock.)

Do you happen to have the flat-base Gibraltar snare and hi-hat stands too? I see they came out with a new version of the hi-hat stand and I'm curious if the previous version had issues or what.
 
Thank you very much for the feedback! The Gibraltar stands are quite a bit cheaper too. I really don't need anything really heavy duty, as I'm not really a wild player (even though I do play rock.)

Do you happen to have the flat-base Gibraltar snare and hi-hat stands too? I see they came out with a new version of the hi-hat stand and I'm curious if the previous version had issues or what.

No, I actually don't have a complete flat-base set.

I have a standard hi-hat stand, the 5607, along with the 9606 Ultra-Adjust snare stand.

I'm not sure what issues the flat hi-hat stand may have had...or has. Stability, maybe?
 
No, I actually don't have a complete flat-base set.

I have a standard hi-hat stand, the 5607, along with the 9606 Ultra-Adjust snare stand.

I'm not sure what issues the flat hi-hat stand may have had...or has. Stability, maybe?

I guess I actually only saw a single negative review of the Gibraltar flat-base hi-hat stand, but then noticed right away they had a new version. I kinda put those together to say there was something wrong with the old version, but that's obviously not necessarily true.

I'm kinda OCD about my hardware matching too, which is why I have all Yamaha stuff at the moment. The Yamaha stuff kicks butt and I have no intention of replacing it, but I want another full set to keep in my truck for rehearsals and gigs.

The Gibraltar stuff sure is priced right compared to the others.

Gibraltar also has a telescoping hi-hat stand that interests me alot.

Is the 5607 hi-hat stand working out well for you? Is it light and sturdy enough for a not-so-hard hitter like myself?
 
I have been gigging the Gibraltar flat base stuff since I got back stateside. If you have seen some of my videos I really hit hard and no issues. I also have a DW flush base stand.

What I prefer about the Gibraltar stands is the portion which holds the cymbal. The DW limited the amount of freedom my cymbals could move. So I removed that part from my DW stand and replaced it with the Gibraltar style.

The hi hat stand from the Gibraltar setup is great and offers good response and stability. I also use the snare stand from the Gibraltar setup to hold my 12" rack tom. My only complaint with the stands are with the straight tube stand. I would prefer to have the boom stands only because they can serve as both a straight or boom stand.
 
Hey Sarge.
I have a full set of the Ludwig Atlas Classic flat based stands, and a full set of the Gibraltar flat based stands, both including hi hat stands. I have a couple of the DW flat based stands too. Guess I a pretty flat based guy. :)

I say you can't go wrong with any of it, it's all good.
I have had the Gibby hi hat stand for quite a while and I must have the 'newer one' because I never understood why others had issues with it.
Here's a few of my observations :

- Yes the DW stands are pricier and a bit heavier...but well done as usual. If you like the DW cymbal tilter lever thingy, then these are for you.

- The Ludwig stands have the reversible rubber feet so you can 'weave' the legs on top of each other. Can't say that I had a problem with the normal rubber feet, and in fact I paid $5 for the normal rubber feet so that the hi hat stand would fold up more compactly.

- I had to get out my tube cutter and cut down the upper tube on my Ludwig hi hat stand; it was too tall and wouldn't go down to a comfortable height. I determined that this was a flaw in mine with the help of another member here on Drumerworld....he made some careful measurements. I could have returned mine but my local store had no more stock so I opted to fix it myself. I also opted for a shorter (DW actually) clutch rod.

- The wing nuts on the top of some of my Ludwig cymbal stands don't thread very smoothly. Small point I know, just noticed this.

- The Gibraltar stands are the lightest of the bunch, (not by much)...but I have had one (of three) Gibraltar cymbal stand starting to show premature signs of wear. Dents, and a very small bit of rust from some chrome pitting. Overall, the chroming is probably best on the Ludwigs.

- I like that the Gibraltar cymbal stands' cymbal tilter can be 'offset' on the left or right of the center post. Kinda hard to explain, look at it closely.

All three cymbal stands have gear-less infinite tilters.

I had the Ludwig Atlas Classic bass drum pedal as well - the one with no base plate - but returned it 'cause I didn't like the feel so much and I despise pedals that make you use a drum key to attach them to the hoop.

Again, I don't think there is a wrong choice here. I pointed out a few small things about each because all three brands are very similar in quality and function....you can find the DW stuff for a good price if you look hard enough. Ultimately, the small things that appeal to you will be what will sway you in a particular direction.

Let us know which way you go and why!

Neal
 
Have all three brands in FB gear.

For the Hi Hat stand, Ludwig Atlas hands down. Sturdy, comfortable, doesn't wobble or sway. Love it.

DW fb's other than their hat stand is GREAT. Going on 5+ years, nothing but great use.
Memory locks work great on these too. Tilter is same as on the heavier stands.

Gibraltar's snare, and cymbal stands are really nice. Snare stand might still have the plastic tightener for the basket, but it's a toothless basket, so that kinda makes up for it. Brake Tilter works great. Felts and the cymbal sleeve are sturdy, & the wing nuts are comfortable, and totally smooth working.

Ludwig's Atlas FB stuff is sturdy as heck, and everything is easily adjustable and smooth on what I have (full set, straight and booms, hat, snare). The wing nuts are really smooth, and comfortable in my hands. The FB snare stand works great for a tom, doesn't choke it.
Tilter works like a charm.

The feet are nice for the overlapping feature, but I have all mine "up", which brings them over any cords that are always on the floor when setting up. It's a very convenient feature.

One other thing about the Ludwig Atlas stuff is, it's being branched off into components now too. That may, or may not apply to you, but with gear, you never know what might strike your fancy down the road, as far as the OCD "matching" of gear most of us have.

Gibraltar, Ludwig DW, it's all good sturdy stuff, and other than the DW 6000 hat stand which sucks (IMO), you wouldn't go wrong with any of it. Just stay away from the DW hat stand.
 
When I was checking out the flat based cymbal stand hardware a few months ago, I could only check the DW and Ludwig gear. There was only about a dollar or two difference between both their boom stands and their straight stands. I wish I could have molded the features from both companies into one.

Dennis
 
Yeah, the feet on DW, & add the memory locks to the Ludwig....

I can buy those feet for my DW stuff, but, I haven't coughed up the dough for 4 or 5 stands worth... They do work great though.
Gibraltar's 7/8 memory locks work (and fit right), but there isn't one to fit the top tube on the straight stand for the Ludwig. Some people don't care, but I WANT memory locks on my stands.

Ludwig's tilter is smooth, and being able to move it around is cool when the height is just right, but having the DW tilter "in line" with the tube is something I like better, and I like the space adjustment thing. I like some swing, but I don't like the cymbal to flop around. I switched out the top felt on the Ludwig stands and used a thicker one to solve that issue, but, some people don't even use felts, or don't mind a lot of swing in cymbals.

No product is perfect or has "everything", so 'ya just fiddle around to make it work the way you want.

The Ludwig stands are about a year old, the DW's are 4-5 years old, and both are great for my use--and are light!
Oh, and a 24" cymbal used to crash A LOT, and no worries from either brand :)
 
I've actually owned all three at one time (the Ludwig's just recently) and they're all good - if you like that sort of thing. The hi-hats all leave something to be desired because the physics of a tripod-based stand is just more stable than a flat-based one.

In fact, you may recall why I'm no longer interested in the flat-based scene: a stand was easily knocked over with a cymbal on it (thankfully, on grass). I have discovered that the tripod is the way to go, and I found that in the lightest Yamaha 600-series stands. And these Yamaha's are basically as light as the flat-based stuff, but you get the added stability of the tripod.

If I were in situations where my stuff never moved around, I'd be all over the flat-based stuff. But when you set up in one area, then move it to another area, to be moved back after you're done playing, the stability becomes tantamount.
 
I have used Gibraltar Flat Base Hardware for years and I have never had an issue.
Gibraltar has recently improved their Flat Base Hi-Hat stand. (check it out on YouTube)
I have never even come close to having a cymbal stand topple over as Bo stated.
The stand bases have double set screws to prevent them from loosening. (I don't even use the extra safety screws to double lock my stand bases)
The stand bases form a wide stance that is sturdy and reliable.
 
I have used Gibraltar Flat Base Hardware for years and I have never had an issue.
Gibraltar has recently improved their Flat Base Hi-Hat stand. (check it out on YouTube)
I have never even come close to having a cymbal stand topple over as Bo stated.
The stand bases have double set screws to prevent them from loosening. (I don't even use the extra safety screws to double lock my stand bases)
The stand bases form a wide stance that is sturdy and reliable.

Well to be fair, I'm sure there is nothing wrong with flat based cymbal stands. I just have people who pick my stuff up and move it, and then other people bump into it (I work with high school kids, who knew?). So even with the wide stance of the Ludwig classic stuff, my cymbal went down.

On the other hand, when I did the next gig with the Yamaha 600 stuff, when a kid bumped into my stuff (while I was playing) my cymbals didn't move. The tripod base eliminates the "top heavy" situation, I think.

I liked the simplicity of the DW and Gibraltar ones. The Ludwig has this cymbal tilter that can go anywhere and I didn't like having that much adjustability. In fact, there was a couple of times I smashed my finger because I wasn't prepared for the tilter to go in an unexpected direction ;)
 
I have to agree with Bo. I own 2 Gibraltar flat base stands, 1 straight and 1 boom. I have had the same issues with tipping on the boom stand when I tried to put my ride over my bass drum. 20" El Sabor ride too, nothing heavy. I remedied this by reducing the length of the boom arm and positioning it parallel with one of the legs. I have had no such issues with the straight stand although I don't gig anywhere near as much as Bo does.

I do love the reduced weight. I had been using a Tama road pro that I got off Craigslist and the weight was quite the pain in the posterior.

I'm actually thinking of switching to some single braced Yamaha stuff so hit me up if you're looking to trade for some gear.
 
I use the Gibraltar fb straight stands, three of them, and the hi-hat stand. I haven't heard of any new version of it but i bought mine a year ago.

All the stands are very sturdy, I mount a 12"tom off of one of them with no issues (just align one leg with the tom) and they work well. I gig them every week. The hi-hat stand works great too. I'm gonna order the snare stand soon too. The hardware is relatively light, though I was hoping they would be even lighter.
 
As Cleforo and others have stated, Make sure that the load is placed over a leg when setting the cymbal stands. I positioned the stand legs under the load of the boom arm for my ride cymbal. I also counterbalanced the weight of the ride by adding a clamp type cymbal mount to the boom stand for a crash. That adds even more stability to the boom stand. Use design to your advantage when setting up your kit.
 

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Hey Sarge.
I have a full set of the Ludwig Atlas Classic flat based stands, and a full set of the Gibraltar flat based stands, both including hi hat stands. I have a couple of the DW flat based stands too. Guess I a pretty flat based guy. :)

I say you can't go wrong with any of it, it's all good.
I have had the Gibby hi hat stand for quite a while and I must have the 'newer one' because I never understood why others had issues with it.
Here's a few of my observations :

- Yes the DW stands are pricier and a bit heavier...but well done as usual. If you like the DW cymbal tilter lever thingy, then these are for you.

- The Ludwig stands have the reversible rubber feet so you can 'weave' the legs on top of each other. Can't say that I had a problem with the normal rubber feet, and in fact I paid $5 for the normal rubber feet so that the hi hat stand would fold up more compactly.

- I had to get out my tube cutter and cut down the upper tube on my Ludwig hi hat stand; it was too tall and wouldn't go down to a comfortable height. I determined that this was a flaw in mine with the help of another member here on Drumerworld....he made some careful measurements. I could have returned mine but my local store had no more stock so I opted to fix it myself. I also opted for a shorter (DW actually) clutch rod.

- The wing nuts on the top of some of my Ludwig cymbal stands don't thread very smoothly. Small point I know, just noticed this.

- The Gibraltar stands are the lightest of the bunch, (not by much)...but I have had one (of three) Gibraltar cymbal stand starting to show premature signs of wear. Dents, and a very small bit of rust from some chrome pitting. Overall, the chroming is probably best on the Ludwigs.

- I like that the Gibraltar cymbal stands' cymbal tilter can be 'offset' on the left or right of the center post. Kinda hard to explain, look at it closely.

All three cymbal stands have gear-less infinite tilters.

I had the Ludwig Atlas Classic bass drum pedal as well - the one with no base plate - but returned it 'cause I didn't like the feel so much and I despise pedals that make you use a drum key to attach them to the hoop.

Again, I don't think there is a wrong choice here. I pointed out a few small things about each because all three brands are very similar in quality and function....you can find the DW stuff for a good price if you look hard enough. Ultimately, the small things that appeal to you will be what will sway you in a particular direction.

Let us know which way you go and why!

Neal

Dang Neal, that was very helpful! Thanks man!
 
...One other thing about the Ludwig Atlas stuff is, it's being branched off into components now too. That may, or may not apply to you, but with gear, you never know what might strike your fancy down the road, as far as the OCD "matching" of gear most of us have...

Hey Karl, great stuff as usual.

What do you mean by that sentence above exactly?
 
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