why no cymbal felts?

I use top felts, but about 15-16 years ago I didn't.

Here's what I did, & it gets rid of the wing nut situation too.

I took threaded cymbal sleeves, and cut the base off and screwed them on top of the other one.
That way, there's no metal threads above the sleeve/felt the cymbal sits on.

It looks beter, and you can pop the cymbal on and off super quick & easy.

And, since it's treaded on, and you can tighten it down & it isn't going anywhere.

This also solves the splash cymbal flying off problem. Had one then, used this, it works.

I got the idea from those old Zildjian silver cymbal stand tops Buddy Rich and those guy's used to have.
They haven't made them in many years, so I just used the cymbal sleeves to do the same thing.

I haven't seen anyone else do this, but it's a good idea & works great.

....no charge. :)
 
I prefer my cymbals to give more when I hit them. I play pretty hard and i'm hard on my cymbals so its cheap breakage insurance. I never really liked cymbal felts because they do not have a strong rebound of the cymbal, meaning the cymbal doesnt quickly return to its original position. The best solution I have found is using Mapex cymbal accentuators. They are rubber and do not effect the sustain of your cymbals at all and keep them where you want em. Good, cheap product.

OScymbalaccent.jpg
 
The Mapex cymbal accentuators look very similar to my favorite solution...Cymbal Crowns. Basically, it is a screw-on sleeve with a rubber base. The "sleeve" section includes a split mushroom-cap top that will keep a cymbal from coming off until the drummer pinches the pieces together.

Very fast setup/teardown, very little (no) cymbal dampening/restriction and a guarantee of no keyholing, as the cymbal crown is "sacrificial"...wearing away instead of damaging the cymbal.
 
KarlCrafton said:
I use top felts, but about 15-16 years ago I didn't.

Here's what I did, & it gets rid of the wing nut situation too.

I took threaded cymbal sleeves, and cut the base off and screwed them on top of the other one.
That way, there's no metal threads above the sleeve/felt the cymbal sits on.

It looks beter, and you can pop the cymbal on and off super quick & easy.

And, since it's treaded on, and you can tighten it down & it isn't going anywhere.

This also solves the splash cymbal flying off problem. Had one then, used this, it works.

I got the idea from those old Zildjian silver cymbal stand tops Buddy Rich and those guy's used to have.
They haven't made them in many years, so I just used the cymbal sleeves to do the same thing.

I haven't seen anyone else do this, but it's a good idea & works great.

....no charge. :)
Click to expand...
Carl - Sorry to revive an old thread, but this is really interesting for me... But I don't really get your description. Could you provide a pic of how this looks like in real? Thanks. (I have 25 DIY bells and am looking for which felts (thickness), sleeves and wingnuts (if any) to use)
 
I don't have any pics, but it's just a cymbal sleeve, like a Yamaha, or Gibraltar that has the threads inside.
You just chop off the flanged base, and screw it on where the wing nut would go.

So, the original sleeve and bottom felt are still there, the "threaded tube" screws on top.
I call it a threaded tube, because that's what it is after the base part is chopped off.

I shortened mine to sit just above the threaded sections of the tilter, but they can be left long.

If you need, if I can find one, I'll snap a pic and post.

Holy crap! I just saw this was from '07!! Wow!
 
Karl, thanks for your reply! (Sorry for that spelling 'Carl', haha - I must have been blind.)
I think I got you this time.
 
top cymbal felts and wing nuts are completely useless and serve absolutely no purpose whats so ever

you can shell out your arguments all you want

but they have zero functional purpose

the only exception would be a splash cymbal because of its light weight and possibility of flying off the stand....but I don't use a splash so have no use at all for top felts or wing nuts

absolutely no practical function other than that they come with the stand and you use them because they are there
 
top cymbal felts and wing nuts are completely useless and serve absolutely no purpose whats so ever

That depends on how you set up your cymbals. One of the main functions of a cymbal felt is its ability to mute/cut some ring and shorten the sustain of a cymbal.
 

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I actually like being able to adjust the amount of pressure and swing in my cymbals with the top felts. I use DW stands, or the DW tilter on my Ludwig stands.
Sometimes I like them freer, and sometimes I like them to not move very much.

If I use just 2 cymbals, then they are lower, and I am riding and crashing both, so the looser adjustment is better.

I've also not used top felt and wing nuts. It does save a little time. Either way works, and my cymbals sound the same, I just like the feel of top felts better most of the time.
 
Anon La Ply said:
They hold the sleeve and bottom felt on in transit :) While playing, if you're not angling and slamming, they just reduce the amount of bell to aim for.
Click to expand...

Actually, a little glob of silicone glue will hold washer to post, sleeve to post, and felt to washer very nicely. I only use wing nuts on the splashes now, and will quit once I cut down a couple of those plastic Tama nuts with the threaded sleeves to extend the postva bit more.
I've already changed over to the extended 1-piece seat and sleeve, like the Yamahas. One less thing to glue. I hate wingnuts...
 
Les Ismore said:
That depends on how you set up your cymbals. One of the main functions of a cymbal felt is its ability to mute/cut some ring and shorten the sustain of a cymbal.

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Click to expand...

True. I've clamped cymbals down before to get the sound I wanted.


skod said:
Actually, a little glob of silicone glue will hold washer to post, sleeve to post, and felt to washer very nicely.
Click to expand...

I always figured that those materials wouldn't stick too well, but they're very light so I guess they don't have to stick brilliantly to stay in place.
 
Les Ismore said:
top cymbal felts and wing nuts are completely useless and serve absolutely no purpose whats so ever

That depends on how you set up your cymbals. One of the main functions of a cymbal felt is its ability to mute/cut some ring and shorten the sustain of a cymbal.
Click to expand...

that is in no way shape or form any reason for top felts.....whoever told you that should be tarred and feathered

..hey let me put this top felt on to cut some sustain from my cymbals........

that is ridiculously silly

oddly enough top felts were originally put on stands to stop the cymbal from contacting the wing nut.......which has no purpose in the first place

that is unless you have some ridiculously pointless kit like the gentlemen in the picture
 
oddly enough top felts were originally put on stands to stop the cymbal from contacting the wing nut.......which has no purpose in the first place



Unless you can somehow prove this, it'll be taken as just your opinion. One can only assume that was the intention, much like assuming you're posts are trying to be slightly humorous.


If you do some recording in a studio, you'll discover it can at times prove very useful to dial-out a bit of sustain/overtones on the cymbals just by tightening the felts.

Works great in live situations too, it can dramatically change the character of the cymbal.

Is that what felts were originally intended to do? Who cares, its another thing they 'can' do, all options are a welcome good.
 
Les Ismore said:
oddly enough top felts were originally put on stands to stop the cymbal from contacting the wing nut.......which has no purpose in the first place



Unless you can somehow prove this, it'll be taken as just your opinion. One can only assume that was the intention, much like assuming you're posts are trying to be slightly humorous.


If you do some recording in a studio, you'll discover it can at times prove very useful to dial-out a bit of sustain/overtones on the cymbals just by tightening the felts.

Works great in live situations too, it can dramatically change the character of the cymbal.

Is that what felts were originally intended to do? Who cares, its another thing they 'can' do, all options are a welcome good.
Click to expand...



it's a fact brother......same for sleeves......created to avoid metal on metal situations



....and been working in recording studios for 20 years

been working live even longer

never said....hey I wish I had a top felt to cut this sustain and maybe change the character of my cymbal


I know people do this...I am speaking for no one but myself obviously .......and I see no need for them

no point.....no need..... completely useless to me
 
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