I like the idea of the clutch and arm thingy. Some questions:
1) Do the magnets really hold the top hat well? And, how much more work is there assembling the top hat with the Coady Clutch? When going to and from gigs, I currently don't remove my top hat from the clutch assembly. I just put the hat in a cymbal bag with the clutch still attached. Yes, it makes for a protrusion, but would the Coady Clutch result in more of a protrusion?
2) Is it really that easy to drop the top hat? I ask because I use a standard drop clutch, and too often, my strike is not always perfect (even though I've been striking this thing for 20 years!). So much so, that most of the time, I drop the clutch by hand, while playing with one hand. I don't like that because I end up having to plan ahead, so to speak.
3) Does that arm thingy really do the trick? In theory, it sounds great to only have to move your foot off the pedal to have the top hat drop. After all, the only reason I would move my foot off the hi-hat is if I'm moving to another pedal. Is the arm cumbersome to install and remove for setup and breakdown?
4) The company seems to make it a hassle to find a dealer, by filling out a stupid form on their website. There isn't even a price anywhere. Where did you get yours and how much was it?
5) I assume the wash control only helps INCREASE the level of wash, and cannot help keep the hats tight. Is that correct?
I think the Cobra Clutch sounds and looks cool, but it seems like one more large-ish item to have to cart to and from gigs, and I don't fancy the idea of increasing my footprint. Even though it might SEEM like only a little increase, who knows what really happens once it's put into play.
Thanks for any, and all, info.
Sorry I wasn't following this thread and wasn't aware someone had questions...
1) The magnets will hold cymbals up to 2.5 kg weight - that's the info I read somewhere on the manufacturer website. I just checked and disengaged the top hat from the magnet - it's just the right power to let you disengage it without applying sheer power but clearly (more than) enough for real life applications. The top hat won't come off when hitting hard - well I didn't want to damage the cymbal, maybe there is one (extreme) point when it comes off. But under normal operating conditions... no.
There's actually 3 magnet elements. Their grip totally works as long as the top part of the clutch stays in its normal position. Hitting it with a stick makes it tilt, thus the magnets disengage, not having any contact to the metal disk mounted onto the top hat. According to this, you can hit the hat quite hard and it won't drop - it takes a direct hit on the clutch top to disengage the magnets. Smart design, convenient handling, not too bulky design and affordable!
You could (dis)assemble it every time, it doesn't take much time. You need a drum key for the top unit with the magnet though, to fix it at the position/height wanted.
2) You might need a couple of hits to learn how much force you'll need. No prob, it can't get any easier technically. Yes it's easy!
3) The arm thingy... I experimented with it for maybe 15-20 minutes - it works but it took me a bit experimenting with the setting. I'm not using it for now but packed it away. That's also because I'm a beginner and I don't have a full kit, I'm just practicing/playing for fun. I might need it at some point.
4) I simply e-mailed them. I'm a member of the Drumming System Online (please guys don't bash Jared Falk & Railroad Media...) and in one of their online lessons they had Mike Michalkow as a guest instructor (Mike also did several full program CD/DVD sets with Railroad Media) and Mike just shared some info on this clutch and said in case someone is interested just drop them an e-mail (
[email protected]) telling you're a student of Mike (Mike is a Billdidit endorser). At that time they had some 'cosmetically blemished' Coady clutches at about 50% discount so I ordered one, that is, the full Coady combo. The price was CAD 35.99 (shipping was extra). When it arrived I had to look closely and still couldn't really make out blemishes so it was a pretty hot deal. I don't know how many of those 'blemished' Coady clutches they had in stock - maybe you could still get some with a discount. Just e-mail them and find out. (I also got a Billdidit t-shirt for free because I was among the fastest who 'liked' them on facebook, haha.)
5) Correct. You can dial in the exact distance between the hats (when the top hat is in 'down' position) which translates into the amount of wash. I have that wash control on my hat, but it's in minimum position, thus having no effect. I have it there just in case. I'm practicing at very low volume so creating some wash would be mindblowingly loud for me, haha.
It's a great tool (or rather, the whole combination). Still I'll try the Cobra Clutch, I'm curious...