A review of Gibraltar’s flat-base hardware (pics)

PorkPieGuy

PorkPieGuy

Platinum Member
I’ve been wanting to try out some flat-base hardware for years, and I finally found a set on sale a few weeks ago, so I got them in addition to a couple of other extra stands to have a matching set.

I’ve been using them at practice for a couple of weeks, and I decided to take them on the road this weekend. These stands held up really well.

I was sort of nervous about the boom stand that I use for my ride that I also crash, so I packed an extra double-braced stand just in case. I didn’t need it. Due to the design of the legs, I can actually get one of the legs of the boom up under the kick or between the kick and floor tom easier than a traditional double-braced stand.

A couple of minor critiques: The hi-had stand currently has a slight bit of difficulty opening my 15” hats. I think there is a spring adjustment, but I haven’t figured it out yet. Here’s a pic in case anyone wants to help out:

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Also, I’ve notice the stand is slightly more wobbly than I’m used to, but it’s fine.

I bought two different snare stands. The cheaper one has the black plastic wing-nut that adjusts basket tension. The “wings” on this part are a little too long to use if you want the basket flat. In other words, you need to get the snare basket adjusted before you adjust the angle to flat. No big deal; it’s just worth noting. The other snare stand that has the ball and socket adjustment has the upgraded basket adjustment so it’s a non-issue.

On Friday, we had an outdoor show, so I got there early to set up before everyone else. I snapped some pics before hooking up the mics and also before our band made the area look like a Music-Go-Round store.

My wife took a few pics on Saturday from the honky tonk. 🤠

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Nice kit. On that hi-hat stand, is that a removable sleeve of sorts that reveals a tension screw for adjustment that would slide the spring mechanism up and down? Or, does the chrome screw above it do anything?
 
yea he doesn't say up or down I didn't like that hi hat but I keep the cymbal and snare stands.
it seems "Up" would increase tension; which seems contrary(? but he spent near No time on a such an important feature tsk tsk..
 
to keep my hi-hat from wobbling, i make sure the toe of the pedal board is like 1/4 inch or less off the dround so it doesnt act at a pivot point, let the 3 legs touch the floor only. I dont know if thats possible with flat base hardware though?
 
Yes, like Supraman says, it is the drum key operated screw (that has the nylon sleeve on it for protection in the pic). Loosen the drum key screw, slide that piece up to increase the tension and re-tighten the drum key screw. You'll find your sweet spot in no time.

I do like the Gibraltar flat base stuff, but I own the original Ludwig flat base stuff from the 60's and the new Tama classic stands. The Gibraltars are MUCH heavier than those (the same weight as a "normal" stand). Also, the legs are way too long on the cymbal stands for me (hi hat and snare legs are ok). One benefit is you can actually make the cymbals stand legs go past the flat base point so they actually are a little "tripod" like and the center of the stand is off the ground, so you can fit the legs around the other flat base stuff on your kit.

I ended up cutting my cymbal legs shorter. The problem there is that due to the unique shape at the end of the leg (and designing the rubber foot to fit that unique leg), you can't re-use the same rubber feet. I had to put DW flat base (6000 Series) feet on them. I like the stands much better with shorter legs. A little lighter, easier to position and just looks "cleaner", but that's just me. Yours look great as is, PPG.
 
PPG, I don't know if you've thought about this, but with flat base stands, you don't really need to use a boom for your ride. If you put the vertical part of the straight stand right against the bass drum, it should be pretty much where you want it, and the leg can easily go under the bass drum. That way, you won't have to worry about it's stability, because it will be a straight stand.
 
After owning the d w six thousand ultralight I stay away from Hi hat stands that have a tention adjustment of that nature.. The key operated adjustment bolt stripped after about a year.
 
vyacheslav said:
Yes, like Supraman says, it is the drum key operated screw (that has the nylon sleeve on it for protection in the pic). Loosen the drum key screw, slide that piece up to increase the tension and re-tighten the drum key screw. You'll find your sweet spot in no time.
Click to expand...

A buddy of mine from work said the same thing. We took the nylon sleeve and adjusted it in just a few seconds. I made the spring about 50% tighter, and I'm sure it'll work great now.

vyacheslav said:
I do like the Gibraltar flat base stuff, but I own the original Ludwig flat base stuff from the 60's and the new Tama classic stands. The Gibraltars are MUCH heavier than those (the same weight as a "normal" stand).
Click to expand...

I noticed this when I put everything in my hardware bag for the first time. I sort of like that it's still heavy though. I set up and tear down a lot, so I'm sure this will be a benefit.

vyacheslav said:
Also, the legs are way too long on the cymbal stands for me (hi hat and snare legs are ok).
Click to expand...

I think the weight and the leg length benefit me greatly. I play some pretty big cymbals. :)

vyacheslav said:
Yours look great as is, PPG.
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Thank you! I'm really digging the look of these.
 
vyacheslav said:
PPG, I don't know if you've thought about this, but with flat base stands, you don't really need to use a boom for your ride. If you put the vertical part of the straight stand right against the bass drum, it should be pretty much where you want it, and the leg can easily go under the bass drum. That way, you won't have to worry about it's stability, because it will be a straight stand.
Click to expand...

I'm definitely gonna try this! I really like how the the feet and legs can get around the bass drum easier than the traditional tripod; therefore, I don't have to extend the boom nearly as far.
 
lefty2 said:
After owning the d w six thousand ultralight I stay away from Hi hat stands that have a tention adjustment of that nature.. The key operated adjustment bolt stripped after about a year.
Click to expand...

I wonder if the DW 6000's have their proprietary thread count on that tension adjustment. If so, do you think that would have anything to do with the stripping?

Also, did you find yourself having to adjust the spring more than once? Did it slip on you?
 
I don't recall adjusting it often. I generally use full tension because I tend to play heel up and sometimes slam the hats together splashing them so to speak. That might be a little rough on the ultralight stand. It seams like the theaded disc that the bolt screws into was made brass I think instead of steel, that might be the problem, too soft. In recent years, I've been trying to play more heel down style but I still slam my hats together heel up
 
I've been using the Gibraltar flat-based cymbal stands for probably 10 years now. They're the heaviest stands I use these days, and I just wanted to give props to them after a gig this weekend on the Outer Banks, where we had 20-25 mph wind gusts (there's a reason the Wright Brothers chose the OBX for their first flight!). The Gibraltars were rock solid.
 
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