HI-Hat Problems.

Funnyman

Senior Member
I have been playing drums 10 years. One problem is my hi hat. How can I fix it so it stands balanced. Like the top cymbal will lean to one side and uneven. Kind of bugs me when I try to keep time opening and closing it.
 
The little felts in your hi-hat clutch may be worn out causing the top cymbal to tilt funny.

It's a pretty common thing to have happen.
 
Often caused by the rod being bent off straight. Do you transport the stand about much without taking it apart first?
I never disassemble my stand so when it gets moved around the rod will often bend slightly.

Try unscrewing the rod and rolling it along a flat surface, does it roll straight?
 
Aside from checking the rod and felts, your stand may have a small thumbscrew under the bottom hat. They are there to allow for adjustment of the angle of the bottom hat, which could be the culprit if you don't find anything abnormal about the other aspects.

I find a slight angle on the bottom hat beneficial in that it helps prevent the air-lock phenomenon, and allows for a stronger "chick" sound when closing them with the foot.
 
Aside from checking the rod and felts, your stand may have a small thumbscrew under the bottom hat. They are there to allow for adjustment of the angle of the bottom hat, which could be the culprit if you don't find anything abnormal about the other aspects.

I find a slight angle on the bottom hat beneficial in that it helps prevent the air-lock phenomenon, and allows for a stronger "chick" sound when closing them with the foot.

There's your answer, that thumbscrew will do the trick. It's fun to experiment with the spectrum of flat to very tilter. You might be suprized the way it sounds if you track a song enough times with adjusting that angle of the bottom hat (assuming you're playing the same thing over and over).
 
I have five Hi Hat stands and four out of the five have a slight cymbal misalignment even if the bottom hat screw is adjusted to be flat. They're only off about 1/16 of an inch or less and it never bothers me. I always play with the rear of my bottom cymbal tilted slightly up anyway.

Dennis
 
Back
Top