New "Crosstown" lightweight stands from Yamaha

Got my HH stand today, and there's really nothing to add to Les' review. It's a sturdy stand, and significantly lighter than my previous medium-duty Ludwig Pro stand. Like, almost half the weight! The rod is a few inches shorter, but well within the height range that I play.

This was a smart buy, and at $130, a good value.

Bermuda

PS: Thanks to Ron at AZ Drum Shop for the fast ship!
 
Thanks for the info guys. Still waiting on mine. I was toying with the idea of using the two cymbal stands, snare stand and hi hat stand along with just the basic hex rack? Side post and crossbar, maybe even the 36" crossbar?
 
According to USPS I was supposed to receive my Crosstown kit this past Friday, which would have been great as I had a gig that night. Perfect opportunity for a real test drive. But, the package never showed on Friday and was rescheduled for delivery on Saturday. That's ok, I have a gig Saturday as well. Left for the gig at 5:00....still no delivery. It showed up after I was gone.

Opened up the box on Sunday morning and was immediately impressed. These stands are light, sure....but they also feel very substantial! All the other lightweight hardware I've seem just felt like introductory, entry level hardware.

The cymbal stand bases spread out quite far and seem to provide a lot of stability. I am also able to use my older heavyweight Yamaha tubes with these bases (silver/black label and red/black label) so I can make a boom if needed. I have one kit where the tom hangs off a stand, and I will continue to use the heavy stand for that, or maybe grab a 700 series. But these straight stands should work perfectly for me.

The snare stand seem like it will be very functional as well. For the HH stand, check out Les Ismore's review above. I already use a Yamaha HH with fixed tension, so the lack of adjustment was never an issue for me.

My one concern is that I don't think I'll be able to fit a throne, BD pedal, additional stand, cowbell, etc. in the bag. Although it seems sturdy, it's just not roomy enough for what I need. I'll be able to give more feedback in a few weeks as I have next weekend off. All in all....good stuff. Happy I didn't pull the trigger on a different brand earlier!!
 
Just added a dbl braced Gibralter throne base and a dbl braced Yamaha boom stand, w/ tom mount, to the Crosstown bag (it did all fit)...now it's too heavy. Need to lighten the load some more...new, lighter throne and single braced boom is next.
 
The hope is YAMAHA will expand the CROSSTOWN line, boom stand, throne, big challenges... but what else they got to do?

Maybe not the same featherweight spec's on the boom and throne, but looking the same sexy as the other CROSSTOWN stuff, and lighter than one would expect. GO YAMAHA!
 
Yet Another Yamaha 3 Series H/W Review

NOTE: Les, please see *** under HS3

TLDR SUMMARY
- Look ma, no fingerprints!
- Excellent design, construction and functionality. Made outside of China factory in Taiwan.
- Weights fall in ultra-light category, but duty is higher and more comparable to 600 series or greater.
- SS3 snare stand is standout... 2.5lbs lighter than SS740A with no notable limitations.
- HS3 hi-hat stand is 3.1lbs lighter than HS740A with reduced footprint and vibration. Fixed spring tension or no leg rotation may be limiting for some people.
- CS3 cymbal stand is 3.2lbs lighter than (half the weight of) CS750 though not intended as a direct replacement for it. However, CS3 tripod base can be used with CS755 upper two tubes to provide limited boom functionality or TH904A to mount smaller toms and will lighten load by 2.2lbs.
- Overall, the 3 series stands seem to be an excellent light-duty, ultralight-weight option to reduce gigging weight and overcome some challenges with UL flat-base hardware from other manufacturers.

Bail out now if no further details are desired...

Otherwise, on with more CROSS-TOWN, Traffic, doodoo dododo doo doo... (sorry, couldn't resist)

HW3 SOFT CASE
- Size: 70.5L x 30W x 20H cm (27.75 x 11.75 x 7.88in).
- Material: Decent quality black polyester (600d?) with ~3mm (1/8in) lined padding and top double-pull center zipper.
- Sleeves: (4) 70 x 24cm (27.5 x 9.4in) thinner (more paper-like) black material than case.
- All stands fit well inside sleeves when fully collapsed and top hi-hat rod is unscrewed.
- All stands + FP7210 pedal + DS750 seat base & top fit comfortably inside case. An additional CS3 can be added if seat top is removed.
- For gigging, I leave all stands at play heights and just collapse legs when packing so plan on using a fuller length case instead.
- I also individually wrap stands in gray bath towels ($3 @ Walmart) so don't foresee any issues when packing with heavier hardware (to be put in first/on bottom).

ALL STANDS
- Made in Taiwan (same contract manufacturer as thrones?) instead of China.
- Date code ink stamp is under one leg near rubber tip for CS & SS and under footboard for HS.
- Overall appearance is inverse of other series... textured silver (and more glittery) legs & tubes, and polished aluminum collars & wing nuts.
- Wing nuts are smaller 1.5in width instead of larger 1.75in on other series, but still easy to grip.
- All bolts and tilters appear to be steel and are chrome plated at aluminum contact/friction points.
- Tube clamps are 2-piece hinged design rather than 1-piece design on other series. Further reduces weight and allows quick interchange of plastic inserts.
- Tube diameters seem to be slightly undersized (per calipers) compared to other series, but had no issues with interoperability. Possibly just difference between powder coating and chrome plating thickness.

SS3 SNARE STAND
- Weight is 1.2kg (2.5lbs) lighter than SS740A... 2.6 - 1.4kg (5.7 - 3.2lbs).
- Basket design, dimensions and operation are near identical to SS740A... primary difference is use of aluminum instead of steel.
- Top | Bottom tube diameters of 22.2 | 28.6mm (7/8 | 1-1/8in) are identical to SS740A.
- Longer negative-offset bottom tube allows for it to be 0 to 1-1/8in closer to floor (depending on leg radius) than SS740A... which helps lower center of gravity at similar leg stances.
- Height range with 14x5in snare (to batter hoop top) is 58.4 - 77.5cm (23.0 - 30.5in). Very versatile.
- Tested with 13x5.75 and 14x5 -> 14x8 snares of varying weight at 28in height... zero problems with leg positioning, stability or playability.
- Overall, very impressive for its light weight. Definite keeper.

HS3 HI-HAT STAND
- Weight is 1.4kg (3.1lbs) lighter than HS740A... 3.6 - 2.2kg (7.9 - 4.8lbs).
- Rod diameter is 6mm (1/4in) vintage-standard like all other series.
- Top rod can be unscrewed/reinstalled from bottom rod without removing top tube. HS740A top rod has 3/4in long plastic knurled section at base (to ease finger tightening) that prevents this.
- Top rod height is 1/2in shorter than HS740A. Top rod lengths are the same (@ 17in) and bottom rod of HS3 is 1/2in shorter. ***
- Top | Bottom tube diameters of 22.2 | 28.6mm (7/8 | 1-1/8in) are identical to HS740A. Memory lock not included on top tube, but can be added.
- Top and bottom tube lengths are shorter than HS740A as Les noted, but fully support max rod height.
- Tripod legs are shorter, mount 2.5in lower and have 1.0in less radius (10in vs 11in) than HS740A... which allows closer placement to other gear.
- Tripod leg support collar is integrated with vertical base frame so NO modification for leg rotation is possible.
- Base frame is slightly more narrow and curved at top than HS740A frame.
- Footboard connection to rod (chain, connecting bracket, nut and felt bumper) appears identical to HS740A. ***
- Footboard support arms have to be unhooked from frame to fold footboard just like with HS740A. No difference.
- Spring tension is fixed and similar to lowest setting on a new HS740A.
- Tested with 13" & 14" New Beats and 15" Sound Edge and easily adapted to each with the same tension. And as Les noted, there is a noticeable reduction in playing vibration transfer compared to the HS740A... very nice.
- In summary, fixed spring tension or no leg rotation may be issues for some, but so far so good here. Another keeper.

*** Les, I compared four additional HS740 / HS740A and one HS830 (which are often mistaken as HS730) stands this week and all top rod heights and lengths match and all bumpers are felt. Could you have possibly modified your 700 in the past with a longer top rod and rubber bumper?

CS3 CYMBAL STAND
- Weight is 1.5kg (3.2lbs) lighter than CS750... 2.9 - 1.4kg (6.4 - 3.2lbs).
- Tripod base weight is 1.0kg (2.2lbs) lighter than CS750/CS755... 1.9 - 0.9kg (4.2 - 2.0lbs). Yep, CS3 upper two tubes only weigh 0.5kg (1.2lbs).
- Top post thread diameter is 8mm standard like all other series. Tama and Sonor quick release nuts work fine.
- Offset cymbal tilter similar (if not identical) to 600 series.
- Top tube diameter of 12.7mm (1/2in) is notably smaller than and incompatible with 19.1mm (3/4in) of CS750... and 15.9mm (5/8in) of CS650.
- Middle | Bottom tube diameters of 22.2 | 28.6mm (7/8 | 1-1/8in) are identical to CS750 and allow for middle tube to be replaced with 700+ series or TH904 3-hole mount platform.
- Bottom tube is mounted lower in tripod base than CS750 and at same stance as HS740A (10in leg radius), tube bottom sits 2.5in closer to floor (1.5in vs 4.0in) than CS750... to help lower center of gravity.
- As a straight crash stand, tested with 16", 18" and 20" medium weight cymbals at 44-46in center height... needed a slightly wider stance than CS750 (11in vs 10in leg radius) for better stability. Normally use about 11in, just wanted to compare with 10in of HS3.
- As a straight ride stand, tested 20", 21" and 22" medium & heavy weight cymbals at 36-38in center height... rock solid at 11in leg radius.
- As a boom crash stand using CS755 upper tubes and boom arm, tested same crash cymbals at same heights... needed to increase leg radius to 14in and be more careful with boom orientation to gain stability. Even then, medium force strikes to the 20" caused the stand to move/walk a bit so need to experiment more. At least 16" and 18" medium crashes seem usable.
- As a joint boom crash and tom mount with TH904A holder, tested 16" and 18" medium crash cymbals at 44in height and 10" and 12" toms at 34in height. Leg radius remained at 14in. Toms were Pearl Reference Series with weights of 8.9 and 10.4lbs respectively and were specifically chosen for their fairly heavy weight and longer lateral extension with the aluminum OptiMount system (i.e. potentially worst case scenario). The tom arm was positioned directly over one leg and the cymbal arm opposite it with the boom angled 90 degrees to it. Toms on the CS3 setup bounced more from playing and from cymbal crashes than they did on the CS755 setup, but overall was more stable than the boom crash setup alone. The tom weight definitely helped offset the imbalance caused by cymbal crashes.
- Overall, the CS3 is a fine straight stand. It wasn't intended to be as flexible or solid as a CS7*, but the boom and tom mount arrangements show some promise and I'll continue to experiment.

Time to put these through the ringer on some gigs...
 
SS3 SNARE STAND

- Height range with 14x5in snare (to batter hoop top) is 58.4 - 77.5cm (23.0 - 30.5in). Very versatile.
- Tested with 13x5.75 and 14x5 -> 14x8 snares of varying weight at 28in height... zero problems with leg positioning, stability or playability.
- Overall, very impressive for its light weight. Definite keeper.




HS3 HI-HAT STAND
nut and felt bumper) appears identical to HS740A. ***

*** Les, I compared four additional HS740 / HS740A and one HS830 (which are often mistaken as HS730) stands this week and all top rod heights and lengths match and all bumpers are felt. Could you have possibly modified your 700 in the past with a longer top rod and rubber bumper?





Thank's for the SS3 max height, I was wondering how high it goes.


As far as the HS3 (HH Stand) the felt bumper mention to rubber was a personal upgrade for me, as felts (especially the CROSSTOWN felt, its a lighter/cheaper felt) compress overtime, that's a lube point for me- the bottom rod where it enters the bottom tube, so the felt(s) soak up lube. I didn't intend it to be taken as the 700 didn't have a felt bumper. I have an older TAMA LEVER GLIDE rubber bumper I'll get it switched out with.


My 700 top HH rod probably isn't the stock one. I meant to question that with an edit in my review, but forgot. So, good to know they're the same length, now I can pick my original 700 top rod out of the gaggle of top rods I have.



My last gig I noticed he CROSSTOWN HH stand wobbling a bit when playing a heavy handed 16th note groove, you can get it swaying depending on where you strike the cymbals hard i.e. in between the legs. This isn't a problem, I imagine if you're playing that hard all night you wouldn't have an HS3 at the gig anyway.


It would've been fine and nice if YAMAHA just used their 7000 series spec's with aluminum tubbing IMO. Call it the 700Al series, maybe not as light as CROSSTOWN, but plenty light for gigging, with more stability.

Other manufactures might want to consider this, and really the only way I see they can up YAMAHA at the lightweight hardware game would be to 'come really close' to the CROSSTOWN weight(s), but with slightly beefier stands. Pretty sure you can't get lighter than CROSSTOWN and still make it practical for gigging.
 
Thank's for the SS3 max height, I was wondering how high it goes.
No problem.

As far as the HS3 (HH Stand) the felt bumper mention to rubber was a personal upgrade for me, as felts (especially the CROSSTOWN felt, its a lighter/cheaper felt) compress overtime, that's a lube point for me- the bottom rod where it enters the bottom tube, so the felt(s) soak up lube. I didn't intend it to be taken as the 700 didn't have a felt bumper. I have an older TAMA LEVER GLIDE rubber bumper I'll get it switched out with.
Got it. Thanks for the clarification.

My 700 top HH rod probably isn't the stock one. I meant to question that with an edit in my review, but forgot. So, good to know they're the same length, now I can pick my original 700 top rod out of the gaggle of top rods I have.
No worries, I just didn't want to list bum info if I was mistaken.

My last gig I noticed he CROSSTOWN HH stand wobbling a bit when playing a heavy handed 16th note groove, you can get it swaying depending on where you strike the cymbals hard i.e. in between the legs. This isn't a problem, I imagine if you're playing that hard all night you wouldn't have an HS3 at the gig anyway.
See if this helps any next time... Before tightening the legs in place, lift the center tube so the base frame is about 1/16 - 1/8in off the rug, then tighten the leg clamp. Then screw in the spurs a bit. Now the legs will be under slight compression with the weight of your foot on the pedal. This helped stabilize it a bit more for me during testing. Gigging certainly may prove otherwise.

It would've been fine and nice if YAMAHA just used their 7000 series spec's with aluminum tubbing IMO. Call it the 700Al series, maybe not as light as CROSSTOWN, but plenty light for gigging, with more stability.

Other manufactures might want to consider this, and really the only way I see they can up YAMAHA at the lightweight hardware game would be to 'come really close' to the CROSSTOWN weight(s), but with slightly beefier stands. Pretty sure you can't get lighter than CROSSTOWN and still make it practical for gigging.
Agreed. Or even kept steel tubes or just lower tubes and used aluminum legs and castings, etc. like Canopus did for their Hybrids. The 700Al might then be considered a lighter-weight medium-duty compared to Canopus' lighter-weight heavy-duty.
 
See if this helps any next time... Before tightening the legs in place, lift the center tube so the base frame is about 1/16 - 1/8in off the rug, then tighten the leg clamp. Then screw in the spurs a bit. Now the legs will be under slight compression with the weight of your foot on the pedal. This helped stabilize it a bit more for me during testing. Gigging certainly may prove otherwise.


For anyone reading who doesn't know, this is exactly the way you stabilize any Hi Hat stand, put the weight on the legs, doing so also helps keep the stand from sliding (Im too lazy to mess with turning spikes, that's work for roadies, not drummers) and it cushions the ride when the bottom of the base casting is up off the floor.

I was playing a two handed 16th note groove (The Way U Make Me Feel-MJ) leading with my right hand, so the snare with the left, I was all relaxed nailing the HH with my right hand (Im r handed)and looked up to see the CROSSTOWN swaying like a ship on the high seas.

Again, the HS3 isn't meant for heavy playing, so the movement is not an issue for me. I guess I did find the HH3's stability limit. If the legs were able to swivel, or at least had a larger spread, this wouldn't've happened.



Yes YAMAHA left the door open IMO for some company to go aluminum with a little more stability. CROSSTOWN will still be the flyweight class king tho I do believe, like I said, I don't see how you could go lighter and still make it practical for gigging.
 
Hmmm. This talk of the Crosstown Hi Hat swaying is putting me off. My major complaint with the DW UL hardware is the hi hat sway. And while I’ve periodically gone back to my old Premier Hi Hat stand which doesn’t sway, I’ve also found myself periodically taking the DW hi hat stand to gigs too and thinking to myself that a) actually it doesn’t sway all of the time, and b) when it does sway it’s not so unacceptable that it’s putting me off or stopping me from playing what I’m trying to play.
This sounds like a piece of equipment that I’m ultimately going to have to try before I buy for fear of dropping well over a hundred quid and getting something that may possibly not be as compromised as the DW UL hi hat, but that’s still compromised enough to make the weight/practicality equation throw up a standard single braced model as a better option.
 
I have no idea what you people are talking about with the HS3 swaying. I've used it at 5 gigs since I got it, and it's been as solid as the 700 stand it replaced. I don't ruthlessly bash the hell out of my hihats, but I'm certainly no cymbal tickler either, and I use 5B sticks. Though part of my foot (usually just my toe resting on the heel plate) is on the pedal pretty much at all times, since I don't really play double bass anymore.
 
Definetly interested in this.

I believe even getting just the cymbal stands and snare stand and keepin my DW9000 BD pedal and hi-hat stand will still help with the weight, especially all my hardware is 9000 series. Think I might still get the ha-hat stand as it's pretty inexpensive and sometimes it doesn't matter. It's only when doing very intricate stuff I need to feel that much at home.
 
I was playing a two handed 16th note groove (The Way U Make Me Feel-MJ) leading with my right hand, so the snare with the left, I was all relaxed nailing the HH with my right hand (Im r handed)and looked up to see the CROSSTOWN swaying like a ship on the high seas.
Interesting. I'm not experiencing this Les.

I initially tested everything on a thin drum rug on a tile floor to provide a stable baseline for comparing the two series. So tonight I moved the HS to the practice room with carpet over soft padding to try to replicate a more uneven/flexing gig floor.

Moved the cymbals up to near max height on the default rod... 36" closed edge, 3/4" separation, clutch 1/4" from the top... base frame 1/4" above the carpet and spurs up (couldn't get ahold of the roadies).

I really got on them for 5 min +... and no swaying, none. There was some slight movement with foot splashes and foot clicks, but understandable given the sponginess in the carpet/padding.

Do you think your higher cymbal height might be causing the instability? Yamaha may have very well shaved that 1/2" off the rod height for stability reasons rather than weight. Just another thought.

Make no mistake, I don't classify any of the 3 series stands (especially the CS) as rock solid/stable as the 700, but that HS swaying would be a near no-go for me.
 
I have no idea what you people are talking about with the HS3 swaying. I've used it at 5 gigs since I got it, and it's been as solid as the 700 stand it replaced. I don't ruthlessly bash the hell out of my hihats, but I'm certainly no cymbal tickler either, and I use 5B sticks. Though part of my foot (usually just my toe resting on the heel plate) is on the pedal pretty much at all times, since I don't really play double bass anymore.

All HH stands without swivel legs have one leg at the 4:eek:'clock position. If your upper tube is high enough and you strike with moderate to heavy force onto the cymbals anywhere above that 4:00 position to say 1:00 the force is going to stress the stand at the base where its not supported by a leg, that open, tipping spot. Some stands 4:00 leg has a wide enough spread to counter, CROSSTOWN is playing in a bigger sandbox when this happens, its leg spread isn't that great.
 
I've now used the Crosstown kit on 4 gigs, with more coming up this weekend. I'm quite happy with it. My only issue was with the top felts on the cymbal stands. I feel that that they are too thick and stiff. Once the wing nut is tightened, the cymbal does not flex enough for my liking and becomes one with the stand, which meant that whenever I hit that crash, the stand would move a bit. So, I just swapped out the upper felts with thinner, less dense versions and problem solved.

As far as the HH, I have not had an issue either....I played a fast and heavy 16th note groove each gig (Devo-Whip It) and it held up fine. I did utilize the spikes on a stage that had a very hard, industrial carpet....they worked well.

I'm still using and older 900 boom stand to hang a tom off of, and am also carrying a Gibraltar heavy duty throne, so I still have a few more tweaks to get my full hardware weight to the lightest it can be. Soon enough though.

Thanks for the vid DCP, I was wondering what the velcro over the chain was for! ;)
 
All HH stands without swivel legs have one leg at the 4:eek:'clock position. If your upper tube is high enough and you strike with moderate to heavy force onto the cymbals anywhere above that 4:00 position to say 1:00 the force is going to stress the stand at the base where its not supported by a leg, that open, tipping spot. Some stands 4:00 leg has a wide enough spread to counter, CROSSTOWN is playing in a bigger sandbox when this happens, its leg spread isn't that great.

Yeah, I was just saying that mine is solid as a rock... and as solid as my 700 series hihat stand.

On a side note, the cymbal stands can handle a decent amount of weight hanging off them. I used the full hardware pack at a gig last week, hanging 10 and 13" toms off of one stand, and 19 and 20" crashes, and 20" ride on the other. Just gotta make sure everything is properly balanced.
 

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Wow, good for you to really put these stands through the paces....I was unsure if the aluminum would hold a clamp well without it crushing the tube. No issue with that???

I will eventually switch out the heavier base for the Crosstown base once I get an additional CS3.
 
Wow, good for you to really put these stands through the paces....I was unsure if the aluminum would hold a clamp well without it crushing the tube. No issue with that???

I will eventually switch out the heavier base for the Crosstown base once I get an additional CS3.

The tubes seem to be holding up fine so far. I'm gonna keep an eye on 'em though.
 
Snagged another CS3 and used the full set last week on a 4-hour country/rock gig.

Simple setup with 14x6" snare, 14" hats, and 18" and 20" crashes and 21" ride on individual straight stands with no attachments or upper tube replacements. I've gotten used to using small booms for crashes given the need to alternately use stand-mounted toms, but these straight stands were easily positioned closely.

I repeatedly tried to get the hi-hat to fail to respond to quick open-close patterns and yet the light spring tension consistently delivered. And as the night wore on, I laid into the crashes harder and their stability never faltered. No issues whatsoever with any of the stands. Very impressed.

The bandmates thought they looked like they came out of a space museum, but the joking turned to a "wow" when I handed them one. The odd thing is now my h/w bag seems to weigh more than the stands themselves so may need to replace it as well. ;-)

My only issue was with the top felts on the cymbal stands. I feel that that they are too thick and stiff. Once the wing nut is tightened, the cymbal does not flex enough for my liking and becomes one with the stand, which meant that whenever I hit that crash, the stand would move a bit. So, I just swapped out the upper felts with thinner, less dense versions and problem solved.
Another option is to eliminate the top felt and replace the wing nut with a quick release top like the Tama Cymbal Mate. It aligns perfectly with the Yamaha sleeve and allows the cymbal to float freely on just the bottom felt.

On a side note, the cymbal stands can handle a decent amount of weight hanging off them. I used the full hardware pack at a gig last week, hanging 10 and 13" toms off of one stand, and 19 and 20" crashes, and 20" ride on the other. Just gotta make sure everything is properly balanced.
Really like your overall setup there... creative, comfortable and versatile. Very nice.

And your last comment about using the cymbal stands for anything other than single straight ones is absolutely key... balancing 2 cymbals, 2 toms or at least one of each is vital to their stability.

I'm still not comfortable using them as a single boom, but maybe Jay has had better luck.
 
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