What's the lightest hardware out there?

[tomcoynedrums]

I have a couple of the little Ludwig LT stands, with the flat legs. They work fine, even for a ride cymbal.


http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... CHsQ8wIwBA

[Josiah]

Hey Guys...I'm looking to replace all my hardware with the goal of finding the lightest stuff out there,, Any suggestions?
And I don't care about the price if they are worth it...

Carbon would be the way to go then, referencing your price comment.

[chris perra]

I couldn't find any carbon fiber companies..

I wound up getting all the small 600 series flat based ludwigs..

They work fine for my needs.. I'm sure the Axis are better quality, but no one has any in stock in Toronto,..Or knows anything about them.

And at 40 bucks a stand, I can by 3 for the price of 1 Axis..
Here's hoping I won't need to haha...

[Josiah]

Of course not. Because they don't exist. Key being "money is not an object". The price point on carbon hardware is well above the feasible tolerance. That's why most music technology lags behind, drumming in particular.

You can have practically anything made for the task. Given that Carbon tubes are made in a massive array of sizing, it would be easy to purchase and have fit any tilter/boom system and leg system you wanted.... heck you could probably DIY that yourself.

If money isn't an option, I know several carbon guys that can make anything concerning drum hardware, it would be easy compared to what they are normally designing for. Shoot me PM and I can put you in touch.

Axis is crap btw. And flat based stands don't hold up to tripod style by a long shot, that's just simple physics. Single braced? Just wait for the joints to wear out, single rivets I bet, etc. You would be better off just buying cheap PDP or what have you hardware and replacing as needed.

The issue I think most people don't understand is it's not the "playing" that wears on hardware, it's the moving, tear down, setup, etc that does.

Or just you know, man up. People actually pay money to lift weight.... it's free for you!


*and yes you will need too. You get what you pay for in this world, often less.

[chris perra]

So far so good with the Ludwigs,.. I'm going to smaller stands because my back is messed up.. So manning up would only put me in traction for awhile haha..

I Imagine the Axis is pretty cool stuff, but no one has any in stock except for the pedals. I was looking at a PDP but the Ludwig was lighter..and cheaper..

I have heavy ass solid double braced hardware already ,.. it's not a matter of Sturdiness vs cost,.. For me it's purely whats the lightest and will it be useable.. So far I'm pleasantly surprised that the toothpick Ludwidgs do the job,..

If I was 19 years old, they'd be destroyed in a month or two.. But I can see these lasting indefinitely.. As long as they get loaded on the top of the hardware case. They'll be fine..

[Josiah]

ah back injuries do suck! Rolling cases.. maybe a tech? Nothing better then not having to do any setup.

[Rhythmatist]

The issue I think most people don't understand is it's not the "playing" that wears on hardware, it's the moving, tear down, setup, etc that does.

Or just you know, man up. People actually pay money to lift weight.... it's free for you!

I'm with you on this. I have gone through a lot of light hardware over the years...well made but just suffers attrition from all the abuse. About 15 years ago I said enough and now use Yamaha 700-800-900 series. And I've learned not to just throw stuff in a bag all clanking together...I use a large bath towel and roll each piece once so I have no metal to metal contact. I also use more bags with less stuff in each to lighten the load. And I refuse to buy actual hardware bags that cost more than the stands. I use lightweight athletic duffels and such that cost around 30 bucks each. The towels protect the stuff from damage better than a $200 bag anyway. AFA the last comment, agreed...with my day gig sitting behind a desk all day carrying gear can sometimes be the best workout I can get. Besides, it comes out of the van onto a Rock 'n Roller cart (every working drummer should have one) and gets wheeled into the venue and unloaded at the bandstand, stage etc. C'mon, it's not like the old days when I was a kid having to carry my stuff up 2 flights of stairs at the local K of C. There's a handicap ramp at every venue and very few multistory venues are without some kind of elevator. That's right, man up, grow a pair, break out that 2nd floor tom, side snare and those other 4 cymbal stands and be proud!!!

[chris perra]

One thing with those light cheaper ludwig stands,.. which are holding up well playing wise...
But, I got a metal sliver from adjusting the height adjustment thing... Cheap chroming...