Beefier flat base cymbal stands

[bonefamily]

Well... I’m still looking for that right cymbal stand, which I never thought would be such a chore - current cymbal stands are the Tama Classic flat base. My thread looking for a medium / medium light cymbal stand because I found the Tama Classics a bit too lively for my needs brought me to the Yamaha light weight 600 series. These are great stands, no doubt - however I am missing how close I could get the flat base Tama Classics right up next to my bass drum. I do not use rack toms, so I could get both left and right side cymbals stands right up there next to the bass. I like that aspect very much.

So again my search continues. From how it appears, it looks like the Tama Classics are among the smallest foot print flat base cymbal stands currently offered. Of course I am basing this comparison on online photos and manufacturer specs on tube sizes. So, I am asking what are some of the larger offerings in the flat base cymbal stand market? Appears we have those from DW, Pearl, Gibraltar, Canopus, Sakae, Ludwig,... I think I covered them all. Problem I have with the Tama Classics is that I found my 22” 2300 gram to be dancing around too much and causing more wash of that cymbal that I like. Are there any beefier straight flat base stands over the Tama? Sure I could just use tripod base boom stands, but would like to entertain the other flat base straight stand options first. Thanks.

 

[Heartbeat]

I use the Gibraltar flat base straight cymbal stand with a 24" Paiste 2002 ride and have never had any issues. It's rock solid and hugs in close to the bass drum. If you need to tame your cymbal, you can add felts, or put a piece of gaff tape under it.

 

[Glassman]

I have been very happy with the DW 6000 series (not the ultralight). I have played with a 24” Paiste Giant Beat and an older 24” 50s A on both the straight stand and the boom stand and they have held up fine. Both rides are around 3000g. I am not a heavy hitter but it is rock and there is some crashing on the rides involved.

 

[jashoup]

+1 on the DW6000s. I used them for all around gigging for quite a while, including rock and pop settings, and I have a thing for 22” cymbals. Never had any issues with them. I’m using the yamaha crosstown aluminum stuff now, but those aren’t flat base.

 

[varatrodder]

I used the DW 6000 (not ultralights) for 15 years with no issues. About a year ago I switched to the Tama stands for the lighter weight and more compact size, but I can’t say enough good things about the DW stands.

A tip for the DW stands: ditch the memory locks. I was using 2 cymbal stands and 2 snare stands. I took all the memory locks off and shaved 1.5 pounds off the weight.

 

[Browny]

I got the Pearl flat base stands. Not a pure classic flat base stand; the base can be flipped to a ‘normal’ single-braced configuration and the top section can be straight or boom out.

I tried putting a 20” K medium in the Tama classics up at the approximate height I set my stands and wasn’t comfortable at all, it get like it would tip really easily (and I didn’t want to drop the shop’s cymbal).

The Pearl and Ludwig flat base stand both felt significantly sturdier than the Tama Classic or DW 6000 (both were heavier/larger too) but the Pearl was about 35% cheaper than the Ludwig so I went with those. Really happy with them so far, it’s probably been about a year since I got them and no complaints.

 

[p83]

i just got some ludwig atlas flat base hardware. the cymbal stands have a generous footprint.

 

[Fat Drummer]

Another vote with Amy, the Gibraltar has proven to me at least to be the perfect balance between substance and still being flat bases. I only play larger cymbals and have never had an issue at all.

And here you can see that I push it all the way to my kick as well (an 18" in this case). Let us know what you decide on.

 

[bob]

i like the yamaha aluminum flat based stands
i have them on my 65 set . they work for me .... i haven't tipped one over yet

 

[bonefamily]

Thanks for sharing your experiences everyone! The photos help as well. I do like the Ludwig Atlas Classic a lot, but surely do prefer the lower price tag of some of the others. The Pearl have had my interest for a while. It’s not the classic look that has me sold on these, but more so the fact of getting them in as close to the bass drum as I can - the classic “look” is just a plus

I was hoping to read comments on the Sakae flat base stuff seeing how there are still good deals on them going on. Looking at photos online they appear they might have a slightly larger footprint over the Tama Classics, but it’s really hard to be sure in photos.

 

[owr]

I second this, I got a pair of the Pearls when they first came out, there was a deal on them like $40 a stand or something. I think what I have are the 150s, but they may have changed slightly?

Anyways, these sound like what you may be looking for, wider foot print, mine feel slightly beefier than the dws, way beefier than my Canopus. They can be slightly over extended so they don’t sit perfectly flat, convenient to get a mic or guitar cable under (not that I’d recommend that...). I even ran with a pair of these and hung 10/12 toms off of them. They bounced a bit, but I’d never do that with my dws.

I got the Pearl flat base stands. Not a pure classic flat base stand; the base can be flipped to a ‘normal’ single-braced configuration and the top section can be straight or boom out.

I tried putting a 20” K medium in the Tama classics up at the approximate height I set my stands and wasn’t comfortable at all, it get like it would tip really easily (and I didn’t want to drop the shop’s cymbal).

The Pearl and Ludwig flat base stand both felt significantly sturdier than the Tama Classic or DW 6000 (both were heavier/larger too) but the Pearl was about 35% cheaper than the Ludwig so I went with those. Really happy with them so far, it’s probably been about a year since I got them and no complaints.

 

[codydee12]

I know you just mentioned the Ludwig, pearl and sakae brands but put me down as another vote for the DW6000s (the version with the 9000 style tilt lock). My smallest cymbal is a 20” and I often attach a boom arm and a spds to these stands. Never had an issue with any stands dancing away.

 

[Glassman]

Outside of the cymbal stands, I have also been very happy with the DW 6000 series hi-hat stand. I have 2 of them on 2 different sets. One is stationary with a practice set and the other gets gigged. It is holding up really well so far. The snare stand, however, is my biggest gripe. I play my snare flat. I switch between matched and traditional during sets and flat offers the best position to accommodate both. That being said, I have 2 of the 6000 snare stands and the teeth on the tilters are aligned such that the snare either tips slightly forward or slightly backward. One stand is worse than the other. A friend says his sits perfectly flat. So, quality control seems lacking on the snare stands for some reason and I am unwilling to keep buying them to eventually get a good one. I managed to solve the problem though; I switched to a Premier Lokfast snare stand and I absolutely love it. Amazingly sturdy for a vintage stand.

 

[foxy_shazamtastic]

Outside of the cymbal stands, I have also been very happy with the DW 6000 series hi-hat stand. I have 2 of them on 2 different sets. One is stationary with a practice set and the other gets gigged. It is holding up really well so far. The snare stand, however, is my biggest gripe. I play my snare flat. I switch between matched and traditional during sets and flat offers the best position to accommodate both. That being said, I have 2 of the 6000 snare stands and the teeth on the tilters are aligned such that the snare either tips slightly forward or slightly backward. One stand is worse than the other. A friend says his sits perfectly flat. So, quality control seems lacking on the snare stands for some reason and I am unwilling to keep buying them to eventually get a good one. I managed to solve the problem though; I switched to a Premier Lokfast snare stand and I absolutely love it. Amazingly sturdy for a vintage stand.

View attachment 478310 View attachment 478311

Premier lokfast are the sexiest stands ever!

 

[K.O.]

Of the various flat base stands I have in my inventory the Gibraltars seem to have the largest footprint. What turned me off on using them for gigs is that they didn't weigh significantly less than my Yamaha 700 series stands (or didn't seem to when the hardware case was loaded) so using them seemed sort of pointless. I switched to the (since discontinued) Ludwig LT126 cymbals stands and they have served me well for indoor gigs. None of them work so well outside on a windy day, the Yamahas come back out in those instances.

 

[bonefamily]

Ah yes, the other DW 6000 series stands - not to be confused with the Ultra Light series. They seem to be priced close to the Ludwig Atlas Classic gear. I will say I am favoring the Pearl... seems like the middle of the road in both price and heft.