Grombal user? Here's a "hot" tip .......

[drumgadget]

...... I happened upon today ..... after a frustrating series of attempts to install one of these nifty devices in a new cymbal. I don't know exactly why, but the last couple of times I've done this I've really had to struggle. Getting old, for sure ..... but my hands just don't seem strong enough to get the confounded thing to rotate smoothly into the hole. I tried the dish soap lube trick (made my tenuous grip even more ...... tenuous .....); tried using locking pliers to squeeze the base of the Grombal together as suggested on their website, but I can't maintain that pinch for long with "bare hands" ........

Then I took a sip of my hot cuppa coffee and thought ...... "what if I dunk the Grombal in my steaming hot bev?" Well, not really - but I did put some boiling water from the kettle into a glass and heaved it in for 10 or 20 seconds. Pulled it out and voila! The damn thing slipped right into the hole with about one quarter of the effort!

I like these things ...... not just for the protective features, but also because you can use the wingnut to squeeze down on the Grombal making it harder to rotate. Then the snug fit between Grombal and cymbal allows you to "clock" the cymbal to any position you want ...... not just with the heavy side down (where it wants to hang). Particularly with hand-made cymbals, there are many "sweet spots" to be discovered other than the one enforced by gravity.

Mike

 

[IJR]

Thank you!

This just solved my issue of the crooked sweet spot I've been struggling with.

 

[IJR]

Maybe I'll do myself a favor and try the heat trick next time, too.

 

[Pounder]

Grombals are great for old fragile cymbals.

 

[5stroke]

Thanks for the tip-- I love the 2 Grombals I bought and use them on some special cymbals. They are truly an effort to get on and off, but they protect the best and allow the most open sound possible, a combo that is the best on the market as far as I've been able to determine.