What kind of tape do you use to mute cymbals?

[Titus Pullo]

No tape. I sell the cymbals that need muting and find other ones that do not.

This is good advice, but I'd make a definite exception for larger rides. Many 24" rides that aren't relatively heavy mix very well musically but can overwhelm with just the kit in a practice room or when recording. On the bandstand, however, it's a completely different ball game, and those qualities can set these big cymbals apart.

 

[Titus Pullo]

Surgical tape...Easy on/Easy off...No residue...

I knew I had some surgical tape around somewhere and I found a roll of 3M MicroSpore tape and tried it out. Works great with either a strip or, as I did, applied in small squares (1") roughly halfway between bell hole and edge on a 24" Agop Joey Waronker ride that's a little washy. I used three pieces and it really cleaned it up without killing the character completely. I'd likely remove it on stage.

 

[OptikDrums]

Tape on a cymbal? isn't that one of the 7 deadly sins?

 

[Dead Armadillo]

Tape on cymbals? Just say NO.

 

[dcrigger]

Frankly, tape looks like a$$.

But for me, since this isn't a beauty contest - but a "what can I make into what ever shape/thickness/size I need and have it actually/reliable/no-questions-asked stick where I need it to get the sound I need" contest... which means with a single roll of real gaff tape - which for $15 dollars lasts 5 or 6 years, I can skip the trips to Toys-R-Us, I don't have to carry scissors to trim my holiday decorations to size, and can skip the whole wash them and keep them clean in a sealed container bit altogether.

In a nutshell, I've always found moongel to be a big pain - with zero advantages.

Not that I use tape on cymbals that often - but to knock the sound of one down, gaff is what I would use.


David

 

[Cymbalist]

Tape on cymbals? Just say NO.

Why? What's the logic behind that? I very rarely tape a cymbal, but in a few instances, it has worked beautifully...If it provides a sound you are looking for, why not? Especially if you use a tape (like surgical tape) that leaves no residue...

 

[johnny]

O.k., maybe a strange question.

I know some people have used tape on their ride cymbals to tighten up the wash but my question is:

What kind of tape do you use?
What can you use so that if you ever want to remove the tape, the cymbal isn't trashed?

Thanks for the insight all you cymbal genies.

Love this question, as I can't imagine using tape on anything I'm playing, except duct tape to hold something together (back in the 70's) and if the pie doesn't get it for me, I flip it and try something new...hey.... there it is...TRY A NEW PIE!!!

 

[lextune]

No tape. I sell the cymbals that need muting and find other ones that do not.

^This.

 

[drumtechdad]

No tape. I sell the cymbals that need muting and find other ones that do not.

Tape on a cymbal? isn't that one of the 7 deadly sins?

Tape on cymbals? Just say NO.

Lovely sentiments. Still, I have a beautiful 60s-era 20" A ride with which I would not part, yet it has a smidge too much wash for many situations. I see no reason to haunt ebay/craigslist in the vain hope that I might find a cymbal that will sound two different ways in two different rooms or with two different bands. A 4" piece of gaffer's tape is all I need. That makes me happy. Don't you want me to be happy?

Frankly, tape looks like a$$.

Mmm. I go for sound, not looks.

But for me, since this isn't a beauty contest - but a "what can I make into what ever shape/thickness/size I need and have it actually/reliable/no-questions-asked stick where I need it to get the sound I need" contest... which means with a single roll of real gaff tape - which for $15 dollars lasts 5 or 6 years, I can skip the trips to Toys-R-Us, I don't have to carry scissors to trim my holiday decorations to size, and can skip the whole wash them and keep them clean in a sealed container bit altogether.

In a nutshell, I've always found moongel to be a big pain - with zero advantages.

Not that I use tape on cymbals that often - but to knock the sound of one down, gaff is what I would use.


David

There you go.

Tape on cymbals? Just say NO.

Why? What's the logic behind that? I very rarely tape a cymbal, but in a few instances, it has worked beautifully...If it provides a sound you are looking for, why not? Especially if you use a tape (like surgical tape) that leaves no residue...

Stop making sense!

 

[Cymbalist]

I used to be a "purist" who would trade or sell a cymbal instead of putting tape on it...Then I asked myself why not just put tape on it, if it provided a desired sound, and could not come up with a single logical reason...It was just a knee-jerk reaction on my part...

If putting a piece of tape on a specific cymbal provides a pleasing sound, why not do it? Many great drummers have and do.. I'm talking sonically here...I'm not one who treats his cymbals as if they visual works of art, not to be tampered with in any way...This is music, not a beauty contest...For me, its all about the sound...Maybe one of you guys who feel otherwise can chime in...