Musical Gear Review: How to Buy a Cymbal Stand

Buying a cymbal stand is simple, but even experienced drummers think all it has to do is hold the cymbal up. The truth is, there are many little things about an inferior quality cymbal stand that can ruin a prized 1962 20 inch Zildjian jazz ride. The following article explains the qualities one should look for and one should avoid when selecting a cymbal stand.

The best way to do this is from the bottom up. First, look at the feet; they should be big, wide, and have angled floor contact surfaces made of soft floor-gripping rubber. Avoid stands with feet made of hard plastic that are narrow and small.

Next, look for legs that are at least double-braced. Stay away from wimpy single-bar legs, as these tend to bend under the weight of bigger cymbals.

Moving up, the shaft should be made of heavy, telescoping tubular sections with a durable clamp-style lock. Avoid stands with friction-style locks where the key applies pressure directly to the tube, because these wear out over time, eventually losing their holding power.

Now we get to the pivoting mount. For straight stands, these should be held in place by a toothed locking mechanism instead of the inferior friction-lock that wears out over time

For boom stands, use the same criteria for the pivot, but make sure the end of the boom has a counterweight to offset the weight if the cymbal, otherwise they will be very unstable, especially under aggressive playing conditions. If the stand falls over, you can end up cracking a very expensive cymbal.

Finally, look at the mounting spindle. It should have a flat washer on the bottom, with two thick felt washers on top, and a large retaining nut (usually a wing nut) on top. It is important to make sure the threaded mounting spindle has a thick nylon sleeve over it to protect the center hole of the cymbal from a condition known as "keyholing", where the threads in the mounting spindly wears a slot in the bell of the cymbal over time which, in combination with the center hole, resembles an old-timey keyhole.

These mounts may have a flat washer on top of the last felt and under the retaining nut, but not always. Just make sure that the round felt washers are at least 3/4 to an inch thick; these are important parts of the stand, because any metal-to-metal contact between the cymbal and the stand or metal washers will cause the cymbal to crack or break.

A convenient, albeit uneccesary option is the "memory lock"; basically a metal ring held in place with a wing nut, which helps the drummer to reset his stands to the same height and degree of tilt at every setup. Thats about it, its pretty simple. These tips will help you to buy a quality cymbal stand to protect your investment. They may be pricier, but they're definitely cheaper than replacing an 18" Sabian Vault Series fast crash!