Stupid questions about gibraltar hardware

[ufotofu]

Hello all,

The other day I went out and bought all the hardware necessary to mount my v's on the gibraltar rack. Or so I thought. I got it together OK, and it works, but I still have a feeling that some things are wrong. So here are my questions:

1. Looking at some of the photos on the web (of v-drums on the Gibraltar rack), it seems that the best way to mount your toms is by using one L-rod and one "straight rod" with some sort of joint on the top. The L-rod connects the tom to the straight rod, and then the straight rod connects to the clamp. What I've got now is just an L-rod and a clamp, and it feels weird. It works, but it doesn't seem right. Also, the L-rods I bought are almost too big (in diameter) to fit into the clamps. I figured since they're Gibraltar L-rods they would fit perfectly, but they don't. The clamps I have are the heavy-duty ones that come with the GRS-350GC rack. Do I need to buy the smaller diameter L-rods? What about the straight extension rod?

2. The cymbal booms that fit into the uprights of the stand won't accept a PD-7 without removing all the extra stuff on the end (spacer, washer, padding). Is this normal, or do I need some kind of adapter? It feels loose with the boom sticking through the PD-7 with none of the other stuff on it. The only thing holding it on is the "twist screw" on the PD-7 itself. The topmost twist screw (on the boom) doesn't really do anything because of the way it fits.

3. Now here's a *really* stupid question. I also bought a Gibraltar throne (I forget what model, but it was about $75) and I can't figure out how to raise or lower the damn thing. You can use the adjustable tripod to some extent but it doesn't help much. Is this normal?

Well thanks for helping me out. BTW I'm having a blast with my new v's, but I really dislike the stick noise on the PD-7 pads. I plan to get a set of v-cymbals so hopefully that will help.

[drmoze]

Have you swithced over from the original Roland rack? I'm curious, because from your questions it sounds like you never used/saw the stock rack, as the set-up is the same.

Lessee, let's start with #1: The L-rod and clamp is all you need, just like the stock Roland set-up. I have Gibby L-rods that are a bit larger on one end, and this end goes into the clamp. I can't imagine what problem you're having with the clamps, as the small (non-rack-tube) side opens quite wide! You also have 2 options: having the L-rod pointing up or down from the clamp. Point it up if you want/like/have your front crossbar lower, and point it down if you want it a higher crossbar. It's a matter of taste.

The booms are made for real cymbals. You are correct: take off all of the washers, wing nut, etc. Put the PD7 on it and tighten the PD7's screw. This should hold the PD7 firmly. Save the other stuff for your acoustics.

Fore the throne, there should be a wing nut facing sideways, just under the seat. Loosen this, and the seat should turn (clockwise to lower it, counterclockwise to raise it). Then retighten the screw to lock it.

As for the cymbals, I don't mind the stick noise. But I also think the V-cymbals are very overpriced. You may want to consider the Yamaha PCY80S cymbal pads, which have great response,. are quieter and more flexible than the Roland pads, and are pretty cheap to boot! (About $70 each.) Hang onto the PD7's. You can use one right away as an extra cymbal or percussion pad (Crash 2 input), and if you get a Y cable to hook Tom 3 into the Kick 1/2 input, you'll free up that input for another stereo pad.

Also, see my recent post on the Gibraltar rack for how to make a very cheap second arm on the left side to hold the snare separately from the hi-hat, etc.

[Oz DrumR]

"You also have 2 options: having the L-rod pointing up or down from the clamp. Point it up if you want/like/have your front crossbar lower, and point it down if you want it a higher crossbar. It's a matter of taste".

Just a word of caution here - I've just had a conversation with Roland regarding my second broken clamp. They said that there are two major contributory factors to breaking clamps . . . firstly: overtightening (despite their manual saying numerous times to ensure that all clamps are tight & to re tighten them!),
The second piece of advice was to hang all L bars DOWN - as this has less impact on the clamp (the forces are in a better place!).
Now I'm not sure about this, and when I tried this configuration last night I ended up with all my drums around my bloody knees! (Custom kit). And bugger me if I didn't have a third clamp break!!

Anyway I think this is just Roland looking for excuses as to why their clamps are crap. Just thought I'd pass the 'advice' on (I've gone back to the L clamps up!)

Andy

[ufotofu]

Originally posted by drmoze:
Have you swithced over from the original Roland rack? I'm curious, because from your questions it sounds like you never used/saw the stock rack, as the set-up is the same.

Nope, I ordered the pads and rack seperately. (Guess I should go and look at the stock rack more closely.) I'm also new to drums in general, so I'm not yet up to speed on this stuff. I will try to check out the PCY80 cymbals next week.

[drmoze]

Oz, I concur with Roland's up/down advice, except that here we're talking about real *Gibraltar* hardware. $^) The heavy-duty split metal clamps and chromed steel crossbars don't care if the L-rods point up or down. So it's a matter of comfort and aesthetics.

ufotofu, also be sure to look at the PCY80S cymbal, not the PCY80. The 'S' is a stereo pad (like the PD7), which means it's chokable plus you can use the rim to trigger a separate sound (like a splash or china cymbal, or the bell on a ride).

And I gotta mention my other favorite add-on, the Yamaha BP80 dual-stick trigger, for the Aux 11/12 input. Although if you're replacing the PD7's, you could Y 2 of them into the 11/12 jack (losing rim triggering), and even put a third one on the Tom 3 jack (Y'ing Tom 3 into Kick 1/2), or just Y'ing a third PD7 into Kick 1/2 directly. That would let you use the 3 pd7's as rototoms, bongos, other cymbals, etc., while leaving your 4 cymbal inputs available for new cymbal pads.

Maybe I should stop here....