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What's the ideal Hi-hat design?


oyajipunk

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I just finished reading a HUGE article in a Japanese magazine on just about all the Hi-hats available out there at the moment. There are so many different designs out there, it made me wonder "Is there a perfect formula for Hi-hats?" I mean, every maker has an average of 4 linkage designs and 4 different foot boards! They can't even agree on a formula!

 

The most noticeable results of design differences seemed to be:

1) More or less cymbal resonance, and

2) More positive close to the Hi-hat, also producing a better splash sound.

 

How they achieve these results are:

1) Harder felts (sometimes rubber) in the clutches, and to a lesser extent a nice strong stand that 'helps' the cymbals resonate (the magazine's words, not mine), and

2) Cams or levers, enabling more leverage for less effort when closing the hats. The most famous to date is the Pearl cam system, second is probably the lever system of the Iron Cobra (and an even more complicated version on the Yamaha stands), which I liken to rising rate suspension on motorcycles.

 

Top of the heap in this review was the Iron Cobra, but the whole review got me thinking about why I don't like my Hi-hat, a Pearl 885, it doesn't close positively. This is due to the linkage, a chain-loop affair, actually taking energy away from the pedal, rather than adding to it like the cams/levers.

 

SO, here is my ideal Hi-hat, what's yours?

 

* Cam system for pushrod linkage, like the pearl H-2000.

* Separate springs L & R, adjustable from above like the Ludwig LM916HH (the theory of the pushrod operating independently from the springs strikes me as common sense).

* Extra hard felt washers on the clutch, like the Ludwig LM917HH.

* The wide, rough flat black foot board of the Iron Cobra HH905.

* Double-braced triple legs, that rotate to allow double pedal placement.

* Finished in anodised gold - now that would be nice!

 

Might just go out and buy an H-2000 anyway...

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The best put together package I've ever played is probably the Iron cobra with the cam on the pedal, pretty cool...I still play a old school mid range Yamaha 750 series thats about a year old. I like that its uncomplicated.

 

 

------------------

Dan Bailey

IM onegreyneed

Email onegreyneed@yahoo.com

IM onegreyneed

Email onegreyneed@yahoo.com

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