I haven't gigged in a while but I was using all Ludwig flat base stuff and it was great being able to carry all of my hardware at once without breaking my back.

If you are a real basher then I guess the modern stuff makes sense but I play mostly rock and have no stability problems with the old hardware. I also have some of the old Ludwig Atlas and Hercules tubular leg stands and I find them more than adequate and would be OK using it on a gig.

The Tama Classic cymbal stand is almost an exact copy of the old Ludwig 1400 stand. I have one and it seems as good as the Ludwigs so I would consider buying more if I didn't want to use the old hardware for gigs. The only downside is they went with 8mm thread for the cymbal arms.

At the time that the double braced hardware started coming out it seemed like such an innovation, but over time I realized that in most cases it was and still is complete overkill. If you are a pro and have roadies, then fine, but for a weekend warrior, I would never consider it.

I used all of the original style stands/throne with my late-50’s Rogers set for a while. It was nice carrying lightweight stuff, but I soon learned nobody but me could give a rip. I had to chase the hi-hat cymbals around playing the flat-based hi-hat stand, and my bony butt disagreed with the vintage throne. I still tried to keep it vintage where it didn’t really matter (cymbal stands, BD-mounted cymbal holder, snare stand) but went more modern for HH and throne.

Josh

Still use my trusty 60's Camco pedal, Rogers Swan leg cymbal stands and my Promark/Orange/Capelle Hi Hat.

I retired a few years ago, but I have gigged with vintage hardware before. It worked fine and actually was a pleasure when it came time to pack up -especially the Ludwig hi-hat and SpeedKing. It's definitely adequate for a light touch drummer on a brushes gig. But I KNOW the reason many of those stands got chewed up is from all the over tightening we did to the wing screws to keep the stands from collapsing....damn heavy-handed hippies and their new requirements for heavy duty stands...;) But seriously, I did appreciate my Rogers Big R kit when I was gigging outdoors on a windy day. I REALLY loved the Memriloc cymbal stands. I think they were my favorites of all time. But I also have some Tama Titan stuff that's just ridiculously heavy...I don't know what I was thinking at the time...

I give a hearty thumb's up to all the posts above. I'm a vintage 1960s Ludwig purist who plays rock and pop and some country in cover bands, so the lightweight vintage stuff is perfect....Three exceptions: I use an Atlas snare drum stand, because the simple 1960s style tends to bounce a bit when hitting the snare. And an Atlas hi-hat that doesn't scoot away from me. And I sit on a DW throne because the 1960s Ludwig seats are painful for a 3 hour gig...The more modern double-braced stands and the boat-anchor bass drum pedals are all too much for my 71 year old back....In California we play a lot of outdoor gigs and so I always pack a few dumb-bells in the car, to hold down the light-weight cymbal stands when the wind kicks up.

Enjoy the modern heavy-weight stuff while you're young!

Regards, mb

I used to use my Ludwig flat based stands but have switched over to DW flat base for gigging. They are the same light weight but I don't worry about banging them up. And I like the low profile look.

I don't use vintage hardware, but have started converting over to modern flat based hardware out of necessity. After three hernia surgeries, I still get groin pain, probably as a result of scar tissue, so lightening my load is essential. I'm still actively gigging, so I have to to do this and have no problem doing so.

I should add that I don't use a vintage throne. I have a SoundSeat and a Roc n Soc tractor seat throne, both with backrests. They are both heavy but definitely worth the effort. I can't imagine spending any amount of time on an old throne.

I proudly gig with my Ludwig 1400 Cymbal Stands, 1123-1 HI Hat Stand, Ludwig Flat Base Snare stand with old school basket and a Speed King Pedal. The one exception is a modern, lighter weight throne. As stated before, the old thrones were just............bad.

Having said that, I play almost exclusively jazz, quiet trio and quartet gigs in hotel restaurants bistros, coffee shops etc.. I'm not hitting hard or stomping the pedals at all. Very light and finesse type playing.

I've been out of a rock band for about 3 years now, but I gigged with lighter weight, but modern hardware when hitting harder. When I get the call to do so again, I'll most likely leave the vintage stuff at home and take some more modern Tama (or similar) single brace stuff.