Dw, or the modern Ludwig's are both real good. I got my DW's for a deal from the local shop. Otherwise, I'd do the Luddies. Every bit equal, and a bunch cheaper. Gibraltar's are ok, but noticeably heavier........

Bill D.

There's modern ones that I don't like too much and there's the Ludwig 1400's which were always popular but hands down my favorites are the Walberg & Auge's sold as Gretsch up until sometime in the 70's. Slingerland and Camco made some others but the design of those reminds me too much of some Made in Japan stands I had when I was a kid.

The Gretsch ones aren't usually too cheap, and some of them have terrible chrome. The nickel ones are hands down the coolest to me.

Here's one, although a wing nut is the wrong one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Gretsch-Flush-Base-Cymbal-Stand_W0QQitemZ280460021254QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item414cb84e06#ht_500wt_924

Thanks for the responses so far guys!

I think I am leaning towards modern stands....I am a hard hitter at times, and I need something that can stand up to some abuse.

Any other suggestions other than Ludwig or Gibralter? Due to past experience I will never purchase another piece of DW hardware, so those are out on principle! I just want something affordable that works well...they don't have to be vintage era correct or anything. Just light weight and sturdy!

-Adam

I had a Ludwig LT126CS, which is Ludwig's flat base lightweight cymbal stand and I didn't like it. Ludwig shouldn't sell stuff like that because it makes them look bad IMO.

I haven't tried them but other people have said they like Canopus flat based stands. I doubt they are as light (and as cool) as the Walberg & Auges but they might be something to look at.

I am not a huge fan of flat-base stands. I like the look but I feel they went out of style for a reason. I am a fan of single braced, well made hardware.

Saying that, I do own and use some Premier vintage flat base stands- I like the lighter weight and the vintage look but I can notice more stability with a decent, light, single braced modern Yamaha stand.

Wow. Flat stands and double braced monsters...

In my opinion, which lacks all humility, the flat based stands do just fine. I have Ludwig, Slingerland, Camco, and a few others. I like the Slingerland best because:

1. It has a more adjustable and more stable tilter.

2. It has a greater height adjustment (you can make it taller).

3. It has a more stable base.

4. The wing on the bottom is larger and easier to deal with.

5. The legs are a bit more hurky.

There are a few other items, but they are more in line with looks.

The Camco is a VERY close second.

I play soft and very hard at times. I have cymbals up to 22 inches. None of them have ever been an issue on these stands. As far as "why" these flats went out of style.......look at the large hardware that came out to replace these. It's just too much. I've used most of it over the years and can attest that you just don't need that much support unless you're holding up toms. Cymbals do just fine on the flat stands. Never had one slip or fall...ever. As far as DW is concerned - I firmly believe they are in cahoots with the steel industry. They put so much mass into those stands that it takes two people to carry the hardware case of most setups. Freekin' heavy stuff. NEVER AGAIN! Way too much steel to hold up a cymbal.

I use both new Ludwigs and old. I like them both. They put my cymbals where I can hit them, they don't fall over or down and they weigh 3 lbs each. Whats not to like? (Plus I got the old for $5 and the new for $30!)

Thanks guys!

I did some looking around last night, and it seems like for the bucks, the gibraltar stands are the best buy. $50 each (asking price) in terms of new stuff...probably can get em for $40 each with my "connection" at the shop.

After looking at prices etc, I don't think I really wanna go out and buy vintage stands to gig with. Just seems like the new ones will be a little tougher and I won't have to worry about beating them up and losing value.

Does anyone have experience with the Gibraltars? I am not SUPER concerned with weight. I have definitely huffed double braced monsters around for the past 10 years so I am fine with a little weight, but I recently culled my cymbal set up down from 2 rides and 2 crashes to just 1 of each and so the loss of the two stands worth of weight is good enough right off the bat. I just want something that will do the job and have that "vintage appearance".

Does anyone else have experience with the Ludwig stands being cheaply made? I am personally not a fan of anything Ludwig does in terms of drums these days (with possible exception of the new line of snares they came out with) and so I am hesitant right off the bat to give their hardware a shot. I think their kits are just ridiculously priced for something impersonating their quality vintage kits only with crappy new growth wood. Why spend $3500 on a new "Classic Series" Ludwig when you can get a killer vintage Ludwig kit and 8+ vintage snares for that money?

ANyway...not trying to start an argument about Ludwig. Just curious if anyone has any other experience with either Gibraltar or Ludwig flat base stands!

Also, one of those cymbals I culled down is for sale if anyone is interested. It is an AMAZING sounding 22 inch Bosphorus Stanton Moore "Wide Ride". Pretty much new...just gonna sell it so I can get a 22" or 24" Med K (if they ever made a 24?) to use as my main ride. Looking to get $300ish for the Bosphorus. I paid $400 plus tax just a few months ago.

Thanks!

Adam

I bought Gibraltar flat stands for my set a while back, and have no complaints with them. I wasn't beating the hell out of them, but I did use one for a 24" Paiste Giant Beat ride and didn't have any stability problems. That was on the straight stand, though. On a boom it might have been a little too much weight off center, but I never tried that.

I didn't get the DW because they had a plastic knob to tighten one of the parts and that just bugged me...they may have changed that, but at the time it was enough to keep me from buying.

Troy