I have used a Rogers Swivomatic bass drum pedal and Swan leg hi-hat since 1961. Rogers Swan leg cymbal stands are my first choice. But, I still also use the single-braced generic cymbal stands made by both Walberg & Auge and Camco in the 1950s and 1960s. They have never failed, and the various parts on all of the cymbal stands are interchangeable. I have stayed with the same simple Camco snare drum stand since the mid-1950s because it has been through many "wars" with me without ever failing to do the job. I have fancier snare drum stands. but, they all fail to go low enough to bring the snare drum to the proper playing height for me. If the toms are not attached to their respective bass drums with Rogers Swivomatic hardware, the trusty old rail consolette is still a winner.

I had my 50-year-old Rogers kit out at a couple of big band gigs over the last week, along with all of its vintage stands and pedals. I took an extra bass drum pedal "just in case" but that was unnecessary. As others have attested, he Swivo-era hardware is outstanding. Compare that to last night at concert band rehearsal -- I set up the band's relatively new kit and struggled with snare and cymbal stand legs that didn't want to unfold and a snare basket tilter that could not be tightened enough to keep the snare at a consistent angle. Grr... No excuse...

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rstange1... That drum set looks like a perfect outfit for any gig.

60s Rogers Swivo hi-hat stand and bass drum pedal. I don't use the bass pedal at the moment because I had to replace the strap and fell in into another kind of love with my modern direct drive Yamaha. 60s Ludwig snare stand, 60s Ludwig 1400 cymbal stands. And one 60s Slingerland cymbal stand for good measure.

JFBL is another man who appreciates the greatness of well-designed and well-made light weight drum hardware from the mid 20th century. If it is not abused, that hardware will continue to do the job for another fifty years or more. mine survived 20 plus years of travel and gigging with a rock n roll band.

Yeah, my first good pedal was a Swivo. It was all I knew for a long time. But that leather strap kept stretching and stretching and it became inconsistent. That's when I started my love affair with the Squeak King and coveted my friend's Ghost. Once I got used to not having that squishy feeling leather strap, there was no looking back!

Years later....like 1984, I bought a DW 5000 "turbo" chain drive. I STILL use it and it's been through just about everything the gigging world could throw at it!. But, now for playing jazzy stuff on my Jazzettes, the Squeaker is King! ;)

The leather strap can be replaced with a synthetic woven material such as the type used for dog collars or machines that use belt drives. They don't stretch.

Oh yeah, I'm sure there are fixes....but by that time, I was onto the direct and chain drive pedal designs. I always thought Rogers made the most elegant hardware....the best looking and often best working stuff, too.

In fact, years later, when I got my Big R kit, it came with the Supreme pedal -which had done away with the leather strap of the Swivo and replaced it with some weird kind of impregnated composite material that felt like a leather strap pedal, but didn't stretch. There were many things about that Supreme pedal that I liked.....and even more that I hated! ;)

I certainly appreciate light weight. However, I’m bucking the trend, while keeping my chiropractor’s kids in college, by using the Yamaha 900 series hardware.

It is the only hardware expected to survive a direct thermonuclear strike. It will require a bit of brasso after said strike but it’ll still hold strong.

A few years ago, I acquired this Swivomatic pedal. It must be either a transitional model right before the Supreme or somebody merged the two models together to make this pedal. However it came to be, this is my favorite Swivo pedal of the several I have owned. The lever mechanism to connect to the bass drum hoop is a real pleasure to use compared with the need for the separate hoop-mounted clamp. Notice the synthetic material strap. The beater was a gift from a friend. The head is on a pivot. The first hit positions the beater to land in a full-face splat on every hit that follows. I use a moleskin patch at the point of impact.