Hey... good thought for a thread, as I've always wondered the same thing. Back in the day I used to use the old Zildjian "snaps" (or whatever-they-were-called) with no felts on top, and now just use the wing-nuts / no felt. I just figured somebody on the retail end was just trying to sell more stuff...

Bill

Maybe so, but I've been saved more than once (and have saved others) by being able to use a top felt as a bottom if the lower one rolls away during set-ups in the dark.

I doubt that they're muffling my cymbals since I keep them loose. To me, the cymbals just don't look quite right without them.

Hey, now that's a good, common-sense answer... kinda like having a spare tire, huh?

Truth is, many many drummers swat cymbals hard enough to put them in a damaging position in relation to the wingers. That is but one reason for top felts.

If they never swing up high enough to hit the wing nut, why even put the WING NUT on?!?!?

If we're invoking the name of the great and powerful Buddy as a litmus test for the unnecessary use of "extra" gear, what about his 2nd floor tom...er...I mean, um, towel table?

This^^^^^. Good point.

caddywumpus!...

Please see post #16 in the "Drum Image Gallery" Slingerland 80N Buddy Rich/BHarrington for more info on the Buddy Rich "towel table". It wasn't always so! ENJOY!!

Tommyp

TOMMYP!!!!

Thanks! The "towel table" thing has always struck me as a bit funny. I thought it was either a joke, something he utilized because he had a roadie and didn't have to cart it around anymore, or a slap in the face to the 1 up 2 down tradition. Man, now I'm interested in finding out the actual reason he did it.

Here's a quick link for anyone else interested:

http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=26566&page=2

...I'm just wondering if a towel came standard with this outfit? If so, how much would they go for on eBay? :D

True enough I guess.. Maybe the wing nuts are just for looks also.

Maybe I'll remove mine.. lol. No, can't do it. ;)

My cymbals have always been flat so top felts have been a non issue for me.

Having seen Buddy perform several times, I'll attest to the "towel table."

60'sOldLudwigs!...

See the cymbals in my Avatar pic up top... FLAT!... and they HAVE felts too! LOL!! Buddy freak that I am.. well .. never cared for the "cymbal snaps" as they always seem to break in the "gig zone" over time. I used them a LOT in the early/mid 70's. I DO use very thin felts though. They let the cymbals move FREELY with zero restriction. Works well! Regarding the "towel table" :

I saw BR 5 times between 1973 and 1978.. ( Slingerland to Ludwig for endorsements ) .. and yes indeed, he always had his towel on the back 16X16. However!, for the first 35 years or so, Buddy actually USED that 2nd 16X16. From Slingerland to WFL to Rogers, he played that 2nd 16X16! What I discovered through tons of research/study over the years was that he STOPPED using that drum in 1968, the first year of his second Slingerland endorsement. I have an EARLY unpublished private picture of Buddy in 1968 during a sound check at the London Palladium with his NEW Slingerland set. So NEW that the Set-O-Matic tom holder wasn't even out yet... his tom holder was the rail consolette. Anyway, there's his back 16X16 with a towel and a pair of sticks on it! And so it began... in 1968. As to why... no one seems to know. You know, I met with him one on one in his dressing room in 1973. I should have asked him then! LOL!! Course none of us really thought about it... then. Indeed!

Tommyp