Poetman,

I think you might have missed Tommy's explanation. Bending the rod doesn't cause the brush to remain open; it prevents the brush from opening any further. A lot of us don't like a brush fully opened and extended because it may be too soft when fully opened. I open my right brush only about 3/4 so it has a little more impact on the ride cymbal. Bending the rod at the right place guarantees my right brush will always have the exact extension I like. (I also have a set of brushes which I've bent just the tips of the right-hand brush wires at a 180 degree to have better definition on the ride cymbal, but that's a whole different topic).

I have to confess though, as a teenager I originally bent my brush rings at a right angle so they would hang from a bass drum T-rod. Handy place to keep them.

Mike

Thanks for this thread. I don't use brushes often, but I find myself wrapping my little finger around the metal rod at the bottom to keep the fan of the wires tighter. If I forget to wrap my fingers, the brushes open up all the way and I lose volume. A light bulb began to get brighter and brighter in my head as I read the first few posts, then poppies and Tommyp confirmed what I was beginning to suspect. I don't know why I hadn't thought to bend the rod before, but I will now. Cool1

Lynn

Bingo! I do the exact same thing for the exact same reason.