Well, Camco stuff always was good.

I guess because I lunched a few pies from flimsy, single-braced or flat based stands, I am just extra careful and want the heaviest stands money can buy. I'd rather be a bit tired from lugging heavy stands than sick over a cymbal getting damaged. Remember that I was a gigging musician during the days that Poison, LA Guns, Guns n' Roses, and KISS (with no makeup) were HUGE. Then I covered Black Flag and the Sex Pistols in subsequent bands. My stuff was always breaking!!! Then the heavier stuff came out and my cymbals ended up not getting edge cracks from the stands dropping!!!!

My stuff is DEFINITELY not set up like Nicko McBrain's stuff!!!! I prefer to tower over my drum kit, even if I am all of 5' 9".

The lighter the better. Did you have a roadie to help you carry all the stands?

kellyj

Modern hardware all the way for me.

I have one stand holding either 2 racks toms and a crash, or 1 rack tom a crash and a splash depending on the set up. I need modern hardware for that.

Plus I'm short so with a double bass pedal if I didn't have a rotating leg hi-hat stand I could never set up comfortably lol

Depends on the gig. 50/50, I'd say.

You could do NONE of what you want with old stuff.

I guess I am not hitting very hard lately, I could do the gigs with a stripped down "bikini" kit, which I am leaning towards for the next four shows we have coming up.

50/50. I play out with two kits, and have two hardware "sets" that are packed and ready to go. My Ludwig Downbeat kit has a RIMS mount on it, so that hardware pack has 2 Yamaha single-braced stands, a tom mount, and 2 splash arms (for mounting my ride and another crash--3 crashes in all). My Gretsch Round Badge hardware set involves a second snare stand for the tom (I don't use the clip mount, and haven't found a 5-hole 12" RIMS mount yet...), and 3 flat-based cymbal stands (vintage). I use the Ludwig kit for musicals, rock and cover gigs, and the Gretsch for jazz and pop gigs. I don't ever have problems with stands toppling, and I occasionally hit really hard (depending on the gig/venue).

Never had a problem with a flat-based cymbal stand toppling. I can't imagine how that would be possible, unless you're intentionally TRYING to knock it over...

Could always get Pearl ISS mount for the Gretsch tom

I've been happily using the new flat based Ludwig cymbal stands and a DW6000 flat base hi hat stand. They're modern, but vintage looks and weight.

I am not into vintage kits with modern double braced hardware, racks, etc. but I also am my own roadie.

I only gig with vintage drums. I use vintage hardware when I can but I don't have enough of it. Unless you have a real museum piece, I think you should play them.