New rack set up...

[Thrush]

Just got back from building new rack setup for the kit - 5 hours!!!! Why do these things take so long?!?!?!

Anyway, after getting a good deal on a bunch of Gibraltar rack bits - more than enough than I actually need - I decided to go the full rack route (you may have read my "what shall I do about my rack" threads)

So here's what I came up with;











There's also a fairly crap video of it I made - Rack Tour Video

So far I've not cut anything - I may still cut the ends off the front curved bars, as I've got about 5-6" overhang. But amazingly, the three 30" (or there abouts) straights that came with the rack bundle were perfect for uprights across the front. So there's three 30" front uprights, each with a 2ft long foot bar, 3x 40" curved bars (2 across the front, and one round the right behind the floor toms), a 36" straight with a 12" foot, and on the left a 24" curved bar (coming off which is a tom holder extending a bit further out to hold the left side china. I was gonna put the other long curved bar (43") with the the other 36" straight and a foot (long or short) but then I realised I wouldn't be able to get in behind it, haha!

Setup is 99% done - I couldn't actually play it at that time of evening, so I had to mime lol. But it feels more or less right. Next time I get over to play it I'll be able to adjust where need be.

Still got a 43" curved bar, 36" straight, short foot, long foot, 2x 12" mini straights, over half a dozen rack to rack clamps, either 1 or 2 multiclamps, and 10 or 11 memory locks (cos I forgot to put them on, then decided I cannot be bothered to strip it apart to put em on!) left over - which is cool I guess. Dunno what I'll do with them tho. Might cut the long straight down and get another PCL-100 to make a rack mounted snare stand, using one of the leg bracket clamps. Maybe.

5 hours... Sheesh.....

[Ignodium]

Do you climb in through your window when you want to play ?

Sweet setup! Your pictures don't do that finish justice.

[Thrush]

Haha, I can *just* squeeze round the left side to get behind it, hence putting mounting the left side china with a tom holder and clamp, so it can pivot

And thanks. You're right, they don't. Shoddy iPhone camera + ceiling lights = not the best pics. It's so hard to actually get good, representative, pictures of this finish at the best of times/conditions

[Gord The Drummer]

Initial rack setup is brutal. When I recently re-did mine, it took 6 hours over 2 days. Then I've tweaked it about 4 times since then, including last night when I decided that after about 7 years of playing my hihats very high, they needed to be lowered so that I can play more intricate things on them (paradiddle beats and such with the left hand were not comfortable). Racks are great for getting things in the right position consistantly, but the initial setup and tweaking are very time/labour intensive.

[Thrush]

Well this is the thing - I'm so used to the set up I had (apart from a couple additions; left side china and a couple splashes, I've had this same setup for going on 5/6 years) that moving it to a full rack means it's actually HARDER to position things where I'd like them to be. Sure, part of that is the location in which I have to set up - it's not the most rack friendly (it wasn't the most stand friendly either, fortunately, it worked almost perfectly with stands and getting creative with AX clamps)

So no doubt I'll have to tweek, retweek, etc etc when I get a chance to actually play it. I've mainly set it up so that things look like they're in the right place currently...

[Gord The Drummer]

that moving it to a full rack means it's actually HARDER to position things where I'd like them to be. Sure, part of that is the location in which I have to set up - it's not the most rack friendly (it wasn't the most stand friendly either, fortunately, it worked almost perfectly with stands and getting creative with AX clamps)

Yeah, I know this feeling.... but I can tell you this: Going with a Gibraltar (round tube) rack is great as you have far more flexibility with positioning. Remember - Your cymbal arms no longer have to be vertical.

[Thrush]

This be true. But they look better vertical

[Thrush]

Quite tempted to put coated white reso's on the kicks.... Not sure if it would work tho?

[Eric]

Amazing rig !!! Pure old school awesomeness !!!!

[nova]

Power set! Don't cut anything! (unless you want to!) lol!!!

[Thrush]

Thanks guys

I do kinda wanna cut down the excess off the rack tubes, however they aren't particularly intrusive, so I might leave them. And I'd really love to cut down the excess off the tom holders and cymbal holders, at least along the front rack, but I know I'll need the full length of them later, so I'm reluctant to...

[scaryguy]

Quite tempted to put coated white reso's on the kicks.... Not sure if it would work tho?

That would look great if you ask me !

[Signals]

Nice setup!

How do you like the rack? I ask only because when I had a Gibraltar I had to tighten the clamps down hard to keep from slipping. So hard in fact, that I damaged the aluminum pipes.

[Thrush]

Gibraltar rack bars are steel not aluminum, but they can still be damaged if you crank the clamps too hard. You should only use the road series clamps on the curbed bars, and not the power rack clamps, which need clamping tighter to grip hard enough, which can damage the bars. So long as you use memory locks with the clamps, there should be no slipping; my toms are extremely heavy, plus all their weight is above the clamps leaning in, and they've held fast for 6 years. In terms of setup flexibility and customisation, they are great!

With all that said, I'd probably still rate the icon as THE most stable/strong rack available today. Id perfectly happily stand my full bodyweight on an icon, but I don't think I would on a gibraltar rack. I used to have a pearl DR-1 (icon predecessor) and used to regularly stand on that - and I weight 16/17 stone (~230lbs)

[JY Kelly]

Another amazing addition to an already amazing kit.

I know how you feel not being able to play. Now that I'm bandless, my Masters are sitting in their cases in our spare BR... calling to me... lol