Hey guys,
Just thought I'd write up a little comparison for the benefit of all.
Okay, so now I have both the Gibralter claw and the LP claw. The Gibralter claw cost me AU$25 and came with an L bracket. The LP claw cost me AU$80, and came with a much larger L bracket equipped with a standard smaller guage threaded tip, plastic sleeve, two felts and a wing nut. I assume both companies sell both products with varying styles of L-bracket and otherwise, however this is how they were stocked at my percussion store.
The Gibralter clamp is heavier and bulkier than the LP clamp, however the LP clamp (clamp mechanism itself) is much more structurally integral, as it is a straight up-down situation, like a flower-press, rather than the hinge-like-mechanism of the Gibralter which is more like a nutcracker situation. This also means that the LP claw presents less stress on the rim it is mounted too (due to much slimmer profile), however depending on the situation, this may or may not be negligible.
By virtue of the mechanisms, the LP claw is far more likely to effectively clamp onto a wide variety of drum rims. The Gibralter claw has one thing going for it however, and that is because of its deeper 'claw', it would be possible to mount it to a certain non-drum rim objects, such as standard drum hardware sized brackets, however the effectiveness of this is quite dubious. Obviously price favours the Gibralter for the experimenter.
Now for the most interesting part:
The Gibralter claw offers unrestricted adjustment in the dimensions of _pitch_ and _yaw_, while the LP claw offers unrestricted adjustment in the dimensions of _roll_ and _yaw_. In practice, this makes little difference, however it may be a consideration worth taking for some purposes and situations.
So in summary, the LP claw I found to be massively overpriced, however it has much more integrity, is designed much better, and is constructed from a lighter material. I would certainly prefer the LP claw, cost aside.
As it happened, I ended up switching the L brackets between clamps, which seemed much more suitable and sensible to me. I am now using the LP clamp on my side drum where I feel integrity, and stress, and build quality is more of an issue due to having already stripped the thread on the tom mount once. The Gibralter clamp is being utilised on my floor-bass drum, being more robust and tolerant.
I hope this addresses some interests for those wishing to purchase a claw.
Regards,
Hayden.
gibralter claw vs LP claw
There's a music-go-round here that had a used 15" suspension mount for sale. It comes with a tom arm clamp on it already, and I think it was a 6-lug but I'm not sure. It was there when I bought my 16 a week or two ago. Do you want me to see if they still have it? I paid $20 for mine.hayden wrote:The LP claw would be ideal for suspension mount. I am trying to find a 15 inch suspension mount, but can only find 14 and 16...
Another local shop has a ton of lightly used 15" heads too. They gave me an ambassador free the last time I bought something there. They had some darn nice 15" heads there, including the one I thought would be great for a bass beater head on the bottom of the tom or main cocktail drum: the Remo Pinstripe Ebony 2-ply. It's almost like a hydraulic head, seriously dampened with very little overtones. There's others there too... emperors, ambassadors, etc. These two are cheap and easy to come by, but the ebony pinstripe is not a stock item around here. In fact for my 16 I had to get a hydraulic instead because I couldn't find the ebony. I might be able to snag you one, and if you end up interested in the suspension mount then they could ship together.
thanks for the offer, but I better sit tight for a while, I have already spent way too much money on my kit, when I should be trying to register my car! I am surprised about the availability of the 15inch heads, my music shop laughed at me when I asked to swap my 14inch remo trad head for a 15inch. They only had a small selection of ambassadors really.
Cheers,
Hayden.
Cheers,
Hayden.
Hey Hayden,
Thank you for the detailed revue of the Gibraltar and LP claws!
I would like to add a couple of my own observations from extensive use of both of these:
I have found a few problems with the LP claws in my own setup that have made me a big fan of the Giraltar claw for certain situations...
* With a sticksaver rim (rounded on top) the LP claw always tilts in towards the drum head. This causes the mounting rod to be angled inward towards you. Even with the rotary adjustment it makes it impossible to mount anything perfectly parallel to the drum head (the way I like the cowbell!)
* Over time the sturinessof the LP clamp lossens. I would not say this is critical, I have never had one fail. Just over time I find that weight of the mounted item can lossen the clamp and make things a bit slippery
* The rotary adjustment clamp can be overcome by torque. I use claw with a cymbal arm to mount a cymbal to my rim. To position it comfortably, I like to extend the arm sideways across the rim instead of straight back. This puts the load of the cymbal directly in line with the rotary adjustment. Again over time I have found that the adjustment just doesn't hold and will slip during a gig.. I have used the same Gibraltar claw for over 5 years for this function without a problem.
Don't get me wrong, I love the LP Claw! The size and weight can't be beat. I just founf that I was struggling with these problems and the Gibraltar has really made my mounting setup very solid.! Now I use both.
To resolve the problem with the LP Claw and Stick Saver rims, I added a Gibraltar rim to the TOP of the drum. Now I can mount all the LP Claws I want and they are straight up and down!
Check it out:
http://www.cocktaildrum.com/learn/setup ... m/jkm.html
- John
Thank you for the detailed revue of the Gibraltar and LP claws!
I would like to add a couple of my own observations from extensive use of both of these:
I have found a few problems with the LP claws in my own setup that have made me a big fan of the Giraltar claw for certain situations...
* With a sticksaver rim (rounded on top) the LP claw always tilts in towards the drum head. This causes the mounting rod to be angled inward towards you. Even with the rotary adjustment it makes it impossible to mount anything perfectly parallel to the drum head (the way I like the cowbell!)
* Over time the sturinessof the LP clamp lossens. I would not say this is critical, I have never had one fail. Just over time I find that weight of the mounted item can lossen the clamp and make things a bit slippery
* The rotary adjustment clamp can be overcome by torque. I use claw with a cymbal arm to mount a cymbal to my rim. To position it comfortably, I like to extend the arm sideways across the rim instead of straight back. This puts the load of the cymbal directly in line with the rotary adjustment. Again over time I have found that the adjustment just doesn't hold and will slip during a gig.. I have used the same Gibraltar claw for over 5 years for this function without a problem.
Don't get me wrong, I love the LP Claw! The size and weight can't be beat. I just founf that I was struggling with these problems and the Gibraltar has really made my mounting setup very solid.! Now I use both.
To resolve the problem with the LP Claw and Stick Saver rims, I added a Gibraltar rim to the TOP of the drum. Now I can mount all the LP Claws I want and they are straight up and down!
Check it out:
http://www.cocktaildrum.com/learn/setup ... m/jkm.html
- John
Good points John, and what an excellent kit you have! A suspension rim will definitely be on my shopping list in the future.
Zimbop:
Thankyou very much, I am located in Australia but am very uncertain of what heads I want, I am currently in the process of experimenting with whatever I can get, and I thought coated ambassador and clear ambassador was a good start. In my area there is not a lot of variety in 15inch heads, infact almost none at all. The most stock of 15inch I have found at a drums store has been around 5 or 6 heads, all remo. But If you can make any suggestions, I might be interested. You can refer to my heads/tuning thread to see what I actually have in mind. An Evans hydraulic might be intersting, or maybe an ebony pinstripe, i have no idea if these heads are available in 15 inch.
Cheers,
Hayden.
Zimbop:
Thankyou very much, I am located in Australia but am very uncertain of what heads I want, I am currently in the process of experimenting with whatever I can get, and I thought coated ambassador and clear ambassador was a good start. In my area there is not a lot of variety in 15inch heads, infact almost none at all. The most stock of 15inch I have found at a drums store has been around 5 or 6 heads, all remo. But If you can make any suggestions, I might be interested. You can refer to my heads/tuning thread to see what I actually have in mind. An Evans hydraulic might be intersting, or maybe an ebony pinstripe, i have no idea if these heads are available in 15 inch.
Cheers,
Hayden.
I'm telling you those are available in 15", I saw them in the store that way, that's how I discovered them. Are you looking for a bass beater head? In that case if you like a thud with very little overtones, I suggest a hydraulic. If you prefer just a tad more ring, but still a lot less than an ambassador or emperor, then I definitely suggest the ebony pinstripe. That's the daddy I think, the hydraulic might be even a little too damped. I'll stop by that store this weekend and see if I can coax a variety of 15s from them. If they go for it then I'll send them to you by whatever method you can afford. I'll also check for the suspension mount and see if they still have it, just in case. How's that sound?
-Andy-
-Andy-
Thank you very much Andy,
You are very generous indeed! That sounds great. I can fix you up for postage via paypal. I think the Ebony pinstripe would be the best bet! Particularly after playing around with the tuning again today. Sorry - i didn't remember that you had already informed me of the availability of the concerned heads (my memory is not very forgiving).
Thanks again,
Hayden.
Incidentally, I am now getting astounding results from a coated ambassador / evans genera resonant combo on my 8 inch snare, with just a tinge of muffling on the batter side. Nicer snare sound than I ever achieved on my standard 5pce kit.
You are very generous indeed! That sounds great. I can fix you up for postage via paypal. I think the Ebony pinstripe would be the best bet! Particularly after playing around with the tuning again today. Sorry - i didn't remember that you had already informed me of the availability of the concerned heads (my memory is not very forgiving).
Thanks again,
Hayden.
Incidentally, I am now getting astounding results from a coated ambassador / evans genera resonant combo on my 8 inch snare, with just a tinge of muffling on the batter side. Nicer snare sound than I ever achieved on my standard 5pce kit.
Ok. I will try to check it out. I have a minor complication at the moment... I dislocated my shoulder yesterday in a softball game, so my mobility is slightly impaired. I was going to check out those shops for some other stuff today anyway, but I'm not sure how easy it will be to drive around. I'll let you know what I find if I can get over there.
The real bummer is that I had a new remote hihat on the way and my mini timbales are supposed to arrive in the next couple days. I guess now I can open the boxes and stare at them for a few weeks while my arm is pinned down. Not the happy arrival I was hoping for. Though it will make the 12-week wait for my hihats a little more tolerable since I can't play anyway. I guess it's a good time to get proficient at those single-handed rudiments, eh? Maybe I should go get a double bass pedal and become a speed freak...
The real bummer is that I had a new remote hihat on the way and my mini timbales are supposed to arrive in the next couple days. I guess now I can open the boxes and stare at them for a few weeks while my arm is pinned down. Not the happy arrival I was hoping for. Though it will make the 12-week wait for my hihats a little more tolerable since I can't play anyway. I guess it's a good time to get proficient at those single-handed rudiments, eh? Maybe I should go get a double bass pedal and become a speed freak...
Ok, I made the rounds today. The used shop still has the 15" Rims brand suspension mount. It's for a 6-lug tom and has a tom clamp included. $20 US. As for free heads, I got you a 15" Remo Ebony Pinstripe which has two really thick plies, and a 15" Remo Weather King clear head which looks to be hydraulic. It is not as thick as the ebony but seems like it will be similar in dampening. Either of these should make a nice bass batter head.
If you're at all interested in the suspension mount I suspect that it won't add too much to the shipping costs, but I'm not sure. What do you want to do?
If you're at all interested in the suspension mount I suspect that it won't add too much to the shipping costs, but I'm not sure. What do you want to do?
Hey Andy,
Thank you very much and it is a shame to hear about your shoulder! Maybe you should try and get good at using one bass pedal standing on one foot in preparation for those remote hats ; )
If you think the suspension mount will fit onto my 15inch 8-lug floor/bass drum, then I'll definitely grab it, sounds great! I have never actually personally used a suspension mount myself.
I will be able to send you some money on Tuesday through pay-pal if you like.
Thank you very much for your kindness, hope your shoulder is well soon! Mini timbales are great!
I will definitely have to put up some pics after I get this gear, and the remote hat stand I also ordered : )
Hayden.
Thank you very much and it is a shame to hear about your shoulder! Maybe you should try and get good at using one bass pedal standing on one foot in preparation for those remote hats ; )
If you think the suspension mount will fit onto my 15inch 8-lug floor/bass drum, then I'll definitely grab it, sounds great! I have never actually personally used a suspension mount myself.
I will be able to send you some money on Tuesday through pay-pal if you like.
Thank you very much for your kindness, hope your shoulder is well soon! Mini timbales are great!
I will definitely have to put up some pics after I get this gear, and the remote hat stand I also ordered : )
Hayden.
Yes you'll have to post some pics. The suspension mount has 4 holes on it, and the outer two are directly across from each other through the center, so I am sure it's set up for a 6- lug tom. I don't think it will work for you if you have an 8=lug drum. You'll have to find an 8-lug version I think.
As for the heads, I'll pack them up and try to figure out the shipping. Have you had stiff shipped from the states before? Any idea what method works best? USPS has a first class option for about $16, and that's just guessing it will be about 2 pounds. Is that manageable?
As for the heads, I'll pack them up and try to figure out the shipping. Have you had stiff shipped from the states before? Any idea what method works best? USPS has a first class option for about $16, and that's just guessing it will be about 2 pounds. Is that manageable?
John,
I agree, you have a swell kit. You're a man like me, appreciating the alternate sounds of small mountable items. I also checked out your other web sites, and I must say I very much enjoyed the cocktail angst recordings. Quite nice. I have been getting into the groovy cocktail stuff lately and yours is a lot of fun. I just discovered Koop and Aromabar and keep finding more good stuff as I go. Perhaps I'll have to get one of your CDs, are there mp3s available for the other album too?