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Drum Stool SurveyArticle from Making Music, August 1987 |
Andy Duncan's bum qualifying survey of eight vital items in the drummer's front room
Funny thing about drum stools. You don't get one with your kit-in-a-box but you won't get much fun out of it without one — unless you favour the dubious proletarian chic of the cut-down kitchen stool or stack of crates. Assuming that you can justify the expenditure on something a little more comfortable and purpose-built, what does constitute a good stool?
Part of the answer can be supplied by Phil Seaman, drunkard, smackaddict and, inevitably, dead person. He's still regarded as the finest jazz drummer that this country has produced. So much so that he was always in demand as a clinician, despite his unpredictable, alcoholically inspired behaviour.
Fielding the usual daft questions at one clinic, Phil misheard an inquiry about the use of the feet in drumming and to the dismay of all stood up and picked up his stool. "Well," he said, "you've got to make sure you buy a good seat. Otherwise," at this point he took the seat off the top and brandished the metal stem at the bemused audience, "you'll get this right up your jacksie."
Taking this golden rule of structural quality as our premise, we invited all the manufacturers to send us examples of their stools so that we could risk our bums on them on your behalf. Lack of other brands is perhaps a reflection of the lack of importance that some makers place on these unglamorous and relatively inexpensive products. We asked, but they didn't send. Such is life.
£67.95 (from Tama Centre)
Minimum height 17%in, maximum 27in, top 11½in diameter.
Telescopic stem; memory locks.
Such a small top makes this a no-go for the Cyril Smith lookalike. Otherwise hard to fault. Light but very solid, even at highest setting. Low enough for the advanced croucher. Very comfortable. Memory locks for leg-spread and height. Excellent.
£51.62
Min height 16½in, max 28in, top 13½in diam.
Corkscrew stem.
Lowest available setting of the lot. Heavy but rock solid at all heights despite non-adjustable leg spread. Easy to adjust height with the spiral stem and large wing nut. Efficient and utterly reliable with no perceivable wobbles or rattles.
£65
Min height 23in, max 29in, top 13in diam.
Telescopic stem.
Minimum setting too high; six drilled preset stem positions too inflexible. The small wing nut and bolt stem retainer is very fiddly. The seat is firm and comfortable but there is nothing to stop it from swiveling (which should be an option). Primitive tripod design. Solid but ungainly and not for the short person.
£84.85
Min height 20½in, max 30½in, top 13½in diam.
Telescopic stem; memory locks.
Broad adjustable leg spread and deep, spongy, luxurious seat. At its highest the stem mechanism rattles and a wobble could also be induced, though this might suit some players. A pity that it couldn't be set lower. I'm six foot two, but couldn't sit with thighs straight out, parallel to the floor - surely a basic requirement.
£68
Min height 23¼in, max 30½in, top 11½in diam.
Telescopic stem.
Easily mistaken for a bar stool, this was the tallest of the group and the least comfortable. The seat is too small and its cushion too soft, so that the metal underplate cuts into the legs when set high. Again seven drilled preset stem settings are too far apart and the lowest choice is far too high. Soon to be replaced by groovy Taiwanese jobs, we are assured.
£150.97
Min height 20½in, max 31½in, top 12 x 14½in.
Corkscrew stem.
Looks like an office chair mating a tractor seat. The cutaway styling makes this the most comfortable for the legs at top settings, but at this height it does wobble. Again no nut to hold stem position. The back support can be moved toward and away from the seat, but not up and down — and it was too high to support the lumbar region properly. Heaviest construction of all.
£88.72
Min height 17in, max 28½in, top 14 x 11½in.
Telescopic stem; memory locks.
The tradition-breaking top is very firm and has a forward sloping angle (from back to front). This encourages good posture as the slight lean makes the player hold the lower back upright. It also benefits overall balance on the pedals. Minimum height was good, but again it suffered the wobble at its highest. Very light and my favourite.
£105.88
Min height 19½in, max 30in, top 13in diam.
Corkscrew stem.
Firm, comfortable, and Sonor's most popular stool. No retaining nut for stem setting on this model, and lowest setting still too high for the shorter player. At this height the stem rattles against the outer tube. Smoothest corkscrew action and impressively wobble free at its highest.
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Review by Andy Duncan
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