Sonor by default, or only when it's practical?

[Jules]

Are you hardcore ride or die Sonor, or do you tend to be more pragmatic when it comes to certain things like hardware and especially pedals?

In the last several years I have found Yamaha hardware to be a very solid, no nonsense option. I have had a boatload of Crosstown (light weight aluminum) stuff and all the way up to the 800/900 series. It's nicely configurable the heavier duty stands offer three item mounting without the need for multi clamps. I personally loathe multi clamps. Sonor used to make nice chrome multi-clamps that didn't quite look as much of an unplanned purchase as the current stuff.

The Yamaha 800 series stands easily held two drums and a cymbal, a drum and two cymbals or three cymbals. So, for my purposes, two stands covered everything I could want to fly other than the hi hat. And with the memory locks readily available, it is easy to get everything where it goes quickly and easily. Nice, quick set up and tear down.

The Tama RoadPro hardware I had was more refined looking. Great plating very solidly built. The Iron Cobra and Speed Cobra hi hat stands (I had several of each even with the Yamaha hardware) are the smoothest and most solid hi hats stands you can ask for.

After all that, I opted to go with 600 series Sonor hardware this year for the Vintage and SQ1 rigs I had. But, short of Sonor releasing new hardware and pedals in the meantime, I am very likely to buy non-Sonor pedals and stands mid-year next year when I start putting together a new rig.

[SonorBart]

I got my Lites new in early '84 after a truck accident ruined my Tama Superstars. The double braced Titan hardware survivved, so I used it including Tama mounts on RIMS for my rack toms for the next 20 years. I gradually began the transition to Sonor hardware starting with a 70's single braced Phonic hi hat and some of the cheap Chinese 1000 stands for Jazz gigs. The 1000 stands were replaced over time with more 70's single braced Phonic stands. I got a great deal on some like-new 2nd generation 5000 stands via the old Sonormuseum and phased out the Tama stuff completely. The 5000s were built like a tank and a work of art, but very impractical for gigging due to the lack of memory locks on the blocks of the double cymbal stands, so I kept the hi hat and sold the rest. Soon after, I got another good deal on some used 600 stands and they were much better for gigging. About 15 years ago, I got a large set of 3000 hardware at cost from my local music store that went unsold after a Steve Smith clinic. Sonor hardware works well for me, but I certainly understand that people have different hardware preferences, Here's what I currently use:

Gigging (Rock) - 3000 hi hat and cymbal stands (two double and one single), PH multi clamps (chrome w/ plastic lever), and a 600 snare stand.

Gigging (Jazz) - 70's Phonic hi hat, cymbal stands, and snare stand. PH multi clamps.

Home: 3000 cymbal stands with PH multi clamps and 600 boom arms, 5000 hi hat, and a 90's 2000 snare stand.

I've been a Tama BD pedal guy since the late 70's and used first generation Iron Cobras to build my first middle pedal about 20 years ago. I found a relatively cheap Giant Step Middle Pedal soon after that, but preferred the feel of the one I built. I now have two middle pedals (one for gigging and one for home) built from current generation Iron Cobras with round cams and nylon straps in place of the chains.