Old 08-09-2018, 09:21 AM   #1
brainwreck
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Default A fix for a wobbly drum throne

I'm using a cheap drum throne of the type that uses a bolt through spaced holes in the seat shaft and a single hole in the stand shaft for making adjustments. Like this: https://images-sc1.netdna-ssl.com/D/...ed-image-1.jpg

Problem was, when I adjusted the throne height where it feels best, it was on the last hole (max height) and it was pretty wobbly. And a slight bit of wobble in a drum throne can make for a frustrating playing experience. Taking a closer look, there seems to be two problems with this throne height adjustment design. 1) The fit of the seat shaft into the stand shaft is pretty loose, and it probably needs to be because of slight distortion of the shafts when tightening the bolt 2) At max height adjustment there is very little of the seat shaft inside the stand shaft (around 6 inches), and so the looseness of the fit of shafts is exaggerated at that height adjustment point, not having enough common internal surface area between the two shafts to counter any wobble.

I was about to take this throne over to my brother's house and add a couple of tack welds to it, but then it came to me that adding a new hole and bolt perpendicular to the adjustment bolt would prevent wobbling.

So if you have one of these types of drum thrones that is wobbly, and you have found your comfortable throne height, drill a perpendicular hole some inches below the adjustment bolt and add a bolt, washers, and nut. If you haven't found your most comfortable height or you want to keep height adjustability, you could be a bit more careful about where you place the hole in the stand shaft and add a hole to the seat shaft for each adjustment point. This will mean that to make adjustments you have to remove two bolts, but that is a much better situation than trying to make use of a wobbly throne. And for this design, manufacturers really should be adding a second perpendicular bolt to prevent wobble. It would cost something like an additional $1 to make this adjustment design a good one vs. a shoddy one.

If you are purchasing a drum throne on the cheap, you can avoid this by getting a throne that does not use the spaced holes/bolt adjustment mechanism.

A stable throne makes such a huge difference for playing.
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Last edited by brainwreck; 08-09-2018 at 09:33 AM.
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Old 08-10-2018, 03:12 AM   #2
ivansc
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I paid 30 GB pounds for a new tractor-seat style one and it is stable as all getout.
How cheap is cheap to you?

Forget this. Just had a look at it and no makers name or anything, so it`s all a bit academic unless you get very lucky. Sorry.
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Old 08-16-2018, 03:42 AM   #3
tonybeepbeep
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I once played a gig at a garden party in a marquee, with a bargain basement drumstool on what felt like the entrance to a rabbit hole. Add that to the fact that I was playing someone else's e-kit, which looked like it had been welded together at the behest of a 4'6" player.

Cheap stools are downright dangerous and bad for your playing.
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