Tired of dealing with wingnuts? Losing them in the drumuda triangle once you drop them? Get No Nuts Cymbal Sleeves
Rodney Pino and Bill McFadden first commercialized their brainchild, No Nutsâ Cymbal Sleeves, around 2019, soon followed by the CymRings and SizzleNut. Both Rodney and Bill are musicians that share a passion to create products that enhance the lives of drummers. Rodney was experimenting with ways to improve cymbal mounting. He called upon Bill, his former bandmate and studio partner at Grooveworks Studios, to brainstorm solutions. Bill has deep expertise in the polymer industry, so he applied these skills with Rodney to come up with some innovative products: No Nutsâ Cymbal Sleeves, CymRings and the SizzleNut. The Cymbal Sleeves sell for about $15.99 (3-pack), the CymRings arounds $11.99 (6-pack), and the SizzleNut for $13.99.
The No Nuts Cymbal Sleeves are indeed what they say they are – sleeves which fit onto the top of cymbal stands (6mm and 8mm posts) and allow you to quickly mount your cymbals without having to screw on/off wing nuts every time. Wing nuts also have the ugly habit of flying off or getting lost in cases. The idea is to squeeze them on and leave them. This should allow for quick set-up and tear-down. I can also imagine that Cymbal Sleeves could be very helpful in the studio when experimenting with different cymbals on a track. As the saying goes, “time is money.” I also expect that the Cymbal Sleeves will reduce or eliminate the ‘keyhole’ wear effect that one sees often in well-worn cymbals.
The Cymbal Sleeve samples I obtained came in both red and black color. They were approximately 2 ¾” in length and 1.5” in diameter at the base. There’s a slight taper from the base to the tip. According to Bill McFadden, “this allows you to take a cymbal hole and adjust it to where you want it on the sleeve.”
I tried the Cymbal Sleeves out on my trusty Tama and lightweight Yamaha cymbal stands with a set of Paiste Signature cymbals (20” ride, 16”, 18” and 19” crashes). My two immediate concerns were: 1) whether they would make any noise where the cymbal contacted the sleeve (a killer in the studio) and 2) if played hard enough, could the cymbals fly off the stands. So, I pressed them onto the top of my stands and played away. First, I heard no clicking or other noise from the cymbal touching the sleeve while playing. Second, despite how hard I whacked my 20” ride or any of my crashes tilted at different angles, the cymbals remained on the stands. While I did not try this, Bill mentioned that Cymbal Sleeves will even work for cymbals hung upside down (when used in conjunction with the CymRing)! It will be interesting to see how the Cymbal Sleeves wear over time. Bill McFadden did state that he had Cymbal Sleeves in his studio that were in use after a year and “still going strong.”
The CymRings are designed to fit nicely over the Cymbal Sleeve posts but are considered optional. They are approx. 1” in diameter and about 3/8” thick. You can use one CymRing under the cymbal or even one on top and bottom should you so choose. Even without a wingnut, CymRings fit snuggly so a second one on top won’t fall off. Bill McFadden noted that he came up with the CymRings “because people were doing it with felts and foam pads but they weren’t really doing what I wanted them to do. They were muffling the cymbal. I came up with a tighter silicone rubber material and smaller diameter to keep the ring of the cymbal going. The CymRing squeeze fits very snuggly over the Cymbal Sleeve, allowing you to position it anywhere you want on the tapered end of the Cymbal Sleeve. This allows you to balance the cymbal movement and resonance as you like.”
Clearly, the CymRings are ideal in use together with the Cymbal Sleeves. However, I believe the CymRings could really help drummers not using the Cymbal Sleeves in order to avoid metal-metal contact, wear of cymbals, and minimize any muting. My cymbals did ring quite freely when suspended on the CymRings and were not muted as I found with my felt pads. I liked using a second CymRing to limit the ‘travel’ of the cymbal and minimize rocking when hit overly hard.
Last was the SizzleNut, a beaded brass chain about 12” long that is designed to fit over the top of any cymbal, but ideally over a Cymbal Sleeve. If you only want a sizzle for some songs, the ability to switch it out quickly, and not have to buy a dedicated sizzle cymbal, this gadget is pretty handy.
So overall, I would definitely recommend trying out the No Nuts products, especially the Cymbal Sleeves, as they really do make mounting and dismounting cymbals so much easier and quicker. The convenience factor is well worth the money in my mind. I like having alternatives to felt pads so the CymRings are a much better substitute. I don’t use a sizzle cymbal enough to justify the cost. Having a little ‘doodad’ like the SizzleNut that I can stick in my bag and pull out as needed is more practical. Think of it this way, for the price of 1-2 pairs of drumsticks, you could buy a set of Cymbal Sleeves, CymRings, or SizzleNut. Music is about experimentation. Try things out!
Please let me know about your experiences with No Nuts products. I’d love to hear your feedback. I can be reached at fallendrummer@me.com.
For more info on No Nuts products www.nonutscymbalsleeves.com
Buy at www.DrumSellers.com