This is one of those reviews that is easy to write because the product is so simple that it either works or it doesn't. It either does what the manufacturer says it does or it doesn't. This one works! CUSH pads are an alternative to the felts you use on your cymbal stand. They are made of a proprietary elastomer material, and are designed to allow the cymbals to ring longer and truer without muffling the sound or overtones. They don't collapse or take shape and always return to the original shape.
From the Manufacturer’s literature:
"Felts dampen the sound of your cymbals and attenuate the lovely overtones that your instrument produces. Felts and other similar soft products are made of a far less costly material which naturally dampens the inherent overtones and harmonics of your cymbals. CUSH pads do not collapse or distort when you place your cymbals on them. They have a low Compression Set, in short they do not stay bent when you bend them or lose their shape from the weight of a cymbal, they return to their shape right away.
We worked very hard to formulate the perfect durometer on the material, it is soft enough to give you the right feedback and feel when you strike your cymbal. The CUSH pads are also NOT a cellular material, they are a solid material that has been extruded, lathe-cut and properly ground down, even the edges have a nice finish. Since the material is solid and does not have any air pockets in it, the pad will NOT collapse on you or take shape. Your cymbals will NOT start tilting. Your Hi-Hats will stay exactly how you set them. No more having to spin your hi-hat around to get it to sit straight.
Our special material also naturally allows the cymbal to ring the way the cymbal smith intended the instrument to ring and sound. We also use a much smaller pad on the top, since the pad is strong enough to withstand the cymbal whipping back and striking the wing nut, but its smaller circumference is one more step in allowing the cymbal to ring accurately."
I tried them with several different cymbals and immediately noticed more high-end shimmer and a longer ring time. How much? Well, that’s hard to define without measuring it with instruments, but it was significantly audible enough that I am going to replace my felts with these. They are very firm and it makes sense that the cymbal would not be dampened, just supported well. They also look and feel a lot more durable than felts. Time will tell.
List price is $28.99 for a pack that includes top and bottom felts for Ride, hi-hat and two crash cymbals. Pretty cheap for something that looks like it’s never gonna wear out. There are also smaller and individual packs available as well at www.sonallpercussion.com.
Videos and comparison sound files are here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QW2Y5vmQk0http://www.sonallpercussion.com/information/