So the fine folks at Cympad sent an assortment of their cymbal washers for me to review. Cympad washers are made from a cellular foam material and can be used in place of traditional felt washers. The Optimizer washers are pretty close to the same size as any typical felt washers for rides, crashes and hi hats, and effects cymbals. I felt that these would be a good starting place to do an A/B comparison with my felt washers. I used several different types of ride cymbals: My “holy grail” Bosphorus 21” Master Series ride/crash cymbal - extremely thin with a small bell, an old EAK Zildjian K 22” ride that is very low pitched and dark with a big bell , and an older 20” A Zildjian rock ride - pretty heavy and bright with a medium sized bell.
Read moreReview: Cympad Shark Gated Snare Dampener
Ding! Ding! Ding! Folks, we have a winner! This one tops my “George’s Picks” list. From Cympad’s Website: “The gated drum damper enhances the attack while keeping the tone of the drum. The Shark’s exclusive hinged design allows the device to float on the playing surface— subtly reducing the volume and resonance by reacting to the intensity of the stroke. Rugged, re-useable, with plastic carrying case included.”
Read more