A Review of Cympad Cympad Washers
You’ve probably never given any thought to the felt washers that sit on your cymbal stands. It’s ok, neither have I. The extent of my concern typically begins and ends rather quickly. Are they there? Yes, good enough. It wasn’t until this year that the company Cympad was once again brought to my attention. I had seen their products at the NAMM show in years past but never really knew much about they’re products. After all, I didn’t know there was an alternative to traditional felt washers.
But there is. Cympad set out to offer an alternative for traditional felt washers. They created a variety of cellular foam washers in various depths and sizes for different applications. I hung around their booth at the NAMM show this year to learn more about it. Less concerned with the technical or scientific explanation of what their products do, I wanted to put them to the test in real world application.
A little back story. Cympads were created to allow the cymbal to produce true tones rather than affecting the tone or sustain like traditional felt washers do. Producing a better sound and “action”. These washers are called “Optimizers”, which are intended to stay clear of the cymbal and don’t stop the natural movement. I couldn’t comprehend how swapping a foam washer for a felt washer would make any difference. I simply had to try it, so I did.
First up was the “Optimizers”, I went ahead and replaced both the top and bottom felt washers on my crash cymbals as well as on my hi-hat. The first thing I noticed immediately after hitting my crash cymbal was the sustain. There was a lot more high end and the cymbal gradually came to rest allowing for a longer decay. The difference in sound was pretty obvious. The cymbal became more responsive and the feel was different. It just flowed better. The hi-hat also responded great. The “sizzle” of the hi-hat lasted longer. They sounded more crisp and defined.
For me to give them a legitimate review, I had to actually use them. So I did. I used them for approximately two months. I used them both in Live performance application as well as recordings.
The Pros and Cons:
Pros: My first impression of what the foam did for the cymbal carried over well in live performance applications. The cymbals cut through much better than before. For a rock drummer like myself, I saw this as a huge benefit. I also really enjoy the motion of the cymbal on the foam. It’s definitely different than with traditional felt washers. It isn’t dramatically different to the point where you’d need to change your playing style or technique, rather it enhanced my motion and made it more comfortable. On the recording front, the tone of the cymbals sounded better. They simply sound brighter in my opinion.
Cons: Although for me it isn’t an issue, I could see how the long sustain might not be something every player is looking for. All relative to taste, style of music, or cymbal, one might not want to achieve long sustain. In fact, in some situations, you might look to remove some of it. The guys at Cympad did however address this by give players the option of using “Moderators”.
“Moderators” are also foam washers but rather sit at the bottom of your cymbal around the bell. A bit wider with a variety of thicknesses to choose from, reduce overtones and YES control sustain. I also tested these out in my practice studio and they did exactly what they were intended to do. They lowered the overall volume of the cymbal without muffling the cymbal.
I honestly liked what Cympad has to offer for a relatively competitive price compared to traditional felt washers. I really liked the “Optimizers” most of all. Based on the genre of music I play I need to cut through heavy guitars and bass. I intend to continue to use them. Check them out and let me know what you think!
If you would like to hear Cympad’s in acton, check out this video by Rich Redmond (Video)
