602 hi-hats question

[zilboy]

I know that Stewart began using 13" 602 hi-hats somewhere in between Ghost and Synchronicity but I've wondered for years whether they were medium or heavy. Can anyone help? Jeff?

[drummike]

I thought Extra Heavy, but I could be wrong; waiting to hear from St Jeff...

[roddswett]

Nope. Was Medium.

http://www.infinitedensity.net/music/copeland/

[falloutmike]

They were 13" Heavy Hats.

I know cause I own them….

[drummike]

Mike, could you give us the gram weights on those wonderful hats? My guess would be around 1100 grams on the top hat and 1300 grams on the bottom. I had some Heavy Signature hats that were around those weights, but went back to using 2002 hats with a heavy bottom and a medium top. Those 602s, however, have always sounded amazing to me.

[zilboy]

Thanks for the clarification, Mike! I was fairly certain that they were heavies because of the famous 1983 "Right Sounds...Right Places" ad, but I wanted to make sure, because on Ghost, he used 2002 Mediums. Those 602s were definitely HIS hats! I was sad to see him switch to signatures.

[falloutmike]

I don't have the ability to weigh them.. sorry..

Plus, if you did know, you'd spend endless hours trying to find that exact weight, only to have them not sound like what you hear on the record…maddening. The ones I have were a gift from Uncle Ian and they're also sequential, serial number wise.. sweet. I've stopped using them regularly, although I did use them on the Roxy gig that we did last year, which you can see, with the hats, on youtube.

MESSAGE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew4nGCH7ek0
MAGIC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4y3M3JDZIc
SYNCH 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3guW2pujuI

and the rest are all there too..

I've heard SC play all kinds of different hats, and they all sound like him.

I've got pics of these hats posted on my FB page.. check them out!

-m-

[drummike]

Yes, thanks for the info, Mike.

[roddswett]

I am sorry Mike: Do you own the actual hi hat played by Stewart himself?? WOW! Still, I have a picture and several magazine interviews that show Stewart playing a medium 602. But most likely he played both, and would make sense to me that he played medium in studio and Heavy in live situations.

[falloutmike]

The ones I have were probably touring ("Ghost") cymbals as the serial numbers on both designate 1982 production. They're sequential too BTW…

I did have the 13" Medium 602's as well from the same collection. I can assure you though, these weren't used on any recordings. 602 Medium weight hats are frightfully thin and don't have the same tone as what's on the record.

My 602's now live locked away and only come out for special shows, like the Roxy show last year. They are magical.