Very First Drum Kit

[LD_Audio]

Here she is. Ludwig CS Custom Elite in Blue Ice Sparkle Lacquer. I have had it 3 days and I am still playing with the setup. If you have any suggestions please let me know. Also any head suggestions are appreciated.

Sizes: 10, 12, 16, 22x18, 5.5 x 14 snare all Birch shells
Cymbals: Meinl MCS 14 hihats, 18 crash and 20 ride.
The cymbals seem pretty good for the price and for now I am satisfied with the sound while I am learning the basics and getting the hang of things. There are so many cymbals to choose from I didn't want to spend a fortune up front and not be happy.

A question - the snares buzz when I am playing. Particularly while hitting the 10" tom. Is this normal or do I need to make an adjustment?

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p116/LD13_album/100_1290.jpg
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p116/LD13_album/100_1289.jpg
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p116/LD13_album/100_1288.jpg
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p116/LD13_album/100_1287.jpg

Thanks for looking

[wy yung]

That's a great kit you have there. I played one recently and it was very very nice. Treat it well and it should provide you with a great platform for years to come.

Thanks for sharing it with us.

[Mr. Pasquini]

I tightened the snare on the bottom of my drum when I got my new Stagestar. That seemed to help the buzzing a lot.

[mind_drummer]

Firts welcome on Drummerworld forum

It's a damn fine kit, I dig the finish very much and it's an excellent choice for first kit. Ludwig has just released new sparkle finish yesterday at NAMM. The green one is sweet too.

As for the buzz, it's called sympathetic vibration, which is normal but could be controlled using some method. Why it's doing that when you're hitting the 10" is because the 10" and your snare reso heads is tuned at about the same pitch. Here a link to help you reduce the "buzz" and you can always search for "snare buzz" or "sympathetic vibration" on drummer forum to get some tips.

http://home.earthlink.net/~prof.sound/id8.html

Good luck !

BTW, what I do is retune completely the reso of my snare to redure the buzz or you can loose the four lugs around the snare wires or buy Puresound Equalizer snare wire which reduce the sympathetic vibration effect.

[bonzo49]

Nice kit, esp the finish.

[maddrummr]

WOW i wish my first kit was at least half as nice as that kit. Play with the tuning on the snare and the buzzing should go down... but I actually like a little bit of it, but thats just me. New heads would help too.

Remo Coated Ambassadors are nice all around heads.
Evans G2 are also highly recommended by users here on drummerworld. Not including myself because I have not really tried them.

[LD_Audio]

Thanks for the nice comments. Yes I like it but I waited 25 years to buy it. I took up guitar as a kid because my parents wouldn't allow drums. Then as an adult I never had the space and was always moving for work contracts. Now I'm settled in and have a decent basement to play them in. And since I work from home I have a lot of flexible time to practice when no one is home (my wife). My sons also play guitar and it sounds like I'm gonna have some drumming competition from my younger son - he's taken to it pretty easily.

[d.c.drummer]

Congradulations.

Such a very important step. Your drumset sometimes will make you laugh, other times cry. Sometimes leap for joy, and sometimes shrivel in a corner. Sometimes you will love it and sometimes you will hate it. But, all in all, the journey that you will embark on may not be finhsed with this current set, but it will be one of you more most important vehicles. Treat it with care. Treat it with love. And beat like it just insulted our mother.

Now that im finished with that over-dramatic garrbage, nice kit. When two frequencies match they vibrate together. Like singing into a bottle and hitting that noe which makes it rattle very loudly. Try differing thier oitch by tightening or loosening one or the other. The vibration may also be because of thier proximity to one another. If they are touching that could be your problem. If all else fails. Put some electrical, duct or even masking tape under the part of the snares where the curly wires meet into the plate of metal.

EEEEE/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\EEEEE
EEEEE/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\EEEEE

^ ^ ^ RIGHT HERE

Head for some Evans EC2's or Remo Pinstripes for a nice punchy sound.
For a less pucny sound go for G2 or Remo Emperors.
For more attack, go for thinner heads like G1's or Ambassadors.
Coated heads are dryer in sound than clear.

For bass, i prefer Evan's EMAD for all situation. They come with ajustable dampening that eliminate the need for bass drum stuffing and give you a deep bass sound.

If you post your Genre of music you prefer i can help you with snare heads also. Matztoltof!

[Trommur]

Wow nice first kit! And welcome to DrummerWorld.

Joe

[Salicete]

Super nice finish, it looks custom!

Nice kit you can't go wrong with Ludwig.

[thumper]

Sweet kit-I love the finish and the tom mounting system.
For new heads, I'd go with Evans G2 Clears for the toms, Evans HD for the snare , and a Evans EMAD for the bass drum. The G2s really let your toms "sing", the HD snare is bulletproof, and the EMAD has adjustable external foam "muffle rings" that let you dispense with using pillows or anything like that...

[dingbat]

Hey LD_Audio,

I replied to your other post stating you got the new kit, thanks for the reference. So I will ask the same as I did in the other post to make sure you see it, what are your impressions from sound to build quality? Was I on the mark in what I said and recommending the kit? What are your thoughts comparing the Premier Cabrias to this kit, I take it that the store you bought from exchanged them with no hassles, did you get to hear toms from both kits with premium heads to compare what you liked better? I've heard the Ludwig bass drum is quite the kicker with some good heads, Evans Emad or Aquarian Super Kicks. That is a very nice lacquer finish, I also really dig the red sparkle fade the kit comes in. I like how you have the kit set up so that everything is compact and in easy reach, good attention to promoting efficiency and economy of motion. Congrats!

[LD_Audio]

I have to say the build quality is first rate. I inspected the set and there are no flaws I can see. The hardware seems very sturdy. The sound to me is wonderful. The toms seem a little boingy when i am playing but when I hear someone else play they sound great. Pretty close to the sound I wanted. The birch shells are punchy. The kick has a nice solid thump even with the stock heads. The snare has a really loud crack that I would almost like to tone down a bit.

I did not try comparing the cabria's with upgraded heads. What convinced me was comparing the finish and overall quality and having my son play them as I stood back and listened. These drums turned a few heads in the shop. Couple guys looking at other brands were like "wow, nice drums and what a nice finish". The Meinl MCS cymbals are very adequate for my current needs. I'm looking forward to the cymbal journey down the road.

The only issue I had with the exchange at the shop was that they only had this set with a Planet Z package. I got a credit for the Z's but not at full retail. The shop would have ordered me a kit without the cymbal pack but I was impatient so I paid a small premium to get it now.

[dingbat]

Vey glad you are happy with the set, I think you made the right choice over the Cabrias. I was really impressed looking at them in person, I'd say that if you want a great looking and good gigging set that won't break you bank, this is a great choice. Near field sound (what you hear behind the set), compared to outfield sound (what the audience hears) is always going to be different, you can invest in some other heads to change up the sound you hear, if you want to slightly mute the "boinginess" a single ply coated head such as a Remo coated Ambassador will do the trick, but if you want a fatter and warmer sound with a little muffling, a double ply such as a Remo clear Emperor will work wonders. Don't feel bad that you did not get credit for the planet Z's at full retail, the selling industy standard is a 40% discount, so if you got credit for 60% percent of retail price, or close, you are right in the ball park.