Your very first drum set thread!

[jollymosher]

This is where you show your very first drum set. For some it was days ago, for others it make be many many years. show use specs and pics of your first tubs.


http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f92/jollymosher/237564-R1-16-18A_017.jpg

I got this a few years ago. Tama swingstar.

It has a porkpie snare and a wide assortment of cymbals.

[jollymosher]

No one? cmon, im sure you all have had a first kit.

[Trommur]

h, want to show a pic of my first kit!

PP ( Performance Percussion ) Crap :(

Sizes ( correct I think )

12x10"
13x11"
22x16"
16x16"
14x6,5"

http://i10.servimg.com/u/10/04/16/40/dsc02110.jpg

The Setup is a little wobbly, but I think it was comfy ;)

Joe

[jollymosher]

Hmm, i find the first kits of people very interesting. the kit that made them the drummer they are now. looks like a fine learning machine mate.

[KCDrummer]

I don't have any pics of it (maybe my mom does somewhere), but it was a four-piece Ludwig in orange sparkle, probably from the late '60's or '70's. I got it when I was about nine, and gradually added stuff onto it for about ten years, and it became a Frankenstein kit if ever there was one.

When I was about sixteen, me and a buddy painted the whole thing purple. Didn't sand it or take the wrap off or anything, just went at it with Krylon spray paint. We were classy.

[morbius25]

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q99/Morbius25/000_0091.jpg
This was the first kit. Had a set of pie plates for hats, and Piaste 302 crash and ride. $300 bucks.

[The Ploughman]

1979. I was 19, and working a cheap job, I saved up and had the money in the bank. I forget what I wanted to buy, really, but I came home from work one night, and my parents had spent all of my money. They knew nothing about drums except one name, .... Rogers.
First pic was taken that night, Nov. 1979. 14x24, 9x13, 10x14, 12x15, 16x18, with 5x14 Dynasonic COB Snare, Paiste 2002 14" Heavy Hats, 2002 Paiste Crash, 2002 Ride, Memrilock stands, Humes and Berg Econoline Cases. 950.00, set was purchased new in 1977 for 1450.00, I have the original sales receipt. My brother set them up that night and took the pic. I dunno why I cant find other pictures from then.

Second pic, same drums, Nov. 2006, 14x24, 9x13, 16x16, 16x18, (still have that snare too), this one is 8x14 Dynasonic Maple, Stands are DW, Pedals are Tama Iron Cobra, Cymbals are now Zildjian K Custom. And those econoline fibre cases lasted 22 years.

[pcmckay]

Sorry I don't have any pictures but my first kit was made in Japan and the name on them was Cortley. At the local music store they had two kinds of kits Cortley, and Royce. They were identical but had two different names, I'm pretty sure they were made by Pearl. Anyway it was a three piece snare, tom, and a bass drum in a silver finish. I had one cymbal and it was one of those cheap aluminum cymbals that sounds like a trash can lid. It wasn't much but it got me started.

[drozzy]

first time a i played, with my first band, was on a very old and beaten cheapo 'Power Beat' drum kit. From then i borrowed a pearl rythm traveller before about 3 months into my musical journey, picked up my gretsch catalina birch second hand for 800 australian.

Still have it, and it still does me proud.

I also have bits of the powerbeat kit, the floor tom has now become the bass drum for my bebop kit!

IM tooo lazy to find the photos!

[thecraponline]

http://drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21852

It's a little different now, I might take some updated pictures.

[Loge]

My first drum was my father's Slingerland field snare from the mid 30's (still have that one). First kit was an early 60's black (painted) Ludwig Club - the ones with the double lugs in the shell center and the long tension rods. Had a black wooden Ludwig 5X14" snare (wish I had that one now - burned up in a club fire). 12" tom and a 22" bass. Took the snares off the old marching drum and used it for a floor tom on a stand. Gave these Luddies away to a buddy of mine last August (36 years after I got 'em).

[ellenvannin105]

My first kit was an no-name Japanese kit consisting of three drums: a 12" rack tom, a 5/14" wood snare and an 18" bass drum,all outfitted with drumheads made out of very cheap,coated plastic,in a weird fake wood finish. It did not include a hi hat or cymbal stands,only a very poorly molded 10" brass cymbal on a shell-mount holder. Needless to say,I destroyed this kit on the second day I played it but,being a child of poverty,I had no recourse other than to keep using it. I was too ignorant of drums and drumming to realise that I could've replaced the broken heads with "real" heads; hell,I didn't even know how to tune the bloody thing as I had no drum key.I think because of having possessed such junk as this that I keep an inordinate amount of drum keys on hand and own more cymbals than I probably need as I understand completey what it is like to have to go without.My heart goes out to the younger kids in this forum that are still too young to work and must make do with inferior garbage; they are lucky in so far that things like "beginner cymbals" exist and that today's "starter kits" are far more resiliant than anything that I ever owned in my younger days....My second kit was a four piece Japanese "Trump" outfit in nice gold sparkle; that one lasted me almost forever and I played my first gigs with it....but that's another story for some other time....

[Mista Bob]

I'm still using my first drum kit.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v137/mistabob/drumsfront.jpg

[MagnZ]

This was my very first drumset and current drumset. Played on my dads kit before this baby:) Mapex saturn by the way...

[MagnZ]

So here are the picture.. tried on the first post, but something went wrong.
And it happened again so here his the link: (http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18443)

[mofle]

My first kit consisted of a 12(x7?)'' pearl White consert tom, a 16x14'' vintage ( No badge, still have it) unknown brand floor tom, a 22x14 pear bassdrum, a 14x5 Tama swingstar snare, 14'' Paiste 2002 heavy hats ( yes, I was lucky, still use them), 14'' Sabian Pro hats (Yay, two hats!! ) and a 17'' cracked Zildjian A Custom Crash, I sold the hats for about the same amount of money that I bought the kit for. Translated to american: 1500 NKR = $ 230, 76.
I later sold the kit for Twice that without cymbals and some extra toms I got for free from a friend, I held on to the Paiste hats and the floor tom. All together I sold the kit for 630 bucks!



P.S. I must say:

All the starter kits look SOOO classy with the white remo reso kick head! They look, and must sound, alot better. I need to get a clean bass head!

[GRUNTERSDAD]

No photos, but my first set was a partial set. Gretsch, 20 x 16 Bass drum, and a 14 x 5 snare drum with a 18 inch zildjian crash/ride. If memory serves. These were in white pearl finish. I had these stored at my sisters house, and literally just found out that about 10 years ago my son, love em to death, GAVE, them to a friend without asking Dad. He is number one on my poop list right now. Oh, these were from 1964. I'm starting to tear up again.

[mofle]

I found a picture (kinda). It is a two (?) year old picture of my old band playing live.


http://blink.dagbladet.no/community/files/v/vi/villekul/TOJ.jpg

[SketcHyRollin564]

heres me when i was 11, combining my first kit with a friends set

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/SLIPdrummerKNOT/OlddrumswithRedsetangle1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/SLIPdrummerKNOT/OlddrumswithRedsetangle3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/SLIPdrummerKNOT/OlddrumswithRedsetangle2.jpg

heres my kit, with my new (at the time) pedals, with the marshmellow beaters, and the new heads (reso and batter).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/SLIPdrummerKNOT/olddrumsbeforetama.jpg

heres the kit right before i sold it

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/SLIPdrummerKNOT/Olddrumsangle2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/SLIPdrummerKNOT/Olddrumsbyebye.jpg bye bye old drums

[hammertone]

My first kit was a second hand Premier made in the early sixties and purchased for me in 1966. My dad also bought me some Zyn cymbals through my hometown's record & music shop. Having my own kit at 16 was the most exciting thing that had happened up to that point in my life. I am still a drum tragic 40 years and five other drumkits later.

14" x 4" snare
2 x 12" rack toms
16" x 16" floor tom
14" x 20" bass drum
2 x Premier cymbal stands + hi-hat

Ludwig cowbell
18" Zyn crash
20" Zyn ride
14" Zyn hats

We were playing inside a store in 1969, our jazz trio demonstrating a new Hammond organ being played by my twin brother.

[the.tree]

Nice crazy premier cymbals. But does anyone know where to get those initialed bass heads? Someone hook me up.

[The Ploughman]

www.vintagelogos.com for the vintage logo initial shield.

[Beetleman]

Nice crazy premier cymbals. But does anyone know where to get those initialed bass heads? Someone hook me up.


Or try this ebay auction I found
http://cgi.ebay.com/BASS-DRUM-LOGO-your-initials-with-shield-decal_W0QQitemZ190075922126QQihZ009QQcategoryZ4145 0QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item190075922126

[Cephalic]

My first kit was a $100 generic piece of crap off ebay. It was just sort of a test to make sure dtumming was for me. I got rid of it after about a year. I like to think of my Rockstars as my "first" kit, because they're the kit I've grown the most with, worked the most on, traveled the most on, etc. I don't want to ever sell them. Hopefully I won't have to. :)

[Wegadrummer]

This was the best picture is found, around 5-6 years ago.. My oooold band, Its a pearl world series kit.. Those where the days..

[DrummerMom]

My first kit was a Slingerland Tiger Red Pearl kit. I don't have a picture of it with the cymbals. (They were Zildjian)

[Beetleman]

Heres my first kit, older Mapex venus series, they sounded ok.I was still learning how to tune but my new kit my PDP Fs sounds great, even with the stock heads.

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o271/beetman7/Image005_6.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o271/beetman7/Image006_7.jpg

[radiofriendlyunitshifter]

my first kit: a generic no name.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y180/radiofriendlyunitshifter/100_0315.jpg

edit: i also agree to the sticky suggestion

[SketcHyRollin564]

I vote for this thread to get a possible sticky?

[Wegadrummer]

I vote for this thread to get a possible sticky?

Great idea! Let everybody see our humble beginner kits. we would have to ask Nutha or Dog..

[mofle]

I vote for this thread to get a possible sticky?

I third this! (twenty)

[the.tree]

www.vintagelogos.com for the vintage logo initial shield.

Hey thanks so much, and to the guy that put the ebay link up.

[ArtyZ]

These is my first drum kit. My mom bought them for me when I started playing in 1971. I was 11 years old. They are a silver sparkle set of Maxitone drums, made in Japan. These were NOT cool drums to have at the time. They were cheap and cheaply made. The foot pedal was a nightmare, and the 'cymbal' probably dented on the first couple of hits. BUT, I loved this set. It was my first set, and I learned a great many things on it. I have logged many. many hours behind this kit.
Sizes? Guessing; 20" bass, 12" tom, 14" snare. I didn't get a floor tom (14") until much later. I also didn't have a floor cymbal stand. The cymbal stand was on the bass and because I was lefty, I was forced to cross it behind the mounted tom. It was kinda a disaster, but I survived. Today, beginner kits are much better constructed.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v354/ArtyZ/1971.jpg

[xopethx]

i know this is way more than a beginner needs, but when i bought it i technically wasn't a "beginner" persay.. i had never owned a kit or played for an extended amount of time, but that didn't mean i wasn't following/memorizing rhythms and patterns in all the fusion and progressive music i enjoy.

had it since late September of last year - started with no cymbals, have added these gradually -
14" Wuhan china
17" Zildjian K Thin-Dark crash
20" Zildjian K-Custom ride
13" Zildjian K Hi-hats
6" Zildjian A-Custom splash
8" Zildjian Avedis splash

12x5 Sonor 3003 Maple snare is being shipped, along with a full set of Protection Racket bags..

gear -
Pearl 2002B Eliminator belt-drive double pedal
Sonor 600-Series Hi-hat stand
Sonor 400-series cymbal/tom stands
Sonor 400-series snare stand/throne

kit specs - 8x8, 10x9, 12x10, 14x14, 14x5 snare, and a 20x17.5 bass drum - 9-ply birdseye maple.

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/6108/dsc3132wh4.jpg

http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/5295/dsc3140wc1.jpg

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/5520/dsc3136ii6.jpg

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/7585/dsc3138zy2.jpg

cheers :)

[fourstringdrums]

My first set was a Sunlite that I got when I was about 11 or 12 years old.

Drums:

14x22 Bass
10x12 Tom
11x13 Tom
16x16 Floor
5x14 Steel Snare

Cymbals:

20" Paiste ColorSound Ride (Red). It was used, really dirty, and had a slightly bent edge. Sounded terrible if I remember correctly.

16" Sabian B8 Pro and 18" Sabian AA Medium-Thin Crashes. I wound up cracking both of them, the 16" within about a year and the 18" within about 3 years.

14" SoundSonic (I think) Hi-hats. These were used, just like the ride. I eventually blew $70 and replaced them with Camber hi-hats (I think) I didn't know any better. I should have saved my money *lol*

In the pic I had LP Jam Blocks (red and blue, low/high, and an LP cowbell)

The drums were lousy. The bass, snare, and floor tom only had 6 lugs. The 12 & 13 toms had 4. The wrap eventually starting coming off by the time I got a new kit (Ludwig Rocker a few years later). The strainer on the snare broke and I had to duct tape the wires to the head. The drum stool also broke on me and my dad had to fix it.

Hardware wise, I remember that the cymbal stand that came with the kit was really cheap. The threaded rod that held the cymbal was actually just a screw that you would find at a hardware store. The stand would always slip and get lower on me as I was playing. The hi-hat clutch constantly slipped and the threaded nut would always come loose. The bass pedal was lousy. The only support on the bottom of the pedal was one flat metal bar that was connected to the heel plate and was held in place by the hoop clamp. It always slipped and I wore a hole in the head by the footboard rubbing against it. I even remember that the tom arms were two different lengths. They were off about 2" and I assumed they had a blind guy with a hack saw in the factory cutting them. I had a Tama cymbal stand which was sturdy until the tilter broke a few years later, and I had a CB Percussion stand that was good by todays entry level hardware standards. That lasted me years.

I played this kit for HOURS. It's kind of sad looking at it now because the kit was so lousy, but I played constantly anyway, just for the love of it. Now I've gotten to the point where I obsess about gear and that takes a front seat to the actual playing sometimes. I'm actually pretty proud of how well the kit is set up. Usually with a first set you see severe tom angles, cymbals sprawled everywhere and what not. This kit isn't set up that bad...it's kind of funny because I'd never be able to get comfortable on that kit now. I set things so much lower these days. Even if the 11x13 was touching the bass drum it would be too high for me.

http://www.handidrummed.com/sunlite.jpg

[ZildjianMan1023]

My first set was a Sunlite that I got when I was about 11 or 12 years old.

Drums:

14x22 Bass
10x12 Tom
11x13 Tom
16x16 Floor
5x14 Steel Snare

Cymbals:

20" Paiste ColorSound Ride (Red). It was used, really dirty, and had a slightly bent edge. Sounded terrible if I remember correctly.

16" Sabian B8 Pro and 18" Sabian AA Medium-Thin Crashes. I wound up cracking both of them, the 16" within about a year and the 18" within about 3 years.

14" SoundSonic (I think) Hi-hats. These were used, just like the ride. I eventually blew $70 and replaced them with Camber hi-hats (I think) I didn't know any better. I should have saved my money *lol*

In the pic I had LP Jam Blocks (red and blue, low/high, and an LP cowbell)

The drums were lousy. The bass, snare, and floor tom only had 6 lugs. The 12 & 13 toms had 4. The wrap eventually starting coming off by the time I got a new kit (Ludwig Rocker a few years later). The strainer on the snare broke and I had to duct tape the wires to the head. The drum stool also broke on me and my dad had to fix it.

Hardware wise, I remember that the cymbal stand that came with the kit was really cheap. The threaded rod that held the cymbal was actually just a screw that you would find at a hardware store. The stand would always slip and get lower on me as I was playing. The hi-hat clutch constantly slipped and the threaded nut would always come loose. The bass pedal was lousy. The only support on the bottom of the pedal was one flat metal bar that was connected to the heel plate and was held in place by the hoop clamp. It always slipped and I wore a hole in the head by the footboard rubbing against it. I even remember that the tom arms were two different lengths. They were off about 2" and I assumed they had a blind guy with a hack saw in the factory cutting them. I had a Tama cymbal stand which was sturdy until the tilter broke a few years later, and I had a CB Percussion stand that was good by todays entry level hardware standards. That lasted me years.

I played this kit for HOURS. It's kind of sad looking at it now because the kit was so lousy, but I played constantly anyway, just for the love of it. Now I've gotten to the point where I obsess about gear and that takes a front seat to the actual playing sometimes. I'm actually pretty proud of how well the kit is set up. Usually with a first set you see severe tom angles, cymbals sprawled everywhere and what not. This kit isn't set up that bad...it's kind of funny because I'd never be able to get comfortable on that kit now. I set things so much lower these days. Even if the 11x13 was touching the bass drum it would be too high for me.

http://www.handidrummed.com/sunlite.jpg

ROB! what year was that?

[fourstringdrums]

ROB! what year was that?

Um, I think it was either '92 or '93. Why do you ask, the Bart Simpson poster? *lol*

That's a Yamaha Maple Custom poster on the wall next to it.

[ZildjianMan1023]

Um, I think it was either '92 or '93. Why do you ask, the Bart Simpson poster? *lol*

That's a Yamaha Maple Custom poster on the wall next to it.

hah no reason really it just looked 90s ish so i wanted to make sure.. what became of that set after you got a new one?

[fourstringdrums]

hah no reason really it just looked 90s ish so i wanted to make sure.. what became of that set after you got a new one?

I think my dad sold it to a guy he worked with for his kid. It probably got put in a landfill somewhere. I then got a red Ludwig Rocker set. Ludwig was THE drums I wanted to have growing up and I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe because that's all the local music store sold. I remember there was an emerald green either Classic or Super Classic set there, 22/10/12/13/16 with a 6.5x14 hand hammered snare for like $3000 that I would have killed to have. My dad never played drums but even he liked the look of it. I could never talk him into buying it though *lol*

[ZildjianMan1023]

I think my dad sold it to a guy he worked with for his kid. It probably got put in a landfill somewhere. I then got a red Ludwig Rocker set. Ludwig was THE drums I wanted to have growing up and I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe because that's all the local music store sold. I remember there was an emerald green either Classic or Super Classic set there, 22/10/12/13/16 with a 6.5x14 hand hammered snare for like $3000 that I would have killed to have. My dad never played drums but even he liked the look of it. I could never talk him into buying it though *lol*

haha i dig man, ive always wanted a pearl or high end kit but then i realized that my tama stagestar isnt all that bad.. my first set a rockwood honer was by far THE WORST set ive ever played on

[fourstringdrums]

haha i dig man, ive always wanted a pearl or high end kit but then i realized that my tama stagestar isnt all that bad.. my first set a rockwood honer was by far THE WORST set ive ever played on

Well sets have come a long way these days. The Sunlite kit was $400 I think. For an extra $100 you can now get a Yamaha YD, a Sonor Force 507 or other equivalent kit that stomps the Sunlite in terms of quality. The Ludwig Rocker, with hardware (5 piece, hi-hat stand, snare stand, bass pedal, and one stand I believe) was $800. It wasn't a terrible kit, but when you take a shell pack like a Gretsch Catalina for $600 and add the same amount of hardware for about $200, it's a much better kit.

[ZildjianMan1023]

Well sets have come a long way these days. The Sunlite kit was $400 I think. For an extra $100 you can now get a Yamaha YD, a Sonor Force 507 or other equivalent kit that stomps the Sunlite in terms of quality. The Ludwig Rocker, with hardware (5 piece, hi-hat stand, snare stand, bass pedal, and one stand I believe) was $800. It wasn't a terrible kit, but when you take a shell pack like a Gretsch Catalina for $600 and add the same amount of hardware for about $200, it's a much better kit.

im not putting down ludwig. i ive never heard them other than bonhams.. i think mostly ive heard tamas and pearls.. haha but kits have come along way... i just think its funny how companys can make kits so horribly and yet sell them and people buy them

[bojangleman]

man, where's that girl live?? :P..mine was a Ludwig 5 piece..i dont have a picture of mine, but here is the stock photo.http://www.americanmusical.com/images/b/p31752b.jpg. the sizes were 22" by 16" bass. 16" by 16" floor tom. 11" by 13" mounted tom. 10" by 12". and it came with a 14" by 6.5" snare...but i bought a used Sig. Chad Smith. so, i had a good snare for a beginner...and i had the same B8's i have now...ha


I found a picture (kinda). It is a two (?) year old picture of my old band playing live.


http://blink.dagbladet.no/community/files/v/vi/villekul/TOJ.jpg

[fourstringdrums]

im not putting down ludwig. i ive never heard them other than bonhams.. i think mostly ive heard tamas and pearls.. haha but kits have come along way... i just think its funny how companys can make kits so horribly and yet sell them and people buy them

Well when you're a beginner, and especially if you're the parent of a beginner and you don't play yourself, you don't know any better. My parents were more concerned about whether or not I was going to be able to play, let alone keep up the interest. If they had known that 14 years later I'd still be at it, they probably would have sprung for a better set. I got the Ludwig two years after the Sunlite so if they had done that it would have saved them money *lol* I played the Ludwig for about 3 or 4 years until I got a job and could afford to buy myself a new set. I then got a Tama Rockstar Custom and some Sabian AAX's.

[ZildjianMan1023]

Well when you're a beginner, and especially if you're the parent of a beginner and you don't play yourself, you don't know any better. My parents were more concerned about whether or not I was going to be able to play, let alone keep up the interest. If they had known that 14 years later I'd still be at it, they probably would have sprung for a better set. I got the Ludwig two years after the Sunlite so if they had done that it would have saved them money *lol* I played the Ludwig for about 3 or 4 years until I got a job and could afford to buy myself a new set. I then got a Tama Rockstar Custom and some Sabian AAX's.

true.. i you have a point.. my friend still has his starter kit and it sounds horrible for his drumming but i mean money doesnt grow on trees.. i had to save for a year to upgrade to my stagestar

[stasz]

..mine was a Ludwig 5 piece..i dont have a picture of mine, but here is the stock photo.http://www.americanmusical.com/images/b/p31752b.jpg. the sizes were 22" by 16" bass. 16" by 16" floor tom. 11" by 13" mounted tom. 10" by 12". and it came with a 14" by 6.5" snare...

That would be my first kit and the kit I still have now, a Ludwig Accent Drum series. Specs as quoted (16x22, 16x16, 11x13, 10x12, 6.5x14). Sometimes I see guys with 6 piece DWs or SQ2s and I feel a little green but these tubs have served me well. Besides someday I'll save up and buy a DW. Someday...

And here are the pics, none of when I first got them, unfortunately.

(I don't use the stock snare, I use a Tama steel Soprano Snare)

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u39/youenjoy00myself/IMG_0025.jpg

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u39/youenjoy00myself/l_551c09cd4405f903ba5da300081a269a.jpg

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u39/youenjoy00myself/l_5f8cf5feb80a4ac3a59068b188aab8b2.jpg

[mofle]

man, where's that girl live?

Haha, in Norway! Twenty

[drovja]

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u39/youenjoy00myself/IMG_0025.jpg





I see those marching sticks in your stick bag. Although, who hasn't tried it at least once when they were starting out?

[bojangleman]

shoot.....haha


Haha, in Norway! Twenty

Alex

[bojangleman]

man you got some nice cymbals for a starter!

That would be my first kit and the kit I still have now, a Ludwig Accent Drum series. Specs as quoted (16x22, 16x16, 11x13, 10x12, 6.5x14). Sometimes I see guys with 6 piece DWs or SQ2s and I feel a little green but these tubs have served me well. Besides someday I'll save up and buy a DW. Someday...

And here are the pics, none of when I first got them, unfortunately.

(I don't use the stock snare, I use a Tama steel Soprano Snare)

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u39/youenjoy00myself/IMG_0025.jpg

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u39/youenjoy00myself/l_551c09cd4405f903ba5da300081a269a.jpg

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u39/youenjoy00myself/l_5f8cf5feb80a4ac3a59068b188aab8b2.jpg


Alex

[BrokenGlass]

I have pics of my kit somewhere. I'll have to look.

It was a CP (cosmic percussion) made by LP (latin percussion). Standard rock sizes. It was black so I HAD to have all black heads. So I got the remo black heads and a black aquarian coated head. Bass drum head was a pinstripe with a pillow inside and the remo flame head on the reso. Cmbals were a b8 rock pack and a wuhan china.

I found a tape recording I made of myself and it was horrible. It was from the first day I had my kit. It made me laugh so hard. Crazy to think of how bad I was at first. I guess practice really does pay off. That was 11 years ago though. Time flies.

[jollymosher]

keep them coming! 20202020

[stasz]

I see those marching sticks in your stick bag. Although, who hasn't tried it at least once when they were starting out?

Well, actually, I don't ever use them on the drumset, I just keep them there. And I don't mean to come off mean or anything but I'm not really a starter, this is just my first kit. I've been playing for 2 years, 3 years before that without a drumset.

man you got some nice cymbals for a starter!

Well, I've collected them over two years... First the B8s, then the ride, and eventually everything else. The 18" AAXplosion is the latest addition.

[sio_13]

This is my first kit i bought myself- I goofed around on my aunt's kit for a couple years before that.
Tama Swingstar 10x12,11x13, 16x16 toms; 16x22 kick; 5.5x14 snare. zildjian cymbals (remember the ZBTs haha), including some zils my dad got when he was in the navy in like 68- they were all 14" hats that i used as crashes. yeah i broke em all, but i'll hook him up when day, if i'm lucky enough to get an endorsement deal or somethin :D

[Mediocrefunkybeat]

You broke the 60's Zildjians?

You're a bad man... a bad, bad man...

[bojangleman]

oh yea...sorry didnt know you had been playin for couple years...but yea..that is probably what i will do, is just add on 1 at a time.

Well, I've collected them over two years... First the B8s, then the ride, and eventually everything else. The 18" AAXplosion is the latest addition.

Alex

[sio_13]

You broke the 60's Zildjians?

You're a bad man... a bad, bad man...

yes i know this... i didn't find a respect for them until it was too late... and I gonna take this to my grave so lay off hehehe.

[baz]

...by the time I got into this internet thing, I had already owned two drumkits that I considered as "mine".

I have pics of them in their various evolutionary states, but it would take an archeological expedition to dig those photos out of their hiding places. This I promise to do one day, as the kits also my show my evolution as a drum/hardware repair man/tinkerer.

Here is a link to a webshots page that has some of the kits that I bought, scavenged, fixed up, built, and eventually sold or traded for some of what I now have.

It scares me to think of how much stuff I have gone through over my relativly short stretch as a drummer. It scares me even more to know that I can account for where most of this stuff came from, and where it ended up.

As a drummer, I am the first to admit that I am no screaming hell. As I have said before though, playing is only a part of the enjoyment that I get from drums. I love the hunt. I love finding some piece of somebody elses junk, and seeing the potential in it. I love the challenge of solving drum problems. For all of my posts, I do not think that I have ever posted any of my playing, or tips on techniques. I leave that for the real drummers. Gear is all I really know anything about, and even at that, my knowledge is limited.

http://thumb16.webshots.net/s/thumb1/8/36/89/23783689EKHmFgNobc_th.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/album/49108488ZGgovd)

Thank you for allowing me this indulgence.

barry

[Tuxido]

http://i25.piczo.com/view/y/k/r/m/3/a/y/r/5/w/h/img/i99649744_58335_4.jpg
Thats the only picture i have.

its was a no name bass drum with no reso head,
a set of 6-8-10 rototoms,
an out of round damaged bearing edge pearl metal snare that did not have lugs, it had jammed screws in it to hold the head,
a tama king beat bass pedal,
13" Orion twister hihats,
16" Sabian b8 crash, that i used as a crash and a ride
and new york percussion stands.

I had this kit for 5 years before getting the kit I have now.
Oh and it took about a year before i receive the bass drum for my birthday. I had a cardboard box with a piece of wood taped to it to attach the pedal :)

I still was really happy with it

[RogerLudwig]

Roger WMP from Dayton: purchased early '73 from Roy Harte's Drum City, Hollywood, CA

5 x 14 maple Dynasonic snare
8 x 12 tt
9 x 13 tt
16 x 16 ft
14 x 20 bass

all Rogers Swivomatic hardware and Avedis Zildjian cymbals.

22" ride
18" crash
16" crash
12" splash
14" rock hihats

[diosdude]

Don't have any pics of my first kit, an off-brand cheapo kit called Lotus. The poplar shells were so thin i couldn't tell if there was a discernable bearing edge!! It had some cheesey silver pvp wrap that warped and bubbled after 2 years and the mounts were off an omniball with pot metal arms literally the size of pencils. At the time i was 8 years old though and i didn't care. We were always broke growing up and this is the only present my parents ever bought for me in my entire life that was more than a hundred bucks but that kit profoundly changed my life.

Here's a pic of the first kit that i got for myself: a 1967 Ludwig Classic, silver sparkle (minus the smaller floor tom which i added this year):

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj52/linomcortes/ludwig2.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj52/linomcortes/ludwig1.jpg

I bought this kit in the summer of '87, a frshman in High School, working all summer long cooking chicken wings in a sweaty mom and pop buffalo wing joint making $3.35 an hour. I accomplished my summer goal to buy a drumkit and first car, (coincidentally a 1967) Mercury cougar pony car with a 289 v8.
I've had a few kits come and go, but this one will be with me til the end.

[Bram]

This was my first set:

A Pulse Percussion 5 piece.

20" Bassdrum
10 and 12" toms
14" floortom
13" snare

14" Magic Brass hats
18" Magic Brass crash

Pulse hardware
Tama pedal.

At this moment I am using my Gretsch Catalina Maple combined with my old set as a double bass, 7 toms drumkit, I will take and post pics this week.

[Kothlow]

My first kit was a Gretch kit with duct tape on the heads, and sabian b8's !! Haha this picture was about 6 years ago. I wish I still had these, with the knowlege I have now...

[eddiehimself]

My first kit is my only kit atm and i'm sure you've already seen it (it's in my sig if you haven't, not that horrible orange colour anymore :p)

[oops]

My first kit was a Boston Kit, with 'Dolfin' cymbals. I was so proud of that thing: "Yeah man, I play Boston and Dolfin." (almost as if I was endorsed).

I cringe to think how bad it must have sounded. I kept the same heads for about 4 years, which the previous owner had already worn to shreds. They were covered in gaffer and tissues.

The plasticy wrap all bubbled up in the sunshine too. I'll see if I can find pics.

[Stalwart_Pandora-Chris]

My Peavey Intl 2 kit I got 5 years ago (well, my dad did).
It came equipped with remo heads and some cheapo cymbals. The hi-hats sounded pretty trashy and I threw the ride away as it went inside out but yeah, pretty good at a trashy and loud sound anyways, still use it. What a difference Mapex and Zildjians made though.

[classicstar]

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/6108/dsc3132wh4.jpg
cheers :)

Gavin Harrison fan? :)

[Zickos]

My first drum kit, well, the first kit I played was a compilation of drums from my high school band room. In 1961 (?) my high school band director wanted to start a stage band and we didn't have a drum set. We got an old marching BD, a concert snare and a field drum that we made into a tom tom. We used the band's crash cymbal for a ride and he had a high hat pedal and cymbals and a BD pedal. It wasn't much but it was a start.

My personal first drum set was a 5 pc (I think) set of Lyra drums(Japanese), white marine pearl, that my mother bought in about 1962. I kept this set for many years even after I bought my Zickos. I once played in a band that had two drummers and the other guy had a set identical to mine. My drums were double cased (soft and hard) and the other guy had no cases. He used to back his van up to the stage door where we played and THROW the drums in. When we broke up my set was in pristine condition and his were match sticks. I finally sold this set to my old high school (who needs two kits, anyway) where they lasted about a year before they were garbage. My sister said she actually came up with a picture of my first band and is sending it to me. I'll post it when I get it.

[GRUNTERSDAD]

Wow. This thread went from 2008 to today!!!

[uniongoon]

yeah, old post finds new post whore.

My first Silvertones, circa 1970?

http://i54.tinypic.com/5y9hjo.jpg

Morphed into killer rock machine. Check out the old ludwig 6 1/2 maple snare.
painted silver, held up with bailing twine.

http://i54.tinypic.com/2qamn8w.jpg

That was my first experience with drum re building

http://i56.tinypic.com/2z69nys.jpg

[Pollyanna]

I don't have a picture of my first kit but it was a bizarre Frankenstein ... these are the specs:


14 x 5 Drouyn vintage wood snare (I still use this)
20" Aria brown sparkle kick
12" Aria brown sparkle mounted tom
14" homemade (not by me) weird deep floor tom that was more warped than any drum I've ever seen before or since. It had blue oyster wrap and sounded terrible lol
Hats and ride (forgot specs)
Strange bent cymbal (about 17") that had turned pale green and had sizzles (ten years later I resurrected it, took out the sizzles, turned it upsidedown and clamped it tight - it sounded like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYIR9RwAF_Q#t=60s ... you'll know it when you hear it :)

$100 in 1975. If I'd had one of the kits pictured here I would have been in heaven!

[Ian Williams]

My first drum-kit and still...and - many thanks - to several members here, who helped and encouraged me to keep it while I was in a bind...long time ago!

Peavey - five hundred series drums.

1 Bass Drum: 22" x 14"
1 Snare Drum: 14" x 6.5"
1 Rack Tom: 13" x 11"
1 Floor Tom: 16" x 16"

Heads: Evans G1 clear and G1 coated.

1 Hi-Hat: 14"
1 Crash/Ride: 18" Zildjian Planet Z.
1 Ride: 24" Paiste Giant Beat Ride.

[Mr.L]

http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=806&pictureid=5309
There's mine, got it a year ago. Sounds great.
I've also got a Ludwig 76' 6.5x14 Supra on the set. Plus, a Ludwig Black Magic and a 10x7.5 Tom on the floor! :)
Let's hear it for Yamaha Stage Custom Advantages!

[eddiehimself]

My first kit is my only kit atm and i'm sure you've already seen it (it's in my sig if you haven't, not that horrible orange colour anymore :p)

It's not that horrible sound dampening camo fabric any more lol.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/36432_1318401368135_1473790586_30736270_6251232_n. jpg

[boomstick]

Rockin CB700s and feathered hair. In retrospect, I should have added the coca cola garbage can to the kit. It would have matched perfectly.

[Kauffmaniac]

Here's the best pic I have of the old beater kit;

http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/161/rp29.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/534/rp29.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

PDP EZ shell pack I bought at GC for $199 on clearance
Had an old set of New Beat Hats (top hat was cracked), a B8 16" Medium Crash,
18" Zildjian Avedis Medium Crash, and a 20" ZBT Ride.

The only thing I miss is that 18" Zildjian crash.

[Dippy]

My first kit was an early-model Pearl rhythm traveler, before they started coming with black hardware. Small, decent-sounding, and quiet with the mesh heads that came with it. At first I cranked every single drum as tight as it would go, thinking that that was correct tuning. I converted it into a one up, two down kit and later an offset rack tom kit, and added an iron cobra and zbts (bad but much better than the stock cymbals.) I still use the bass for jazz since my stage custom bass is too big (24 inches)

[the_dude]

Majestic Semi-Pro! Circa 1966 maybe.

[mhdweston]

My first kit was a Groove Percussion 5-piece from Sam Ash, about $300 7-8 years ago.. I cant really find any pictures of it sadly..

I actually still have the kit more as a practice/experimentation kit at my home.. I have chopped up the toms to make them shallower, thrown out one of the toms, propped it, left it in the rain (both accidental I assure you).. These babies have been through a lot, and they hold a special place in my heart. <3

But at the end of the day I still use the bass drum and Floor tom for home and practice settings and with quality drum heads, they sound just fine..

Here is the latest incarnation i could find of it with ZXT cymbals PDP platinum tom and PDP SX Snare.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a279/elrojomuerto6x/drum1.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a279/elrojomuerto6x/drum2.jpg

[simmsdn]

CB-700...8-piece kit. 13/14/16/18 toms, 14/16 concert toms, 24 bass drum, and a steel shell snare.

Cymbals were whatever, but included 14" New Beats and a 22" A Zildjian ride...crashes were something that was more like a hubcap than cymbal.

Note the cymbal stand that's made from wood dowel, it was AWESOME!!! Hi-hat stand was 'repaired' with wood legs...you know what though, it worked!

[rafaelblock]

I'll have to dig out a picture, but one day I was shopping at the Sears bargain basement [where I used to find all kinds of interesting musical instruments!] and found a set of Gretch Blackhawks. Not like the cr@pola ones they make now, but a decent set of shells with decent hardware and some trash cymbals. Sears sold them for like one year, and I grabbed the kit, which was a catalog return. $200.

A friend got out of playing drums and gave me a set of 60s Zildjian cymbals, 16 and 18" crash and 20" ride plus 22" china and new beat hats. Free.

I played that kit for years until last year when I acquired my current kit, a clear five piece Ludwig VistaLite kit. I don't play the snare though, I have a brass Mapex.

[Nathan O.]

I just got these today! i need cymbals though...

[N.I.B.]

My first and only! Shells / the Pearl cymbals were about $340 combined and are the only pieces that really count as "first" because everything else was added later on. Most of the kit is a disorganized mix of high-end and low-end equipment not unlike that kind of hodgepodge kit Chris Adler used in his first days as a drummer.

14 x 6
12 x 11
13 x 12
16 x 16
22 x 16

Heads: Evans Genera Dry (snare), Remo coated Emperors (toms), Aquarian Super Kick II (bass)

Rides: Sabian B8, Pearl CX (both 20", but the CX has a darker, washier sound than the B8, so I use both at different times)
Hats: Sabian B8, Pearl CX (both 14", both pairs of hats serve the same respective purpose as the rides)
Crashes: Sabian B8 18", 16"
Splash: Meinl HCS 10"

[Messerschmitt]

I still use my first drum kit, and i`m proud of it!
As to avoid double-posting, here-s the link: http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78244

[GastricPigeon]

My very first drum kit was a Roland TD-4 electronic kit :P My parents wouldn't let me buy acoustic drums because they didn't want all the noise. Not a bad piece of equipment, actually. I mean I wouldn't gig with it, but it's fun being able to switch your kit around at will

[CreeplyTuna]

My first and only kit! Rockwood! Drums are lame, but sweet cymbals (though there's a china to the right that's cut off) and upgraded hardware. I must admit, i'm proud of my cheap, kiddie kit. Saving up for sonor 3007...

[Stalwart_Pandora-Chris]

My first kit was a Peavey INTL 2. My dad got it for Christmas and two years later he got a Roland Kit and gave the kit to me, and I basically upgraded most of it (some of it still original).

Then, a few months after my dad gave me his Peavey INTL I went out and bought MY FIRST PROPER KIT. A 6 piece Mapex Meridian Maple (now 8). So I gave him his kit back, and he bought new pies and better hardware.

I bought new pies too. Was fed up of Paiste 101's. Went out again, bought Zildjians and ta-da. I have a 'pro' kit :)

I call it pro, it's an awesome kit :D

[areFish]

My first kit was a gift from my parents in the 80s. It was a 5 pc. Maxwin (made or owned by Pearl). It was off-white with a steel snare. It had concert toms and a resoless kick. I don't have a pic, but here is a stock pic of the same kit of a different color.

http://i910.photobucket.com/albums/ac302/areFish/Drum%20Pictures/maxwin.jpg

[scorch whammin]

Actually this is a picture of me with my second kit (Tama Swingstar/Imperialstar) taken in 1985...my first kit was a 3 piece CB-700...no pics of that one though..

http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=987&pictureid=6216

[JDizzle]

Here's my Gretsch Catalina Maple. Not pictured is the 12" rack tom. I still use this set since I only got in November 2010.

[340wedge]

I wish I had pictures but, my first kit circa 1977 was a used Apollo 5 peice. It was dark blue sparkle and the tom mounts were stripped so the toms moved all over the place. the flat based stands would tip on occasion but they were drums. My father bought them from my cousin for a couple of hundred and it came with hats, a Zildian ride and some thick bent up trash can of a crash cymbal. The best part my neighbor a few apartments away (yes apartments.lol) who was alot older played and bought a new kit as he was in a bar band. He saw me outside and literally said, hey kid, you play drums too want my old set, they are in the storage room, just take them. Well i took them and guess what it was another metallic blue Apollo set, so I made a big double bass set and all for about $200.00 I ended up giving them to a neighbor in 1984 for free.