Caring too much about your stuff...

[brittc89]

And too little about your playing. I feel like this is becoming an epidemic in the drum world. I meet so many drummers who seem to care a lot more about the drums they are playing on than how they are sounding when they play them. I know gear is important, but I just feel like some times people just take it too far. Has anyone else noticed it? Is there anyone here whos guilty?
A lot of times, I could care less what I was really playing on as long as Im just getting to play drums at all.

[beefythedrummer]

I think its more of an epidemic to those who just started, or really just play the drums for fashion, I guess you could say. There is this younger kid where I live with the joey jordinson shell pack and all, but isn't really that good. Now I will admit, he doesn't talk like he is jordinson...but his playing doesn't justify a need for a kit like his.

I play on tama swingstars, and they aren't top of the line drums, but I enjoy playing them, and I have had only good comments on how my drums sound. I think the ones who play like what you describe usually fall out of drumming anyway because they never really had a true passion for it in the first place.

[nebula821]

Most musicians that you meet seem to want to talk gear as opposed to concepts, or theory. I think it's the superficial nature of a lot of people.

[fijjibo]

Surely when you love playing drums, you would like to have a nice kit to play on, which makes you feel you want to play more.
And with that comes the responsibility of looking after them.

Lets face it, most beginners have starter kit because they dont want to splash the cash on something they may not end up wanting to use, if they decide drummings not for them.

There are some who are just above beginner, who have maybe played for several months to a year, that is serious about drumming. Lets also say that they have a bit of money to spend on some better gear.

Should they (or any drummer) be denied good gear just because they arent Steve Gadd yet?

After all, the player makes the kit, but the kit can inspire the player to play better.

[somedrummer]

I have this problem, and I'm maybe a little ashamed that I don't practice as much as I should and that I have higher quality and more kits than people of greater skill levels than me. I think it's to a certain point a part of being a drummer, or almost any musician. My trumpet player has 5 trumpets too.

I think it really has to do with one's priorities. Me, I think I'm as much a collector as a player. There are lots of people who just need that one kit to play on, and frankly, they play really well on it. But there are also people like me who are interested in owning lots of stuff and being able to use any of it at any time, and focus a little less on the playing aspect. I think there's room for all of us.

[jazzin']

And too little about your playing. I feel like this is becoming an epidemic in the drum world. I meet so many drummers who seem to care a lot more about the drums they are playing on than how they are sounding when they play them. I know gear is important, but I just feel like some times people just take it too far. Has anyone else noticed it? Is there anyone here whos guilty?
A lot of times, I could care less what I was really playing on as long as Im just getting to play drums at all.

I'm with you on this one brittc89. Although my cymbals are very precious to me. I only have three: hats and two rides, but they are great cymbals. I know exactly what you mean though. Too many drummers are obsessed with great gear...or looking the part with great gear. I've been playing quite a while now and these cymbals are the first high end gear I've ever actually owned. Before this it was struggling along with nasty cymbals and shoddy second hand kits year after year or maybe borrowing some nice cymbals for a big gig. At least I feel I've really earned this stuff now.
You're right though, if I'm playing, I'm happy.

[graham rogers]

i reckon that as we get older and we have more disposable income, musicians tend to buy the equipment that they have always wanted. and become experts on the specs and features of the instrument after years of reading catalogues when they were broke!
im guilty of this.
i have the equipment i have always wanted and i have a huge ammount of pride attached to it.
when i was a teenager i had a seccond hand 60's olympic kit, it was my first kit and i loved it and it gave me the foundation for all i know today. i had been playing for about two years when a guy in my class (whose father was loaded) decided to take up drumming and was presented with a brand new tama kit with gleaming cymbals and hardware.
this guy could rattle off all the specs, and i remember looking down on him because he was just starting, and i didnt consider him to be any good!
however i also remember being consumed with the greenest envy possible!
its six of a, and half a dozen of b.

[Garvin]

Guilty... I have four kits, 5 rides, 5 congas, and piles of other various drums and instruments. I gig about once a month right now. Don't get me wrong, gigs ebb and flow for me as I'm sure they do with everyone and at some point I had a purpose for each piece of gear I've aquired. My problem is mainly where I moved. I don't have anyone to play with right now and have never been much of a "practicer". I'll play usually about a half hour a day and more on weekends alone, but never in any organized fashion.

I do like talking about gear though. It's just like anyone you talk to with a hobby, whether its cars, sports, cooking, model trains or whatever people like to talk about their stuff. It's somehow more tangible than the concepts that you are applying to the instruments. Often I think it disarms the conversation between drummers that could turn to "I'm better than you because I've recorded X number of albums and can play 4000 bpm with my right foot etc." I find it comforting that we can all tel stories about cool shops we've been to in different parts of the world, or where we got our favorite cymbal or snare.

But yes, I am guilty of focusing on gear over playing more often than not.

[Drummer Karl]

Yep, sometimes...sometimes I doubt that I deserve the kit I own.
I care much about my gear and currently I try to get rid of my old kit and try to buy a small Sonor 3007. I look at pictures for a long time, inform myself.
though I care much more about my playing, skills than about the gear.
Same with my Ride cymbals: I`ve got some delicious stuff, a K and an Istanbul. I`m always working on getting the best swing and sound out of them. I couldn`t stand not being able playing em.

Having top gear is definitly less important.

Karl

[fijjibo]

I care much about my gear and currently I try to get rid of my old kit and try to buy a small Sonor 3007. I look at pictures for a long time, inform myself.

Yeah, thats part of being a drummer!!!

Britc89, you are right to question the balance, but on the other end of the scale, how would you feel if someone said you couldnt read DW?

[LiveGoat]

One of the reasons is that we live in relatively prosperous times. A young Elvin Jones (who got his hirst kit at 22) would've shook his head in disbelief at he idea of a "extra" drumkit.

--LG

[gmrakich]

As drums get cheaper and good looking (not always good sounding) it is easy for some to be sucked into the more is better pit. Back when the earth was still cooling, there were no real cheap kits like Pacific, Tama & Pearls lower line kits..etc so everyone had a pro level kit or none at all. Same with cymbals. Buying a kit was a hugh outlay of cash. Not much in the way of discounts either then..no GCs or Ash stores. What may be happening is people are getting kits sooner, and have no knowledge of the basic 26, and for the most part, don't take lessons and the curve is pretty steep as far as coming up to speed. Also everyone is posting stuff on places like youtube that most seasoned players would be embarrassed to claim as their own. Strange time we live in...I must go spear a rabbit for dinner now or Yartuck will be angry.

[jonescrusher]

Well made point britt. The sheer popularity of the Your Gear subforum is testament to the problem. I've always felt there is greater kudos in being talented and making cheap/tatty gear sound great. Conversely, many people pay out on brand new stuff, often because they've heard an endorsee using it, and then can't get it to sound good. Ultimately, stuff will only sound as good as your playing....

[fourstringdrums]

Seeing as I just bought my 5th set of drums in the last 4 years, and my 3rd set of cymbals in the last 2 years, I'm probably one of the most guilty people of this on the forum. But I don't collect anything, I replace. When I buy new gear, I'm replacing something with it. I'm not a pro or a gigging drummer so I don't have the need for a second set for practice or multiple cymbals for more tonal options. I'm just the type of person who needs to find the gear that fits with them as a drummer, and that's just taken a while with me. Also, trying new things until I find the right fit is sort of a side hobby. I know I should just be able to make the most musical statement no matter what I'm playing, but I'm not able to do that yet, and I'm not interested in doing that yet. For the moment, I'd rather find the gear that matches what I hear in my head and work from there.

[Ironcobra]

finnally, i good thread!

i find myself being sucked into the whole "gotta have the best" , for example:

i've had this computer for 7 years, and i've needed a new one for about 4, and i make a computer on the internet, but then new processors and video cards come out, and i want THOSE. then more come out and i want THOSE, i really dont need the best, but why im i always sucked into the stuff i dont need.

sure i dont need a starclassic, but when you have one, its just one part of your life that will make you feel good, knowing that when something not so great happens in your life, you can fall back on your drums. now......of course you should be able to play good, but when people really want to have extra gear, or extra drums, there is nothing wrong with that, its just making them that much happier in their life (i dont have a starclassic yet)

[boomerbrown]

i reckon that as we get older and we have more disposable income, musicians tend to buy the equipment that they have always wanted. and become experts on the specs and features of the instrument after years of reading catalogues when they were broke!
im guilty of this.
i have the equipment i have always wanted and i have a huge ammount of pride attached to it.
when i was a teenager i had a seccond hand 60's olympic kit, it was my first kit and i loved it and it gave me the foundation for all i know today. i had been playing for about two years when a guy in my class (whose father was loaded) decided to take up drumming and was presented with a brand new tama kit with gleaming cymbals and hardware.
this guy could rattle off all the specs, and i remember looking down on him because he was just starting, and i didnt consider him to be any good!
however i also remember being consumed with the greenest envy possible!
its six of a, and half a dozen of b.

I'm right there with you.

[rockitman]

I have a huge 6 piece Yamaha BIrch Custom with 4 Custom A crashes mastersound hats and K Ride. Additionally there are 3 rotos and a massive PDP rack.
I'm blessed to be on board with an outfit that gets nice work on big stages. I use all of the gear that I am asked to bring with me and I get paid accordingly.
Simply put I am an 8th and 16th note groove rocker. Thats what I do best. Nothing spectacular at all. I get work and the people that pay me request specific gear.
I am much happier playing on my four piece pacific kit. I am meticulous about the way both kits play look and sound. Taking great pride in every aspect of the craft is nothing to get hung about. Even if your a simple player like me

[beefythedrummer]

Well I'm for buying nice things if you feel the need to buy it. I have been slowly replacing all my old cymbals with new upper line ones. The "joey jordinson kid" I was talking about just has that kit for the sake of having it because he has never changed his heads, beats on the only cymbal he has throughout entire songs..and just really shows a lack of knowledge for drumming.

I'm not saying you can't have nice things when you start, just treat it well lol.

[JCM]

Yeah it is a problem, like some drummers who refuse to play on your kit because you use sticks different to theirs! Not that it has happened to me but I can imagine it has to somebody else. Sometimes the sheer amount of choice drives me spare!

[Deathmetalconga]

Guilty... I have four kits, 5 rides, 5 congas, and piles of other various drums and instruments. I gig about once a month right now. Don't get me wrong, gigs ebb and flow for me as I'm sure they do with everyone and at some point I had a purpose for each piece of gear I've aquired. My problem is mainly where I moved. I don't have anyone to play with right now and have never been much of a "practicer". I'll play usually about a half hour a day and more on weekends alone, but never in any organized fashion.

I do like talking about gear though. It's just like anyone you talk to with a hobby, whether its cars, sports, cooking, model trains or whatever people like to talk about their stuff. It's somehow more tangible than the concepts that you are applying to the instruments. Often I think it disarms the conversation between drummers that could turn to "I'm better than you because I've recorded X number of albums and can play 4000 bpm with my right foot etc." I find it comforting that we can all tel stories about cool shops we've been to in different parts of the world, or where we got our favorite cymbal or snare.

But yes, I am guilty of focusing on gear over playing more often than not.

This sums up my position well, as well as what Somedrummer said above. I like the physicality of drums and percussion and collecting stuff - and of course learning to play it well. As you know, collecting ethnic percussion is especially nice because it gives you insights into other cultures and learning these instruments influences your trap set playing. Plus, they look beautiful to have around the house when you're not playing them and there's nothing wrong with that.

[elpol]

Want? Need?

It's "Gotta Have".

If we weren't human, then manufacturers wouldn't be suffocating us with so much product. They depend on us to care too much...

I got lots and do work a good bit as a pro. Do I need it all? Probably not. I do actually use almost all of it, though I have this weakness for unusual cymbals if I come across them. Would I be happier without having all those goodies? Probably not. (though my wife might be)

[mikei]

I have two kits that I certainly am not worthy of (if you are only worthy of a certain kind of kit if you play well enough) in the eyes of many.

During the last 2 years (That is how long I have been playing) I have spent probably 6 to 7 grand on gear. That is nothing compared to some of the guys out here. Have you seen Grmakich's collection!!!!! Wow.

When you hit your mid 30s, you have a good career outside of music, you have a wife, children and tons of responsibilities, you live for your family but cherish your hobbies. I love my kits and do not feel bad when I read that people buy great kits before they need them. My great kits make me feel as good as a professional feels with equally great kits.

I don't practice nearly as much as I want to and therefore do not advance as quickly as I would like.

But, I have found that it is usually people who cant afford high end kits that bash people "who don't deserve" them. There is no license needed to have nice equipment, just money.

[k3ng]

I 'cannot' develop this problem even if I tried hahahaha. I can't afford buying all that stuff at the moment. It's just me and my swingstar, with crap cymbals that came with it and getting-old remo heads.

[Mendozart]

I played my Tama Superstars for 23 years. I hadn't upgraded a cymbal for 20 years. Just recently I bought a (used) DW kit and the ball started rolling. But I sold my Superstars and have sold some cymbals to buy others. I felt after playing for 32 years I deserved to treat myself. None of this buying spree has affected family expenses though. My wife was behind me 100%, so I feel pretty lucky. I do care about my newly acquired things but only because I have always taken pride in things that I worked for.

[Joel Woody]

i play like crazy for a week, then i clean my kit. cant stand the dust.

[ZildjianMan1023]

ive been playing the drums for close to 5 years and i play on a tama stagestar.. i can make that thing sing like gold.. i focus way more on my playing than my kit although i take rather good care of it. i have low end cymbals but they hold up to my playing so i know theyll last me at least a while.... i feel that its important more on playing that your kit. i say ppl who want to buy a dw kit and are bigginers go for it! i cant spell blah blah..


To each His own..

Dom

[drum.lad]

im all for guys enjoying there stuff but some people go to extremes with there gear one of my friends just started and his dad gave him 10,000 euro to get gear(although his dad is loaded)begginers dodnt need all the stuff they think they do and dodnt deserve it.however i am proud of my drums and how they look and sound but i (think) i have the abilty to justify it

[elpol]

i play like crazy for a week, then i clean my kit. cant stand the dust.
lol, you would go crazy if you saw my stuff. i'm real bad for the 'keeping' clean part...

[baz]

...Guilty as charged.

The last time one of my kits left my basement was when I sold it. More stuff has come in since. I am a shameless gear freak and I make no bones about it. As I have stated so many times on here (ad nauseum) ,my drums are more than a means of musical expression. They are tinker toys, wood working projects, and an excercise in creative problem solving.

I am also very fortunate that I am in that place in my life where I do have a certain amount of disposable income that allows me this over indulgence. I look at my drums as an investment, which is why I like DW in particular, and most other vintage American drums in general. There are tons of dubs out there, as there were tons of Ludwigs during the sixties and seventies. Those older American drums such as Slingerland, Rogers, Gretsch, and Ludwig are the drums that the guys my age are paying big bucks for now. When my kids eventually sell off my drums, I am hoping that they will have held their value, as the aforementioned have.

I love playing my drums, even though I have not had an opportunity to play them out since I changed jobs, and stopped commuting. If I was a younger man, I might be a little more frustrated by this inability to catch the wind and sail out of these musical doldrums (pun intended). As it is, I still enjoy playing if only to the "Super hits of the Seventies and Sixties" on my I-pod. One day, I will meet up with the right bunch of like minded grey ponytailed old farts. If all we do is play in my basement, it will all be worth it.

Barry

[T.L.]

As someone who played cheap drums for the first 10 years that I played drums, I have to say that I appreciate the gear that I have now.....

When I was a student (high school and university), I didn't care at all about gear and focussed my efforts on my playing... I knew I couldn't afford anything but what I had -- I even played (for a year and a half) on an old beat-up Remo practice pad set which I got for $180, because I didn't have the $500 needed to buy an entry level kit).........

I played jazz gigs (at 18 and 19 years old) with a "one piece" set-up for two years -- an 18" Zildjian K dark crash, old Zildjian A hats and an old Slingerland snare.

Not having the money (therefore not caring about gear) may have been good for me, as I just focussed on playing, BUT if I could do it over again I'd rather have the desire I had along with the gear I have now...........Your sound IS in your hands, BUT nice gear does make us all sound better. (Steve Jordan went against the stereotypical mantra and talked at length about the importance of sound and gear in a recent MD interview.)

The first thing I did after I graduated university and got a "real" job with a good pay-cheque was buy a pro-level kit............ I went straight from a Westbury (bottom of the line) set-up to an Ayotte Custom kit. Two years later I bought a Yamaha Maple Custom Absolute jazz kit as well........ For cymbals, I now play Zildjian K Constantinoples (hats and 22" and 20" rides, a couple of Sabian signatures (Thigpen and Shaugnessy) and a Turkish Classic Series crash.

In total, my gear's worth well over $5000. Am I a gear-head........ I don't think so.............I just have a decent job and am willing to buy the best equipment for what I love to do (play music)..............Because I've experienced the gear situation from both sides I don't look down on anyone who plays cheap stuff; conversely, I never look at anyone who plays top-end stuff like DW and think that they're not good enough for their kit.

One thing I really believe is that any of us who have old gear lying around that we don't need (and assuming we're not hard up for money) should give it away (for a low price or for free) to younger aspiring drummers -- a single cymbal or snare drum can go a long way!!!

[Trip McNealy]

Most musicians that you meet seem to want to talk gear as opposed to concepts, or theory. I think it's the superficial nature of a lot of people.

pretty true.

i'm glad i'm the opposite. sure, i may ask a question here and there "Oh, by the way how do you like that [gear]?" but I'll be bright-eyed and anxious to fire away concept/technique questions if i met someone famous or plays outstanding.

[zambizzi]

I have to be honest - I LOVE my gear. However, I'm a gear-head...I like gadgets, toys, widgets, trinkets, and whatzits.

Anyhow, I would much rather talk drummING than drum GEAR. The only exception is when I'm in a music shop...the conversation usually ends up in the gear dept. - most likely because they're trying to sell me something. It's fun anyways and I like buying stuff :D

The gear is fun...and there isn't a drummer here that doesn't like to talk about their setups, favorite brands, etc.

I have my dream kit and setup but it'll take much longer to get my dream chops...probably never...that doesn't mean I don't enjoy building those chops on quality gear!