Up until now, I had an old cheap 5-piece (22 bass + 14 snare + 12/13/16 toms) Thunder (apparently made by Taye) drum kit at home that I use for sporadic gigs (about once each month). For a few months I had been thinking about buying a second set so I don't have to break down my home kit every time there's a gig and then set it back up after the gig.
Finally, I got a Sonor Player kit (20 bass + 14 snare + 10/14 toms) plus hardware (Sonor HS-200 set) and a new cymbal set. I chose the 4-piece Sonor Player because of portability and space constraints. The kit is beautiful and of a much higher quality than my Thunders (obviously) but now I'm unsure whether to keep the "good" set at home and gig with the cheaper one. The gigging kit would be stored in gig bags most of the time and wouldn't get much use. The idea is having everything already stored in bags that I can quickly load into my car, and unload and store after the gig.
Both sets have hardware for 3 cymbals (ride and two crashes) plus kick pedal, hihats and snare stands.
Here's how I see it:
Gigging with the Sonor kit:
Pros: Smaller footprint, higher quality -> better gigging endurance, better looks and coolness factor
Cons: Considerably heavier -> not nice for my back, would feel real bad if it was damaged or stolen
Gigging with the Thunder kit:
Pros: Wouldn't feel so bad if it was damaged or stolen, larger toms (better for the music I play) and one more tom than the Sonor
Cons: Weaker hardware -> more prone to damage
So, what would you guys do?
Finally, I got a Sonor Player kit (20 bass + 14 snare + 10/14 toms) plus hardware (Sonor HS-200 set) and a new cymbal set. I chose the 4-piece Sonor Player because of portability and space constraints. The kit is beautiful and of a much higher quality than my Thunders (obviously) but now I'm unsure whether to keep the "good" set at home and gig with the cheaper one. The gigging kit would be stored in gig bags most of the time and wouldn't get much use. The idea is having everything already stored in bags that I can quickly load into my car, and unload and store after the gig.
Both sets have hardware for 3 cymbals (ride and two crashes) plus kick pedal, hihats and snare stands.
Here's how I see it:
Gigging with the Sonor kit:
Pros: Smaller footprint, higher quality -> better gigging endurance, better looks and coolness factor
Cons: Considerably heavier -> not nice for my back, would feel real bad if it was damaged or stolen
Gigging with the Thunder kit:
Pros: Wouldn't feel so bad if it was damaged or stolen, larger toms (better for the music I play) and one more tom than the Sonor
Cons: Weaker hardware -> more prone to damage
So, what would you guys do?