Those who keep multiple kits set up

Larry

"Uncle Larry"
Do you have them set up all the same way?

I do, boring as that sounds. 2 up 1 down. (except my walnut kit, that has an extra floor) I don't know what my problem is. I have 3 identically set up kits. (2 Gurus in my studio, and my PDP gig set) Not the same cymbals, but essentially the same amount of cymbals, in essentially the same sizes and positions. My matching sets (the ones I either practice or gig on) all have 2 cowbells, a tambourine and a splash.

There is an exception, my Sonor Players kit. I keep it set up for my 11 YO stepson. (I play it once in a while too) So I have 3 kits set up in my studio, 2 Gurus and the Sonor. I gig the Sonor when my PDP gig kit is too much. The Sonor kit sports less cymbals, less toms, no splash, no tambourine and no bells. I can fit it...and me...in a 4 foot by 4 foot space.

So how do you roll?
 
I only have one, but if I can I set up one left handed at work and use that when I teach.
 
Mostly same way, but I've gone through all the phases:
set both kits all up, with all cymbals/stands I have
then 'normal' phases with one 4 piece, and 2 cymbals
occasionally a 'minimalist' phase of snare bass hats ride (lasts about a week).
I never mount 2 hanging toms, ever.
Oh...And when I'm really feeling daring will use 2 floor toms.
 
I have 3 kits set-up, but not all in the same place.

I keep my 5-piece Tama kit set-up in my friends warehouse. I hardly ever get to see that kit anymore because we hardly jam there anymore. But it's safe and out of the way.

I have a 4 piece Franken-Pearl (they all have Pearl-style coffin lugs, brands are varied). I keep it set up in Bob's Garage for when I go there to practice once a week. We lost the former drum set that used to be at the Garage to its owner who finally came back to retrieve it. So I moved mine in.

With two drum kits set up elsewhere besides my house, I needed a new gig kit. So I bought a new Ludwig Element Birch 4 piece kit. I keep it set-up at home in the garage and I use it for gigs too.

So basically, I use every piece of gear that I own. All of my set-ups use two crashes, a ride & hats. I have an extra Ozone and a splash with the Tama kit, and my gig kit (Ludwig) has an extra Ozone splash.
 
I have 3 identically set up kits. (2 Gurus in my studio, and my PDP gig set)
Those Guru's must be so sad every time they see your PDP going out to have fun. Cruel I tells ya - cruuuel!!!


I have multiple demo kits set up, but I'm guessing that doesn't count. They're all very different kits, so not the same setup by definition.

I do have two "go to" setups - a 6 piece & a 4 piece. They're always the same configuration, including cymbal layouts. 4 piece has two more cymbals than the 6 piece - go figure! Then there's always the wind chime options ;)
 
My three drumsets are setup almost identically. I have found a setup that works for me. No need to change it. I tried different setups for quite a while and eventually settled on my 1 up 1 down setups. I feel comfy behind that set. Feeling comfy while playing is a good basis for playing good, with positive confidence and playing tight IMO..
 
Man....I need more space. I barely have room for one!
 
Those Guru's must be so sad every time they see your PDP going out to have fun. Cruel I tells ya - cruuuel!!!

Make a Tour set with a tom tree and I'd gig Guru. The tom tree is a gig necessity for me. Plus I don't want to store my Guru kit in my truck uncased. That's where the gig kit lives. It makes my life exponentially easier that way.

Tom tree. Please? I'm guessing you wouldn't even consider it. I may drill Yolanda. After all her bass drum is 8 mm right? And judging from the force it took to crack that shell....from the inside where it's weaker...I don't think mounted toms would even come close to that level of stress on the bass drum. Especially force from the outside of the shell. It's an arch, is it not? Arches are strong, everyone knows that. I betcha I could stand on that bass drum and nothing would happen.

My Pearl had a 7.5 mm bass drum, and Pearl toms are much heavier. Granted Pearls are plywood. Segmented construction is friggin strong like brickwork though. Stave I'm not too sure about, I wouldn't chance it. But segmented? Fuggetaboutit.

A DW style tom mount, or one where a tube does not penetrate the shell is what I'd use. The DW mount is unnecessarily heavy though. I have some tom tree homework to do.

It's the only thing that kit is lacking to make it a giggable kit for me. Love the wingnut operated floor tom and bass drum legs,and the "normal" bass drum hoop, all necessities. I just might do it, unless you convince me otherwise. Instead of cases, I'd use those drum rolls, because they fold up flat.

Nothing would please me more than to be able to gig Yolanda with no extra effort than it takes to set up my PDPs.
 
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Hey UL, I keep both my Sonor kits set up the same even the cymbal placement. Tuning is different on each.
 
I have a modern 6 piece on a rack, and a vintage 4 piece on stands that I keep setup except when one is gigged. And the gigged kit get reset within 48 hours of its return. I keep all snare, toms, hats, and throne heights identical, but the number of toms, cymbals, and the placement of the cymbals vary between the two.

I learned playing a 6 piece, so i find it neccessary to practice on the 4 piece often to simplify things and broaden my skills on fewer drums. Plus I only gig the 52 year old collector grade kit on very special occasions.
 
I have two kits setup. Until a few months ago both were identical , small variance on how many cymbals are on each one. Now I have one setup 3 up 1 down and the other is 2 up 2 down.
 
I have three kits; a home kit, a kit in the band rehearsal/recording space, and one stacked up ready to load out for gigs.

Home and rehearsal kit are essentially the same drum and cymbal sizes set up in the same way, though the rehearsal kit is two up one down, while the home kit and gig kits are two up two down.

I'm torn between adding a second floor to the rehearsal kit or admitting I really don't hit the second floor on my home kit all that often...
 
Usually have three kits up.
Right now I have Ludwig and DW 2 up 2 down sets and my Legacy four piece. Different cymbal sets for each kit.
 
I have enough space for two, but one is set-up as a 4-piece, while the other is a giant 9-piece. If I get rid of my electric piano I'll have room for more, but right now I keep a kit in the garage stacked up and ready to be thrown into a car if I have a gig or something with it's own hardware.
 
I have several kits set up, my purpose is both different sounds and configurations.

6 piece Gretsch Purewood Oak with clear heads and a ported bass drum. Zildjian K cymbals.


6 piece Gretsch Purewood Hickory with white heads and unported bass drum. Meinl Byzance Benny Greb cymbals.

5 piece Whitney with Zildjian Kerope cymbals set up for right handed guest drummers.

5 piece Sleishman with Paiste 2002 cymbals.

5 piece PDP in Bonham configuration with Paiste Giant Beat cymbals.

4 piece Premier with Paiste/Zildjian/Bettis cymbals.

I literally walk from kit to kit when I practice to challenge myself with different setups.
 
Tom tree. Please? I'm guessing you wouldn't even consider it. I may drill Yolanda. After all her bass drum is 8 mm right?
My Pearl had a 7.5 mm bass drum, and Pearl toms are much heavier. Granted Pearls are plywood. Segmented construction is friggin strong like brickwork though.
You may well be right Larry. Honestly, we've never put it to the test (that would be one expensive test). Segmented is strong. Still not as strong as a multiple ply equivalent, but not too far off. I still can't recommend it on a structural level though, because I have no evidence to base that advice on.

One thing I am completely sure of though, is the sonic affect of such a mounting. That shell is way more resonant than a ply equivalent, & that contributes to it's rich sound. You wouldn't notice any difference on most ply shells, even with a fully open bass drum, but you will on this drum. Mount + tom mass will reduce that resonant profile. In a gig situation, that's maybe something you can live with, or even something you won't notice. Try placing an equivalent weight on a cushion, then rest it on the bass drum & see if you can appreciate the difference.
 
I don't have two kits any more, but when I did they usually had different setups. No particular reason for it other than the fact that they were different kits with different sizes, so I set each one up the way I felt best suited it.

One was generally set up as a 1-up, 2-down setup (24, 12, 16, 18), while the other was 2-up, 1-down (22, 10, 12, 16). Cymbal placement was pretty much the same on both kits though; I very rarely stray from my preferred cymbal setup.
 
I have 4 kits set up right now. 4, 5, 6, and 7 piece kits with different drum setups and different cymbal setups. It gives me a reason to play all of them. If they were all the same I would probably pick just one kit I like best and not touch the others.
 
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