Drum Kit Selection

mjtug

Junior Member
Hello,

First post here. Terrific forum.

I've recently joined a big band after a lengthy hiatus and it's time for a new kit. I'm currently using a vintage Ludwig set that sounds fantastic, but the hardware is too wobbly to gig with regularly. Looking for high end/pro drums similar in quality to the Gretsch Brooklyn series, but since I've been out of the loop so long, I'm not really sure what's out there. My budget is around $2,500. I'll consider them all, Gretsch, Ludwig, Yamaha, new, used etc. Also, for you big band cats, will bop sizes work for big band, for instance 18" kick and 14" floor?

Many thanks to you all.

Mark
 
I would recommend checking out the Ludwig Legacy Classic series. They are Ludwig's highest end kit, and are a 3-ply shell. Made in USA. They are like vintage Ludwig drums, but with modern hardware. Of course, all of the top end drums from the major manufacturers are good. It depends on what sounds best to you. I have a friend who is a well known pro drummer in SF, and he was blown away by my Legacy Classics.
 
Also, for you big band cats, will bop sizes work for big band, for instance 18" kick and 14" floor?

I'm more of a bop cat, but I love big bands. I think you can make anything work as far as sizes go, but my take is that larger drums are a more natural fit in a big band setting. Basically, what works for rock drumming is well-suited to big band, IMO. I feel the same way about cymbals, too.
 
Depends on how "big" and "loud" the band is and whether the drums are amplified. An 18" bass drum may work fine. A 22" or 24" would normally make more sense, but then again they might be too loud. Maybe play it safe and go with a 20" or 22".
 
I have a suggestion,
Update the current hardware on your kit.
Visit your local Ludwig dealer and ask him to show you the new Ludwig Atlas Hardware line. Oh Wait, This is the 21st century, I forgot for a moment :)
Visit Ludwig .com and view the new products that are available in the way of hardware.
Visit YouTube vids and see demos of the hardware in action.
Visit eBay and buy the hardware that will bring you to where you want to be.
Have fun upgrading your kit :)
You can use a vintage Slingerland Bop kit like I did... http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=110725
OR...
You can also upgrade your current vintage Ludwig kit like this. http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106584
 
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Yes, but then I wouldn't get to have brand new drums.

You said that you vintage Lud's sounded fantastic but the hardware was lacking. Why would you want to fix something that isn't broken?
According to your initial post the hardware was wobbly.
So, Fix the problem! Upgrade the hardware on your vintage kit.
You could also buy a new ludwig Classic Series kit with modern hardware.
That would be a lateral move because the drums would be very much like the vintage drums that you have now.
Get my point?
 
I play in a Big Band and I much prefer a 20" bass drum and in larger rooms will use a 22" bass drum. My usual Big Band kit is a Yamaha Club Custom in Black Swirl lacquer sizes 20 x 15 bass drum, 12" x 8" mounted tom and 14" x 13" floor tom. The snare is a matching 5.5" x 14" snare drum. I also use a Ludwig Legacy Classic Vintage OBP kit 22 x14" bass drum,
13" x 9" mounted tom and 16" x 16" floor tom with matching 5 x 14" snare drum. Both kits work equally well for Big Band and again I use the Yamaha for smaller rooms and the Ludwig for larger venues.

I recently purchased a Gretsch USA Custom kit in a 20/12/14 config that will also be in the rotation now as well.

I personally don't like 18" bass drums for Big Band they just don't cut through enough IMHO.
I used to use a DW Jazz series kit 18/12/14 with the Big Band and we concluded the 20" or 22" bass drum worked better sonically.

Hardware wise I use single brace Yamaha hardware or Gibraltar and Ludwig Flat base stands. They are sturdy and light weight and reliable and relatively inexpensive, what more could you ask ?

For heads, I prefer the Aquarian Modern Vintage Medium heads on the snare batter, toms batter and resonant and bass drum batter. These are really nice and especially so once they have worked in a bit.

Hope this helps
 
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