Instrument infatuation

Playing drums...the act of playing drums...it really shouldn't matter what I am playing on...but it does.

This thread is not about which kit inspires you, that's fine too...it's more about the difference in the way you feel when you are playing your #1 favorite drum set (if you have one) as compared to a backline kit for instance that's not your cup of tea at all. Is this an actual thing with you or do you feel the same no matter what you are playing on?

If I have multiple kits, I love them fairly equally, because I have them set up, headed and tuned to my preferences.

But if I am forced to play a crap backline kit...I just don't play it like I would if it was my own kit. Like if the sound like garbage, I won't play them unless I have to. So the instrument I'm playing affects what I choose to play. It shouldn't, but it does. I hear things a certain way, and timbre is included. If I want a long note, and all I have to work with is a short crappy non-note...I'll just skip playing it if I can.

How I feel about an instrument...I proved to myself that it affects me. I had a "Hendrix color" white Telecaster since 2003. It mostly just sat around. I never liked the color too much but I was trading in a PRS and that's all they had there, in my price range, and I had to have a different guitar that day lol.

Last year I totally redid everything to what I wanted, paint, electronics, hardware...bottom line, I've never loved playing that guitar to the degree I love playing it now...and it's the same body and neck. Go figure. I've done a 180 with that guitar and now I can't get enough. It makes little sense to me except that perhaps I am completely spoiled.

Comments welcome.

This is part of why I am willing to spend big money on specific kits that are renowned for their sound. I want to be inspired enough to actually practice.

Interesting topic.

Firstly when it comes to the color or look of the drum kit, it really does not seem to matter while I'm playing the kit. It matters a lot to me when I looking at the kit.
If it's ugly I feel uninspired and I worry that it will affect the audience's perception of me.

When it comes to the sound of the kit; obviously I want my drum kit to sound good and when it does, I play better.

But interestingly enough if I'm playing a bad sounding drum kit (someone else's drum kit) as soon as the music starts, the bad sound goes to the background and I immerse myself in the song. I pull out the best sounds I can and the bad sounding kit does not seem to matter very much.


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I have always despised playing other people's instruments. Regardless of quality or sound even. I have spent so much time getting my gear exactly how I want it, when I play on someone else's gear it always feels foreign. It's like driving someone else's car. It just isn't right.

larryace said:

It makes little sense to me except that perhaps I am completely spoiled.

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I agree.

I have an appreciation sitting behind whatever kit I'm sitting behind, from old junk that was stored away for decades within the dark dusty bowels of an old three-story home, to kits pulled together with a mish-mash of this and that.

It's the sound and action that fuels my inner hunger, not superficial shininess and high-end brand names.

different sounding kits inspire me to play different things ... even if they sound like shit I find something beautiful to play because it inspires foreign ideas

sound doesn't bother me nearly as much as straight up faulty equipment ... stripped bolts... stripped brackets ... etc

of course I prefer to always play my kit ... and I have run into some pretty sweet house kits ... the Apollo in NYC has a brand new DW kit that was a pleasure to play ... I'v also run into complete trash

but as long as it is sturdy I'll find some sweets sounds to create

then again I'm known to play full gigs with brushes on paper bag ... so I gues that says I just enjoy making sounds to compliment a musical situation in any way possible

With my trio I am playing with just one rack tom and usually no floor tom. A 12" snare. A small kick sometimes 20" but at many of our venues we're trying a 14" kick now. But at a benefit gig a few weeks ago I had to use the backline kit which was the exact opposite of my normal kit. A lot of everything. It was going from driving a 1960's VW Bug to an 18 wheeler.

I thanked the house drummer for letting everyone (there were 5 groups that day) use his kit and especially cymbals, and their bass player chimed in that a year ago when the kit was new their drummer would never have let us use it lol.

Here's a pic of me on their backline kit.

larryace said:

Playing drums...the act of playing drums...it really shouldn't matter what I am playing on...but it does.

This thread is not about which kit inspires you, that's fine too...it's more about the difference in the way you feel when you are playing your #1 favorite drum set (if you have one) as compared to a backline kit for instance that's not your cup of tea at all. Is this an actual thing with you or do you feel the same no matter what you are playing on?

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I think this is an actual thing for most musicians on most instruments. What you're playing on can make a huge difference. I have a friend who is a full-time musician and was gifted an 1891 Martin guitar by a family friend. She just recorded an album of songs that that guitar either inspired her to write, or that she had already written but had to re-do for that particular guitar. There were passages in some songs that sounded great on a more modern acoustic guitar that didn't sound at all good on this Martin. So some songs ended up with a completely different feel, just because that's what fit the instrument she was inspired by for this album.

Being able to vary your playing style to make a particular instrument sound its best is a skill unto itself, and some folks have fun with it. Others want to find an instrument that fits their particular style, and go as far as they can with that. Just two different approaches.

I don't feel the same behind somebody else's kit. Even if nice, I will tend to play conservatively. Its sort of like driving somebody else's car.

Stroker said:

It's the sound and action that fuels my inner hunger, not superficial shininess and high-end brand names.

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Looks count but 100% agree that it's the sound. That great sound can come from any set, it doesn't have to be expensive.

Actually, yes it does

I’m playing on recovered 2010’s Ludwig accent Zep kit. I have it tuned how I like it, set up perfectly for me, and I’m really happy with it- I’d rather play it than anyone else's kit.

That doesn’t stop me from lusting after, and I will eventually buy, a similar sized classic maple kit in vintage marine. That’s what I’ve always envisioned as my dream kit since I was a kid. A near- Bohnham size kit in a Buddy Rich suit.

MrInsanePolack said:

I have spent so much time getting my gear exactly how I want it, when I play on someone else's gear it always feels foreign. It's like driving someone else's car. It just isn't right.

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This, and more importantly for me, the way it sounds. When it doesn't sound the way I expect it to, it completely throws me.

Jbravo said:

That doesn’t stop me from lusting after, and I will eventually buy, a similar sized classic maple kit in vintage marine. That’s what I’ve always envisioned as my dream kit since I was a kid. A near- Bohnham size kit in a Buddy Rich suit.

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Stop it jbravo!
You're killing me.
When I read this my emotions got the best of me............. I actually started to tear up.


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I had this exact experience at a gig last night. When I got there, the sound man was going on and on about how he had the drums "tuned perfectly", and "totally dialed in". The kit itself wasn't bad... Pearl Crystal Beat, 12, 14, 22. The equipment was in good condition, and nothing was broken, or taped together, so that was nice. I sit down at the set and hit around it a bit, and there it is... That cardboard box sound that sound guys seem to love. Evans Hydraulics tuned just a bit past finger tight, and the reso heads adorned with gaff tape. I tried tuning them a bit higher to get some kind of tone from them, but to no avail. They just sounded like smaller cardboard boxes. Needless to say, the sound was uninspiring.

On top of that, they had a plexiglass shield in front of the drums. In some situations, it doesn't bother me. But in this band, we all interact with each other on stage as part of the show. This definitely put a damper on that. The dude also had lights set up by the drums, behind the plexi, facing in a way that didn't really allow me to see out. I was basically looking at a reflection of myself playing for the entire night.

That gig was like accidentally sitting in dog cr*p, then when you stand up and try to clean yourself off, someone runs up to you and kicks you right in the penis.

I've come to embrace the challenge of playing backline kits or kits that belong to other drummers. Last summer, at a very large local club, my band opened for 2 different touring cover bands in the span of 3 months. I made a thread about how muffled the drums were in each instance. I was using a double pedal back then; the one guy also had a double pedal, but he put the slave pedal on the outside of the hi hat pedal, instead of inside how I set mine. That really messed with me for the first few minutes, but you know what? I settled in and figured it out. I actually kind of enjoy using other people's gear at this stage; I like the challenge of playing well in less than ideal circumstances. I'm usually much larger than the drummer's whose kit I'm using, but I pretty much leave everything where it is and don't move things around. Its kind of fun, actually, but I do enjoy going back to my kit when its over.

PS- I'm in Grapevine Texas for 2 weeks, and am looking to sit in somewhere (open mic or whatever), if anyone can suggest a place to check out!

cutaway79 said:

That gig was like accidentally sitting in dog cr*p, then when you stand up and try to clean yourself off, someone runs up to you and kicks you right in the penis.

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This is freaking hilarious! Not the gig, sucks you had to endure that mess. But on the bright side, I think you have just given me the greatest one sentenced description of a crap situation. I will be using this.

Hollywood Jim said:

Stop it jbravo!
You're killing me.
When I read this my emotions got the best of me............. I actually started to tear up.


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This is a service I provide free of charge

It's the sound that matters, bad acoustics are the worst. let alone somebody else's drum set, would you ware their pants> ?

larryace said:

Playing drums...the act of playing drums...it really shouldn't matter what I am playing on...but it does.

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And why is that? I couldn't disagree more. Of course it should matter. It's not infatuation at all. An infatuation is an unreasonable fixation. There's nothing unreasonable or fleeting about the love of a musical instrument.

The rest of your post makes a lot of sense, but that first sentence is unfortunate (lol).

bud7h4 said:

And why is that? I couldn't disagree more. Of course it should matter. It's not infatuation at all. An infatuation is an unreasonable fixation. There's nothing unreasonable or fleeting about the love of a musical instrument.

The rest of your post makes a lot of sense, but that first sentence is unfortunate (lol).

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That's cool. Differing opinions welcome.

That statement was born from watching Benny Greb playing a Spongebob set and seeing Steve Gadd swinging on an Ampex tape box.