Bo Eder
Platinum Member
You know, I like vintage drums. My newest kit looks vintage, but has modern engineering, but my second kit is sort of considered vintage, being built in the late 80s. But I've noticed over the years, the one thing I hate about vintage drums, and I keep thinking my attitude would change about this, are bass drum T-rods.
In my case, I'm not sure what Tama was thinking with the Granstar design in the late 80s. The stock T-rods are HUGE and probably a little dangerous. And over time, they just get bent, and every time you walk by the kit your pants get caught on them, or worse, like me, you cut your leg on them!
But every kit I've owned, Slingerland, Ludwig, Gretsch, et al.,...if they had T-rods, I'm replacing them with regular key-operated rods. It makes me wonder why manufacturers didn't just start doing this from the beginning? How many of you recall back in the day when you went to load in your bass drum into the backseat of someone's car and ended up tearing the upholstery because of the T-rods? How many of you have walked by your drumset and had the T-rod catch on your pants but you keep walking? If you're big, you probably pulled the kit with you, or if you're small like me, the kit just stops you mid-stride causing embarrassment!
You young ones are lucky today - bass drums don't come with T-rods anymore, so you'll never experience the horrors my generation did. Good for you!
In my case, I'm not sure what Tama was thinking with the Granstar design in the late 80s. The stock T-rods are HUGE and probably a little dangerous. And over time, they just get bent, and every time you walk by the kit your pants get caught on them, or worse, like me, you cut your leg on them!
But every kit I've owned, Slingerland, Ludwig, Gretsch, et al.,...if they had T-rods, I'm replacing them with regular key-operated rods. It makes me wonder why manufacturers didn't just start doing this from the beginning? How many of you recall back in the day when you went to load in your bass drum into the backseat of someone's car and ended up tearing the upholstery because of the T-rods? How many of you have walked by your drumset and had the T-rod catch on your pants but you keep walking? If you're big, you probably pulled the kit with you, or if you're small like me, the kit just stops you mid-stride causing embarrassment!
You young ones are lucky today - bass drums don't come with T-rods anymore, so you'll never experience the horrors my generation did. Good for you!