Bo Eder
Platinum Member
Hey all,
Over the last couple of weeks or so I came to this great realization. Actually, I've probably known this for a while now but have been more than happy to participate in the many discussions we have here about what one should get as a kit to play, or a particular snare drum they should get. I love the engaging discussions on what would you do if you mixed up different types of woods to do a particular sound, etc.,...
But I've known for years that it doesn't matter what kind of drums I play. Honest. I've made recordings with cheap stuff, really expensive stuff, and when I listen to them back, they all sound the same. My wife even knows it. She knows when I made some particular recording, and she'd say something like "wasn't that those zebra drums you had? I really liked those - you're an idiot for selling them". Then she'd hear the next recording and know it was a different kit and say "That sounds like the same set of drums". Go figure.
I guess the good news is that it doesn't matter what drums I play, the sounds' supposed to be all in your hands and feet anyway. The bad news is I've been spending alot of money supposedly searching for new and different sounds but not quite getting there. My last expensive kit, the Starclassic Bubinga Elites, got close to sounding different enough, but in reality, once the band starts playing, those differences are so small as to just plain be negligible. If you put it in a musical context, the type/brand/sizes of drums we buy gets a big YAWN and a "Who the heck cares?" from the very people we try to entertain with our musical qualities from behind the kit. If you can't play, no amount of money spent on gear will help. You just have to put in your time and play with the band and hopefully learn your craft as quick as possible so you can be a true working musician. Period.
What does this mean to you? Why am I telling you? Well, here's the big shocker: I've just liquidated all of my drumsets. Sold. Gone to new homes. Kaput.
As much as I loved those bubingas, the 18" deep bass drum just wasn't cutting it. Sure, it sounds great, it's just too tubular looking and takes up too much space on the bandstand. The gun metal grey look under stage lighting just looked like a sickly color that wants to be black, but isn't. In a way, grey on a kit isn't so hot - kinda' right up there with some of Sonor's sickly-looking colors they use on their high-end kits. Put 'em under colored lighting and you want to vomit
The monster Pearl EXR kit goes to a new home this Saturday. I loved the double-bass experimentation, and I'm glad I got that out of my system. I may keep a double pedal around if I absolutely have to double pedal in the future, but for now, I'm enjoying the EMPTY practice space in my house right now.
So today I spent my time putting the hardware away in a big Anvil trap case I have in my garage. The cymbals went into their leather bag in a closet. My prized Stewart Copeland snare is currently getting taken apart so I can polish it really nice for display on a shelf or something. My current gig on the drumset doesn't involve me using my own stuff, and I admit, I don't practice all that much as much as I think about what I'm doing. I'll keep my RealFeel pad out to keep my hands loose.
If I get a gig, I have enough drumming friends that I can borrow a kit if I need it. I am subbing for Bermuda coming up in April so I guess I should start sending messages out to borrow something. I'm gonna try this for a while and enjoy not having a kit for a change. I have this funny feeling I'll always sound like me anyway.
But if some drums in a particular size strike my fancy or something, you'll be the first to hear about it. Have fun out there!
Over the last couple of weeks or so I came to this great realization. Actually, I've probably known this for a while now but have been more than happy to participate in the many discussions we have here about what one should get as a kit to play, or a particular snare drum they should get. I love the engaging discussions on what would you do if you mixed up different types of woods to do a particular sound, etc.,...
But I've known for years that it doesn't matter what kind of drums I play. Honest. I've made recordings with cheap stuff, really expensive stuff, and when I listen to them back, they all sound the same. My wife even knows it. She knows when I made some particular recording, and she'd say something like "wasn't that those zebra drums you had? I really liked those - you're an idiot for selling them". Then she'd hear the next recording and know it was a different kit and say "That sounds like the same set of drums". Go figure.
I guess the good news is that it doesn't matter what drums I play, the sounds' supposed to be all in your hands and feet anyway. The bad news is I've been spending alot of money supposedly searching for new and different sounds but not quite getting there. My last expensive kit, the Starclassic Bubinga Elites, got close to sounding different enough, but in reality, once the band starts playing, those differences are so small as to just plain be negligible. If you put it in a musical context, the type/brand/sizes of drums we buy gets a big YAWN and a "Who the heck cares?" from the very people we try to entertain with our musical qualities from behind the kit. If you can't play, no amount of money spent on gear will help. You just have to put in your time and play with the band and hopefully learn your craft as quick as possible so you can be a true working musician. Period.
What does this mean to you? Why am I telling you? Well, here's the big shocker: I've just liquidated all of my drumsets. Sold. Gone to new homes. Kaput.
As much as I loved those bubingas, the 18" deep bass drum just wasn't cutting it. Sure, it sounds great, it's just too tubular looking and takes up too much space on the bandstand. The gun metal grey look under stage lighting just looked like a sickly color that wants to be black, but isn't. In a way, grey on a kit isn't so hot - kinda' right up there with some of Sonor's sickly-looking colors they use on their high-end kits. Put 'em under colored lighting and you want to vomit
The monster Pearl EXR kit goes to a new home this Saturday. I loved the double-bass experimentation, and I'm glad I got that out of my system. I may keep a double pedal around if I absolutely have to double pedal in the future, but for now, I'm enjoying the EMPTY practice space in my house right now.
So today I spent my time putting the hardware away in a big Anvil trap case I have in my garage. The cymbals went into their leather bag in a closet. My prized Stewart Copeland snare is currently getting taken apart so I can polish it really nice for display on a shelf or something. My current gig on the drumset doesn't involve me using my own stuff, and I admit, I don't practice all that much as much as I think about what I'm doing. I'll keep my RealFeel pad out to keep my hands loose.
If I get a gig, I have enough drumming friends that I can borrow a kit if I need it. I am subbing for Bermuda coming up in April so I guess I should start sending messages out to borrow something. I'm gonna try this for a while and enjoy not having a kit for a change. I have this funny feeling I'll always sound like me anyway.
But if some drums in a particular size strike my fancy or something, you'll be the first to hear about it. Have fun out there!