The worst drum /cymbal purchase you ever made

I don't want to bash the company, because I'm pretty sure I just got a lemon.

I bought a DrumKat EZ about 22 or 23 years ago. Paid $650 for it at the time.
It worked until just after the warranty was up.
Contacted the company and paid to have it shipped back, and paid to have it repaired.
It worked for about a month after that, and has been sitting in closet ever since.

When it worked, it was pretty neat, but obviously has been eclipsed since then.
Lots of people use and like them, so like I said - I probably just got a bad one.
Still - it was a disappointing experience.
 
HMNY said:
When new to drumming I saw a 'sensitone' snare in my local drum store, at what I thought was a great price, turned out it was the vision sensitone.....

also had a few 'buy nice, or buy twice' moments with pdp hardware.


live and learn!
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I have a 14x5 brass sensitone. It's my my number one snare, use it for everything, just cleaned it up and replaced the worn out strainer. Yes, It's been used and loved that much. It's my sound. The new brass ones have a black coated finish but I bet they sound as nice as my original brass one does.

I'm trying hard to find stuff I've bought over the years that i regretted, but can't really come up with any. I do now know that Hot Rods do not last as long as sticks, but when I was a teen and bought my first pair I didn't know any better.
I always do my homework and try before I buy. I think that's the key lesson. I do have a complete set of back up cheaper hardware, but it has served me well with no problems. The ratcheting tilters on the cymbal stands might be stiff but it's no problem for me, I expected it when I bought them. They're simple and function okay and do the job.
 
I bought a floor tom basket thingy. Terrible.

I also bought a bass drum cradle. Really stupid.
 
tamadrm said:
Do you two(Stewieth 1995) know each other?Maybe went to the same school?:):)

Worst............the superlative of bad....ill

Recipe...........a set of directions on how to prepare food.

Receipt...........a piece of paper or document,acknowledging a transaction of goods in exchange for cash

Steve B
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he was my best mate in primary school, we went to different high school
 
This might make me sound like a jerk (or bigger jerk than I am already) but i don't regret any of my purchases. They weren't all great (im thinking of my Camber II ride) but they got me to the next level. I regret selling stuff way more. My Premier XPK was a gem, and my Pearl MLX was world class. Even my first set, i don't even know what brand it was, but it was psychedelic green oyster swirl (we called it the "Green Machine"). I have regretted some of the heads and sticks I've tried (Evans). I still have a pair of Ahead sticks from nearly twenty years ago. The damned things are unbreakable.
 
I don't recall any bad purchases. I actually am quite proud of the purchases I made. I do recall really, really bad decisions regarding selling my stuff.

In the late 70's I purchased one of the most sought after drums out there, the Tama Bell Brass. (500 US bones)

In the mid 70's I purchased a set of 3 ply Luds in blue oyster pearl (835 US bones)

For that $835, I got the drums, 12/13/16/18/24, plus a Supra, a Speed King pedal, an Atlas HH stand and 2 Atlas cymbal stands. Sold for 100. I think I threw the Bell Brass in as well. (hits head with heel of palm) Never realized what a bone headed move that was until I joined this place.
 
Worst purchase I ever made was of a Zildjian 15" heavy crash circa 1990 for $125 on eBay about 4 years ago.

What I got was so heavy that it was totally dead. No sound but a clunk. This cymbal sounded so bad that I couldn't bring myself to charge for it. I gave it away.

In fact, I gave it away 3 times, but it keeps coming back. The last guy just left it on my front porch. So now I have it hanging there, in hopes that some visitor will just take it.

Second worst drum/cymbal purchase I ever made was a Saluda 17" china. I don't remember what it cost, but it more than lived up to the manufacturer's claim that it would sound trashy. In fact, it made the trash can lid I used for practice when I was in junior high sound melodic. I gave that one away too. The recipient used it at one practice, where he cracked it from bell to edge with one hit.

I've gotten more than my money's worth from both of them, though, just laughing about it all.
 
"... I got the drums, 12/13/16/18/24..."

Just noticed the sizes. 70's Ludwig's in those sizes would be "The Sib Hashian Signature Kit"...or at least, it should be.....and if you don't know who that is, telling you isn't going to matter. =)



Elvis
 
I never got to like the 15" Masterwork Sehhar hihats I bought in an impulse.
I like all my other Masterwork cymbals but those hats just don't work for me.

I usually do some (or a lot) research before buying and I don't really regret other purchases.
Some gear I may use (much) more often than other but everything has its use sooner or later.
 
I haven't really regretted very much of anything I've bought over the years. I bought a cheap Tama throne when I bought my first kit. I used it for about a year, and it was so freaking hard it made my butt fall asleep countless times. I "accidentally" left it at an out of town show once. My parents bought me a ZXT cymbal pack for Christmas the first year that I bought my first kit. I still have the hats, but the ride and crash have been long gone. I also sold an 8" A Custom splash, just because I realized I'm not really a splash guy.

tl;dr version, I've regretted 3 purchases total.
 
14" Stagg Brilliant Series Hi-Hats, ugh they just sound.. terrible! They really do sound like two garbage can lids. Still trying to shift them after 4 months.
 
I want to thank everyone who's posted on this thread for inspiring me to finally do something about my worst-ever purchase. After reading everyone's stories and writing my own, I decided to adapt what I'd said for the following Craigslist entry, which is now posted for folks in my immediate environs:

The Worst Cymbal I've Ever Heard - $5 (Port Townsend)​
And when I say "worst," you'd better believe that I mean it.

I bought this '80s vintage Zildjian 15" heavy crash on eBay a couple of years ago for $150, and the minute I played it I knew I was screwed. This thing makes a trash can lid sound lilting.

As a crash cymbal it's all "Clunk," with barely even a "clang." As a top hi-hat its ping makes Axl Rose's falsetto sound deep and throaty. And as a bottom hi-hat its weird after-tone contaminates the entire sonic field created by the drums.

I've given this baby away 3 times, but each time it's found its way back into my (choke) hands. The last time somebody returned it they just left it on the front porch and ran off. I'm thinking that maybe if it actually cost something the new owner might stick it out, so for 5 bucks it's all yours.

If you're a real drummer or music lover in general this cymbal is a must-have. No, not to play; just hang it on the wall. That's what I've been doing. Looks much better than it sounds.​

It's been an hour and a half and no takers yet. Maybe I should add "OBO" somewhere?
 
Grolubao said:
Zildjian Rezo Crashes, they just sounded terrible and a DW Edge snare which was impossible to tune
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Surprising..............I've always liked the Rezo series.......................and have always drooled over an Edge snare........................what was the issue(s) with the snare?
 
HipshotPercussion said:
Worst purchase I ever made was of a Zildjian 15" heavy crash circa 1990 for $125 on eBay about 4 years ago.

What I got was so heavy that it was totally dead. No sound but a clunk. This cymbal sounded so bad that I couldn't bring myself to charge for it. I gave it away.

In fact, I gave it away 3 times, but it keeps coming back. The last guy just left it on my front porch. So now I have it hanging there, in hopes that some visitor will just take it.
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Just sold this SOB on Craigslist. Advertised it pretty much the way I wrote it up here. Got a whole 5 bucks cash for it - and the buyer's promise not to bring it back no matter how much he ends up hating it.

Feeling strangely...proud.
 
My worst ever purchase was any cymbal I ever bought online. I tried it three times. Yep. Burned three times because the price was SO good I just couldn't resist. Lesson learned: Never buy a cymbal you haven't heard.
 
WhoIsTony? said:
I have a $600 Gretsch catalina club that sounds worlds better than that $3000 custom pile of garbage that I once owned...about a year after I sold mine I played a gig where I shared another drummers kit...sure enough an overpriced Spaun......and it too sounded like I was playing a collection of those red kick balls from grade school...the most paper thin sounding and absolutely lifeless drums ever made
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Hmmm. Aren't they just Keller assemblies? If so, that would be odd to me as MOST of the Keller based kits I've played on over the years have ranged from really good to excellent sounding. Perhaps I'm wrong, maybe they don't use Keller...?

Perhaps the bearing edges were/are poorly done?

Interesting.
 
Pretty much any stick with a twist. Aheads, Johnny Rabb Rhythm Saw, these synthetic wood pieces of crap I don't remember the name of (mid to late 90's, they were red and frayed like a worn shoelace as they wore down, plus they were heavy and off balance), hollow plastic sticks, the list goes on.

Rhythm Tech Active Snare System. I hated this thing. It either buzzed like a mofo or completely choked. I hated it. Did I mention how much I hated it?

Cymbal Crown Quick Release Top. Plastic, worthless for the rigors of Death Metal. Bought two of them, they both broke within an hour. Let me tell you, the cymbal is released really quick when they break. Probably would have been okay on a ride, but on crashes they just didn't cut it.
 
Bought a Paiste 2002 22" China
It weighed more than the Titanic and when I hit it went "KLUNKPSHHHHHHHCLANGKLINK"

Awful...just awful....rehearsed once and sold.


Flipside...the Sabian APX 24" ride I bought is a thing of beauty. The differing sounds I can get out of that thing. I use five cymbals, but if push came to shove I could use just this one. It's wonderful.
 
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