Don't look at me, I'm hideous

Duck Tape

Platinum Member
I have been on this forum for about 4 years.. When I first joined I had 1 drum kit and an extra snare.. Now I have rooms full of stuff.. And after picking up a new kit tonight I finally feel a bit ashamed, a bit embarrassed.

I have put another kit up for sale in light of the new acquisition but shuffling things around and seeing how much stuff I have (but don't use), I finally realized how ridiculous I've become.

Everyone has their own idea about when something becomes a problem, or when enough is enough... I have the space, I bought the stuff at great prices and I can get my money back on most of the stuff.

And I kinda did become a professional drummer in that time.

But I suddenly felt a bit terrible tonight.. And I'm going to sell off a few things in light of this revelation.

Who else has had this feeling? What are your thoughts? What did you do about it?
 
I know the feeling! Every time I purchase something I go into the "Do I really need this?" phase. Then I find a way to justify it and everything is better!

What did you pick up and what are you selling? Let's hear about this collection Duck!
 
Since drumming is an avocation for me, I set some sane limits.

I could invest $3k to start up.
I have a ~$5k ceiling on gear
I can only invest $1k a year to cover resale losses.

So basically, I will never own >$5k worth of gear for this instrument, and if I do, then something needs to be sold. If I'm sitting at $4700 invested and want a $1200 somethinorother , I need to sell something to recoup the $900.

I have the same rule for guitars and basses. It's quite easy to get carried away.
 
Won't lie, I could have a vault packed with extremely nice equipment. At one time I nearly did but also had that epiphany. "What am I doing"? Am I even worthy of this? None of this makes me a better player, in fact it makes me worse in some regards. Well I was left with an empty feeling, instead I should be practicing more instead of reading catalogs, etc.

Between 2004 and 2012 I sold around 75% of my gear and did not replace.

Also, insuring the equipment and worry about break-ins, damage or wear/tear is avoided.

The drums I play now (Exports and old players Leedy/Ludwigs), could be stolen or smashed and I wouldn't feel that bad about it.
 
90% of the time, you don't need that thing you think you need. Honestly, a good player can make even the worst drumset sound good. Better than a fantastic $3000 set in the nads of a newbie, for sure.

I bought a Mapex Venus set from the early 90s from a friend for $200 and gigged with it for ten years, recorded 6 albums and generally had the best time with it. The only reason I'm not using it right now is because the bearing edges need to be recut, and a friend literally gave me an Imperialstar for free a while back.

I share studio space with 5 other players with their sets. My cheap Mapex and Tama sound better than the other expensive sets because I know how to tune them, how to play it and I developed my sound on them. That "perfect" tone is never, ever worth it.

The same isn't true with cymbals, though. You do have to spend a bit of money there. But even that is overblown. The player, the stick you use, the tips you choose: Even a B8 ride can be made to sound pretty good if you make smart choices.
 
I'm never embarrassed, at least since I sold my spare bass and guitar (which were very nice but superfluous).

With that said, I currently own two electric guitars, two basses, two acoustic guitars, various microphones, monitoring speakers (with stands) and headphones, an interface, two old iMacs, two Mac laptops, a MIDI keyboard, a lute, a violin, two clarinets, countless percussion instruments, a small analogue synthesiser, an old electric piano, an old electric organ (that no longer works), a full sized drum kit, a drum machine, a smaller 'bop' kit (16" bass drum), an electric kit, two snare drums, an extra bass drum, numerous cymbals, masses of assorted hardware, bags for all of the above and that's not even going into other stuff like the tools I have, clothes or 'living' stuff, vinyl records, tape decks, turntables, cassette tapes, CDs or CD players...

Or the BBC Micro.

I live in a one-bedroom flat with a cellar room. My partner is moving in in a couple of weeks. She is also a musician.

I own too many things. I do have contents insurance.
 
Last edited:
I go through this "anxiety" constantly. No real cure that I know about either. Sucks, doesn't it???

I'm just such a gear head that I can't stop looking for the next thing. It's an addiction, I believe. Then the guilt is a littl "anxiety" kicking in, meaning it's worrying about something that shouldn't be worried about (if you're taking care of your family, etc... And have the extra cash.)
 
I never have that problem, lol. I've lived on the edge of poverty (both monetary and space) for so many years now, I simply don't buy anything other than heads, sticks and strings. I don't want for anything.
 
I feel ya. I went through the same thing with guitars. At my peak I think I had 8 guitars, 3 amps, a couple speaker cabs, and a boat load of pedals...I only ever used 1 guitar, 1 amp, and a few pedals. One day I came to my senses and sold most of it.

I won't have the same issue with drums; they take up too much space ;).
 
When I started here on DW, I didn't even have drums. I had some cymbals and hardware and an old snare drum. Nowadays, I've reached a point where I have everything that I need. The rest is just fluff. I do spend an exorbitant amount of time browsing gear, but I have a strict budget and I find it easy to not buy things frivolously.

I'm sporting 3 full drum kits now w/ cymbals & hardware. Anything I do from this point on is just upgrading. I ran out of room too, so anything I buy has to replace something that's getting sold or else shit's getting put up in the rafters. I use every piece of gear that I own. (except my practice pad. ha ha.)

Cymbals are different. I find them to be a good investment and easy to store. I will continue to collect the bronze.
 
Last edited:
Compensating for something, or the lack of something.

To be a bit pedantic, I think it's a compulsion rather than an addiction.

The feeling of shame, embarrassment, or guilt over excessive possessions must be something that's instilled at a young age.
I don't think everyone experiences it.

I have more than I need. And sometimes I think I have more than I want.
 
Dang Dre you hideous freak lol-apparently you are in good company my man. I wouldn't worry about it. Just think of it as of all things to be addicted this really isn't that bad. In fact some would call it a great addiction-like me. I keep telling my wife I don't have enough drum stuff (like I really need new drum kit with some Guru-ve in it-I'm down to one tiny one and I'm not a small guy) and it's like an embarrassment and I feel like a hideous freak. Ha,ha,ha,ha. One man's heaven is another's hell and "versa vice".
 
"What am I doing"? Am I even worthy of this? None of this makes me a better player, in fact it makes me worse in some regards. Well I was left with an empty feeling, instead I should be practicing more instead of reading catalogs, etc.

There's nothing wrong with owning a fine instrument though. For me, it removes the "its the gear that sucks" excuse. With a posh kit, the only thing in the room that sucks is.......me.
 
I don't feel guilt, I buy things I can afford when I need them and most times always second hand.

Some things in my collection are kept for "I might need that again" purposes, mostly my humble sized selection of snare drums.

For example, I'm in the studio with my main band in a couple weeks, the songwriter has programmed some drums on a new section of music he wants to add to an existing song. It has double bass drum patterns in its crescendo and at rehearsals this weekend I was asked if I can obtain a double bass drum pedal as we're tracking on analogue tape, not something we can edit later, so it can be played live.

Yesterday morning thanks to eBay I obtained a DW5000 double pedal at what looks like an absolute steal. Despite some financial difficulties in our house at the moment where I am trying to be as sensible as possible I paid just over £100 and it looks in great condition, other than some dust on the photo listing. I had some savings and could afford it.

I'll use it for the recording and after a clean up can sell it back on (hopefully for a profit if it's indeed in as good condition as described) although no doubt I might want to hang onto it initially as I've been wanting to try out double bass drum playing/patterns to see if it's for me.

If it becomes clear early on I'll never fully use it I'll sell it on, like I did with a Gretsch kit a few months ago that was gathering dust and was originally bought to go into storage up north in one of my other bands studios.

Everything in moderation. It depends on on the purpose of what I originally bought an item for and mine and my partners financial situation at that time.

Non drum gear I have a rule I try and live by. If I buy something of value I try and sell something else of that same value on. Plus I'm not a big spender outside of drumming. That's my passion so that's what I occasionally spend money on.
 
We've been on here about the same length of time. I had the 'feeling' you have awhile ago and so decided to allow myself to buy new stuff, but re-sell other stuff to keep a 'sane' limit.
I view it as leasing or renting drum stuff. I am a non-professional but one who has now 'experienced' over 70 different cymbals, 7 different drum sets, and several snares. I call that an education.
Don't limit yourself and you can always sell any item you no longer enjoy.
 
HEY! If you expect me to start feeling bad about buying drum stuff, forget about it.
I played drums as a teenager, then I didn't play for 42 years.
Now at 66, I have the time and money for drums and I'm having the time of my life.

So go ahead and feel bad about your drum habit. But leave me out of it.


.
 
IMO, guilt is a useless emotion if you've done nothing wrong.

You've done nothing wrong. Look at it like this, if you gambled the money away, it's gone forever. Or if you consumed it by getting high in one way or another, it's gone forever. But your money isn't gone forever. You can convert the gear into cash.

Since you're so fortunate in the gear department, consider donating some gear to someone who really needs it. Stops guilt right in it's tracks, and replaces it with warm fuzzies.

With me, there came a point where I was basically done buying gear, especially drum kits. My walnut Guru kit was my last big hurrah. I'm good on bronze too. No urges to buy kits or cymbals. Maybe a paduak snare. GAS slowed waay down for me. After Guru, there's not many places to go. Learning to play them is more important now.

You have to make a list of what you really want, and you have to make a deal with yourself to feel satisfied (translation: stop buying gear) after you've acquired the stuff on your list. Me, I need 2 kits set up in my studio, a complete gigging kit in my van at all times, plus a small bop drumset for tight spaces. Complete hardware and cymbals for all kits. That's really it. I've given away 3 drumsets, and still have 4 extra sets I don't use. Make a list, and pare down to what is really required. Then be done with it. Focus on playing them, not acquiring them.

Gear is not evil, neither are you for buying some. Balance is key.
 
As long as you don't get yourself into debt, what's the problem?!!!!

I tell myself, I never did the having kids thing, so I can have all the toys I want lol!!!

I did sell my baby grand piano, so that was a good excuse to buy new drum stuff!

And then my first ever live performance this summer (one song only, but it's a start) was a good excuse to treat my self to that Ludwig Black Beauty snare, which I absolutely love!!!
 
Back
Top