How O.C.D. are you guys with your drums?

I am SOOO OCD with my drums! My Saturns never leave the house out of fear of being scratched. My Orion Orbiters is my gig kit, which has a few scrapes and it drives me crazy. My top snares and cymbals also never leave the house out of fear of being scratched or dented. So the moral of the story is my neighbors and wife get to hear my best gear..people in bars hear my second tier stuff..lol.
 
Drums are meant to be beaten but the upside is just on the heads so no reason to ruin them if you don't have to. Haven't noticed too many drummers throwing expensive cymbals around either.
 
Stuff happens. I'm not overly concerned about my drums, but I try to handle them with care and not beat them up. Same with cymbals, hardware, etc. If you observe some general care with your stuff, it lasts longer.
 
GeoB said:
That whole "relic" craze is poser driven. I build/assemble Tele's and Esquire's, people want them dinged up I tell them DIY. Worn to me comes with time and elbow grease, sweat, and wear. I wipe 'em down with a red shop rag, use a degreasing window cleaner on the poly and shine 'em up with a lemony furniture polish. Poly can take it... the guitar world has a lot of cork sniffers.
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Absolutely agree -- especially with the last sentence!
 
BacteriumFendYoke said:
I'm OCD about the misuse of the term 'OCD'.
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...that was my first thought, too. O.C.D. is a term that people just casually toss around, but for those who have it, it is anything but a casual term.

I used to be obsessed with keeping my DW kit immaculate. "I bought it that way, and dag-nabbit, it's sure gonna stay that way!" So, I did what I had to do for peace of mind--I sold it. Problem solved. While I AM very careful with my gear, and baby it to the fullest extent I am able to, I have resigned to the fact that I don't have to watch over it like a hawk, since somebody else already took the first few dings out of it. :)
 
I deal with people with OCD in my job. I haven't met many but the use of the phrase 'OCD' being casually bounded about means that people with OCD find it hard to explain to others. When a phrase is tossed around casually, it loses its meaning.

In the case of OCD, people experience extreme anxiety around what others would consider day-to-day things. If anybody here has suffered from anxiety (I certainly have) magnify that by a factor of ten and attach it to things that seem irrational.

I hate the misuse of the phrase.

I treat my drums with respect and I don't throw them around but they do get used and I'm only bothered if the damage affects the playability. I came to the conclusion years ago that there's no point in being over-protective because I'd just worry all the time. They're there to be played.
 
Rotarded said:
I'm so finicky that my all badges must face exactly the same way, including the snare, the head logos must always be in the same place (12 o'clock position for the rack toms, and 3 o'clock for the floors), and have been known to mess with a boom cymbal arm adjustment for 15 minutes because its 1 or 2 degrees different on the horizontal plane than the others.
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That is me exactly, and I try to keep the cymbal arms on the left & right side of the rack symmetrical, at least for the arms that are there. I have two extension arms on the left and one on the right. That reminds me, I need to order a 4th. :)
 
BacteriumFendYoke said:
I deal with people with OCD in my job. I haven't met many but the use of the phrase 'OCD' being casually bounded about means that people with OCD find it hard to explain to others. When a phrase is tossed around casually, it loses its meaning.

In the case of OCD, people experience extreme anxiety around what others would consider day-to-day things. If anybody here has suffered from anxiety (I certainly have) magnify that by a factor of ten and attach it to things that seem irrational.

I hate the misuse of the phrase.

I treat my drums with respect and I don't throw them around but they do get used and I'm only bothered if the damage affects the playability. I came to the conclusion years ago that there's no point in being over-protective because I'd just worry all the time. They're there to be played.
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Totally agree. It's not something to be taken lightly, and available medication isn't a reason to discount its effects.

Anyways, drums and cymbals are meant to be used. I understand if some are very protective about their gear, but I take the scuffs as a simple random side effect of playing my drums. I take my good cymbals and my $3000 stave kit to every gig I play, and yet, they still look and sound incredible. It's not exactly like one has to throw them at the walls when one arrives at a gig.
 
I have the "drummers OCD" like many others here, but mine is deep enough to never let me play on an "inferior" kit at a show. No,no,no. Mine must be the coolest,costliest, and most important, the best sounding. After nearly seventeen years and hundreds and hundreds of shows my kit has very few battle scars and nothing that can be seen from just a few feet away. If I could throw out one free endorsement it would be for my cases (Humes and Berg). None of the scratches on my drums has occurred during transport, and to someone with a bit of the OCD, that level of comfort is priceless.
 
I am not too picky with small dings that are caused by me - HOWEVER woe be it to the person who makes the smallest scratch on any drum equipment I own. When I was a kid my younger brother was always breaking my stuff so I developed a very 'me me me' attitude when it comes to "stuff" - especially stuff I care about. I had some guys over to jam with a while back and the bass player casually set his drink on one of my floor toms (the tom was away from my kit and not being played at the time). I guess the look I gave him keyed him in on the fact that his drink was in the wrong place and he quickly moved it. The bass player then mentioned something about drummers being so anal about their gear - but in a funny enough way that the mood was lightened up. I reminded him that I have 5 drums and 4 cymbals (at a minimum) to take care, not to mention stands, thrones, pedals etc etc. while he has a guitar with 4 strings to worry about.

Yeah don't touch my stuff - and while you're at it GET OFF MY LAWN!

:)
 
I suffer from OCD and none of it pertains to drumming

this condition has nothing to do with dings in your drums or finger prints on your cymbals

poor choice of words
 
This was just a light hearted thread. If you really count your own eyelashes then you probably don't get the humor. Maybe some of us have Often Complaining Disorder.
 
The SunDog said:
This was just a light hearted thread. If you really count your own eyelashes then you probably don't get the humor. Maybe some of us have Often Complaining Disorder.
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No, it's really not 'humorous' to use those terms.

My comment was based on an observation of a trend that I've seen here and on other forums and one that really irritates me. Sure, I'm complaining but there are other examples of inappropriate word use.
 
Even though I tell myself that nicks/scratches/dents will eventually happen, they drive me crazy. I try to be very careful.
 
BacteriumFendYoke said:
No, it's really not 'humorous' to use those terms.

My comment was based on an observation of a trend that I've seen here and on other forums and one that really irritates me. Sure, I'm complaining but there are other examples of inappropriate word use.
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Wasn't even talking to you dude. As I understand it OCD actually pertains to being obsessive and compulsive. Disorder means that it is to the point that you cannot function effectively. If everyone on meds for OCD actually met those descriptions I'd gladly eat my hat. I do know what the newer term "troll" means.
 
As far as me being particular about my drums, yes and no. I will say I am a bit more care free with the used Tama Artstar Custom kit that I gig with. Its funny when you think about it because my other kit is a Tama Granstar kit that is wrapped in black, but has way more sentimental feelings associated with it. So I end up gigging the delicate British Racing Green stained kit and feel better about it. I am sure most people would go the other way.

I DO take care of my stuff and watch over their movement and treatment like a hawk. Maybe at some level post-endorsement, people care less. But if some Marilyn Manson type ran up and jumped on my bass drum he would be stepping off with a few less teeth in his word-hole, or I might take a break to stand on his head. lol.

I just ordered a brand new Ludwig kit, Bonham sizes, minus the 18" FT. But I ordered it in a Vintage Black Oyster Pearl wrap. I was considering the natural maple finish, but thought better of it because I will be gigging it. I figure the oyster wrap will be more more forgiving than a lot of other finishes for handling use.

So in someways this will be my hard-earned baby, but it will be my work horse. I don't live my life by resale value. Life is too short and so far as I know, I we don't get carry-on luggage to the after life, so I don't care as much about the drums after the curtain has closed on my life.

I like to be the one handling my drums as far as movement and set up/tear down go, I am the one doing the work. So I don't have to worry about a knuckle dragging mouth breather to bang my stuff up. I love my drums, but I use them and am not afraid of them looking well used.
 
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