How sentimental are you about your drums?

Road Bull

Silver Member
OK, on one level, drums are simply tools of the trade. And on another level, a drum kit can take on more meaning, be it the associated sense of accomplishment after saving up for it, or a custom kit, or simply good times and tones that you have come to share.

Do you have a kit(s) that you don't ever want to get rid of?

Or have you let a kit go only to regret it?
 
I have three kits. One could go tomorrow, if I could only find anybody foolish enough to buy it.

As for the other two, one is my first acoustic kit, which I bought from my teacher. One day, when he's very very famous, it'll be worth ££££.

The other is Mabel. She isn't high-end, but she has been tweaked by Andy to punch waaay above her weight. She is, to me at least, a delight to the eye as well as to the ear, and she just "fits" me. I can't see me ever parting with her.
 
I am a snare drummer, and I have made my own drums. I have given away drums and sold some that I have bought and revamped. They are tools, but I love my tools as long as they meet my needs. If I find something I like better, I can give up what I have to get it.
 
Very!!! I bought my current set right after my mother died. Prior to I had saved to buy everything, always with a keen eye toward other bills. After she passed I had a f##k this moment, and in an act of deliberate rashness, I bought my DW set. It has some decided sentimental value to me. I will never part with it. In the years that followed though, I ended up selling my Pearl MLX, an earlier purchase that I had scrimped and saved for. I miss that kit tremendously now. Both are top of the line kits and relevant still for playing and recording today, but to me they both represent different stages of my life as well. I never regretted buying either, but have since regretted selling the one. At least enough to know I will never sell the other.
 
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A few years ago I began collecting vintage kits that I had decided that I wanted to own.
I selected these 3 kits;
Early 50's Gretsch Broadkaster 3 ply in WMP with matching snare.
65 Slingerland in Black Pearl with an 18" BD and the matching Artists snare.
Late 60's 2 up 2 down 6 piece Ludwig in WMP with 20" BD.

I will never sell these drums!
I especially will never sell the Slingerland kit. It is my personal fav.
I waited all of my life to own these drums.
 
I have over past 3 years rescued and refurbished 6 orphan 60's Slingerland drums to make 2 sets. One is 12-16-20 (unmatched) and another 13-16-22 (matched). These drums are totally 'thee sound' I hear in my head and I will never let them go. I do at times pine for other modern kits, but will never let these oldies go.
 
After not playing for 32 years and after finding the great deal I did on the Gretsch Renown, they are still for sale, and when they go I will cry a few lonely tears.
 
I have two acoustic sets

A six piece mapex meridian with a beautiful cherry lacquer stain

And a sonar safari bop kit in red sparkle which I found kind of cheesy and old fashion looking

The sonar set was supposed to be my light little cheap practice set and the meridians for playing out and looking sharp

After all the practice on the sonar I am starting to just love it because we have put in so much time together. I may sell the meridians now. I guess personifying a set is pretty sentimental. My girlfriend says it's not sentimental, it's just plain old mental.
 
I'm very attached to the snare I made myself. the rest of the drums I would like to replace... with something I make myself.
 
I'm sentimental about the Slingerland kit in the top part of the photo here. It was the first and only professional kit mom and dad were involved in purchasing for me back in 1977 when I was eleven years old and I played it all the way through high school ('til 1985). Nothing special about it, just a 14x22 double-headed bass with three single-headed toms and a 8-lug chrome Slingerland student snare. It had light hardware and back then I only had a crash/ride cymbal and a pair of hats - but I remember playing those things every available minute I had. It even survived my first punk band experience.

With the passing of my dad over a year ago, I tend to think about alot of stuff from back then - when my family was alot more involved in what I did with my life, and I sometimes cringe when I remember the amount of noise mom & dad had to put up with. I probably miss it because I wish I realized then how lucky I was to be able to grow up like that.

(the vistalite kit was a later acquisition that I found at a Guitar Center for $175. I cleaned it up and put it back together and put it up for sale. A Japanese gentleman gave me $1100 for it when I was 21).
 

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These drums all match (I wrapped them to match), plus they are good wood and I like them. Especially the unencumbered bass. It is cymbals I have no problem switching out, editing, etc...
 
I have quite a bit of gear, almost 3 full kits and about 5 or 6 snares. I could part with most of it as long as I had enough to still play my gigs. The one snare that I could never part with is a custom 14x10 snare that was custom made from a marching shell by a friend. I covers low, low tuning (given the depth) and goes very high for the rock stuff. The only thing it is a little much for is my quiet church gig. I have another snare for that which is another that I'd have a hard time parting with.
 
I have no sentimental attachment to my drums. There are just drums. But I do have a few cymbals I will never get rid of.
 
I will never part with my Ludwig Centennial Maple in c thru black. These are not even supposed to be a special drum kit, but the 24x16 kick is the best sounding kick I've heard in 31 years of being a paid working guitarist, sound man, audio engineer and consumer electronics engineer....and hack drummer for the last 5.

It is simply perfect ran full wide open and with stock heads. No idea why, nor is it expected....it just is. The 13" rack is also, while not perfect, better than any rack tom I own. The kit goes 6' under when I do.
 
They are all just stuff!!!!!

There is no drum or cymbal that I wouldn't sell if the price was right.

I don't care if they were given to me by my dead parents or my children I would, and have,sold drums for profit.

I love to do a good(for me) deal.

It's so liberating to be a mercenary soul. lol

Paul.
 
I would have answered differently even a year ago, but my drums are just things and I can't say I'll keep them forever. I am a pretty sentimental person, but my sentiment is usually focused on people and events rather than stuff.
 
I'm not sure it's far to compare inanimate objects with people. Sure, I love my Gurus and would be saddened to see them go, but they are just objects. All they can do is look elegant and make nice sounds, whereas look at what people can do ...

... they can can lie, steal, swindle, manipulate, murder, rape, assault, manipulate the media, distort the money market, they can corrupt governments and bugger up the environment (all at once).

So yeah, I'm a tad sentimental about my pretty drums that sound good :)
 
I just returned to this thread after playing two of my vintage kits for the past few hours. I can relate to the fact that some of you think of your drums as just objects. What I don't understand is how you separate yourselves from your instrument. I can hear the individual personality of all of the drums that I own. I get to know them. I find their strengths and their weaknesses. I become comfortable with them as friends so to speak. How can you not become attached to the musical instruments that you play?
 
I never leave them at a club overnight...even if it's a major PITA to take them home/arrive early and set up.

I'd rather spend the additional 30 minutes breaking down/setting up than filling out a police report on stolen gear.

Also, I never leave them in the car overnight or anywhere untended for that matter. They're in the car when I'm on the way to and from a gig, then they're in the garage.
 
I'm somewhat sentimental...at least after lucking out to find my set of square-badge Sonor Delites at a MusicGoRound warehouse for about a third of the price they're actually worth, and adding 8" and 16" toms to that rare kit over the years...I never thought I'd own a high-end kit like that, and it's a rare finish with matching snare so the kit is unique and irreplaceable.

I could've sold my Sonor Force 3005 kit in Black Sparkle after buying the Delites, but because they also sound so darn good, and have a discontinued finish, I decided to keep them for gigging, for when I'm in a band again.

And by the way...if you own a Sonor kit, you owe it to yourself to at least learn how to spell it. It's NOT Sonar! It's not even pronounced "sonar", it's pronounced "suh-NOR", emphasis on the second syllable. It rhymes with "more". I don't know how you can even spell it wrong when it's clearly and hugely labelled right there on your bass head. ;)
 
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