Is this thought true for you?

I agree about the drums, cymbals maybe, maybe not.

With drums, there is a certain range in the toms that make me happy. I always tune to achieve this sound. Snare definitely. A snare is a very personal item. There are so many different characteristics a snare can bring to the table. And honestly I think that was noticed pretty early on. The snare definitely offers the most options for personalization. Wood or metal, depth, diameter, snare wire width and material, shell thickness and construction, number and style of lugs, even down to the color. Don't forget about head selection. The possibilities are endless. The kick drum, I don't know. Yes we want a good sounding kick, but I feel that maybe the music dictates that. You don't want an attack only metal kick for a soft rock sound, and conversely you don't want a wide open boomy kick for metal. Unless you like mud, then I say go for it.

Cymbals I'm on the fence. You can't tune a cymbal. You can select the one that suits your needs and play it a miriad of ways, but I've never heard two drummers play the same cymbal and it sound completely different. It still has its own personality. As an example, and I don't care who plays it, a Sabian Pro ride will never wash. It only pings. It does it extremely well, but that's all it does. You could throw it off a building and when it hit the ground it would go PING!
 
I agree about the drums, cymbals maybe, maybe not.
I think cymbals do matter, otherwise we’d all play the same tin. There wouldn’t be a million different models offered by a few dozen brands.

Example: How difficult is it to find the ride cymbal that best suits you personally? The one that makes you melt inside and helps you keep on playing.

Yes, personal preferences and styles change, and when they do the hunt for the perfect pie begins anew.
 
I think cymbals do matter, otherwise we’d all play the same tin. There wouldn’t be a million different models offered by a few dozen brands.

Example: How difficult is it to find the ride cymbal that best suits you personally? The one that makes you melt inside and helps you keep on playing.

Yes, personal preferences and styles change, and when they do the hunt for the perfect pie begins anew.

I wasn't trying to say they don't matter. I mean it's not the cymbal, it's what the player does with it. That's why I'm on the fence. The sound the cymbal makes is for sure important to the individual, but that's it's sound and can't be changed. It's the drummer that makes the cymbal truly special.
 
I agree that "your sound" comes from you, however when addressing gear specifically, Cymbals, Snare, and Kick are what I think of.
I tend to tailor "my sound" to the situation I'm in. I frequently change snare drums, cymbals, and how my kick is tuned/muffled for the situation/music style. The one think I keep tuned the same no matter what are the toms.

If someone asks me for "my sound," as appose to the sound that is specific to the music, I have a specific set of cymbals and snare that are "mine."
 
The sound is in the player.

I've attended many events where all the drummers used the same drums, cymbals, etc, and it's amazing how different players can make the same drums/cymbals sound completely different.
 
Technically "Technically" Yes, I agree.

Simply "Simply" for one reason. Aren't we ALL immune to our own sound/set-up, maybe less so set-up, but it has it's perks.

If i was in that position, I'd pefer to switch kick pedals and warm up a little before the gig actually starts. I would't say I would go all out and re-tune the kit to my "liking", but I might have to, unfortunately for the owner...
If the toms are tuned to high (Like the 80's style sound) which isn't bad, but, I'd ask if I can tune down to get that warm FAT sound. I'm so use to tuning my drums so, I can knock it down in a few minutes, but thinking of it, it might just be my kit that I'm use to tuning? Or, the tom heads that I like using that are designed for low tuning (Aquarian PII).... But, if they are mid/high end drums then shouldn't be a problem.
All though, I'm not "critically acclaim", it brings up a good point, and it's something to think about.
 
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Do you feel your "sound" comes from primarily your snare and cymbals?

No, just my ride cymbal.

But to get any sound I may have, I also need my sticks, bass drum pedal and a good throne. The way I see it, my sound is a presentation of my spirit manifested through an extension of my hands and feet. I can't be or play like myself if I don't have my sticks, bass drum pedal and a good throne.

As long as the cymbals I'm playing are B20 and not an extreme model, I'm good - I just need my ride cymbal. And snares don't really matter to me, provided I can give them a quick tune and remove any external muffling if needed; as long as they're 5-6.5" deep, I'll play anything. Toms, well they're all the same in dive bars, which is where I play these days: cheap shells with pinstripe heads tuned to a thud, plastered top (and bottom if there is one) with duct tape. And the bass drums in bars are just as bad: same cheap shells stuffed to the gills with a big port on the front, mic'd up so the sound man can do whatever he wants. For me, quality hardware and the ability to set up a kit comfortably are more important to getting my sound than the snare, toms and bass drum that I play.

Now, is the kit I keep at my rehearsal space the similar to the backline kits I play out? Not really. My snare is coated with no muffling, I have coated single ply heads on the tops and bottoms on my toms with no muffling, and my bass drum is wide open with no port. Would I prefer to play my kit out? Of course. Has anyone in my band, or those who have heard us, say that we sound different when we play out than when we rehearse? Not once.

At some point, I realized that a lot of what I thought I needed to get my sound was in my head.
 
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