Just Spent $400

[Disco Stu]

On what? A nice, new snare drum? A couple of beautiful new cymbals? No!

I just spent $400 on new heads, sticks, and gig bags. Ouch. These peripheral costs are killin' me.

Just a reminder to keep these things in mind when budgeting for your drum gear. They can really add up.

 

[Drummer Karl]

Well...I know what you mean and can just second that!
Those "accessory charges" really cauterise a big hole into the wallet.

When I read the title of the thread I actually thought you were going for a new cymbal or snare drum like you said but after reading the whole post I just sit here, nodding your assent.
I have to admit that my extra costs stay very low though because in this case I`m kind of avaricious. I keep my sticks for more than a half of a year, my heads for a felt century and handle all my accessories with great care.
If money brings me to the scratch what to order I`ll rather go for a nice new cymbal (like I just did) than buying new sticks, brushes etc.

Uh...the wastage. =)

Karl

 

[sticky.widget]

Man I hear you. Saving for some Protection Racket bags myself. $400 sounds about right.

Then there's the issue of that 48" gong I just gotta have...............

Cheers!

 

[Billy Brown]

Big time!

About 2 months ago, I suffered the injury of spending 150 on heads for a 17 year old Pearl Export set. The heads are worth more than the drum set, and in retrospect, my drum tuning skills are so poor, I'm not sure that I was justified in spending about half that on resonant heads.

 

[Disco Stu]

Well...I know what you mean and can just second that!
Those "accessory charges" really cauterise a big hole into the wallet.

When I read the title of the thread I actually thought you were going for a new cymbal or snare drum like you said but after reading the whole post I just sit here, nodding your assent.
I have to admit that my extra costs stay very low though because in this case I`m kind of avaricious. I keep my sticks for more than a half of a year, my heads for a felt century and handle all my accessories with great care.
If money brings me to the scratch what to order I`ll rather go for a nice new cymbal (like I just did) than buying new sticks, brushes etc.

Uh...the wastage. =)

Karl

Well, Karl, hopefully I won't have to purchase any more of these things in the near future.

Man I hear you. Saving for some Protection Racket bags myself. $400 sounds about right.

That's exactly the kind I just ordered. They look awesome, don't they? I made the mistake of buying cheap gig bags a while back. They were almost worthless. They provided very little protection and holes started developing in them after a handful of gigs. So, now I'm springing for the quality stuff. I was also considering the Humes & Berg Tuxedo bags, but I like the carrying handles on the Protection Racket bags so much better. Hurts the wallet now, but I bet feel like its worth it once I start using them.

Big time!

About 2 months ago, I suffered the injury of spending 150 on heads for a 17 year old Pearl Export set. The heads are worth more than the drum set, and in retrospect, my drum tuning skills are so poor, I'm not sure that I was justified in spending about half that on resonant heads.

Well, the new heads are phase two in my strategy for protecting my drums, phase one being the new gig bags. But despite the quality bags, there are still going to be some dive bar gigs I'd rather not bring my nice drums to. That's where the second kit comes in. At band practice, I've been using an old Sonor Force 2001 kit that belongs to our keyboard player. I asked him if I could use that kit for gigging and he said, "Sure, you're the only one who ever plays them anyway." They still have stock heads on them which are absolutely horrendous. So, I just ordered a whole new set of heads for the kit, batter and reso. I think when I get these installed, this old kit might sound pretty darn good.

 

[caddywumpus]

I have 3 cymbal bags, 2 stick bags, a mallet bag, 3 sets of drum cases...yeah, it sure adds up, doesn't it?

 

[k3ng]

I keep telling myself to 'save up to buy myself a set of awesome new hats' but my money just doesn't want to save up. Like you said.. heads, sticks, bags, stands, rims... gosh... there's alot to be bought aside from just drums and cymbals.

 

[baz]

...thing is it is hard to walk out of a drum shop empty handed.

I don't go to the drum shops as often mainly because I don't need anything when I go in, but I still manage to find something when I am there. My wife gets pissed if I spend $100.00 on a used cymbal, but she hardly notices if I go in two or three times a month and spend $30.00, $50.00 or so at a time. Those nickel and dime purchases are the ones that kill you, especially when your new thirty dollar purchase leaves your last thirty dollar purchase sitting useless on a shelf.

Speaking of used cymbals, they are the impulse purchases that I am the most susceptible to. I may not be in love with a particular cymbal, but if it is a good enough deal, I often find it hard to resisit.

Barry

 

[Drifter in the Dark]

Speaking of used cymbals, they are the impulse purchases that I am the most susceptible to. I may not be in love with a particular cymbal, but if it is a good enough deal, I often find it hard to resisit.

Barry

I know what you mean; I was in Guitar Center not too long ago, and they had an old (probably from the 60's to early 70's, before zildjian put logos on their cymbals)18 inch thin crash with four sizzle rivets. They only wanted $99 for it, too. If I'd had the money, I definitely would have bought it.

 

[Deltadrummer]

Well...I know what you mean and can just second that!
Those "accessory charges" really cauterise a big hole into the wallet.

When I read the title of the thread I actually thought you were going for a new cymbal or snare drum like you said but after reading the whole post I just sit here, nodding your assent.
I have to admit that my extra costs stay very low though because in this case I`m kind of avaricious. I keep my sticks for more than a half of a year, my heads for a felt century and handle all my accessories with great care.
If money brings me to the scratch what to order I`ll rather go for a nice new cymbal (like I just did) than buying new sticks, brushes etc.

Uh...the wastage. =)

Karl

I'm the same way, and maybe even worse because I troll the music stores looking through the clearance bins. I got six pairs of Vic Firth 85A sticks for $1.00 a pop. There was a limit of six, and people were not buying them at the buck price. They are like 5A's with an 8 in the front. I also got EC2 heads for 5.00 bucks. I use EC2's; but for that price, I can put them on my practice kit, where they will sit until Madonna has a hit movie.

 

[Vipercussionist]

On what? A nice, new snare drum? A couple of beautiful new cymbals? No!

I just spent $400 on new heads, sticks, and gig bags. Ouch. These peripheral costs are killin' me.

Just a reminder to keep these things in mind when budgeting for your drum gear. They can really add up.

Gig bags you could buy used, who cares if a case isn't "brand new" looking, it works and protects the drum and that's all that matters. They're usually MUCH cheaper than new ones.

 

[zzdrummer]

I'm the same way, and maybe even worse because I troll the music stores looking through the clearance bins. I got six pairs of Vic Firth 85A sticks for $1.00 a pop. There was a limit of six, and people were not buying them at the buck price. They are like 5A's with an 8 in the front. I also got EC2 heads for 5.00 bucks. I use EC2's; but for that price, I can put them on my practice kit, where they will sit until Madonna has a hit movie.

I'm the same, wait for the giant guitar center sale every year, I know its not the best, and buy the max pairs of sticks for a dollar a pop, best way to manage it.

 

[bojangleman]

$400 dollars is an average trip cost i have when i go to GC....

haha...

not that i never get to go....its that, i always buy something....

my most expensive purchase, peaking 1400...

ive never gotten out of GC with out buying something..haha

Alex

 

[805Drummer]

$400 dollars is an average trip cost i have when i go to GC....

haha...

not that i never get to go....its that, i always buy something....

my most expensive purchase, peaking 1400...

ive never gotten out of GC with out buying something..haha

Alex

I would buy something from Guitar Center, but I can't for two reasons:

1. No money

2. I always get kicked out of the drum room for playing too loud.

 

[Disco Stu]

Gig bags you could buy used, who cares if a case isn't "brand new" looking, it works and protects the drum and that's all that matters. They're usually MUCH cheaper than new ones.

Yes, and I did do a search on ebay and craigslist before buying, but didn't find anything of the quality I want and the sizes I need. As I said, I had already made the mistake of buying subpar gig bags before, so this time I wasn't going to skimp. With the cheap bags, I also learned how important the carrying handles are. Sometimes the parking is really bad where I gig, and I have to carry the stuff a block or two. Bad handles really make this more of a chore. The bags I got have super nice handles on them that will make the job easier. Plus, searching for used ones would have taken some time, and that's more gigs I would have to go to with my drums taking a beating. I just had to bite the bullet on this one.

$400 dollars is an average trip cost i have when i go to GC....

haha...

not that i never get to go....its that, i always buy something....

my most expensive purchase, peaking 1400...

ive never gotten out of GC with out buying something..haha

Alex

Boy, they must love you there. "Ah, Mr. Bojangleman. So good to see you again. Can I interest you in a new craviatto snare?"

 

[Vipercussionist]

Yes, and I did do a search on ebay and craigslist before buying, but didn't find anything of the quality I want and the sizes I need. As I said, I had already made the mistake of buying subpar gig bags before, so this time I wasn't going to skimp. With the cheap bags, I also learned how important the carrying handles are. Sometimes the parking is really bad where I gig, and I have to carry the stuff a block or two. Bad handles really make this more of a chore. The bags I got have super nice handles on them that will make the job easier. Plus, searching for used ones would have taken some time, and that's more gigs I would have to go to with my drums taking a beating. I just had to bite the bullet on this one.

I've taken to buying them up when I find a cheap used ones, whether I need it right now or not. I just pack them all inside each other 'till I need one so there's never an emergency, The only cases I've had to buy were for my 26in and 28in kicks, THEY were expensive, but they'll most likely last me many, many years so, oh well.
.
.
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__________________
Most respect the badge, but all fear the drum.

 

[TenPastTen]

...thing is it is hard to walk out of a drum shop empty handed.

I don't go to the drum shops as often mainly because I don't need anything when I go in, but I still manage to find something when I am there. My wife gets pissed if I spend $100.00 on a used cymbal, but she hardly notices if I go in two or three times a month and spend $30.00, $50.00 or so at a time. Those nickel and dime purchases are the ones that kill you, especially when your new thirty dollar purchase leaves your last thirty dollar purchase sitting useless on a shelf.

Speaking of used cymbals, they are the impulse purchases that I am the most susceptible to. I may not be in love with a particular cymbal, but if it is a good enough deal, I often find it hard to resisit.

Barry

Get out of my head! That is the same story here. I have three (count 'em three!) pairs of rods. Albeit they are different, they are all in near pristine condition. I am ridiculous.

 

[Solaris]

All those little costs sure do add up in a hurry.

Unfortunately I have a weak spot for rides, I've bought 3 in 3 years, and I have my eye on another three in Billy Hydes at the moment! So much for saving my money for the DWs...