Bo Eder
Platinum Member
Hey ho everybody!
After lurking around and seeing threads about doing things on a budget, or starting again/need kit/ not a lot of money - I get it. Not everyone has money to pour into an instrument that they may or may not pursue a career with. And that's cool. If you're a beginner, stay under your budget and get your feet wet to see if this is something you'll stick with. But I think this was the year I learned through example that if you regularly play out a lot, you can't go cheap.
Over this past year, as much as I brag about being able to play anything in terms of gear, I decided to really try it and began collecting cheap drum sets that were very cool. I found a 1960s Yamaha 12/14/20 kit, then I found a 1980s-era Pearl Export, and collected other mid-level Pearl drums and put them into kits.
Well, to make a long story short, this year I must've suffered more than the usual breakdowns during a gig. I had lugs literally crack while I was playing. Snare strainers just strip during songs. Lug inserts (the part the tension rod screws into) wold just strip and the head would de-tune). Cymbal tilters slip at the most obvious moment, floor tom leg brackets just give out causing the drum to fall over. I've had an old slinger land tom mount just crack and there went the rack tom rolling across the stage! All incidents were taken with a laugh and worked through. But looking back on this year, this was the only year this has ever happened.
Sure, drum heads breaking, sure, I have spares on a gig. This is normal like when the guitarist breaks a string, so those don't count. But actual mechanical things breaking down from past abuse or old age has just never happened to me before because I've always had somewhat new well-taken care of gear on a job. Heck, I went to see Billy Cobham do a concert, and on the first tune, his snare strainer just died - his roadie broke out another snare and seamlessly changed out the drum and nobody knew what happened. Things like that started happening to me and, unlike Billy, I don't have a roadie to help me out, but the fact that I was diving into my spares didn't sit well with me (even though I have them).
So this culminated into my re-creation of a Pearl kit - a lot of those orphaned shells got new lugs, suspension mounts, and they became my Roger Taylor black kit. The floor toms got new brackets. The Exports with the exploding lugs were sold off. Snare strainers were replaced, or the whole drum traded for another newer model.
At a certain point in your playing career, you're gonna be more worried about performing correctly and making the right impressions. And I really can't afford to use cheap stuff. In some cases, like my tribute band, once we get started, you literally do not have time to "get it right". We're only on stage for a little more than an hour, and any breakdown in the show is just not a good thing to put the audience through who've come to re-live their favorite band by proxy.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not telling you how to live. I'm just relating my experiences. Your mileage will definitely vary. But there's a certain pressure you feel when you're faced with a theater that's filled with almost 1500 people and you're playing a beater drum set that key elements may break off during performance. Imagine the pressure if you played for a huge artist and you're in a large theater or stadium? Imagine Queen at Live Aid and the drummer having something break?
I've vowed this would not happen to me again. Vintage stuff? I'm done. If I want a vintage look, I'll buy new kit that looks vintage. Yes, I can literally play any gear that's available, but if I'm representing, best foot forward every time. Just thought I'd put out another thing to think about on our drumming journey.
After lurking around and seeing threads about doing things on a budget, or starting again/need kit/ not a lot of money - I get it. Not everyone has money to pour into an instrument that they may or may not pursue a career with. And that's cool. If you're a beginner, stay under your budget and get your feet wet to see if this is something you'll stick with. But I think this was the year I learned through example that if you regularly play out a lot, you can't go cheap.
Over this past year, as much as I brag about being able to play anything in terms of gear, I decided to really try it and began collecting cheap drum sets that were very cool. I found a 1960s Yamaha 12/14/20 kit, then I found a 1980s-era Pearl Export, and collected other mid-level Pearl drums and put them into kits.
Well, to make a long story short, this year I must've suffered more than the usual breakdowns during a gig. I had lugs literally crack while I was playing. Snare strainers just strip during songs. Lug inserts (the part the tension rod screws into) wold just strip and the head would de-tune). Cymbal tilters slip at the most obvious moment, floor tom leg brackets just give out causing the drum to fall over. I've had an old slinger land tom mount just crack and there went the rack tom rolling across the stage! All incidents were taken with a laugh and worked through. But looking back on this year, this was the only year this has ever happened.
Sure, drum heads breaking, sure, I have spares on a gig. This is normal like when the guitarist breaks a string, so those don't count. But actual mechanical things breaking down from past abuse or old age has just never happened to me before because I've always had somewhat new well-taken care of gear on a job. Heck, I went to see Billy Cobham do a concert, and on the first tune, his snare strainer just died - his roadie broke out another snare and seamlessly changed out the drum and nobody knew what happened. Things like that started happening to me and, unlike Billy, I don't have a roadie to help me out, but the fact that I was diving into my spares didn't sit well with me (even though I have them).
So this culminated into my re-creation of a Pearl kit - a lot of those orphaned shells got new lugs, suspension mounts, and they became my Roger Taylor black kit. The floor toms got new brackets. The Exports with the exploding lugs were sold off. Snare strainers were replaced, or the whole drum traded for another newer model.
At a certain point in your playing career, you're gonna be more worried about performing correctly and making the right impressions. And I really can't afford to use cheap stuff. In some cases, like my tribute band, once we get started, you literally do not have time to "get it right". We're only on stage for a little more than an hour, and any breakdown in the show is just not a good thing to put the audience through who've come to re-live their favorite band by proxy.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not telling you how to live. I'm just relating my experiences. Your mileage will definitely vary. But there's a certain pressure you feel when you're faced with a theater that's filled with almost 1500 people and you're playing a beater drum set that key elements may break off during performance. Imagine the pressure if you played for a huge artist and you're in a large theater or stadium? Imagine Queen at Live Aid and the drummer having something break?
I've vowed this would not happen to me again. Vintage stuff? I'm done. If I want a vintage look, I'll buy new kit that looks vintage. Yes, I can literally play any gear that's available, but if I'm representing, best foot forward every time. Just thought I'd put out another thing to think about on our drumming journey.