Midlife Crisis: Back to Pearl?

R

RobertM

Platinum Member
I don’t know if anyone else has experienced this “phenomenon,” but I’m finding myself being strangely pulled back to the first drum company set I played.

In high school in the eighties, I got my first ever drum set, a black Pearl Export. After years of playing that kit, I eventually got to play some higher end kits, and I grew to dislike Pearl mainly because of their tom mounts, which I hated in the eighties (there was no way to position a 10x12 tom over a 22 kick comfortably!).

Now, nearing my fifties, I’m finding myself being drawn back to Pearl. Looking at 20/14/12 kits in Reference, Masters Maple Complete, MRV.

Is there a medical explanation for this?
 
I did the same, but with Yamaha. Got my first kit in the mid 90's, but somehow got it in my head that other companies were "better" (after all, Yamaha makes so much different stuff how can they really care that much about their product. I know this is wrong of course, but as a teenager at the time, that was my feeling). Had a bunch of different kits over the years, but it was just after starting to use my guitarist's new Stage Custom kit for practice and some gigging that I noticed the ease of setup with the tom holders compared to others (and one of the few companies that still have tom holders on the bassdrum as a standard feature, even on their high-end kits. Perfect for me wanting a big setup without a rack) and it really drove me back to buying Yamaha once again.

But yeah, I completely get the fascination for the first kit (or brand at least), if it was a pleasant experience then it's nice to finally return after trying a lot of other drums over the years.
 
Last edited:
Incidentally, the first drum kit I played on was a Tama, but starting drums in a friend's house on his father's drum kit, this doesn't qualify, I guess. But still from back when I started there, we would always sift through catalogs from Tama, Pearl and others and I always kind of liked the Tama stuff the most.

After many many years of playing a beginner-level cheapo Millennium kit, then upgrading to an old used Pearl Export (to which I added mostly only Tama hardware over the years) I finally fulfilled myself my long dream of owning a Starclassic Maple just before Christmas 2020 and it certainly feels like coming home.
 
Post midlife crisis: going back to school of music for drums!!!!
 
Can I ask what you use as the Hi-Hat bottom? It doesn't look like the Sound Edge. Any reason for swapping the waved bottom for a different one?
 
marratj said:
Can I ask what you use as the Hi-Hat bottom? It doesn't look like the Sound Edge. Any reason for swapping the waved bottom for a different one?
Click to expand...
It’s an old 1970’s Zanki bottom hat, from a pair of hats I absolutely loved (sadly I cracked the top hat around 30 years ago)…I do play the 2002 Sound Edge bottom but I like to mix and match my hats…often playing my Zanki as the bottom hat.:)(y)
1642241203287.jpeg
 
It's a lot of "what's right for you" too I think. What you're "used to".
I LOVE the sound of my Les Paul, but for me it's hard to play. The strings are so high up off the body...not like a Strat. It's really hard to get used to.
I would assume, with my limited knowledge of drum hardware, that with the difficulty I have with placement, sometimes that plays a factor.
Different brands of hardware have different advantages/disadvantages.
 
I started out on a 5 piece kit my mom got me for Christmas decades ago. DECADES. It was a cheap made in Japan silver sparkle kit that I flipped over. Eventually I had Ludwig spurs put on it as well as drilled for the Ludwig tom mount. For the life of me I can't remember what I did with that piece of my musical life. I'd give anything to know where it's at today..with mom gone it's even more than important. I love this thread about your first kit and coming home.
 
Almost everyone re-visits their roots at some point. If you played something different than Pearl originally, you would have sought them out.

Imprinting.
 
I periodically go and look for 12/13/16/22 red badge Tama Swingstar kits in black wrap because I want to actually purchase a kit like the one I had when I was in high school.

So, yes?

I'm an all-Yamaha guy now. I love and respect Tama a lot but the new ones just seem so different that I can't scratch that nostalgia itch with them.
 
If you live near a Pearl dealer that has inventory, go try some out. Pearl has so many options to try now. I had a Sheer Blue lacquer BLX kit in the early 90s…built like a tank and stunning finish. Only reason I sold em was due to moving into a small apartment and a need to fund the last bit of college.
 
RobertM said:
I don’t know if anyone else has experienced this “phenomenon,” but I’m finding myself being strangely pulled back to the first drum company set I played.

In high school in the eighties, I got my first ever drum set, a black Pearl Export. After years of playing that kit, I eventually got to play some higher end kits, and I grew to dislike Pearl mainly because of their tom mounts, which I hated in the eighties (there was no way to position a 10x12 tom over a 22 kick comfortably!).

Now, nearing my fifties, I’m finding myself being drawn back to Pearl. Looking at 20/14/12 kits in Reference, Masters Maple Complete, MRV.

Is there a medical explanation for this?
Click to expand...

Not a crisis.. but i watched like 2 hours of Ian Paice vids last night which made me kinda want a pearl kit :)

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top