Minimalist - Not interested in new gear?

Anyone else here a minimalist that prefers to use old gear as long as possible before replacing it or buying something extra?

nope.

Not so sound like a jerk, but I would never go one stage with the setup you have. Its not about being materialistic, its about having the right tool for the job. I have been playing guitar and drums in bands for 30 years, and I will tell you gear matters. If you showed up with your set-up and tried out for my band you would lose the gig before you ever played a note. That being said, the same is true of the guy who shows up with a $5K DW set with 20 cymbals. Your gear choices say soooo much about you as a person, and in a band environment those choices can speak louder than words.

Quick story, my last band was auditioning a second guitarist. One guy showed up with an Epiphone and a old Marshall. The guy was good and had a great personality so we brought him onboard. Fast forward a couple months and he is constantly asking for rides and not paying his part of the rehearsal space fees. When we finally let him go the bassist looked at us and "should have kicked him out when he showed up with the Epiphone". Gear matters!
 
.."should have kicked him out when he showed up with the Epiphone"..


That story tells much more about his personality than about his guitar being cheap or not..

When i was in a very well-paying coverband we had auditions for a new bass player..The guy that we took showed up at the audition with a 2000 dollar bass guitar and told us nothing would be a problem..He was not having own transport but this would never be a problem and he would always be able to come to the shows himself..

First show that we had with him, i got a call in the afternoon from him, if i maybe could come pick him up..I said no..

If i would turn up at your bands audition and the first thing would be that they start to bug me about my gear, i would turn around and not even consider myself to play that one note..
 
Since I've become an "old fart", the dollars and desire to constantly update have dropped off. I play in a fairly busy blues band in southwestern Ontario. We play bars, municipal events and blues festivals many with dinky stages. I've gone from 6 piece kits (Mapex Saturn, Pearl Masters Custom, Rogers with double bass drums) to a Sonor Players kit. What I used to call my 7 Sabians of Sin are now whittled down to a ride & 2 crashes. I recently sold the snares that I no longer used as well as an assortment of pedals that were gathering dust in my basement. I am fortunate that both practice locations have drums set up (an old Ludwig kit & a Fibes kit) so I only have to cart my kit to gigs. The Sonor kit is light and takes all of 15 minutes to set up or tear down and it sounds great miced or unmiced. As everyone else does, I swapped out the stock heads, put the stock snare on a shelf and replaced it with my Pork Pie 13x7. I chose this kit based on some of the comments on this site which I was lurking on for years. I finally joined! I still buy the drum mags and drool over some of the new gear but as other posters have said: it's not what you play it's how you play. I've been drumming for almost 50 years (YIKES!) and have learned over the years that finesse and dynamics are learned over time and the number of drums or cymbals in my kit are irrelevant. BTW this is the greatest site for tips, impressions, etc.
 
Since I've become an "old fart", the dollars and desire to constantly update have dropped off. I play in a fairly busy blues band in southwestern Ontario. We play bars, municipal events and blues festivals many with dinky stages. I've gone from 6 piece kits (Mapex Saturn, Pearl Masters Custom, Rogers with double bass drums) to a Sonor Players kit. What I used to call my 7 Sabians of Sin are now whittled down to a ride & 2 crashes. I recently sold the snares that I no longer used as well as an assortment of pedals that were gathering dust in my basement. I am fortunate that both practice locations have drums set up (an old Ludwig kit & a Fibes kit) so I only have to cart my kit to gigs. The Sonor kit is light and takes all of 15 minutes to set up or tear down and it sounds great miced or unmiced. As everyone else does, I swapped out the stock heads, put the stock snare on a shelf and replaced it with my Pork Pie 13x7. I chose this kit based on some of the comments on this site which I was lurking on for years. I finally joined! I still buy the drum mags and drool over some of the new gear but as other posters have said: it's not what you play it's how you play. I've been drumming for almost 50 years (YIKES!) and have learned over the years that finesse and dynamics are learned over time and the number of drums or cymbals in my kit are irrelevant. BTW this is the greatest site for tips, impressions, etc.
 
I wouldn't say I'm a minimalist, but I go in fits and starts with gear.

My 'A' kit has been static for 3 or 4 years. I started a new project this year, so I replaced a couple of cymbals, changed the configuration around, and added a sample pad.

My 'B' kit is getting a makeover right now. This is my basic no-nonsense workhorse kit. I added a tom tree on the bass drum, the floating floor tom is getting legs later this week, and I ordered new lightweight Tama stands to replace the heavy Pearl hardware I've been using the past 8 or so years. When some of my old stuff sells, I'll buy some new (used) crash cymbals for it as well.

I recently upgraded and condensed my live and recording rig too, but that was as much about necessity as it was convenience and future proofing.
 
Yep, I pick and stick pretty well forever. I also keep heads and sticks as long as possible, although I like the mellowness of great that's been worn in.
 
nope.

Not so sound like a jerk, but I would never go one stage with the setup you have. Its not about being materialistic, its about having the right tool for the job. I have been playing guitar and drums in bands for 30 years, and I will tell you gear matters. If you showed up with your set-up and tried out for my band you would lose the gig before you ever played a note. That being said, the same is true of the guy who shows up with a $5K DW set with 20 cymbals. Your gear choices say soooo much about you as a person, and in a band environment those choices can speak louder than words.

Quick story, my last band was auditioning a second guitarist. One guy showed up with an Epiphone and a old Marshall. The guy was good and had a great personality so we brought him onboard. Fast forward a couple months and he is constantly asking for rides and not paying his part of the rehearsal space fees. When we finally let him go the bassist looked at us and "should have kicked him out when he showed up with the Epiphone". Gear matters!

Confession: At first read, I was seriously judging you because of what you wrote. And for that I ask for your forgiveness.

But you know what? I got to thinking about it...I don't think I've ever run into an amazing player and overall good guy (or gal) that played on crummy equipment. Believe me, I've HEARD great musicians play on crummy instruments; however, I've never played with anyone who was a really great who actually owned sub-par equipment only. On the flip side, I've never heard anyone who owned pro gear who was a terrible player. Granted, some of them had God-awful attitudes, but they were good players.

I know that y'all have boatloads of exceptions out there. You all have to keep in mind that I'm a musician in a small town, and I don't get out much. :)
 
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I'm all for no spending money unnecessarily, and also all for not being a gear snob.

But a Pearl Rhythm Traveller, while a fun, easily portable kit, is not minimalism. It is the step before, from which you need to increase your spend in order to reach minimalism. I have a Rhythm Traveller. It's surprisingly loud, and having no reso heads, the tone is very one dimensional...one-sided you might say. Badum-tssss!

The cymbals that come with the kit are woeful. Even as a practice kit, they are simply inadequate.

I'll repeat - I own one, and as an easily moved practice kit, it's great. As a subsitute for a 'real' kit? Not so much.

Now, as for writing somebody off for showing up with an Epiphone...really? Later this evening I will be the guy showing up with an Epiphone at a band practice. I will be no worse, but sadly also no better a guitarist than on those occasions when I show up with a Fender.

Beyond a certain, very basic point, it's about the Indian, not the arrow!
 
Now, as for writing somebody off for showing up with an Epiphone...really? Later this evening I will be the guy showing up with an Epiphone at a band practice. I will be no worse, but sadly also no better a guitarist than on those occasions when I show up with a Fender.


To totally backtrack again, one of our guitar players plays an Epiphone Les Paul and has a little Boss Katana amp, and the guy is an absolute killer player and one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.

Not to totally derail the thread, if I were to buy a "players" guitar, I'd find the cheapest Les Paul Epiphone that can actually be set up to have good intonation, with a straight neck and decent frets, and I'd buy a really nice set of pickups to put in it with good tuners. Why? Because the Gibson Les Paul, while a great guitar, is flawed by design, and they won't change the design due to tradition (this is my opinion). If you want to do some interesting reading today, go Google "Les Paul won't stay in tune." The break-angle of the neck is sort of wonky by design. Epiphones aren't. (This is controversial, and probably doesn't even belong on this board or even this forum; however, I thought it would be fun to bring up for those gear heads who are interested in this sort of thing.)

Ok, back to the discussion about minimalist drum equipment and philosophy! :)
 
I am a pretty handy guy around the house.

I have 12 hammers....(that I can think of)...

1 tac hammer
3 ball pein hammers
16 oz finish hammer
20z straight claw hammer
22 oz framing hammer
3lb maul
5lb maul
Sledge hammer
Masons hammer
Roofers hammer

I guess I could get by with ONE hammer....

But it would suk......
 
Also not to derail, but I actually kind of agree with Eclipse's post, except that there are some great Epiphone guitars. John Lennon played one. So no writing those off. I'm all for minimalism but you need some baseline kit that sounds good.
 
I'm probably the epitome of materialism. In that I've probably owned the top of the line of every major brand, but the irony is that I've only played 4-piece configurations successfully ;)

TBH - I love drums and owning and playing them, and before I die I'd like to know I at least tried most of them to at least have an opinion on what I like, but I don't apply that to everything in my life. OTOH, being poor is so over-rated. When I hear about people who are minimalist because of their station in life, rather than by choice, I sympathize, I really do. But why not better your place in life and not be poor? Then you can try the more expensive nicer things, and then really make a statement about your minimalism because you've tried everything and really do enjoy having nothing.

I get that most musicians are artists and due to that, have to live like artists in order to make ends meet. I've eschewed that whole idea and have a comfortable career and I pursue playing the drums. I figured out how to do it, I'm sure everybody else can.

So I guess my question is, are you a minimalist because you want to be? Or because you just don't have a choice? Those are two different things.
 
I have a great job, but I also have a big family and my wife does not work, so money for my hobby is pretty much a non-starter. When I resumed playing a couple of years ago after decades away, I replaced the bass drum pedal and hi-hat stand with used ones for $50 each. I think both were Christmas/Birthday presents.

Fortunately I've never had the luxury of GAS. If I ever do find myself with debts paid and money to spare, a nice little set of Yamaha Stage Customs in natural finish and a better ride cymbal would probably satisfy my ambitions. Maybe throw in a set of roto-toms for nostalgia. I think they're great bang for the buck.

So I guess I'm minimalist by inclination and necessity
 
Epiphone made great guitars until they were bought by Gibson who chose to use their name for their budget line.

The "real" Gibson has been plagued by quality issues for a long while and is right now in real trouble.

I've never been a collector of gear. As a guitar player I got rid of most of my stuff a long time ago. The days of huge rigs are over and you get so much good stuff in small packages now that it's not really necessary. It also makes both your back and your bandmates happy. I'm doing a small change right now, but my pedal board hasn't really changed in 17 years.

Now as a "drummer" if you play more than just a typical drumset, the percussion stuff can start adding up a bit. It's not GAS, you sorta either have that particular instrument or you don't.
 
So I guess my question is, are you a minimalist because you want to be? Or because you just don't have a choice? Those are two different things.

Great point. I'm a little of both. Back when I had a nice-paying job, I would go into the music store and look at drums and cymbals, but I'd ask myself, "Do I really need this stuff? Is it really worth the expense?" The answer was always "no." Except for a new ride and new hats, everything else suits my needs. I used to buy/sell gear a lot when I was younger, and over the years, I realized I'd rather spend money on better food and whatnot than new gear. Lol.

I should also mention that I live in a tiny apartment with 3 other people in Hong Kong and my bedroom is about 50-60 square feet. So, I don't have any place to put new gear, even if I was making triple what I make now.
 
Great point. I'm a little of both. Back when I had a nice-paying job, I would go into the music store and look at drums and cymbals, but I'd ask myself, "Do I really need this stuff? Is it really worth the expense?" The answer was always "no." Except for a new ride and new hats, everything else suits my needs. I used to buy/sell gear a lot when I was younger, and over the years, I realized I'd rather spend money on better food and whatnot than new gear. Lol.

I should also mention that I live in a tiny apartment with 3 other people in Hong Kong and my bedroom is about 50-60 square feet. So, I don't have any place to put new gear, even if I was making triple what I make now.

I've owned a house now for the last 15 years so it's nice if I find something that I've always wanted, I can buy it and put it somewhere before I get around to using it.

But everybody's needs are different. I try to work with my gear (my music career started when I was 20 with Disney), so a lot of what I buy is work-related. I have been in those situations where a different snare drum is needed for certain projects. Or maybe you know that if you play in a 1940s big swing band, your modern-looking Yamaha Recording Custom kit just won't fit the bill. Same thing with cymbals - you have to have the right sound for what you're doing, music-wise. So in a way, you could say I'm being minimalist because I don't own hundreds of cymbals or hundreds of drums, but I have two sets of cymbals and maybe three sets of drums. Career-wise, I don't think it's wise to have just one of something - even if you're out playing live, you need a spare in case something breaks.

Being minimalist is different for different people. If you don't do a lot of work, having just one of what you need is good enough. If you don't have any space, having less is even better. People would say Charlie Watts is a minimalist because he's been playing the same kit and cymbals with the Stones for at least 40 years now. In reality, he collects kits and probably has at least a few ;)
 
I purged my G.A.S. when I bought a lot of shells and parts from an estate sale. My studio was PA-ACKED with more equipment than I'd ever know what to do with.
Eventually, I whittled it all down to what I could sell, keep for myself or give away.
Now I own only what I use & have enough spare parts to fix what breaks.
Besides...new stuff is too expensive for me now anyway...;-)
 
I think "minimalist" doesn't necessarily equate to less gear. I think originally minimalism meant fewer people, as compared to grand orchestras, the early minimalists actually used a lot of gear.
 
Is it the same as more is less and less is more kinda of question or I'm off topic =P. I think minimalist is like they are interested in new gears but they always have that one question in mind. Do I need it? and if they need it "what should I replace from my kit to make it sound better". its like when is enough if enough that drummer can be satisfied while playing drums =) Their are alot of drummers here that have small kits and they only buy minimal gears. But they do have money to buy gears its just that they don't buy them. But they only buy what is essential. and their are the those with big kits that they buy and buy then some of the gears just stay in the closet =( For me minimalist is kinda picky eater =)
 
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