Older players - gear and other changes you've made?

I am 53 and have made my recent drumming life easier by splitting the hardware into two and using soft cases for drums. Whereas previously I had everything in hard shell cases, but I do all my own shifting.

I also now have a small Gretsch kit 18, 14, 12 that I use on any tricky load in out situation (venues with stairs) or if I am just not wanting to cart a large kick drum around. A lot of the time I just don’t need that much omph / volume and kick has an internal mic anyway. Similar to the OP I have decreased from 5B to 5A and sometimes go down to VF Peter Erskine. In addition I have racking in my garage so there is minimal carting from car to storage, these changes make a big difference to how I feel physically the next morning.
 
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I've made no changes on physical aspects of my gear.
I am using some lighter sticks but make decisions based on sound. My favourite stick is the Vic Firth Steve Smith. It's a drag VF charge more for signature sticks. I'm not specifically a fan of Steve Smith, but I like his stick.
If I want/need a heavier thicker sound I use VF 3A sticks. So I go between those two sticks (in the studio) depending on the music.
I am playing a bit softer, but again I feel this is music driven. A lot of projects I'm working on are singer-songwriter style, and they sound better with less hard, rimshot style drumming.
The only age related decision I've made is to drop out of a live project.
I was playing in a band that routinely travelled long distances, show to show, with short sleeps (4 to 6 hours), usually three to four shows back to back and performing a 2hr.15 show.
I was capable of doing it, but didn't enjoy it and also could hear the whole band actually sounding less good by the fourth show of this schedule.
It's an ideal schedule for 25 to 35 year olds. I was doing it as a 50-60 year old, but recently just felt I couldn't be at my best.
 
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I'm 70 and a couple of years ago I went to Crosstown Hardware and late last year went to a 18" Yamaha kick which closely matched the rest of my USA Customs in colour. This didn't stop be blowing my shoulder a few weeks ago ( a recent post) so after surgery and rehab I'll be lowering my cymbals by necessity and looking at splitting my hardware up into smaller bags.
 
I think as I've gotten older....50 now, I actually find myself getting HEAVIER and more solid gear.

Possibly because I'm getting more confident and better overall at playing.

Even my sticks now are bigger and heavier.
 
I'm 55 and haven't made any recent changes. but that's mostly because I made the switch to a small kit and the lightest hardware I could find over twenty years ago. I do dabble with the thought of getting an INDe Wafarer kit but I don't think I'm serious about it yet.

Probably the biggest change in the fairly recent past (6 years ago) has been the acquisition of a Rock n Roller cart.
 
I have definitely pared my stuff down over the years. When I think of how much gear I used to drag around back in the 80's? Yikes. I had one massive trap case on wheels that our band nicknamed the widow maker. But that's when we used to travel all over the place and pile our stuff in the back half of a recycled school bus. We had to lift stuff through the rear door (pretty high). Hey, we were young and our backs were in good shape. One tip I learned from a guitarist friend who used to run a boat engine repair business: tool boxes with wheels! I have grown really fond of these types of cases, for ancillary percussion, cables, personal monitor, mics, spare parts, tools, etc. They are reasonably priced compared to "Gig" cases and quite rugged.

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GetAgrippa said:
I turn 68 in 6 days - yeah I know mentally I’m not a day over 16 if that old. I like the Bopworks Memphis R&B stick which has a long thin taper for a light touch, and just feel great on my hands. I prefer just a floor tom but have one hanging in case. Everything lower and within ergonomic reach so I don’t have to move around much.
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I might be able to send you some of these, they're too light for me.
 
I haven't changed much, except play more confidently at a lighter volume. And I switxhed to Paiste. Always used multiple hardware bags on the advice of my dad who had 2 hernias. Just using Crosstown now, with a Pearl snare stand.

Similar sticks pretty much from 26 to now at 61.
 
Let’s see…

Wheels, wheels, wheels. Everything has wheels. My hardware case, cymbal case, and roller cart. I think the biggest thing I carry these days is my stick bag.

My DW 9000 hardware now stays at home. I love the DW 3000 hardware pack. It’s lighter than my 9000 but still very sturdy. I want to eventually move to Ludwig Atlas flat-base, but I simply don’t have the money right now.

My big, buttery Heartbeat cymbals have changed my playing for the better. I no longer have to smack a cymbal to get it to open up. I feel like my cymbals allow me to play them, not just hit them.

I finally retired my hardcases this year after close to 30 years of ownership. They have held up for thousands of miles and hundreds of shows, but it’s time for them to be shelved. My kick drum soft case loaded with a kick drum only weighs a few more pounds than my EMPTY hard case. The only hard shell drum cases I use these days are the previously-mentioned cymbal cases with wheels and my snare cases. I just can’t haul a Black Beauty around in a gig bag. They are too good for that.

I ditched mic stands for my kit years ago. Recently, I bought one of those gooseneck kick drum mic holders. Now, my only mic stand goes to my face.

I no longer use a wedge for monitoring. Only IEM’s for me.

I will never, ever skimp on a drum throne ever again.

The best thing I ever did to help? Back in college, I made a point to go to a church that taught sound theology, found the prettiest girl there, and I married her. We celebrate 21 years of marriage this year. Never in my life have I had someone support me so much. I don’t deserve her. Here’s a pic of us from about a month ago in the best place on earth: Nashville, TN

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At 75 I’ve switched stands to Crosstown. Currently using mis-matched sticks: 5A 16” and 5A power 16.5”, depending how my hands feel.
Down to one high tom but still 4 cymbals plus two sets of hats.
 
PorkPieGuy said:
Let’s see…

Wheels, wheels, wheels. Everything has wheels. My hardware case, cymbal case, and roller cart. I think the biggest thing I carry these days is my stick bag.

My DW 9000 hardware now stays at home. I love the DW 3000 hardware pack. It’s lighter than my 9000 but still very sturdy. I want to eventually move to Ludwig Atlas flat-base, but I simply don’t have the money right now.

My big, buttery Heartbeat cymbals have changed my playing for the better. I no longer have to smack a cymbal to get it to open up. I feel like my cymbals allow me to play them, not just hit them.

I finally retired my hardcases this year after close to 30 years of ownership. They have held up for thousands of miles and hundreds of shows, but it’s time for them to be shelved. My kick drum soft case loaded with a kick drum only weighs a few more pounds than my EMPTY hard case. The only hard shell drum cases I use these days are the previously-mentioned cymbal cases with wheels and my snare cases. I just can’t haul a Black Beauty around in a gig bag. They are too good for that.

I ditched mic stands for my kit years ago. Recently, I bought one of those gooseneck kick drum mic holders. Now, my only mic stand goes to my face.

I no longer use a wedge for monitoring. Only IEM’s for me.

I will never, ever skimp on a drum throne ever again.

The best thing I ever did to help? Back in college, I made a point to go to a church that taught sound theology, found the prettiest girl there, and I married her. We celebrate 21 years of marriage this year. Never in my life have I had someone support me so much. I don’t deserve her. Here’s a pic of us from about a month ago in the best place on earth: Nashville, TN

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PPG, I disagree with you.

You deserve her, you deserve to be happy with her just as much as she deserves you and the happiness you give her.

Your posts make me happy, that's for sure.

Your groove is devastating behind the kit, I get a lot of enjoyment watching your videos you post.

I love reading your stuff.
 
As I'm preparing to do a video on five things I've learned in 35-ish years of drumming, I think a better question might be "what HAVEN'T I changed?" - because a lot is different.

I was big into bands and drummers with big drumsets in high school. One whole wall of my bedroom was clipped-out pictures of huge, intricate drumsets from the pages of Modern Drummer. So of course my drumset was huge, with cymbals cranked as high as they could go (and often extremely angled). As a frequent contributor to the Tom Angles thread, I cringe looking back at some of my setups from those days!

It only took a few years of trying to gig with those big sets to learn that less really is more - to move, to set up, to tear down, and to mic up. Nowadays a 4-piece or 5-piece is my preference, and I can have my set up, miked and ready to play in under 20 minutes. My back thanks me.

I move my gear in wheeled carts or bags whenever possible anymore. The guys in one band I was in for years introduced me to the simple joys of the wheeled camp wagon, which make unloading the car a two-trip max pleasure. My stands recently got their own wheeled duffle. I look for ways to downsize my rig whenever possible; one gig I have coming up next month, my hardware consists of a hi-hat stand, bass drum cymbal holder, a snare stand and my throne. I haven't lightened my stands yet, though; I'm still gigging a mix of Ludwig Atlas Standard and Yamaha 700 stands.

I think what's changed most in my later years is my approach to playing. I used to like smaller drums, cranked shallow snare drums, smaller cymbals, pingy rides, and tight, fast sounds. Now I'm much more comfortable with 18", 19" and 20" crashes, washy rides, darker hi-hat sounds, and deeper snares tuned a little lower and looser. Instead of flash and fills, I'm trying to be like the "you're hired" drummer in the cartoon - just laying it down and keeping everyone coming back down on the 1.
 
67 here.

All of my stands go in one bag. All stands are lightweight the lightest I can buy cymbal stands, snare stand, hi-hat stand.

Gigging drums are as lightweight as possible. Thin shells. 18" kick.

I only use hats/1 ride/1 crash.

Only exception is when we play a space with super-tight space I mean I have 4 feet of space to work in front-back, I use a two-legged hi hat stand which is a monster weight-wise. But for that gig I'm also not using full kit just a snare and kick, and sometimes I leave kick at home.
 
alparrott said:
As I'm preparing to do a video on five things I've learned in 35-ish years of drumming, I think a better question might be "what HAVEN'T I changed?" - because a lot is different.
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Also a good topic, feel free to start a thread!
 
bermuda said:
Also a good topic, feel free to start a thread!
Click to expand...
I Guess Schitts Creek GIF by CBC
 
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