One month in and I've outgrown my CB700 shells

JimmyM

Diamond Member
The story thus far:

As a distraction from my separation, I dug out my old drum set, got a few new toys for it, and practiced a couple hours a day on rudiments and redeveloping the skills I lost while playing bass, guitar, and singing for a living for the past (ahem) years. I thought it would take me a good year to be up to snuff, and this week I have seen the payoff of diligent practicing for the past month, and I believe I could be able to hang on a gig within 2 or 3 more months. And while everything else I have is excellent, the CB700 toms and bass are no longer good enough for my reborn alleged drum genius.

$1500 is probably as much as I'd be willing to pay for a 2-up 1-down, but I'd like to stay at a grand or under, and used is fine. I had a strict early Ringo set policy at first, but I'm adding a 3rd cymbal already so maybe I would like one extra smaller rack tom for special occasions. I'm not too particular about tom sizes as long as they're in the 12-16" range but I want a 22" bass drum. I prefer a set be less ringy than too ringy, but a little is fine.

I know who the manufacturers are but I'm way behind the curve on the sets that don't cost a lot but have great tone in the ballpark of what I'm looking for, which is a nice middle of the road sounding set that can do it all. I know a lot of it's in the heads but a lot of it isn't, too. So if you could throw out some names of sets that aren't too expensive but have high quality tones available, I can start the shopping process with a better idea of what I want so I get it right the first time. I'm a huge fan of Ludwig and Yamaha drums, but I'm not very particular about manufacturer, as long as they're available in black. I'll get a different drum from everyone if it saves me money :D
 
JimmyM, you're talking about drums only? Not hardware (stands, pedal) or cymbals, right? If you're willing to go to $1,500 (and most responders will encourage you to go to $1,500) I refer you to this thread:


If you stay under a grand then Yamaha Stage Custom will be a top recommendation. Great kit you can feel comfortable gigging with for about $725 new.

Take care in your separation.
 
According to your profile you are located north of Orlando. Here are a few kits available in your local Craigslist:

Discontinued high-end model by Mapex (note the deeper toms, which, on a higher 22" bass, will have you hitting a little higher):

PDP Concept is a good contender under $1000 (new under $1000 too):

Gretsch Catalina is a good contender under $1000 (new under $1000 too):
 
@BGDurham , thank you very much for so much great info to get me started. I'm digging the look of all those sets but especially the Yammies and the PDP's killer fade to black. That would go well with my black/maple favorite P basses :D
 
I have drool coming out of both sides of my mouth and I'm not even on a riser! Yeah, I think the Tour Maple Customs hit my sweet spot. Probably going to go for the Ringo set since it'll bring me closer to a grand than the 4-pc new and even less used, but I love maple drums and they would go great with the old Ludwig snare.
 
If I were going to buy a new set of drums I'd either get a Pearl Session Studio kit or a kit from Inde Drums. They're pushing your budget a little but they both offer a great value.

Looking at build quality, availability of add-ons, and finish options I don't think Yamaha Stage Custom can be beat in the under $1000 category. But that's a crowded market, and I don't think any of the others are bad at all, Stage Custom just ticks all of the boxes on my list.
 
What I would do if I was in your situation;

- If you need to also get a snare, cymbals, and hardware, I would go with a used stage custom. Plenty of them out there in the $350-$450 range. Solid drums for the money, and you’d have plenty leftover for hardware, a decent snare, and quality cymbals

-if you’re happy with your snare, cymbals, and hardware, then I’d go up the scale and look for used gretsch renowns, tama starclassics, pearl sessions, Yamaha tour customs, or dw design series. Should be able to find any one of these used in the $800-$1200 range. All are great kits that are well built and would serve you admirably for many years
 
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..... used
And since you were talking about vintage drums in another thread .....

Big R, I believe, came out in 1976, along with Memriloc hardware. The bass drum appears to be the older 5 ply (with reinforcement ring) ..... and that was replaced in '78, with the XP-8 shell. So these would date between '76-'78.

These will sound massive and old school ..... and for around $1000. And they're black, too. https://www.ebay.com/itm/313746262323?hash=item490cbc0933:g:nM4AAOSwwy9hisiE
 
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What I would do if I was in your situation;

- If you need to also get a snare, cymbals, and hardware, I would go with a used stage custom. Plenty of them out there in the $350-$450 range. Solid drums for the money, and you’d have plenty leftover for hardware, a decent snare, and quality hardware

-if you’re happy with your snare, cymbals, and hardware, then I’d go up the scale and look for used gretsch renowns, tama starclassics, pearl sessions, Yamaha tour customs, or dw design series. Should be able to find any one of these used in the $800-$1200 range. All are great kits that are well built and would serve you admirably for many years
What I would do if I was in your situation;

- If you need to also get a snare, cymbals, and hardware, I would go with a used stage custom. Plenty of them out there in the $350-$450 range. Solid drums for the money, and you’d have plenty leftover for hardware, a decent snare, and quality hardware

-if you’re happy with your snare, cymbals, and hardware, then I’d go up the scale and look for used gretsch renowns, tama starclassics, pearl sessions, Yamaha tour customs, or dw design series. Should be able to find any one of these used in the $800-$1200 range. All are great kits that are well built and would serve you admirably for many years
I'm supposed to be picking the 3rd cymbal tomorrow, all my stands and pedals are old but great (though I'd like lighter cymbals stands at some point), and even though I see a lot of working pros rave about PDP's in budget world, the general consensus is that the more expensive drums are worth it. I don't mind have a handful of snares and cymbals to choose from, but I only want to get one set of shells. Got enough music crap around here without 5 or 6 drum sets :D
 
I'm extremely impressed by my Yamaha Stage Customs, but it looks like Tour Customs are in your price range.

Given your budget, I would probably get the Stage Custom shells, and splurge on cymbals and/or a boutique snare.
 
Just dropping by to say "Hey!" @JimmyM
 
Ya, and a couple sets caught my eye. I've put together a short list, which is complicated by finding out that someone I know has a 3-shell set of Slingerland refins in the usual sizes up for grabs. But I don't think I can beat the PDP's and DW Designs for my tastes.

In looking at these sets, I'm realizing that a lot of pros I've worked with have used all of these budget sets, and I can't recall any of them sounding bad. Even something as low end as the Ludwig Questlove bop kit can sound good with good heads and a good drummer. But while I do like what they did with them, the PDP's and DW Designs seem to be especially well liked by pros, and they describe them in as glowing terms as the top DW sets. It appears they've discontinued the 13/16/22 PDP set, but I can get an extra tom for the same money as the Designs if I take a 20" bass drum. OTOH, I like the Camco lugs much better, and the Designs come in a Ringo set with a 22" bass drum. Maybe I'm old school, but I see that as a minimum. Not that I dislike smaller ones but I like the 22"s better. Plus they come in black with maple BD hoops, and that matches my Fender basses almost exactly! So my local Sam Ash has both sets and I'm going there tomorrow. Then I go and get a new ride cymbal and a stool off my buddy Mike! And then I'll be done with cymbals.

@Super Phil , the Tayes look great, but I have a very limited budget and the less I can spend, the better.
 
Well I hit the music stores today, played on a few sets from budget to top of the line, and I've made my decision...

My CB700's.

Honestly, I thought they sounded just as good as anything in the stores now that I've improved the bearing edges. Still have to even them out a tad, but while I heard differences in drums, none really stood out as better than the others, just different. So I'm going to just get bottom heads for them, learn how to do nice bearing edges, and stick with them. Do have to get maple hoops on the bass drum so it looks like my black/maple Fender P's, but I'm going to make these drums into a luxury set of CB700's :D

Also got a second ride today after deciding the Diril ping ride made a better giant crash. Sabian 21" heavy SR2. A little more intense than the Rock Ride I almost got, but it's a good one, too.
 
Saved yourself $1000.;)
You bet, Harry! I'm just glad I live in a time where CB700's and Mercurys are thought of as vintage and cool, and not cheap crap for beginners. They really aren't bad at all. But you know how it is with musicians and GAS...try as I fight it, I'll give in one day...and get a set of Mercurys for way too much :D
 
You bet, Harry! I'm just glad I live in a time where CB700's and Mercurys are thought of as vintage and cool, and not cheap crap for beginners. They really aren't bad at all. But you know how it is with musicians and GAS...try as I fight it, I'll give in one day...and get a set of Mercurys for way too much :D
Well, getting high end cymbals is key. I got a "vintage" $200 Tama Royalstar ..... and with new heads ..... and paired with some of my Sabian's. it's a great sounding kit. Like you say ..... "different". Certainly not my "dream kit" ..... I'll reserve that spot for my "vintage" 3 ply Ludwig's and my Round Badge Gretsch kit.

One of my GAS things is I like to try experience different drum kits. Beyond just sitting down behind one. So I've got a revolving door with kits that
come and go. If I see a kit I like, and I want, I buy it. If it's cheap, no big deal. If it's expensive, then I sell off a kit (or two) to pay for it. Or some other equipment.

So cheers to the CB700's !!!!
 
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