The 2nd kit you had

Mid 80s Pearl Export. It was an upgrade from the 70s CB 700 for sure.
 
My first set was actually a nice Rogers 5pc in blue oyster I really hated at the time. It just wasn’t cool enough. A few year later I discovered how wrong I was!



My 1st set was a "rogers",4 pc, not sure what model. (what kind of kids set is this Mr. Rogers set?) I was also too cool for it. lol. Could not wait to get my "awesome" white mid 80's Exports that I had on a "lay away plan". FCK yea brah! Now I was cool. Well, once I put the pinstripes on at least.
Man, when I got the exports, they were sooo loud compared to the ole rogers. this was pre internet, so I suppose I could have actually sold the rogers set, instead of thinkin they were some useless old "jazz" drumset or something. I'll just digress now, as I've told the story before.

Strangely, it was not my last set of exports. I had a yellow set a few years later. (after a white 7 pc Ludwig rocker II).
I never really "traded up or down" as I always had a set, then had to sell it due to life and such. so every set was a fresh purchase, and always a "beginner set". :( (other than the rogers "trade up"- as I'll call it.) ;)

T.
 
I've been pretty lucky - as an adult "beginner" (I did a lot of fiddling around on the drums at school when I was a kid) I got into some semi-decent gear from the start. My first kit was a PDP FS series birch kit. When I got it the bearing edges were super sharp so I built a sanding table, flattened them slightly, and then rounded them with a block and fine grit sandpaper. They sounded really good when I got done with that.

I'm still playing my second kit - a Pearl Maple SMX Session Custom. I've had it since 2006.
 
2nd kit consisted of two Ludwig clear Vistalite 22x16 bass drums and 14x12 stainless snare ..... and 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 Roto Toms.
 
When I was in college I had an apartment in an old boarding house. There was a homeless biker guy who had serious bad luck, and he was welcome to sleep on my couch when I wasn't home. One day I came home and he smelled really bad, so I threw his boots out the window and told him to get in the shower or leave. He was profusely apologetic, kept saying he'd make it up to me and the others in the house. I didn't see him again for months.

A couple months later, I was sitting in my room and I heard Robin Trower's "Day of the Eagle" at extreme volume coming from the parking area. I looked out the window and there was biker dude with a Dodge Omni (of all things), with a thousand-watt stereo and the first car CD player I ever saw blasting away. He had a new leather jacket and a pistol. He yelled out "I got my court settlement, let's go buy you a set of drums!" Ok!

So we went to Rolls music in Virginia and got these TAMA Imperialstar/Swingstar drums, stands, H&B cases, Zildjian cymbals, the works.

I had been playing a set of "Gambles Import Corp." lauan drums since the mid-1970's. I thought they sounded fine but they were seriously ugly, faded sparkle and beat up when I first got them. I spray painted them once, and covered them with black contact paper later.

I lost track of the guy, but heard he went on to get an E.E. degree. 87554
 
2nd kit was a Pearl Export 9 piece monster in Stainless Steel Wrap.. 2x 22x16, 10x10,12x10,13x11,14x12,16x16,18x16, 14x6.5 snare.
 
When I was in college I had an apartment in an old boarding house. There was a homeless biker guy who had serious bad luck, and he was welcome to sleep on my couch when I wasn't home. One day I came home and he smelled really bad, so I threw his boots out the window and told him to get in the shower or leave. He was profusely apologetic, kept saying he'd make it up to me and the others in the house. I didn't see him again for months.

A couple months later, I was sitting in my room and I heard Robin Trower's "Day of the Eagle" at extreme volume coming from the parking area. I looked out the window and there was biker dude with a Dodge Omni (of all things), with a thousand-watt stereo and the first car CD player I ever saw blasting away. He had a new leather jacket and a pistol. He yelled out "I got my court settlement, let's go buy you a set of drums!" Ok!

So we went to Rolls music in Virginia and got these TAMA Imperialstar/Swingstar drums, stands, H&B cases, Zildjian cymbals, the works.

I had been playing a set of "Gambles Import Corp." lauan drums since the mid-1970's. I thought they sounded fine but they were seriously ugly, faded sparkle and beat up when I first got them. I spray painted them once, and covered them with black contact paper later.

I lost track of the guy, but heard he went on to get an E.E. degree. View attachment 87554
Seriously great story man. Cool pic too.
 
Second kit was an entry level Yamaha Gigmaker, and believe it or not it was a major upgrade from my first kit.
 
I've been pretty lucky - as an adult "beginner" (I did a lot of fiddling around on the drums at school when I was a kid) I got into some semi-decent gear from the start. My first kit was a PDP FS series birch kit. When I got it the bearing edges were super sharp so I built a sanding table, flattened them slightly, and then rounded them with a block and fine grit sandpaper. They sounded really good when I got done with that.

I'm still playing my second kit - a Pearl Maple SMX Session Custom. I've had it since 2006.

This is the way to do it, if you can wait to be an adult! I'm pretty sure that if I hadn't been buying my own gear since the beginning, I wouldn't be so thrifty with my gear. I'm not saying you spoiled yourself, more like you put adult thought into your first and second kit, as opposed to those of us who just wanted drums and ended up with starter crap. I know that with me, when I found a kit that matched my savings and was an upgrade I just went for it without much thought. Teenager thinking.

I guess it all works out though. Live and learn, and learn to do ones homework.
 
This is the way to do it, if you can wait to be an adult!

Reminds me of one of my favorite drummer jokes as told by Steve Gadd.

- Dad asks his son what he wants to be when he grows up. The son says, "Dad, I want to be a drummer!"
Dad says, "Well son, you better make up your mind, 'cause you can't do both." Ba Dum Bum

My second kit was a Sequoia Red Pearl BLX bought in 1993. 10/12/13/14/16/22 and 14x6.5 Steel FFS. That was an upgrade from my first kit, a Yamaha Power Road. 12/13/16/22.
 
In my junior year of high school I replaced my Ludwig Accents with a set of Pearl Masters Studio BSX in bronze glass. Got them from Guitar Center with a 15% coupon, which only worked on the kick due to each drum being a different SKU, but that didn't matter too much as the guy who rung me up forgot to put the 14" floor tom on the final ticket, and the guy at the front desk let me walk out with it. So I got a free tom!

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I used that kit for ten years, all throughout college, and it served me well, but it always sounded and felt kind of dull and slow. It got sold about two years ago after I found first Birch Absolutes in sea blue fade, in the exact same sizes, and I don't regret that decision at all.
 
First kit was a gift from my parents - a new mid-sixties Apollo kit in white marine pearl. It was a three-piece. Over time I added a floor tom and some Zildjians. Played that kit until 1972 when I joined the Army.

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Immediately upon saying goodbye to Uncle Sam, I ordered up my second kit, a 1975 Ludwig four-piece with Atlas hardware and Zildjian cymbals. Bought them from Ace Music in Florida. White marine pearl, naturally. But I can't find my one existing picture of that set.

GeeDeeEmm
 
Mapex Voyager 5 years ago, used. Scimitar hats (yuk!), Orion crash-Ride (re-yuk!) and some Sabian manhole cover ride (learnt not long ago that it is a dry rock ride or something similar). The hardware is so-so: stand for ride is skinny, pedal was creaking but hi-hat and snare stands were ok. Upgraded the hats (Fusion 13 Sabian and Sabian 18 Ed Thigpen flat ride) after a few months as I couldn't stand the hats and the rock ride.

Now residing in the school where I work with recently bought (yesterday) 13 inch New Beat. This beginner kit sounds quite good even with worn stock heads but was replaced with a Gretsch Catalina Club in May of this year. Looking to buy a used ride to complete the Mapex in the next weeks (still having the Orion and another cheap B8 crash ride).

Patrice
 
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In 1978 I was an nineteen year old kid working two jobs to afford my one room efficiency apartment. A guy that I worked with was getting married. He sold me his 1965 Champagne sparkle Slingerland kit with original hardware and Zildjian "A" cymbals. He got them new, but they had been in his parent's attic since he went into the Navy in 1967. I paid him $275 for them. It meant that I was eating nothing but peanut butter sandwiches for the next month, but it was worth it. (However, I still don't like peanut butter.)
 
My fIrst kit was a white TAMA rockstar, second hand, ... my second kit was a brand new black, exactly the same except for the condition and the colour :). And I completed this kit with a brass free floating snare.
 
A friend gave me this a few years ago, a 1961 (I think) Premier in pre-international sizes.

22, 12 & 16

Needs a rewrap but sounds great
 

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My 2nd kit was actually still my first kit. I added a 10" Tom and re-wraped it from Red to White. Also started using a rack instead of a forest of cymbal stands.

If you're taking 2nd kit as in brand new shells/model, etc...
Then my 2nd kit was a Platinum Sparkle Peace Paragon Series kit. 10" 12" 16" 22" Eventually I started endorsing the brand and added another 22" Bass Drums and a 14" Floor. That kit like the white re-wrap, is currently owned by one of my former students. I see photos on FB of him playing out in local bands all the time with these drums. I love that they still get used on stage!
 
I bought my second kit last year (or was it 2 years ago?) -- Pearl Export 5-piece shell pack 20, 10, 12, 14, 14. An upgrade from a no-name starter kit. I only use one rack tom, and swapped out the snare with an acrolite.

I won the 50/50 draw at work, and that very day Dave's Drum Shop had two of these kits on sale for $300 -- he got them for a steal from (I'm not sure who -- a distributor?) because the packaging was damaged and un-sellable. So he passed on the savings to his customers (because it's fun, he said).

I'm grateful for what I have. Raising 5 kids with a single income has meant that Dad doesn't get the best-quality toys :)
 
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