The First Kit You Got

My first kit was a Roy Studio, with Roy cymbals, lol, a very bad low price entry kit, I had it for about a year, then I bought my second kit, a Tama Imperialstar and some Paiste cymbals, a whole world of difference, for the better of course, but also much more expensive.
 
My First kit(which is also my current kit) is a Mapex M Series Kit in the standard (12,13,16) configuration. I bought it used and it also came with Zildjian ZBTs though I've upgraded the Ride and hats.
 
My first kit was a Sonor New Beat bass, hanging and floor toms. Hayman snare, Premier Club hardware, Krut and Zyn cymbals.
 
My very very first kit was a cheap Japanese copy of a Slingerland-type jazz setup that my stepdad bought from a guy for $200. It was in a black diamond pearl wrap, the snare had been torn apart to use as a 14" tom (which sounded terrible), the hardware was sketchy, and the cymbals were the same sort of brass used in curtain rods - 12" hi-hats and a 12" crash/splash/ride. Those cymbals shredded like paper during normal use.

But the snare was a 1960's Ludwig Pioneer in blue duco. Still one of the best snares I've ever owned.

In a couple of years, my folks splurged for Christmas and bought me a Blackhawk kit from the Sears catalog. Not a Gretsch Blackhawk, though; Sears had taken that name and hung it on a Taiwanese generic kit. No matter. I ended up combining that kit and my first kit into a kind of home-improvement, do-it-yourself double bass kit. The picture shown is one of the few pictures I have left of that kit. I sold almost all of that kit in 1999 to buy my current Yamaha Stage Custom, including the Pioneer snare, which by itself netted $500. I still regret letting it go.
 

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I was taught on my dad's 40's Ludwigs until I could afford to buy my own drums back in 1965. Of course they weren't surrounded by Sabians back then.

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Dennis
 
alparrott said:
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In a couple of years, my folks splurged for Christmas and bought me a Blackhawk kit from the Sears catalog. Not a Gretsch Blackhawk, though; Sears had taken that name and hung it on a Taiwanese generic kit. No matter. I ended up combining that kit and my first kit into a kind of home-improvement, do-it-yourself double bass kit. The picture shown is one of the few pictures I have left of that kit. I sold almost all of that kit in 1999 to buy my current Yamaha Stage Custom, including the Pioneer snare, which by itself netted $500. I still regret letting it go.
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Ha! I thought I was the only one that got a Sears Catalog kit! 5 piece; everything had 6 lugs, even the 14 x 20 Bass Drum with classic banana rail tom holder. Definitely not a Gretsch Blackhawk - the end of catalog desciption says "Japan".

Did get some great mileage from the kit. The 12" HH cymbals sucked. They would flip inside out if you hit them too hard. Eventually ran into college, women and career - left the kit at the guitarist's house.

25 years later - I find DW and return to drumming.
 
I wish I had pictures, but you know, I grew up in a house where film was a little scarce when I was a child. But my first kit was an old 1950s-era Slingerland beater in gold sparkle. It wasn't even a complete. I think I had a 14x24 bass drum, a 9x13 mounted tom, and used the 5x14 snare as another tom, it didn't have reso heads. I had a sky blue pearl japanese knock-off snare drum, zildjian new beats and whatever for a cymbal. The only cool things were the hats and the Ludwig Speed King, but I played that thing to death from age 8 to 14.

I didn't get a "proper kit" until 1978 when mom and dad stayed with the Slingerland theme and got me a black five-piece with a double headed 14x22, single-headed 8x12, 9x13, and 14x16 (remember those?), with a 8-lug chrome Slingy snare with the classic Zoomatic strainer. But I still only had the one pair of hats and whatever for a cymbal. Funny I still use hats and a cymbal today!
 
My first kit was a Gretsch WMP bass drum and snare with only a ride cymbal. My son was kind enough to give the set away about 20 years ago. Oh well. I'm going to miss that boy.
 
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1969 Apollo 4pc kit in black and red tiger skin pattern wrap. at the time i thought it was the coolest thing on planet earth!
 
1992 Pearl Export. I spent several months slinging pizza and saving 100% of my money to buy it. Ultimately I realized I couldn't play living in an apartment living with my parents. 15 years later I started playing drums again. This time I was able to afford a rehearsal studio.

Anyone who grew up playing drums in your parents' garage, realize how lucky you are.
 
Orange Tama Swingstar + the cheapest Paiste's you could get back then. Around 1975. Gave it to my bass players daughter some years ago.
 
Yamaha Stage Custom 5 piece
rototoms
2 rides, 1 crash, hihats, crash ride.
My parents got it used for me. I believe it is currently in my friends basement minus the roto toms and cymbals. Rototoms broke and i eventually tossed them. Cymbals were broken by the guy who was the drummer in my first band(i was the guitarist in that one) or lost.Except fot the hi hats which i use onstage to this day despite getting "better" ones. Red label b8's from Sabian. pre 1990 they have different hammering and lathing patterns than the current B8s. Not my ideal sound but close and they cut through the amps very well.
 
My first kit was a Rogers of indeterminate parentage, in grey pearl finish.

I still wince that I removed the pearl finish and covered the shells in black wrap.

Also, to my continuing shame, I have to admit I also removed the bottom lugs and hoops and turned them into power toms!!!!!!!!!!

My only argument can be that it was the trend in the 80s. I still hang my head though, and wish I still had the kit so I could return it to its original glory.
 
1968 gold sparkle Stewarts. 20/12/14. I used to muffle the toms w/ crumpled up newspaper inside. Moleskin on the kick drum. (poor moles!) I didn't realize at the time that the overtones are what makes a drum sound like a drum. I don't even remember the cymbals. In a Gadda Da Vida was the first song I learned how to play. Alice Coopers "Killer" and "Love it to Death" really lit the fire too.
 
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I don't even know what brand it was 20" bass 12 and 14. some cheap Camber Hi hats and some no name crash ride on a homemade stand. I got this from a guy that went on to drum for the group 10 mile crossing a CW band, kind of off path from his rock roots.
 
It was a Stagg starter kit, Stagg make some decent stuff once it's not entry level. Their entry level stuff has lots of cost cutting and it shows.

Where to start?

The snare coating chipped away like paper

Hi hat imploded inward, often in the middle of the song

Only other cymbal (crash) bent out of shape

Poor hardware, one of the stands, a bit just chipped off and made it worthless.

Kick pedal was like a bicycle chain and not a good one, had two fork things to fit into either side, which was horrible.

The toms were decent enough, bass drum too.

Replaced the crappy snare and cymbals with Pearl and Sabian, much better.

Eventually got a Roland e kit.
 
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