Two shell banks instead of eight different kits?

justadrummer

Junior Member
Currently I have eight drum sets. I need to down size as I'm out of room, but I don't want to loose the versatility that I have.

So...

I've decided to expand two of my kits into shell banks and sell the kits that will be redundant.

I have a 2008 DW Collector's Series kit in broken glass finish. 8", 10", 12", 13", 14" FT, 16" FT and 18"x22" bass drum. I have three matching snare drums, a 5"x14" Ten and six, a 6 1/2"x13" Edge, and a 5 1/2"x14" Super Solid. My intent is to order 16"x20" and 18"x24" bass drums for this kit.

I also have a 2019 Gretsch USA Custom kit in silver glass nitron wrap, a finish very similar to DW's broken glass. That kit is currently 10", 12", 14 FT, 16" FT, and a 14"x22" bass drum. I recently ordered a 5"x14" matching snare drum and a 14"x20" matching bass drum. My intent is to also order a 13" tom, 14"x24" bass drum and a 6 1/2"x14" snare to match.

I already have a 22" for each of these kits. I recently sold my only kit with a 24" bass, and I already miss it. There are also some rooms that I feel a 22" bass drum is a bit over kill for one of the projects that I'm in. Up to this point I've always used one of my kits with a 20". Although I can use a 22", I think that since I'm freeing up some cash and space by selling the extra kits, it would be nice to have a 20" and not make have to "make due". Each of these kits already had a decent range of drums, adding additional bass drums to both and a tom to one of the kits won't be too outrageous. I will be gaining the space being taken up by six other complete kits. For me, I don't have to completely start over.

The DW Collectors Series and Gretsch USA Custom kits have very different personalities, I feel that a shell bank of each would allow me to cover any possible situation in the future and still take up less room than the additional six drum sets that I currently own. The kits that I sell will pay for some of the new drums, I'm guessing that it could take a year or two to get all of the new drums ordered and delivered.

Over the years I've had a bunch of drum sets, and that has helped me to figure out what I really like and what I don't. I'm in a situation where I'm able to buy exactly what I want and get rid of kits that are taking up space.

I'm sixty years old and still gig regularly. These will likely be my last kits, I'd might as well have what I really want.

Snare drums and cymbals? I'll still be exploring the possibilities for a while. :D
 
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Wow, not that I was curious, but do you really use the versatility uf 8 drum sets for gigging? I own 3 kits and feel that I can cover nearly any situation.
My three kits are a typical bop kit in 18/12/14, an also classical 22/13/16 combination and a bigger rock set 22/8/10/12/14/16. All tuned different with different heads. Depends on what the gig requires, I pick the most suitable and tune it the right way. It wouldn't probably fit metal drumming, but I am not the metal guy anyway :D

I had a shell bank for a couple of years, but I almost never used it as I thought I would. So my advice was to buy two decent, average sized kits and save the money to make your wife happy.
 
The way that I ended up with eight kits was, "Ooo, THAT would be GREAT for this project!" Or... I'd stumble upon a great set of_________ for a great price, (Insert your favorite here, for me it was often a vintage Gretsch or vintage Slingerland set.)

The thing is, much as I enjoy the versatility of a big rock set of 1970s Slingerlands or a 1960s Gretsch Round Badge kit, vintage kits always come with compromises. I'm thinking of the shell bank idea as a way to handle anything without compromise.

As for my bride, she and I have a very nice comfortable life. I often say that we are the luckiest couple that I know. We have been together for eleven years, she saw a photo of me behind a drum set and sent me a note. She loves me despite and because I'm that goofy drummer guy. I'm a very lucky man.
 
Looks like you have most of it figured out! Those 2 kits are awesome and you'll definitely have all the bases covered. Unless...

Is an 18" bass drum too small for your tastes? That would make a nice addition to your USA Custom kit...if you play jazz or coffee house gigs. You wouldn't need it for your DW because the USA Custom is the choice jazz kit for an 18" bass drum.

How are you doing on snares? And do all your snares have to match your kits, or be the same brand?
 
Looks like you have most of it figured out! Those 2 kits are awesome and you'll definitely have all the bases covered. Unless...

Is an 18" bass drum too small for your tastes? That would make a nice addition to your USA Custom kit...if you play jazz or coffee house gigs. You wouldn't need it for your DW because the USA Custom is the choice jazz kit for an 18" bass drum.

How are you doing on snares? And do all your snares have to match your kits, or be the same brand?

I do play the occasional coffee shop gig, which is why a 22" seems like too much. Currently I'm covering those gigs with either a 60s Gretsch Round Badge Progressive Jazz kit or a 1960s Slingerland Gene Krupa model 1N kit. (Both have 20" bass drums.) An 18" bass drum for the new Gretsch USA Custom kit is something that I've considered, but it isn't at the top of my wish list.

Snare drums? Currently I have around thirty, I have not counted in a while. And no, they don't have to match, although I usually have one or two matching snares for any kit if I can. My current snare drum arsenal includes a couple of Slingerland Radio Kings, several Ludwig metal snare drums including two Black Beauties and a brass edition Supraphonic, a DW/Craviotto, DW Solid shell, DW Super Solid, DW Edge, DW Super Sonic, a Noble & Cooley Solid Maple, a Gretsch Stanton Moore signature, a Gretsch Bell Brass, a Gretsch Max Roach, a Gretsch Solid Maple, and a Rogers COB Dynasonic. So, I'm doing pretty good on snare drums. There are others on my wish list, but I'm going to concentrate on the transition from eight drum sets to two shell banks for the foreseeable future. :) -Mike
 
Here is a few photos of the DWs over the years. I bought it as a 10", 12", 14", 16", 22" shell pack with a matching Ten and six snare drum in the summer of 2008.

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I added an 8" and a 13".

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Some times I've gigged with it as a one up/two down kit.

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Other times as a two up/two down...

DWs under the lights June  2018.jpg
 
And here are a couple of photos of the new Gretsch USA Custom kit.

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What an admirable position to be in, sir! Under those circumstances, I'd say indulge yourself. (But don't forget to bless somebody else in the process - "To whom much is given . . . . " )

This is the first time in my 50+ years of playing the drums that I've ever owned more than one drumset - I'm up to a grand total of . . . (drumroll) . . . TWO! In all that time, I've discovered that I can take my drumset and simply tune and damp to the gig requirements. My 10/12/13/14/16/18/22 "shell bank" simply offers up any needs that I can possibly conceive, especially since the majority of my gigs were performed on a simple one up/one down format. So it seems to me that your shell bank/2 kits idea is excellent.

Please keep us up to date on how you proceed. I've seen pics of your DW and Gretsch kits before and just love them both. But how about the others? Can we see pics of the other six drumsets?

GeeDeeEmm
 
In which situations do you favour the Dw over the Gretsch (or vice versa) and for what reasons ?
 
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In which situations do you favour the de over the Gretsch (or vice versa) and for what reasons ?
One of the bands that I play in is more aggressive rock, the DWs suit that role very well. I've had every brand of head on this kit since I bought it eleven years ago. I recently bought a full set of the Factory DW heads, I think that they make the kit sound it's best for what I'm using it for..

I also play in a band with a female lead covering pop music from 1955 until today. One song can be from Brenda Lee, the next can be from Pink or Lady Gaga. That band also has a lot of country in in the mix. I find that the Gretsch kit is more suitable. I'm using Remo Vintage Ambassadors on the mounted tom batters, I use Vintage Emperors as floor tom batters, and coated Ambassadors across the kit on the resonant side. This combination really makes this kit sing.
 
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What an admirable position to be in, sir! Under those circumstances, I'd say indulge yourself. (But don't forget to bless somebody else in the process - "To whom much is given . . . . " )

This is the first time in my 50+ years of playing the drums that I've ever owned more than one drumset - I'm up to a grand total of . . . (drumroll) . . . TWO! In all that time, I've discovered that I can take my drumset and simply tune and damp to the gig requirements. My 10/12/13/14/16/18/22 "shell bank" simply offers up any needs that I can possibly conceive, especially since the majority of my gigs were performed on a simple one up/one down format. So it seems to me that your shell bank/2 kits idea is excellent.

Please keep us up to date on how you proceed. I've seen pics of your DW and Gretsch kits before and just love them both. But how about the others? Can we see pics of the other six drumsets?

GeeDeeEmm

I do try to pay it forward, I know how lucky I am.

Here are a few photos of my current lineup.

I've owned this set of 1975 Slingerlands since 1992. In the 1990s I was gigging as much as four times a week. This was my primary kit until I bought the DWs in 2008. I can't guess how many times I've set them up and torn them down over the years. It's a great sounding kit.

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Here is a 1981 Gretsch "Drop-G" kit that I bought in 2008, shortly before I got my DWs. In the time that I owned it Stanton Moore used it once for a Master class at a local drum School. Hannah Ford (Hannah Welton) also used it for a clinic. A talented young local drummer used it on his first album, I lent it to him several times and finally sold it to him four years ago. He has a new baby and both his and his wife's cars needed some mechanical work done. I recently bought them back from him until he can afford to buy them back from me. (I didn't even bother to pick them up.) In any case, they are a special kit to me. Although I owned a Gretsch kit years ago, this is the kit that made me a true Gretsch believer.

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I bought this 1972 Stop Sign Badge Gretsch kit from the second owner a few years ago. (This photo was taken in the middle of setting them up in my rehearsal room.) It is a five piece kit, I have all of the original hardware, trap case, and even bags embossed with the Gretsch logo that are original to this kit.

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This is my 1960s Gretsch Round Badge Progressive Jazz kit. I have the matching snare drum and also a Max Roach snare drum in the matching finish. It is a great little kit.

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My very first "good" set of drums was a set of champagne sparkle 1965 Slingerlands that I bought from the original owner in the 1970s. I sold them in Florida in the 1980s when I was going through some tough financial times. I came across this kit a few years back, it is very similar to that kit. This one is a 1966 Gene Krupa model 1N. It is in perfect condition. Once I have all of the pieces for the DW and Gretsch shell banks, this will be the last kit to go. In fact, I might just hang onto it. I had one of these get away from me already. 86865
 
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Lastly I picked up this 1970s Gretsch Stop Sign Badge kit this past April. Since this photo was taken at the shop where I bought it, I replaced the heads and the front hoop. I need to set it up and take a photo. I bought this kit because it was a good deal, and I missed the other walnut kit. Since I ended up buying the other Walnut kit back, this kit would be redundant even if I wasn't building two shell banks.Second Gretsch Walnut kit.JPG
 
I had a similar situation , went from 7 kits down to two . A Noble and Cooley Shellbank (20/24/10/12/14/16) and a Sonor Vintage Series 20/12/14 . I reduced my snares from 20 down to 8 and plan to further reduce that to 5 .
I did just order a 20/12/15 kit from TRS Custom drums with short stack Toms for rehearsals and small rooms.
 
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