Would you play gigs with it ?

RickP

RickP

Gold Member
Somebody on drumforum.org post a pic of a Sonor SQ2 kit with an African Marble veneer - a beautiful and expensive kit to be sure . He mentioned that he would probably be hesitant to take it out on a gig .

Now let me ask , if you had an Uber high end drum set with some exotic veneer or other expensive finish would you take it to gigs ? Would you just keep it at home ?

I was a single kit owner for a long time and I played what I had . I took good care of my kit and made sure I did all the transporting . Now the reason for this background is that any kit I own gets taken to gigs . I am careful with my equipment and I like a beautiful kit as the next person . I won’t own a kit to just keep it in my house .

So my question is - would you take a very expensive kit and take it to your gigs or would you stash it away ?
 
Taking that kind of expensive, beautiful kit on a gig is just asking for trouble IMO. If I wear a raggedly old t-shirt to a BBQ joint or an Italian restaurant I would leave with a nice clean, raggedly old t-shirt. If I wear a white dress shirt...you'd be able to tell what I had for dinner just by looking at the shirt.
 
I would never own a kit like that...you know...cause of being poor
 
toddbishop said:
That's one of those things like, what are we really doing here? If you're not going to use it, what's the point? And given that there are bass players taking $100k 17th century instruments out to play weddings-- just use the thing.
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I sort of live in this mind set as well...because of...you know...being poor
 
I'd reserve it for weddings and better paying gigs. There are a few bars where I wouldn't take a nice set like that. If I were playing more often and better gigs, I'd make sure my insurance covered damage.

I used to play with a cellist / bass player who paid $75K for his bow - no idea what the cello was worth.
 
If I had roadies and the kit went from cases, to set up, to break down, to cases. Sure. Or if I had the money for the kit I would have money for the replacements. And plenty of insurance.
 
This topic arose in a thread a few weeks ago. Here's my stance: It depends on the setting and conditions. Would I take an ultra-expensive kit with a sensitive veneer to an upscale setting in a climate-controlled facility with a well-behaved audience who would have no access to my gear? Probably. Would I take it to a backyard party on a cloudy, humid day that promised precipitation or to a dive bar that had no stage and was riddled with stumbling drunks? Of course not. Common sense should be conspicuous here.
 
I think it depends on the gig.

We often discuss choosing the "right gear" for a gig in terms of thick/thin or loud/soft or big/small, but thinking in terms of quality, durability, and replaceability is absolutely something I consider when it comes to matching the right equipment for the job.
 
Winston_Wolf said:
I think it depends on the gig.

We often discuss choosing the "right gear" for a gig in terms of thick/thin or loud/soft or big/small, but thinking in terms of quality, durability, and replaceability is absolutely something I consider when it comes to matching the right equipment for the job.
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I ALWAYS consider venues when buying gear...and most of the venues I play in would be considered "rough" - not violent - but just "rough', so I only want gear for those situations that could withstand a spilled drink, or a mosh pit that surges on to the stage.
 
RickP said:
Somebody on drumforum.org post a pic of a Sonor SQ2 kit with an African Marble veneer - a beautiful and expensive kit to be sure . He mentioned that he would probably be hesitant to take it out on a gig .

Now let me ask , if you had an Uber high end drum set with some exotic veneer or other expensive finish would you take it to gigs ? Would you just keep it at home ?

I was a single kit owner for a long time and I played what I had . I took good care of my kit and made sure I did all the transporting . Now the reason for this background is that any kit I own gets taken to gigs . I am careful with my equipment and I like a beautiful kit as the next person . I won’t own a kit to just keep it in my house .

So my question is - would you take a very expensive kit and take it to your gigs or would you stash it away ?
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I would. That’s why I buy it - to play it out in public in front of people. Otherwise, what’s the point?
 
I'm in Bo's camp there too. When I gigged on past sets, I realized that in my world, my drums are not that much at risk. In other words it didn't matter what I brought. I don't feel the risk, so why not? If I did feel risk, yea different story.

I can't live in fear of the what if's, it's too paralyzing.
 
RickP said:
So my question is - would you take a very expensive kit and take it to your gigs or would you stash it away ?
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I would use it for concert hall or wedding gigs. I would not take it to dive bars or outdoor festivals.
 
I use to place sentimental value on things that just collected dust so as of late I've been getting rid of everything that doesn't see regular use, including drums.

I don't care if my kit cost $300 or $3000, if I can't/won't gig it... I don't own it.
 
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Winston_Wolf said:
I think it depends on the gig.

We often discuss choosing the "right gear" for a gig in terms of thick/thin or loud/soft or big/small, but thinking in terms of quality, durability, and replaceability is absolutely something I consider when it comes to matching the right equipment for the job.
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What Mr. Wolf says. Another reason why I don't buy satin finish or semi gloss stain drums. I'd rather take my chances with about 6 or 8 coats of lacquer, depending on the manufacturer.
 
This is part of the reason why, as a bass player, I have basses at radically differing price points... They're all good, and more than good enough to gig with, but I know which one goes to the thrasher bars. ;)
 
Darth Vater said:
I think a big part of the decision would be whether it was someone's only kit or not. :unsure:
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I agree. I only keep one kit on hand. I prefer playing a 2 piece but I own a 4 piece with a dedicated bag set, I have a ton of flexibility and have gained many gigs due to my adaptability. I use hats and a versatile ride and no other cymbals. Everything mentioned above cost me about $1200 total if you include heads. I'm going to ride that thing into the ground lol.
 
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