You love the idea of it, but you are never happy with it (Drum gear)

PorkPieGuy

Platinum Member
I'm sure we've all gone through this, but here are a couple of examples.

Our bass player talked about getting an upright bass for YEARS (we play Americana music). Well, he finally dropped the coins and got one. After about two weeks, we talked on the phone regarding his frustration with it. While there are four strings on it and they are tuned E, A, D, and G, playing an upright is a different animal than playing an electric bass. I told him that he enjoyed the idea of playing an upright, but when it came down to it, it wasn't what he wanted.

When it comes to me, I feel like I have this love/hate relationship with compact drums. I love the idea of walking into a small venue with a small travel set (one of those with a 16" or 18" kick), or maybe one of those nesting kits. While I've not played a lot of 18" kicks, I've never liked the sound of them, no matter what is done to the heads. It simply doesn't have that "thump" that I need. A 20" is about as small as I'm willing to go in terms of size to get the sound I want. With a smaller kit, I mean the notes are there; however, it just doesn't blend well to my ears. Out front, everything may sound ok, but I just hate the sound from the drum throne. I can't stop looking at Whitney nesting kits from time to time though. Every few years, I start looking at those along with cocktail kits, but I'm afraid to take that kind of risk with my money.

I also like the idea of playing with big, dark cymbals, but my ears always go back to the glassy sound of A Customs.

In terms of playing guitar, I wanted to want a Martin because... (brace yourself - stupid idea coming)... it's my first name. However, my ears and hands prefer Taylor.

I like the idea of playing my hammered dulcimer at gigs and weddings, but I'm so burned out on it, I only get it out for big-paying gigs, and even then I'm grinning through the pain.

How about you? Is there anything that you love the idea of it, but when it comes right down to it, it doesn't work?
 
Alwayblove the idea of playing in a band, till I connect with a band and realize all they want to do is get by with playing just enough to get a gig and NEVER playing anything fully or growing as a musician. So, after a while of playing the same dead songs over and over and living through dumbed down parts and poor executions, I go back to just playing at home and enjoying the time away from buffoonery.
 
I have this relationship with guitar gear much more than drum gear. I love the tones that the old Marshalls give some guys, I can just never get it. So everytime I see a deal on an old JCM or JMP I am so temped to buy it. But 20+ years of history tell me that I am not going to get the sound I want out of it. Same with Les Pauls. I love how they sound, but I have never found a neck that I like as much as an Ibanez or Jackson.

As for drum gear I have found what works for me and I dont stray too much from that. I will grab a different snare periodically for S&Gs but for the most part my drum setup hasnt changed much in the last 7 years or so.
 
I have this relationship with guitar gear much more than drum gear. I love the tones that the old Marshalls give some guys, I can just never get it. So everytime I see a deal on an old JCM or JMP I am so temped to buy it. But 20+ years of history tell me that I am not going to get the sound I want out of it. Same with Les Pauls. I love how they sound, but I have never found a neck that I like as much as an Ibanez or Jackson.

When it comes to guitars, chasing tone is a never-ending proposition. I've seen it with just about every other guitar player I've ever played with. One of my weaknesses is figuring out whether a certain electric guitar tone actually sounds good or not. I mean, a certain distortion may sound really good by itself; however, it may be super-muddy once other instruments join in. I'm pretty good with acoustic guitar tone, but when it comes to electric guitar tone, I have no idea what I'm doing. In addition, I've played with terrible players with great gear and I've played with great players with cheap gear. The great players, even with the cheap gear, make all of the difference, but it just adds to my confusion.
 
This is all pedal related!

The JoJo Pedal, amazing idea, perfect for what I needed. Got one and they're amazing for a couple of gigs and then they get annoying and really fiddly to get right, had a faulty one that kept folding up mid song and Sonor had to replace it under warranty no thanks to Drumshack in London useless *@!*&@*. The ye olde 5000 strap drive is back in service.

The Duallist, I loved the idea of playing double pedal grooves and still having one foot free to control the hats. Stupidly over engineered and impractical.
 
Always loved the idea of playing in a band, till I connect with a band and realize all they want to do is get by with playing just enough to get a gig and NEVER playing anything fully or growing as a musician. So, after a while of playing the same dead songs over and over and living through dumbed down parts and poor executions, I go back to just playing at home and enjoying the time away from buffoonery.

I don’t want to derail this thread because the OP wants to talk about drum gear. However I find this comment from AZHeat really amusing. Because I’m in the exact opposite situation. My band wants to keep learning and perfecting new and seldom heard songs. We keep pushing the technical musical envelope. We just learned “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed”. We can now nail this song. Problem is, playing seldom and never heard songs, means we can’t find any gigs. Most audiences want to hear those same old dead songs over and over again.

I'm sure there is a happy medium where popular songs are played by good musicians who can make them fun to play.

.
 
Alwayblove the idea of playing in a band, till I connect with a band and realize all they want to do is get by with playing just enough to get a gig and NEVER playing anything fully or growing as a musician. So, after a while of playing the same dead songs over and over and living through dumbed down parts and poor executions, I go back to just playing at home and enjoying the time away from buffoonery.

That's too bad. I hope you can hook up with some folks who care. They are few and far between though.

The worst part of dealing with musicians is that they are musicians.
 
Alwayblove the idea of playing in a band, till I connect with a band and realize all they want to do is get by with playing just enough to get a gig and NEVER playing anything fully or growing as a musician. So, after a while of playing the same dead songs over and over and living through dumbed down parts and poor executions, I go back to just playing at home and enjoying the time away from buffoonery.

Get into an original band that is pushing the envelope. Most guys content to play covers will only do "enough to get a gig" because that is all thats required. Guys writing their own stuff will tend to push themselves more, or at least be open to being pushed.
 
Alwayblove the idea of playing in a band, till I connect with a band and realize all they want to do is get by with playing just enough to get a gig and NEVER playing anything fully or growing as a musician. So, after a while of playing the same dead songs over and over and living through dumbed down parts and poor executions, I go back to just playing at home and enjoying the time away from buffoonery.

I'm in total agreement with this. I want it badly, but it always turns out to be a long, drawn out unpleasant experience... mainly due to the egos involved. I have yet to find a guitar player who isn't a egomaniac - at least around these parts, anyway.
 
The cajon.


It's just a box.


It will never sound like a drum set.


Why?


Because it's just a box...sometimes with wires inside.


But I want it to sound like a drum set.
 
I really wasn’t suggesting playing never heard covers. It’s way better to play in an original band, than B side covers. Guys around here just want to keep pretending they are rock stars, by hiding behind movement, distortion and over-played songs. There are so many old funk songs, R&B and fun rock tunes that can move a crowd, but no...same crap over and over.

Sorry Pork,

I totally missed the part about this being a gear thread. My bad. Now for gear, I totally agree with the Cajon comment. I get asked to sit in and play those things and not touching it. I have bongos and a djembe that while fun to play, mostly sit. I’d rather play a bar top than a Cajon. At least I’ll have somewhere to set my beer.
 
For me it has been ride and crash cymbals. I have owned over 35 Sabian cymbals in the last 15 years, some of them the same model more than once. Right now I have six cymbals, four of which I will be using Sunday afternoon at a benefit gig. I have had about the same luck buying cymbals in a store where I could hear them as I have with an online or phone order.
 
I am with sad

I’d rather play a bar top than a Cajon.

But isn't one fun to have at home, in a collection? I know it's not a good substitute for a real bass drum, but I've always thought it would be fun to mess around on... I was gonna get one eventually, just to see.
 
Wut???

I have had about the same luck buying cymbals in a store where I could hear them as I have with an online or phone order.

I always thought the ear was the best way to make a decision??? Do your ears lie to you? Please explain and thank you.

My next big purchase will be cymbals and I surely don't want to make a bad choice!
 
Re: I am with sad

But isn't one fun to have at home, in a collection? I know it's not a good substitute for a real bass drum, but I've always thought it would be fun to mess around on... I was gonna get one eventually, just to see.

I’ve heard some upper end ones that can sound close to bongo. They were nice, but bongos cost less.
 
I bet I could just build one. I wonder what the internal structure looks like?

I need to fuel up my googlecycle...
 
The cajon.


It's just a box.


It will never sound like a drum set.


Why?


Because it's just a box...sometimes with wires inside.


But I want it to sound like a drum set.
Cajon, the blank-inside card of the drum world. The guy who thought that one up must wake up laughing. Like the comedian said about cajons, "It's okay, you can just clap along." I find it impossible to take someone seriously when they're sitting on one of those things.
 
The Sabian Omni cymbals. I snagged a good deal on one when they first came out, and it was just, disappointing.

Like most other cymbals, they are all over the place. The first few I heard were stunningly beautiful sounding. When I was all set to get one, I couldn’t find one near to my liking. I’ve since heard great ones. Funny how things suddenly vanish when one in a position to buy!
 
Re: Wut???

I always thought the ear was the best way to make a decision??? Do your ears lie to you? Please explain and thank you.

My next big purchase will be cymbals and I surely don't want to make a bad choice!

I have made mistakes buying cymbals in a store where I could play them and hear them played. The best two cymbals I ever bought were one phone order and one online order. I have learned from those mistakes and will not repeat. I was only listening for pitch; I should have also payed attention to how easily they opened. Now I do. Peace and goodwill.
 
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