Buying Two?

Coldhardsteel

Gold Member
A thought crossed my mind a second ago:

What should I do if I like the sound of a specific product from a certain company and it might be discontinued after a few years? Should I go through the effort of preserving my current ones to the best of my ability, try to replicate them, or...

Buy two of them?

In this case they're cymbals, but drums and pedals are applicable as well.

I have a whole life ahead of me- I don't want to keep changing what I buy for the next sixty to seventy years!
 
Funny. I sometimes fall into this mindset. Sometimes when I find something really great, and I know they might discontinue or already have, I will buy, or want to buy a couple so that I have one down the road just in case. I usually find that something better comes along anyways and makes me not miss the old favorite all that much. Our interests and tastes usually change as we get older.
 
Cymbals.....perhaps, although who's to know what will be discontinued and what will still be around many years from now. Personally I'd never bother myself, but I can see the merits of why one might if they got a heads up on something going out of production.

Same goes for drums....there's always another sound to chase after and I'd rather spend the cash on something I really want rather than worrying about what may or may not happen to what I already have. Although I do understand why some guys like an identical snare for a back up, in my case I wouldn't bother. I'd grab any other snare and be done with it.

Pedals (or any other hardware), no way. In ten years or more when you decide they're getting long in the tooth or feel like a change, there'll be even more options out there than there are today. By that time you'll want the "shiny new, next greatest thing" anyway.

YMMV, but I'm one for preserving the things I've got, spending my money on things I don't have already and replacing what I do have when necessary.
 
I have a whole life ahead of me- I don't want to keep changing what I buy for the next sixty to seventy years!

Isn't that the fun of it? You don't want to go through life doing the same old thing! There's no way I could decide on one cymbal set and then play that and only that for the rest of my life!
 
I'm very pleased to report that the longer I've played, the less the gear I play on matters.
 
More than likely, as time goes on, you'll change your mind about what you think is perfect, and you'll kick yourself over having bought two of *whatever* because you'll decide what you really want is something else.

The other thing is, outside of sticks and heads, as long as you take decent care of it, most drum gear lasts a really long time. Most people replace things because they want to, not because they need to.

One time, I bought a huge box of sticks. Dozens and dozens, because I was sure that was my size, and I moving and wasn't sure if I could find that exact brand/model/size where I was going. 3 months later, I had a complete change of thought on the sticks I used, and changed brand and size. And I was stuck with dozens of stick I didn't want.

On the flip side, other bits I've owned for more than 20 years, because, despite being a heavy hitter at times, I take good care of my gear.
 
I'm very pleased to report that the longer I've played, the less the gear I play on matters.

And there is that too.

I love to talk gear because it is fun to talk about.
But at the end of the day, whatever.
All drums work the same way: you hit them, they make a noise.
Give me a drum, I'll play it.
 
One time, I bought a huge box of sticks. Dozens and dozens, because I was sure that was my size, and I moving and wasn't sure if I could find that exact brand/model/size where I was going. 3 months later, I had a complete change of thought on the sticks I used, and changed brand and size. And I was stuck with dozens of stick I didn't want.

I've done this a few times too. Although, I didn't buy "dozens and dozens"...

I've switched "favorite" sticks a few times and now use 2 different models depending on what I'm playing. I have piles of other size sticks I'm pretty sure I will never use.
 
A thought crossed my mind a second ago:

What should I do if I like the sound of a specific product from a certain company and it might be discontinued after a few years? Should I go through the effort of preserving my current ones to the best of my ability, try to replicate them, or...

Buy two of them?

In this case they're cymbals, but drums and pedals are applicable as well.

I have a whole life ahead of me- I don't want to keep changing what I buy for the next sixty to seventy years!

I thought I'd be that way, and it never turned out that way. I've played different things most of my life. It's not what brand or product I have, it's the sheer act of being able to play is what I live for. Yes, I have my favorites, and it would be great if companies never discontinued stuff, but when they do, I just roll with it and find something else. Sometimes leaving that company altogether. The funny thing is, after all these recording myself playing on different kits and cymbals, I always sound the same. Go figure.
 
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