I don't consider it "standing up for yourself"...it sounds more like being stubborn. I love my kits, and I've spent countless hours adjusting tuning and shopping for hardware that gets them just how I want them to be, but I seldom loathe playing on someone else's kit. It's always an opportunity to play around with different drums/tuning/cymbals. I have never played on a kit that left me completely unable to actually play a gig. If it's unpleasant, just buck up, dig in, and say to yourself, "At least it's only for this gig". It shouldn't be unpleasant, though, because you didn't have to haul your own drum set at least. The only thing making the experience a bad one is your attitude about it. Here's some tips for getting over your anxiety about using drums other than your own:
1. The drums are not positioned to your tastes? You can either adjust them, or if that's not the case, you can bear to *suffer* the *ungodly inhumanity* of having to strike a drum that's a few inches away from where you'd normally like it. Oh...is it a few FEET from where you like it? As long as the kick, snare, and hats are within reach, you're good to go.
2. The tuning is bad/different/not how you like it? Take the opportunity to explore the palette of sounds you can get from a tuning that you'd normally not choose to use yourself. Even if the heads are pitted-in Hydraulics with towels thrown over them, you can still play the gig and express yourself on the drums. Heck, Phil Collins did it.
3. Are they not your preferred brand/finish/sizes? They're probably not anyone else's, either. Your playing is more important than your image. You will sound like you when you play, even if the drums aren't to your liking. Your attitude will also come through in your playing. Do you want to sound like the drummer who's really into the music and having fun, or the guy who really doesn't want to be there playing on the drums he's sticking his nose up to? It's your choice.
4. Remember, the sound guy has the power to shape your sound. Don't be difficult, or else he might just "set it and forget it" when it comes to your sound in the mix. If you're at least cordial, or even hopefully outgoing and positive, he might just spend a little more time tweaking as you go along to make sure that you sound really good. But, if you show up at the gig, stubborn as all get out, whining about having to use the backline kit (or even setting up your kit against their wishes--holy cow, man! I recommend that you DON'T do this!), then people are going to either ignore/avoid you or throw it back in your face. Don't be that guy. Be professional, or at the very least, mature.
Have a good gig! Let us know how it turns out...
+1 on this.
Been there, done that many times.
After going though the same feelings as you have right now (years ago) here's what I realized:
The truth is,
no one cares that you aren't using your kit, or that your kit is better.
They won't even notice that
the sound is different. YOU will, the band
might (maybe, they're just guitar players after all...), but the audience? Never.
I'll be doing at least 3 festival gigs in a few weeks.
The kits are average, not tuned the way I would (of course), and the stages I'll be playing on have different kits.
The kit on the National stage I play on is pretty nice, the other is NOT.
On past festivals, the sound crews have been the same, they'll see me and have asked me to tune the kit forcryinoutloud. At least they said "Please", "so we can get a decent sound".
To be the most comfortable, bring your snare, your pedal and cymbals. Your seat too, if you don't all have to ride in one vehicle to get to the show area.
With your snare, you'll hear what you are used to, and the feel of it. The pedal is the same.
If it's a back line kit, or one you are asked to use, I'd say it's going to be
assumed that things
will be adjusted. That's just the way it is.
I had to use the drummer from Trans Siberian Orchestras kit opening for Stryper.
There was a mix up in booking, they still
really wanted us to do the show, but it was in my hands, and I just sucked it up because there was no time, or room to use my kit.
Talk about a different set up!
His toms were way higher, his hats were waaaaay higher, and his cymbals?...I had to reach to hit any of them. It was all on a rack and locked down, so even if I
wanted to adjust anything, I couldn't.
The guy was cool (his name is Jeff, he's in the latest Pearl catalog), and we got along great, but it was just a screwy situation. I could have been a prick and thrown a fit, but it was only a 45 minute set, and it was fun anyway.
It was a packed show and people loved us, so even though it wasn't anything anyone planned to happen, Styper and their crew were great, Jeff was cool, and it was a win all around.
I still liked my kit better than his, which was a Masters, but it was a nice kit--even though the whole time I was uncomfortable.
You just do it.
Good luck, and
just have fun at the show. It's not like you have to use the kit for more than an hour or whatever your set time is.
* The
worst kit--which
should have been great, was a Tama Star Classic with an Aquarian SuperKick head...but it had a GIANT comforter
stuffed inside of it!
That's the way the guy liked it (???!!!), it took about 2 songs for the FOH to just get a sound out of the drum.
Actual drumhead couldn't even be seen trough the mic port!
We could adjust anything we wanted, but there was nothing we could do to fix the bass drum. At least we were a couple bands down the line up, so there was bass drum coming through the PA, but you could not hear it behind the kit.
...On top of it, he was
LATE bringing the kit to the show, which was a corporate thing!!
HAVE FUN at the show!!!