I am looking into buying a new drum kit. I have a Gretsch that I bought about 8 yrs. ago that has just been beat to shit. It's had beer spilled and spit on it; other people have mistreated it; it's all dinged up from touring; and I want to get a new kit. It's time. I'm just wondering if anyone out there has any advice or any certain kits that they like. I'm thinking I want to have a 24" bass drum and a dark sound. I guess I'm wanting to know if anyone has a kit that they or their favorite drummer swears by that I can take into consideration as I look for my next drumkit.

And I found this... me & my first "kit" on stage at home...

And the infamous Ludwig i abuse these days... revamped with Slingerland parts.

Swirly - Ludwigs are boss Mad Mojo Marmalade said:

This vintage Ludwig set is a beaut!

This vintage Ludwig set is a beaut!

Ett sjuttiotals Ludwig kör jag på... grymt bra & skönspelat.

I think I might get a Taye kit. Not 100% sure as of yet. It's been a big help having all of these replies.

Hey if it sounds good, don't fuck with it! Most of what I posted previously is just stuff that most "Newbie Drummers" should learn. It all depends on where you wanna go. I can make low-buget drums sing with a little work (and some minor repair) and I am not even a drummer, just a studio geek. I know how to remove annoying squeeks, head rattles and other Mystery Noises. Nothing is hard and fast, if it works, then don't fuck with it.

Not guilty with the weed thing but lock me up for the rest, Yeah I've switched heads but then I generally switch em and replace the bottom with a top head anyway (just tune it differently can't remember anyone ever noticing) Pitted skins - Guilty - the snares had a pit in it for years but it ain't near the centre and doesn't appear to effect anything (sounds the same recorded now that it did years back) Dirty heads - Guilty - the only clean bit is the bit in the middle which gets hit. Does it thud or thunk. Well if it had clean bright and new skins you may notice that it doesn't sound as clean or zingy as it could be, however, I did all this once and got them tuned by a shop and the kit lost all it's pounding oomph. Never done it since and now I only tune to the pitch I like (and not that often either). Finally, lack of tuning - Guilty. Strange thing is everyone always comments on how great the kit sounds at gigs or in recording! All respect to you though, you are giving the right advise and I know you'd probably set fire to my kit if you got hold of it, but for some reason I can't bring myself to change it.

:-)

Yamaha with Evans heads, big and deep! Blue jelleys help the overtones...

Y'know like guitars and strings, sometimes you gotta change your drum heads and tune them up once every few years. They build up crap on the heads and get pitted and dammaged with use too.

The thing I hate most in the studio is when a band comes in and says, "Oh I just flipped my heads over from bottom to top." Make sure you DON'T do that. Top heads have extra re-enforcement and are designed to be hit. Bottom head arent' always designed for that kind of abuse. Bottom Heads are designed to resonate with the top head and give that extra sympathetic ring/sound depending on the brand/style of head and drum you prefer. Just taking the bottom head off isn't always an option either, sometimes it can make a good drum sound like shit because it no longer has the sustain. It just goes THUD or THUNK (and sometime BWOMM) It is worth going to a Drum Shop and learning how to install and tune your drum heads on your drums. You can take a mediocre drum set and make it sing. I have seen/heard the proof.

One last pet peave of mine; I also really hate it when I see drummers use their Floor Tom and/or Snare Drum as a sorting table for their Pot! The residue from that ruins the sound of the drum and when they hit them the stems and leaves go all over the floor of my studio! Find some other place to do that stuff. Seriously!

I hope this helps.

Think you made a very good point here Jerk_Alert, new skins and a bit of tuning could make all the difference for Robin. That said I'd agree more with the comment that they sound better with age. I got my kit about '92 / '93 and have only ever tuned it properly twice. The toms just seem to have bedded in and stay in tune. And trust me they get hit pretty hard. Go figure.
In additon modern kits (or I should say expensive modern kits) are very well made and will last a life time but they sound to clinical to me. I feel they have to much technology behind them and sound like there made in labs - just not garag punk enough for me - sorry

I was thinking about getting a new drum kit for a long time but the ones that I think are awesome are also awesomly expensive. I played around with the idea of buying just a new base drum and floor tom but it is still pretty pricey. I finally decided on just cleaning up my old set, getting new skins and actually tunning them. I've been playing drums for about 14 years and just learned how to tune them(kinda)! My set sounds totally different and the way I wanted them to sound. I would recommend trying this before throwing down a bunch of money. Also, I've read that drums are supposed to sound better with age. Maybe that's all it takes to get our shit drums to sound decent. Who knows?

Hey man, I've got no access to any pics on this while I'm at work so I can't see if there's a pic of your kit here. I'm guessing this is a newer Gretsch (about 8 years old) which means (most likeley) you get the brighter tom sound than you'd get on an older kit. 24" Bass is pretty bold but you could end up with a brass band set up rather than a full on punchy kit. If you want big floor and big sound go searching for an old Jazz kit. If you just want big sound then go for an old Gretsch or Ludwig - good ones are always really loud. Lets face it they only sort after because they are such fantastic kits. Personally I use an old George Hayman kit and I love it for it's simplicity and tone (I'd still rather have a '66 Ludwig)

Yamahas are pretty durable (especially their Professional Maple Series), along with DWs. Both sound good too. Neither are cheap though. If you get a good kit like these one, then get some good road cases to go with that kit. It is worth every penny you spend on them.

I have seen some pretty good "Pawn Shop Specials" lately (due to the crappy US dollar and ecconomy!) So you might wanna check out that avenue as well. You might find some deal that could make your day.

One other option is some custom made Garcia Drums. They are made by a friend of mine Jerry Garcia (don't snicker about his name though, he has gotten a lot of that over the years!). Although I am not sure if he is still making them right now. He used to run the Seattle Drum Shop here in Seattle, but closed that up a few years back. They are some of the best and most durable drums I have seen/heard in many years. They are not cheap either, but you will get what you want both sonicly and visually.

Me, I'll stick with the classic Ludwigs from the mid 1960s (when they knew how to build 'em!).
I hope this helps. Good Luck!

Skinsuit - New Rose. Here's me drumming on a damned cover.

Hey there
I played in a lot of bands, and played on a lot of different kits.

First: about the 24" Bassdrum... It's fun to play, but it can lack some punch when you play faster songs... You shouls also consider that with a 24" you need bigger toms as well, otherwise the contrast may be too big, and you don't have a good overall drumsound.
TUning a 24" can be a hassle too... And the skins are expensive, and not very durable...The right combination of the right skin (ambassador) and muffling (newspaper/pillow) could work.

I have played a long time with a 1971 Slingerland (Maple) with a 15" and 18" toms and 24" bassdrum... I used to play a lot of traditional instrumentals, and it sounded great in the studio, but once we played live trough bigger PA -systems it lost a lot of it's appeal. I still use it for small clubs...
When you go for a 24" BD see what kind of beater you prefer... I used a soft beater.

I found a 1965 ludwig too, and I still enjoy playing that one. It has a 20" bassdrum, but men, it's so crisp !!!!
The advantage is you don't have to play LOUD to be heard.

Decide on your budget, and go try different drums. Just see what feels good, and listen to the drums.
VIntage is great, but I think some of those old drums are to beautifull to be abused the whole time =)

The new ludwigs are great sounding, and you can order to your specifics.;
Personally I don' t like pearl or tama... It's too bland for me.
Yamaha has some great wooden kits who aren't very expensive, so that might be worth checking out.

I'd say: try a 20" BD, but see if you can find one who's longer!!!! You might be surprised...


Good luck!

i am Alessandra, btw, sorry if i forgot to introduce!
;-)))

Ciao! For me the best drumkit are LUDWIG fab four model wit 22" bassdrum I have 2 kits, one black oyster and one silver sparkle... and i LOVE them, i would never change (i tried with Gretsch and other brands but i don't like them very much)..they are top quality in materials and beautiful outfits. You can have a look there! www.myspace.com/thehangeev If i would have much more money i would buy also the white pearl version and the gold sparkle. They are reissues, but, trust me, i used to have before a 60's drum, Hollywood Meazzi, that was great in looking while sound sucked! (old wood, pretty damaged) ;-) Ludwig rules!

i really like the sound of old old old old ludwigs. preferably a small 20" kick drum, if you stuff em right they sound like cannon's. ive been playing them for years...and i also really enjoy old wooden slingerland snare's.

Actually my favourite combination in guitar choice is Gibson, with Fender amp. Gee, Johnny Thunders taught!
By the way, about the Damned...are you kidding me? I play without any tom, hi-hat, and sometimes without bassdrum too....though this is not exactly the drumset of my dreams! Well I like it at the end of the video by the way.

Just yesterday I saw a wonderful Pearl from the mid 1960s, this guy bought it for something like 50€...I couldn't believe it!
The other nice thing is when the kickdrum has "no holes" for toms, and eventually use a snaredrum "holder" (shit I'm sorry I don't know the English name, I hope you can understand me)
It has a better sound...they say...

what about Stagg drumkits? I'm shure they're shitty but for 150€ is it worth to try as a first kit? I've been playing drums for three months so..

Gina Vah - Hi! Yeah ~ I bought my Gretsch as my first kit, too. I love it, but I've been saving money for a while now to get a new kit. I was just curious about what other drummers play. All the musicians that I have ever known have a favorite brand or style of their instrument that they prefer (ex. the lead guitarist of my band loves fenders, while the rythm guitarist loves gibsons ). I'm definately going to make up my own mind on what I get, I guess I just wanted to see what other people play. Thanks for replying. I will check out your band's website. My band is at myspace.com/originalthree
Did you see the damned video that someone sent to this post? i thought that was pretty cool. i love the damned. saw them play in detroit years ago. anyway~ thanks again... girl drummers rule! robin

I bought some years ago a Gretsch Catalina, because it had a good price, I am poor, and it wasn't that bad. In that period I liked the 20" kickdrum, but after a while I wished I had a bigger one, at least with a hole on it. Since I'm poor I'll keep my old one, but I agree, and understand your feeling! Otherwise you can play as I do with Alfredo Garcia and His Bikini Voodoo Drums, that is take it away directly, and just play snaredrum-floortom-cymbal (ride). Eventually standing. In the end, I unfortunately haven't any good advices... http://www.thewaukees.com/ag/TMP_AG/alfredo_garcia03.jpg sorry, some problems with the image...

All I can say is that I like this drum kit. Also, Pearl's site has "Drummer's Forum", and you can ask which maker's drum kit is best there! http://www.pearldrum.com/pearlusa.asp

Really?!? Nobody has an opinion?