Asking for friend How many sets is too much ?

[michaelocalypse]

It's only too many when it becomes a burden on your life. I was trying to sell everything not too long ago, but no offers were worth parting with them, just in case I decided to love drums again.

I currently have 4-6, depending on how you split up the large kit.
One is just for fun and would fit in the front seat of a Miata, and maybe be worn as a backpack. Too fun to sell.
One is a restoration project, which will be fitted with mesh heads and plastic cymbals for playing at 3am when I can't sleep. Totally willing to sell this one.
The other was made from a couple damaged shells and is slowly becoming a full set. Also willing to sell this one.
I'll be making a custom set, hopefully soon. This will be an ongoing experiment and not for sale.

 

[MichaelV]

No such thing as too many
I have 14
1920's Ludwig Trap kit - White
1923 Ludwig Tango Trap Kit
1951 Leedy & Ludwig Knob Tension - WMP
1958 WFL New Yorker - Blue Sparkle
1960's Mercury Pro US - Lava Psychedelic
1967 Ludwig Hollywood - Red Psychedelic (all dated Dec 6, 1967)
1968 Ludwig Hollywood - Red Psychedelic (April 9, 1968)
1969 Ludwig Standard S330 - Ruby Red Strata
1969 Ludwig Downbeat - BOP
1970's Kent - Blue Onyx
1980 Ludwig Combo II Model 1952 - Butcher Block
2002 Gretsch Blackhawk - Blue Pearl
2004 Gretsch Blackhawk - Blue Metallic
2009 Gretsch Catalina Club Limited - Blue Alien

 

[69OysterBlue]

18 seems about right.

19 - you’ve got a hoarding problem.

Snare drums is another question altogether!

 

[Frank Godiva]

I guess that officially makes me a Sonor hoarder

 

[K.O.]

Is there, or should there, be a correlation between how many kits you have and how good a drummer you are? I certainly hope not.

I can attest that there is absolutely no correlation.

 

[KillinBill66]

18 seems about right.

19 - you’ve got a hoarding problem.

Snare drums is another question altogether!

Nice built-ins!

 

[dingaling]

I guess that officially makes me a Sonor hoarder

What’s your count?

 

[Slingwig26]

Title says it all

here go’s my list

Tama swingstar 4pc pwr Tom sizes
tama swingstar 5pc
Tama starclassic B/b 2 up 2 down
Ludwig 60’s Wmp 22 13 13 16
Ludwig Club date pro beat
Dw design 22 16 13

23

 

[Heartbeat]

What do you guys tell your spouse when you're wanting to buy a new kit that can't be sneaked in? Asking for a friend....

 

[K.O.]

What do you guys tell your spouse when you're wanting to buy a new kit that can't be sneaked in? Asking for a friend....

If you have enough, then one more just seems like it's always been there..."those? I bought that set in 1989". I got another tom and a bass drum just this week, both are sitting out in the living room at the moment. No questions raised. They are just part of the typical environment. It is important that she doesn't see the boxes arrive in the mail though...that raises big red flags .

 

[swarfrat]

Yeah. My wife's reaction is proportional to box size. She acts like they're priced by the cubic foot. 26" drum heads really set her off. I could buy a $300 postage stamp and she wouldn't bat an eye, but a huge drum head...

 

[Frank Godiva]

What’s your count?

19 la batterie Sonor

 

[bigbonzo]

I had a Japanese drum set as a kid (14) and loved playing them to records
I was never very good and my folks who were older hated the noise
Three of my older brothers were drummers. Two started in marching bands and all three gigged on weekends
So there were always drum kits in the house growing up.
Once I started going out with girls I sort of abandoned playing the drums.
Many years later in my late forties or so, married with two kids up and out
I became interested once again in playing. My best friend had a Pearl forum kit and the two of us had a ball playing them. I quickly found the identical kit. and bought them. They did not come with cymbals worth playing so I spent some more time on Craig's list trying to flesh out this one kit with decent hardware and cymbals. But not being one that can resist a good deal I ended up with another similar quality Ludwig accent kit. It was filthy and I found great relaxation and satisfaction from simply rubbing on those drums as I watched football or a hockey game. and making the kit clean and complete.
Surfing the drum gear for sale ads became a regular pastime. I stayed within my means and limited myself to buying used entry level kits for somewhere under a hundred dollars. And my plan was to sell them after cleaning them. The idea of collecting drums had not taken hold until I answered an ad for 10 used drums for $50.00 I flew over for a look and of the 10 drums 6 were unremarkable beat up entry level drums all the cleaning in the world would not have helped this group of tubs But the remaining 4 were vintage Japanese made drums in the exact orange sparkle wrap as my first kit back when I was 14, they were center lug design and in very good condition only the resonant side on the 12" and 14"ft were minus the heads hoops and extra long rods needed for the center luggers In order to try and find those missing parts I stumbled on this great forum. It was here that I realized the great amount of folks who enjoyed collecting and restoring these little MIJ kits The more I read the more info I absorbed. I started seeking out vintage MIJ kits and parts rather the more modern entry level gear I had started with. Since the low selling prices I found at the time were very similar. And I preferred the vintage look of these drums and they really sparked my sense of nostalgia. before long I had collected a dozen of these kits in an assortment of colors and in varied degrees of condition. I never cared for stacking the drums to save space and enjoyed displaying them set up one after another (though most without hardware or cymbals) I had always had a space I rented to play the drums and to serve as a general man cave the first space was decent size but not huge I later found a space that was enormous and have since managed to fill it full of drums .in the past four or five years I noticed the prices for MIJ drums started to spike up So I started to add mostly player grade American kits and retired marching bass drums(with band logos) to my collection Today the collection is one of the largest I have ever noted personally. It is both an ongoing joy and a great burden all at the same time.. my advice would be......... Don't over collect

Another short novel, with no paragraphs.

 

[TonyVazquez]

At one point in my life I had 3 sets going, as I was in two bands at once
and later on I joined a 3rd after quitting one of the other two...
A drum kit for each band, and the 3rd kit was at home in the attic where I practiced.

All three kits shared the same hardware, so it was a hassle hauling my
hardware back n forth between bands.
I was in my mid 30s back then.

Those days are gone. Now I'm in just one band and so I would rather
keep just one kit.
If I ever decide to do any side project bands I will play whatever
drum kit they might have.

 

[ayotteguy]

Title says it all

here go’s my list

Tama swingstar 4pc pwr Tom sizes
tama swingstar 5pc
Tama starclassic B/b 2 up 2 down
Ludwig 60’s Wmp 22 13 13 16
Ludwig Club date pro beat
Dw design 22 16 13

Depends how much you enjoy hauling gear around...I've usually had a kit placed at every rehearsal site...min. 3,
plus a couple to take to gigs, depending on venue; so 5 is reasonable.

 

[ayotteguy]

Depends how much you enjoy hauling gear around...I've usually had a kit placed at every rehearsal site...min. 3,
plus a couple to take to gigs, depending on venue; so 5 is reasonable.

 

[drummer5359]

Depends how much you enjoy hauling gear around...I've usually had a kit placed at every rehearsal site...min. 3,
plus a couple to take to gigs, depending on venue; so 5 is reasonable.

There is always a kit set up at home for daily practice. These days it is this 1960s Slingerland four piece.

I will have a kit set up at any and every rehearsal space for ongoing projects. Over the years that has been as many as three kits, currently it is one. I have my 1975 Slingerland kit set up at my bassist's house. We rehearse there every Friday night.

There is always at least one kit cased up on a rack near my back door ready to load out for gigs. What is currently on that rack is my Gretsch USA Custom shell bank, which means that I'm ready for any gig. (And if I'm not, it certainly is not because of not having the correct kit.)

I also have a DW kit cased up and ready to go. It is a large kit, but not as comprehensive as the Gretsch shell bank. Over the years I've played it in configurations ranging from a simple four piece, to a nine piece if you count the side snare.

My current lineup of three kits and one shell bank is more than capable of covering anything that I might end up playing.

 

[6topher]

I just like having what I use for different situations anymore.

-64 20/13/16 slingerland bdp lives in the tour van
-65 20/13/16 red sparkle slingerland stays in my rehearsal spot
-Ludwig clubdate se bop kit stays in cases ready to go for local gigs
-Yamaha hip is in my living room

The only one I haven't used in more than a year is a set of 60's silver sparkle slingerland orphans in 20/12/14.

 

[fatchoppers]

What do you guys tell your spouse when you're wanting to buy a new kit that can't be sneaked in? Asking for a friend....

say you sold one and the new one is the replacement

 

[K.O.]

I did this video 10 years ago, I still have all of these sets except for the Phattie (although I still have some of that set). Things have expanded markedly in the ensuing decade.