Sentimental value of gear!

[bob e michael]

the only thing i'm attached to is my 1st snare , and my 1st set of hats
beverley 5.5x14
zynn 12'' hats
had this stuff for 53 yrs.

 

[James Walker]

If I ever have to sell off my drum gear, the last thing to go will be my 14" New Beats from the late '70s. Partly because they're great cymbals, but in large part because they were a Christmas gift from my parents when I was a kid.

I also have two sets of steel pans (steel drums), built by someone I studied with for four years, who passed away in 2019 - one of my most influential teachers (and I've been fortunate to have many great teachers over the years). Those won't ever get sold - they'll get left in the will to someone.

 

[Dzdrum]

I have come to believe that sentimental value is the only value drums still have these days. Lemme explain:

I am a drum maker. When I make a drum, i want to sell it. Sadly the biz is pretty broken, due to new entry level drums being dirt cheap nowadays, which ruined the used marked (because it used to be common sense to buy used, not new, but now most new drummers buy new). So I have the choice to either let the market decide what I get for my craft, or I decide for myself, and hold on to my instruments unless somebody is willing to pay me what I want.

Fun part is making a living like that. Some drums i made sell 4-6 years later simply because I will not sell for less. Like, when I do segmented shells in walnut and maple, people love it, it is twice the work as regular shells, so I ask for a bit more. Yes, it is just for the looks. But it is not a nice wrap, I really manually crafted this. Only few are willing to pay, simply because it is neither Ludwig nor Gretsch nor Sonor. When drummers spend a bit more, it usually is only for those brands.

For used drums, this means I do not buy any used gear, simply because fixing it and selling again will not enhance the value, since an old ludwig kit will sell for exactly the same price if it has rigged edges and old heads, as if I refinished the whole kit, retouched the bearing edges and polished the wrap, put on new drum heads and fixed and polished the hardware. I would not even get the expenses for polish and drum heads.

I am not complaining, but I recognize so many fellow drum makers and drum stores going out of business, it really saddens me.

While low end drums are all over the place, I bought a PDP LX set 10,12,14,22 used for $100. The lacquer finish was not scratched on any of the drums. The drums are 5 ply maple. The guy selling the set had them up for sale for a couple of months and no one wanted it. I put new heads on the toms but the bass had the Evans bass drum setup heads. I was completely blown away how good this kit sounded. It really was as good as my DW Collectors series. I was into this kit for $140 with the new heads!

 

[swellbow]

All the rest of the gear can be replaced, but I won't let go of my 60s Olympic snare I picked up in a pawn shop for $40 in 1990. Took some work to get it back in shape (twice), but it has been my workhorse snare for so long, it's just part of the sound. Love that thing.

 

[chakosticks]

I have 9 kits and they're all either rare or I picked them up at a ridiculously low price that I won't find again, so I have no immediate urge to part with them because I'd certainly immediately look to replace them given my track record. That said, they're all expendable.

I have three orphan toms, two of which that are essentially worthless, that I'll hold onto til the end. One is an 8x12 Harmony tom from my first blue 3-piece drum kit (kick/snare/tom) that my parents surprised me with when I was 12. Another is an 11x13 Slingerland tom from my first "real" 5-piece black sparkle Slingerland kit that my dad took me to Biasco Music in Chicago to pick out. This drum is "Sonotube", that experiment that Slingerland did with hard cardboard drum shells (I learned about the shell the hard way when I went to recover those first two drum kits in red to build my own Neil Peart-style kit - both drums are still red). The third drum is a silver sparkle Slingerland tom that is stamped with my brother's birthday in side - Jan 20 1965. He died of Leukemia in 1968 before I was born, wouldn't even have bought that drum without the sentimental connection.

 

[varatrodder]

I'm going to add my 24" block stamp Zildjian to my list of sentimental keepers. It's just such a great cymbal that I have used on everything over the years. I got it from a friend of mine, and I know he still misses that cymbal and would be bummed if it went to a stranger.

 

[Captured Saint]

Has any piece of gear (drums, cymbals, hardware, etc.) developed sentimental value for you that you feel like you can never sell it or you regret that you sold it? If so, what was/is it?

Do you think it’s a silly thing and all that matters is in your hands and the music you make every time you sit behind any kit?

1979 Ludwig Black Beauty snare. Bought in 2022 for a high price ! it was a snare I lusted after when they were re-introduced 1977-1980. I was 11-13 yrs old and mad on drums. The drum I now own belonged to Rod Stewarts drummer Carmine Appice. It was my life ambition to own a BB when I saw one in 78/79 in a music shop. It was ten times the price (my dad) paid for my entire drum kit.
I have now even bought a shelf rack to display my snares when not playing them just to ogle it. Sad I know.

 

[NitroBro2]

Has any piece of gear (drums, cymbals, hardware, etc.) developed sentimental value for you that you feel like you can never sell it or you regret that you sold it? If so, what was/is it?

Do you think it’s a silly thing and all that matters is in your hands and the music you make every time you sit behind any kit?

Absolutely. I had a Sabian China cymbal signed by Mike Portnoy after a clinic in Lawton, OK around 1999-2000. I left it with a church group band I was mentoring at the time. I should have kept it.

 

[rcopo69]

Has any piece of gear (drums, cymbals, hardware, etc.) developed sentimental value for you that you feel like you can never sell it or you regret that you sold it? If so, what was/is it?

Do you think it’s a silly thing and all that matters is in your hands and the music you make every time you sit behind any kit?

My cheap 1948 Slingerland Student Mahogany Snare with 6 threaded straight rod and clips for the heads. It's a junk snare, but was my very 1st snare that my parents bought in 1958, when I started 2nd grade, started drum instruction from Mr Reese (school teacher for all of the instruments), & joined the orchestra & marching band. My parents didn't have a lot of money, so they bought what they could afford, plus they had no clue if I'd continue on playing drums the following year.
Like I said, it's a piece of junk, and would be lucky to get $25.00, but it's priceless to me because of the sentimental value !!

 

[old_K_ride]

I still have my Ludwig Standards that my Dad bought for me in 1971.Also the first Zildjian I bought in 1972...a 20" Medium ride.
...haven't played either is decades tho...

 

[mewing]

I have the set of Zildjian cymbals that came with my first kit back in 1980, and my second kit in 1981. They were old then, but all I had so I kept them. The drums are long gone (what teenager wanted Vox or Slingerland four-piece kits in 1980 when your friends had new Pearl and Tama kits?!). I have a lot of cymbals, but those are on my NFS list.

 

[Pumpkinsid]

The first drum set I ever got. They are a 1968 Ludwig set. I got them from the original owner in 1988. I will keep this set forever.

 

[BennyK]

Mr buy sell and trade ... that's me !! The longest I've ever owned drum items are -

11" Paiste Traditionals splash from @ 2002

14x 5.5 Yamaha RC birch snare . from @ 1998

I intend to hold on to them for that reason .

I've a long " shoulda woulda coulda " list that I do my best not to cry over , but if a B/O silver sparkle Ludwig 3-ply (22 13 16) comes my way under favourable circumstances, then I'll grab it . In my life I've bought two brand new kits , the Ludwig was my first . 300 down and $ 80. 80 a month for a year . I also bought a Yamaha Oak Custom in 2007 . I let them go, don't think about those at all .... but those Ludwigs have very deep sentimental value .

 

[gryphon]

My dad had a job that kept him on the road a lot so we were never close or spent much time if any together. In 1964 I started taking some drum lessons and got invited to play with some other guys. My dad bought part of a used Premier kit from my teacher. Over the next year I bought the rest of the kit with money I earned selling all my stuff and working around the neighborhood.



I played a thousand gigs with that kit until I put them away in the late 70's when I quit playing for 20 years. A few years ago I rewrapped them in repro Aquamarine glass and started using them again. I love the sound, and think of my dad who has been gone for over 15 years now whenever I play them.

I could never part with them.

 

[T_Weaves]

The only kit I'd like to have back after having close to 30 kits over the years is my Ludwig Hollywood set. It was Black Diamond Pearl wrap, white interiors, 22-12-13-16-18.

 

[ThomasL]

My Johan hats and 18" Spizzichino, because I have had them for ages and they remind me of these fine artisans who unfortunately passed away too early. Of course, these are fantastic instruments, so I am not keeping them for sentimental reasons (only).

 

[Shawn Martin]

I have managed to keep a 12” Remo Sound Master head from my first drumset. It’s currently packed away but I figure that it’s somehow stayed with me for over 35 years, so I might as well keep it.

 

[thejohnlec]

My dad’s old Ludwig kit, Rogers snare and a Zildjians. They were his first purchase, used, when he immigrated to America and supported our family for a long time. At this point, he considers them mine but I could never sell them. They’ll go to my niece or nephew if they are ever interested

If there was ever a reason to hold onto something for as long as possible, this would be it. Heirlooms with so much personal family history attached to them are in their own unique place.

 

[Thebstar]

The Acrolite my dad bought me in the mid 70’s and the late 70’s Tama Superstars I busted my butt to afford and toured with. Other than those, everything has a price.

 

[Ottomatic]

I only have one piece of drum memorabilia that I covet. In 1964-65 I was a young drummer and parents bought me a used Ludwig Downbeat set in Champagne, of course. My family lived in Northern California and we flew back to Chicago for my Aunts funeral. While in Chicago, I called the Ludwig Drum Company and asked if the would show me how they made my drums.
They said YES! The next day we ( my mom and my brother joined me,) DROVE to the Plant.
I was 12 or 13 and felt like I just got the Golden Ticket to visit Willy Wonka.
The tour guide was Wm F. Ludwig Jr. and that was unbelievable. The amazing part came when he introduced us to Wm F. Ludwig Sr. and he showed me where they made drum sticks. That’s where he gave me a unfinished drum stick blank. I still have it. That’s it! My most memorable drum item.
After that he asked my mom if he could take me to another part of the plant. She said sure and Senior and I walked down a long hallway, he reached into his pocket for his keys and opened the door to a very dark room. He reached for the light switch, turned on the lights and
there, sitting on a drum riser, lit up, just like on stage, was RINGO’S Drumset. The bass drum head, with the BEATLES. I was in shock! Just an amazing day! Thank you for jogging my 71+ year old memory.