drums5

[nikitcat]

Hey drummers,
Just curious. What make and model drums do you like best and why?

[thump]

That question falls in the same category as the question "What kind of wine do you like? answer: the one in my glass...). It is, of course, dependent on the music, personal preference or bias, who the other musicians are, size of the venue & audience, and certainly the budget of the player. Personally, I like the kit I'm playing at the time - if it means playing with other quality musicians. I can (generally) get enough decent rythms out of trash can lids if necessary. What do I own? vintage Yamaha.

[mattm]

OK, I'll jump in here since I haven't posted in a while and I don't want anybody thinking I'm just taking up space. Thump has a good point in that what you like is the first criteria, but I also think being able to tune whatever you have matters the most. I often wonder if they teach that these days.
Hey Thump, I remember when Yamaha started exporting drums (does that make me vintage?) and they were much better than those first Pearls that came over. I think those were the ones that came in metric sizes and like metric wrenches, a couple sizes translated but at first you had to get your heads special order from Japan.
As for my drums, they're beyond vintage so they must be antiques like me. I still have my second set, which I bought new, a four piece silver glitter (back when it was actually crushed glass, not the flat metalflake used now) '64 Rogers Holiday series, with seven ply maple shells. And I have the wood Powertone snare which will cut through just about anything and get you right in the heart or butt, or whereever you feel the backbeat. The Dynasonic had just come out but my teacher and I thought it was a little finicky, but I wouldn't mind having one of those now either, though parts are very expensive on the collector market. Rogers were considered the "Cadillac" of drums back when the Cadillac was a "Cadillac" (right Jimmy?) and before CBS bought them and moved them from Cleveland to the Fender factory they had in LA. I mean, they're both made out of wood so the same guys can make them, right? Then came the demise of both!
As far as modern drums I don't know much of what to tell you, but there is a booming vintage market out there if you want to check out some old Ludwig, Gretsch or Slingerland sets, though the better ones get a little pricey.

[thump]

Excellent point about tuning, Matt. It does seem to be somewhat a lost (or neglected) art. Often when I sit down at another kit, I have to resist the strong urge to grab a key or a re-install a resonant head. Some of that is, of course, personal bias. Still, with a modest amount of effort and some judicious head selction, a mediocre kit, properly tuned, can produce quite decent tones, frequently better than a high end kit that hasn't received proper attention.