Quote :

"i'm not a drummer. but this is what my friend evan plays (or at least did a couple years ago): http://www.indyweek.com/music/070908/instrumentalists.jpg"

No way, Evan Rowe! Senior year at S&M my buddy and I did an independent study with him, essentially we wrote, recorded, mixed, and mastered a few songs with his guidance. Good times, I miss that guy.


and those new Pearl kicks...I'd love to try them but they look absolutely retarded. Lose the cheap neon conceit and drop the price and I'd be just interested enough to tease the GC salesman out of his commission

[Edited on August 27, 2009 at 6:23 AM. Reason : dfg]

8/27/2009 6:13:41 AM

^ I don't mind the color, but the price is steep.



And Zildjian made a similar move with the overpriced Constantinople:



I just don't find the sounds demos to be impressive--too much wash (these are just rides):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbE2qP7ZJb0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx5cO1A2OVg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQnnpBTPycw

Maybe some of the jazz guys like them, but not me.

8/28/2009 7:38:48 AM

^ i would have no idea what to hit behind your dw kit....

8/28/2009 1:35:55 PM

^^yea the demon drive is ridiculous. smoothest pedal ive ever played. ridiculously expensive.

8/28/2009 1:45:47 PM

^^ LOL! It's just a traditional four-piece set up--with some extras added on here and there. I used everything, though--it wasn't for show.



That pic was from when I first got it ('93, I think--from 2112). I started out with the Gibraltar rack system--I just wanted to try it. I ditched it almost immediately, though. I simply was not able to get the adjustability I needed--stands work much better.

I might still consider a small rack to one side to mount things on, though. And a rack like that is easy to pick up and move quickly--kind of like a sawhorse.

BTW, that color, Electric Blue, which looks so beautiful in the pic, didn't translate well at all from distance. In a low-lit club, you could get fifteen feet away from the kit and it just looked black. I used to have a Ludwig silver sparkle kit and I still prefer it (some of the newer broken glass sparkles are best). Silver sparkle shows up well, it looks rock 'n' roll, and it reflects multicolored lights well.

^ Yep.

[Edited on August 28, 2009 at 2:51 PM. Reason : .]

8/28/2009 2:43:36 PM

haha i played my first concert in 1993. could have been 1992.

i was 6 in the kindergarten talent show at St. Anne's Catholic School in Charlotte, and i rocked out New Kids on the Block - "Hangin Tough"

8/28/2009 2:49:29 PM

^ Look, I'm having a birthday tomorrow. Could you make me feel any older?



And see how far apart my mounted tom and my floor tom were? That's just too far--but that 28"x20" bass drum was hard to work around with a rack.

BTW, I tried that Aquarian head when I first got the kit. It busted after the first few times I played it and I never played anything but Remo again.

[Edited on August 28, 2009 at 2:59 PM. Reason : .]

8/28/2009 2:52:44 PM

That is a ballin' ass snare, but what the hell is your floor tom doing over there?

8/29/2009 12:25:40 AM

^ It was an 8"x14" wood. It had a good sound (dry and fat with plenty of attack), but I prefer a metal snare for most situations.

And concerning placement of the floor tom, see the post directly above yours.

8/31/2009 12:33:14 PM

bttt because i just purchased the DW9000 double pedal

9/25/2009 1:49:04 PM

Congrats!

Anyone have a single pedal they're willing to part with?

9/25/2009 2:03:02 PM

^ i dont have one...i use a gibraltar avenger single pedal on my old ludwig kit.

but i was playing a dw9000 a lot at practice (single pedal), and its super too. highly recommend

9/25/2009 3:25:07 PM

played a show at DIVEBAR last friday, i was super stoked to debut my dw9000.

annnnnnnd i left it at home in greensboro.

so i had to bum a single kicker

10/6/2009 4:58:36 PM

KHAAAAAAAAA. . .my DW foot pedal. . .AAAAAAAANNN!!!1

10/6/2009 5:09:17 PM

i was more like

10/6/2009 5:20:31 PM

10/6/2009 7:12:57 PM

guitar center drum off store finals are tomorrow...

10/14/2009 11:41:53 AM

^ Are you in it?

I'd like to go watch this...See how good the local talent really is.

10/15/2009 10:10:04 AM

FYI.

10/21/2009 6:47:17 AM

i'd jump on the warranty thing, but i feel like they may have updated their terms of agreement so that "excessive force, use" is not covered.

i play with excessive force, and i fully expect my cymbals to crack within a year, so does anyone think i'd be covered?

10/29/2009 10:38:09 AM

play with lighter sticks

I play with relatively heavy sticks, and my background is in marching so I feel like I use a lot of power, and my med/thin K Custom is still kickin after 3 or 4 years.



By the way, what sticks does everyone use?

10/29/2009 10:51:53 AM

^ HOW DARE YOU!!!!! NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!

haha.

i cannot possibly play with lighter sticks.

Vater. best sticks out there.

(if i played with any lighter sticks the would shatter immediately and i'd run up the cost of a cymbal in just replacing sticks lol)

[Edited on October 29, 2009 at 10:54 AM. Reason : .]

10/29/2009 10:54:02 AM

What size/model?

Even though it might be a bit of a copout to use signature sticks, I REALLY love Vic Firth's Buddy Rich sticks. Perfect weight. The Peter Erskine Ride stick is also quality, although feels a bit short.

10/29/2009 10:55:59 AM

Vater VH2BW (2B's)

i think its way easier to go from a lighter to heavier stick. if you are trying to play the same style your muscle response is way different if you've been playing a thicker stick and suddenly try to switch.

10/29/2009 11:00:09 AM

I agree. I'm used to heavy ass marching sticks (I have a pair of old Vic Firth Jim Casellas in the living room next to my pad, those things are LOGS) but I can't really be using them on my set.

10/29/2009 11:02:10 AM

yea you dont want to use those on a drum set. it will kill your heads completely. i use Ralph Hardiman marching stick. white fury!

10/29/2009 11:17:43 AM

Ralphie Jr's are the best pad stick ever.

Ever.

10/29/2009 11:28:05 AM

foreva eva?

10/29/2009 11:59:25 AM

After playing those Zildjian DIP drumsticks for a while I end up losing like 5+ sticks every time I use anything else. You get used to having a lot of grip and loosen your hands way too much for non-coated sticks.

10/29/2009 12:19:58 PM

for anyone that cares, it looks like Thomas Pridgen either quit or was kicked out of The Mars Volta during their sound check this past weekend in Raleigh which is why they canceled the show. Not 100% confirmed, but big talk of that in the forums and some stuff Pridgen put up on his facebook page apparently.

10/29/2009 12:34:37 PM

They should have called me. I would have filled in.

[Edited on October 29, 2009 at 12:39 PM. Reason : l]

10/29/2009 12:39:37 PM

Quote :

"i play with excessive force, and i fully expect my cymbals to crack within a year, so does anyone think i'd be covered?"

kevmcd86

I'm a heavy hitter, too. I usually play with the Vic Firth 2B American Classic Hickory nylon-tipped sticks--and I have some old Vic Firth Tommy Lee signature sticks I use, too (with the red tips--I think they're metal sized). I even have some giant Corpmaster marching sticks that I play with sometimes--LOL!

I switch up to lighter sticks (like a traditional 5A) on certain songs that require a lot of speed or finesse, though. I recommend this.

I always use nylon tips, too. You get a much more crystalline sound when your bead hits the ride cymbal. Try it with a wood tip and a nylon tip--you'll immediately hear the difference. The wood tip produces a more muted "pang" instead of a "ping."

But this is important. Remember not to overplay your cymbals (meaning hit them too hard)!!! They won't speak as well when you hit them too hard. Even when I'm totally slamming hard, I pull back a bit when I crash the cymbals--you get a much better sound.

10/29/2009 1:31:18 PM

Lightweight sticks with a nylon tip do sound best on the ride most of the time. If you want to crash it just hit it with the shaft of the stick.

10/29/2009 2:11:57 PM

I never liked nylon tips really. I do like the tip on the Peter Erskine stick for a good ride ping, though.

And yeah, my K Custom Dark sounds so much better when I lay off it just a bit. Beautiful.

The only cymbal I've ever cracked was a Paiste 2002 China, but that's because it's kinda hard not to go apeshit on an aux cymbal that you didn't pay for.

10/29/2009 4:47:24 PM

is anyone living in the greensboro area and mayhaps want to get together and jam?

11/18/2009 10:34:13 AM

bttt

whats on everyone's holiday wish list?

12/15/2009 3:58:31 PM

Being debt-free is a priority over aquiring gratuitous drum equipment at this point, so not really much.

I would like one of the demon drives, though. I finally got around to checking one out the other day and it felt unbelievable. It was amazingly fast and smooth.

I also want a second crash (15" Zildjian K fast crash to compliment my 17" K med/thin dark) and new shells, but these are likely a ways off.

[Edited on December 15, 2009 at 4:14 PM. Reason : .]

12/15/2009 4:13:54 PM

The only change I see myself making will be when I upgrade my Mapex Pro Ms to a set of DWs. That depends more on when a great deal comes along on a 6-piece shell pack (or 5-piece with no snare) than anything else.

There is a sweet 6-piece set with (no snare, 5 toms+bass) on Craigslist right now, but I don't want to pay $2500 for it. Not a bad price by any means, but I'm waiting to find the five drums I want @ closer to ~$300 per drum.

[Edited on December 15, 2009 at 5:57 PM. Reason : l]

12/15/2009 5:55:27 PM

Avenged Sevenfold drummer dies at 28
December 29, 2009

Quote :

"James Owen Sullivan, the drummer with California band Avenged Sevenfold, was found dead on Monday, according to police. He was 28. Sullivan was found 'unresponsive' in his Huntington Beach home, according to Orange County deputy coroner Mitchell Sigal. An autopsy has been scheduled to determine cause of death. A message posted Monday on the band's website confirmed his death. 'It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we tell you of the passing today of Jimmy (The Rev) Sullivan,' the statement said. 'Jimmy was not only one of the world's best drummers, but more importantly he was our best friend and brother.'"

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2009/12/29/james-sullivan-obit.html

RIP

12/29/2009 9:33:46 PM

One of my favorite bands, and certainly one of the best rock drummers today... I've even met the guy and had him and the rest of the band sign an aluminum beer bottle. Sucks he's gone - they were in the process of recording a new album too.

12/30/2009 1:01:19 AM

It sucks that he's dead and all, that's a bummer. But to hear people claiming he's one of the best drummers around (I've read someone saying he was one of the best drummers of our generation) is absolutely absurd.

12/30/2009 1:47:34 AM

I'm trying to sell my drumset, but I've got no idea how to much to ask for them. Can anyone give me an estimate? It's a Gretsch Catalina Elite (apparently now discontinued) set that includes:
Hi-hat w/ double brace stand
Ride cymbal w/ double brace stand
18" Bass drum w/pedal
14" Floor tom
12" Tom
14" Snare

I'll be selling this on Craigslist in the Boston area, unless anyone has any better suggestions. So how much should I ask for this set? Any help would be much appreciated, thanks!

3/24/2010 9:43:17 AM

Quote :

"It sucks that he's dead and all, that's a bummer. But to hear people claiming he's one of the best drummers around (I've read someone saying he was one of the best drummers of our generation) is absolutely absurd."

just saw this and I agree 100%

3/24/2010 9:54:13 AM

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/msg/1750650752.html

Quote :

"Introducing to the world..."PhAtCrAcK" Custom Drums.....this is the 1st of 5 new snares coming out on my new custom line........ "

lol, so who wants to speculate about this guy's "custom line"? I'm guessing this is just one of those deals where some guy buys some shells and hardware that anyone else could buy on the internet, assembles it, and says he has a custom drum line? With a name like "PhAtCrAcK" I'm sure it will be wildly successful.

[Edited on May 20, 2010 at 3:46 PM. Reason : l]

5/20/2010 3:43:34 PM

LOL

5/20/2010 3:44:09 PM

He could have at least used forged hoops.

Douche.

5/21/2010 3:59:54 PM

I removed a pillow from my bass drum tonight and am amazed by how much more responsive it is. It resonates a little more than you'd expect from a studio drum (it sounds like you're up in the club), but my double bass is way more consistent now. I was missing that feedback from the drum head that was getting soaked up by the pillow that was touching the front head before.

It seems like changing things around is always a good thing. When I first put that pillow in it made the bass drum notes extremely crisp with a very short attack. You could pick out each hit as if it were gunfire on the streets. Removing the pillow has made it easier to play, but the notes tend to blend together in a mesh of sound.

Remove all your toms and you'll learn rolls you never thought about. Add them back one at a time and you'll pick up rolls that you never did before too. I play the sliding glass door behind my set as if it were a drum hoop or a cymbal stand. It's good stuff to change things around every so often.

[Edited on June 17, 2010 at 1:12 AM. Reason : l]

6/17/2010 1:06:10 AM

bttt

and ^ very cool

[Edited on August 5, 2010 at 8:27 AM. Reason : .]

8/5/2010 8:27:08 AM

^^ I haven't used a pillow in many years. You should try the Evans EQ pad:



It has Velcro on the bottom that attaches to the inside of the bass drum. In this way, you can have the pad just barely touching the head--and the pad gives a bit, too. Works great.

And when you move your bass drum, the Velcro holds the pad in place. Same muffling every time.

8/5/2010 4:34:53 PM

I got a new (used) set today.

Upgraded from my old Tama Rockstar Custom to this...

Tama Starclassic Performer (birch/bubinga) in orange sparkle with black chrome hardware.
22" bass, 12" rack tom, 14" and 16" floor toms, 14"x5.5" snare.


I am so fucking excited.

8/12/2010 3:45:35 AM