Getting back into drumming

I used to play drums somewhat seriously from like 7-14, but then I kind of lost interest. Lately I've been wanting to start playing again, but my kit needs a lot of parts and I don't really remember what's what.

My kit is a basic 1997-1998 5 piece Pearl Export set that I got in like 2002, although I don't think the snare is the original. I had the cheapo Zildjians all around but long story short I never liked their sound really and lent them to a friend a while back and just never got them back.

I'm wondering if I could get some recommendations on new parts. First things first, I'd like to practice on just the snare, and that needs both heads replaced (all the heads on this set are original) and possibly a new cord. Any thoughts on what to use here? Evans and Remo both have heads in the sub $15 range that seem like they should work fine. In it's current state it doesn't sound right at all, and has an awful ring to it as well. The snare is a 14"x6" (maybe 6.5) Pearl Steel Shell with 8 lugs.

If I don't lose interest, I'd like to get some new cymbals too. I was thinking 12" Zildjian A Recording hats and an 18" A crash/ride, but this wouldn't happen any time soon so I don't really want to think about it yet. Just want to focus on the snare for now.

Thanks for any help..

Personally, I use Yamaha drums, and I have a set of Paiste cymbals

Which line of Paiste? I'd prefer to stay away from the ZBT equivalent ones....I know Sabian makes some in that same range (B8 I think) and I didn't like those either.

go with sabian XS. very price friendly, and they sound great.

After 25 years, I have always used Pearl, although pedals often change depending on latest line and desire at the time.

Cymbals on the other hand are a mixed bag -- it really depends on what sound I am seeking and how I want things to come across (bright, flashy, trashy, etc.) Try some things out and see what floats your boat, then go with that.

Thanks for the help. I listened to the XS20s on youtube (obviously not as good as hearing them in person, but whatever) but they sounded a bit light to me. The crash sounded good, but I didn't care for the ride or hats. But either way, it's way too soon for me to be thinking about that.

About heads, I'm guessing it's just up to the tone I want? Would there be anything wrong with the cheapest Evans/Remos?

Nice kit Tconwell.

i agree, nice kit, play us something!

I use Remo Pinstripes just because I always have (no bottom heads though) ... for a more deeper sound, you might just try a plain black or white dot head. Snare has a plain Remo snare head on it.

...too give you a good start...

Wikipedia - Neil Ellwood Peart - Equipment

LOL

Never lose your music!

[jayman]

right now i have a 1965 ludwig kit with some sort of fancy snare and zildjan cymbals, not really mine, but the toms sound really wonderful, in fact the floor tom is the only drum i use for the most part..

Tconwell, did you just take the bottom set of lugs off, or are they made to only have top heads?

I'm honestly just thinking if I make it back to a full kit, I'm going to try to keep it as simple as possible. Probably just 4 piece with the hats and crashride. I've always hated having a mid tom on the bass drum and I actually used to turn the mount around and use it like a second floor tom...Don't think I'll have the room for that anymore though.

I do know when I get new hats I'm going for 12s or 13s - 14s never seemed quite right to me, and when I took lessons way back the instructor's 13s seemed much more comfortable to me.

Meinl also makes some good cymbals for the money. I have a Byzance Traditional Crash and it's a champ.

[jayman]

here's my drum kit. .

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[lol] but seriously i love this beast ..

Freddie, when I had them recovered from white to red (about 15 yrs ago) I simply asked them NOT to install the bottom lugs. The holes are still there (on the shell), but not on the re-covering so if I wanted to put heads back on them I would need to drill holes through the outside covering(s).

Been a while since I started this thread. I actually got in contact with the person I used to play with, and started playing again last spring. I got my kit out of the attic and have been slowly upgrading it and so far I'm happy with the results.

So right now I have the Exports, in a 4 piece config (14" snare, 12" rack, 16" floor, 22" kick), toms have Evans EC2 SST over G1s, snare has a coated G2 over Hazy 300, though I just ordered an HD Dry. The kick is the only thing I haven't redone yet. For cymbals I've been using some brass starters, Camber hats and Planet Z crash ride, but I just ordered a 21" A Custom Rezo ride to replace the Planet Z. I also have a 16" K Custom Dark Crash. I've also been replacing my hardware.....I've gone from one straight stand I had to make out of two bad stands to three Pearl booms which seem to work great.

It's not much but I'm having a ton of fun with it

[GavG]

Finally a huge bump that has reason.

Originally posted by Freddie

I just ordered a 21" A Custom Rezo ride to replace the Planet Z. I also have a 16" K Custom Dark Crash.

That's some good cymbals for sure! (though I haven't played the ride yet) what styles do you play?

Basic rock patterns and build off that. And wish I could play jazz.

The ride sounds quite nice in all the videos I've seen, I hope my copy will sound as good:


The lathing technique on the Rezos is beautiful:

The only cymbals I think look better are the K Custom Hybrids.

Only other cymbal I'd like to add is a big (18" or 19") crash, and possibly a Wuhan china. But first I need to replace the hats...... A New Beats? K/Z combos?

Jazz is fun to play. Harder then most people think, but still very entertaining. I like to play more big band up-beat stuff like Jumpin' At The Woodside. Slower jazz is really fun too.

My cymbal just came....not exactly the sound I was hoping for but very nice none the less. It's a lot heavier than I was expecting thus it's more pingy and less washy than I wanted (also doesn't crash very clean).....on the plus side it is extremely loud and is capable of many different sounds, I assume from the lathing.

Pics to come...it looks amazing. Also seems huge compared to the rest of my kit, especially since I had an 18" there before.

Edit: Does have a much nicer crash than I originally thought, just really gotta lay into it. Very nice cymbal.

I'm glad to hear you're back into drumming. How long have you been on hiatus? I've been drumming seriously for a few years, but I've been playing since I was 9. I'm now 16.

On my kit, I'm using a 6 piece Tama Superstar Hyper-Drive with a Black finish.
"The Tama Superstar Hyper-Drive SL 6-Piece Shell Pack includes a 22" x 18" kick drum without tom mount, 10" x 6-1/2" and 12" x 7" rack toms, 14' x 12" and 16" x 14" floor toms, and a 14" x 5-1/2" snare drum, as well as tom adapters and clamps." So the bass drum is a virgin, but I'm using my own snare as well.

I have tried out many different cymbals from Zildjian ZBT's to Paiste and Sabian. Right now, I have:
2 Sabians - A splash and an X-Plosian Crash
2 Zildjians - 14" Hats and a Crash/Ride
1 Paiste - A Paiste China
I also have a ride cymbal, but I don't know the producer. (It has no name)

If I had to suggest cymbals, I would go ahead with Sabian AAX. They are labeled as a Modern Cymbal, but they fill very well, and they aren't too washy. I used to be a huge Zildjian fan, but I'm moving to Sabian soon. And of course, it's all in taste.

I can't really say I'm a fan of one brand over another because every cymbal sounds different. I took a chance on the ride, buying from eBay, and ultimately it's not the sound I was hoping for, but I definitely like it. If you can buy the cymbal in a shop rather than buying online, take the time to try everything. You might go in looking for a 17" Sabian crash might find a 22" Paiste ride because it's closer to the sound you had in mind. This heavy 21" ride I got has a higher pitch than my 16" K Custom crash. Basically just play everything and get whatever sounds closest, regardless of what stamp is on it.

I stopped playing when I was around 14 or 15 and started playing again last spring at 19. When I first started again I couldn't even use the toms properly.....Now I'm back to being all over the kit. As I said I'm having a lot of fun and I can feel myself getting a lot better/more controlled. Being in the age of Youtube is definitely helping me because I can pick up technique and patterns to practice by watching videos, and they're on demand so I can go back and reattempt very easily. It's no substitute for real lessons but it is definitely easier to pick up new things now then back when I first started in the 90s.

I think I'm going to hang on to the Exports for a while. Eventually I'd like to move to Ludwigs, but right now my Pearls are sounding better than ever so I'm really enjoying them, even if they're a junk beginner kit. Good heads/low tuning seems to work well on them (though the low tuning is kind of a tradeoff....You lose the ability to get good tone out of the drums when playing softly, however you also lose all bad overtones, which is definitely important on cheap drums).

I'm cleaning up my room now so I can take some proper pics of my stuff. HAve any pics of your setup?

_MG_0003RAW by Boulderdashcci, on Flickr

[coolbeans326]

i bought a mapex venus kit off of craigslist over a year ago. I just put some new heads on and i got some new zildjians. the kit is banging. Once i take the time to get her to shine ill put up pictures.