I have a clone of a Matchless Lightning head. It sounds good but I wouldn't pay the price of a real one.

penningtron wrote: Mon Sep 27, 2021 12:00 pm ... at this point and with an ok job I'd rather just open up the case and play it.

Fuckin A

losthighway wrote: Plenty of affordable awesome dynamic microphones.
...
Drums and cymbals are inescapably locked quality to price unless you find a weird deal somewhere.

List some fav cheap dynamics for kicks
...
I fucking hate how impossible it is to find reasonably priced cymbals of decent quality.

Krev wrote: I have a clone of a Matchless Lightning head. It sounds good but I wouldn't pay the price of a real one.

That's the spirit.

thecr4ne wrote: I fucking hate how impossible it is to find reasonably priced cymbals of decent quality.

Sabian SR2s ("recycled" higher end Sabian cymbals)
Istanbul Agop Xists (sometimes these are dirt cheap, and other times the rides are like $500 WTF..)
Dream (I've only heard a few Energy line in person but I couldn't believe how good they were for the price)

'70s/'80s Zildjian As are plentiful and cheap used, and seemingly last forever.

thecr4ne wrote: Mon Sep 27, 2021 5:16 pm
List some fav cheap dynamics for kicks

Nothing too obscure, and granted a $200-$300 mic doesn't feel like a problem when you purchased one of those $1k condensers.

In the usual flavors I find:

-AKG D112- fairly scooped/smiley face curve but useable.
-Sennheiser e602, like the above but slightly preferable eq curve. Only way to make it sound less 'modern' is to pull it out a bit (or maybe add mids back in, but that's crazy talk). Otherwise my workhorse.
-Audix kick mic whatever. I'd only use it if I were making something distinctly metal sounding. Super exaggerated smily faced curve.
-RE20 or SM7. Old school sounding. Little more particular about placement. Can sound like a wet cardboard box with the wrong drum/placement, but with the right spot and eq they're classic sounding (they say 'puh' instead of 'click' or 'doom').
-Beyer M88 like those two ^ but a little more punch (for lack of a better word).

Both the AKG and Sennheiser can be found for under $200 used. Those broadcast mics are a little more expensive but can do a lot more things.

losthighway wrote: Mon Sep 27, 2021 12:27 pm
Drums and cymbals are inescapably locked quality to price unless you find a weird deal somewhere.

Sup.

There are exceptions, of course. The Ludwig Acrolite is a great snare drum. Still can be found for less than $200, though these deals are getting rarer.

The Tama King Beat snares from the '80s that weigh like 25 pounds and have diecast hoops- usually around $250 or so. Amazing sounding drums.

Yamaha has made very few actually bad sounding kits. Some are just more deluxe than others. A $450 Yamaha bop kit from their Touring Custom line could be a jazz kit you pay your rent and bills with for the rest of your career. Here's one for $399:
https://reverb.com/item/6768518-yamaha- ... t-18-12-14

The Istanbul Agop Xist series cymbals beat cymbals that cost twice as much all day. Great cymbals for loud rock.

Ludwig Standards used to be a screaming deal- they were just regular Ludwig 3-ply shells with Japanese wrap and hardware on them. Much cooler looking in many respects, but now those drums have caught on. No longer as affordable.

HOWEVER, the first runs of Ludwig 6-ply drums from the late '70s can be a GREAT deal. You'll see them advertised as "Ludwig '70s-'80s" drums, which means that the person doesn't want to say 6-ply, because a lot of people are like "3-ply drums or gtfo." However, as I have said elsewhere on the forum, 6-plies punch above their weight class. If they have the old school tom mounts instead of the ones that look like little pyramids, you're still in the Good Zone.

I have not cracked the code on cool but inexpensive guitars, but would be happily enlightened.

losthighway wrote: Mon Sep 27, 2021 8:14 pm

thecr4ne wrote: Mon Sep 27, 2021 5:16 pm
List some fav cheap dynamics for kicks

Nothing too obscure, and granted a $200-$300 mic doesn't feel like a problem when you purchased one of those $1k condensers.

In the usual flavors I find:

-AKG D112- fairly scooped/smiley face curve but useable.
-Sennheiser e602, like the above but slightly preferable eq curve. Only way to make it sound less 'modern' is to pull it out a bit (or maybe add mids back in, but that's crazy talk). Otherwise my workhorse.
-Audix kick mic whatever. I'd only use it if I were making something distinctly metal sounding. Super exaggerated smily faced curve.
-RE20 or SM7. Old school sounding. Little more particular about placement. Can sound like a wet cardboard box with the wrong drum/placement, but with the right spot and eq they're classic sounding (they say 'puh' instead of 'click' or 'doom').
-Beyer M88 like those two ^ but a little more punch (for lack of a better word).

Both the AKG and Sennheiser can be found for under $200 used. Those broadcast mics are a little more expensive but can do a lot more things.

Well, what's "Cheap..."?

The market is sorta dictating what the floor is.

All that said, there are some unloved options that are out there. Well, out there used.

- The Peavey PVM 520.
- The Blue Kickball
- The Realistic 33-989(This one comes with some complications....)

penningtron wrote: Mon Sep 27, 2021 6:04 pm
Dream (I've only heard a few Energy line in person but I couldn't believe how good they were for the price)

Dream cymbals are fantastic! Maybe sonically not for everyone, but they are great value and I love them.
Dream Bliss hihats (14") and Dream Contact ride (20") are on my studio kit 90% of the time.

Yikes - has anyone walked into a standard issue big-box guitar store recently?

They are full of absolute crap that costs an arm and a leg. It's like an entire edifice that has grown up to separate middle aged men from decades of savings once their kids have finished school. Like some kind of coral reef made up out of deception and mirrors.

There is wall after wall of insanely expensive acoustic guitars that are fit for nothing more than fuelling a fire place. Mountains of stupid modelling amplifiers stacked on top of each other. Temples of relic'ed and limited edition reproductions of some old guy's guitar that cost more than a deposit for an actual house.

It's insane. All the people who work in these places have this same look of sadness mixed with grim determination on their faces. Like walking through a production house for hostage videos.

^^^This is a quality post. Would read again.

seby wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 7:01 pm They are full of absolute crap that costs an arm and a leg. It's like an entire edifice that has grown up to separate middle aged men from decades of savings once their kids have finished school. Like some kind of coral reef made up out of deception and mirrors.

Poetry