the best-sounding kit i've ever heard is a particular 1941 slingerland 'radio king.' it has a monstrously big, shallow kick and three huge toms.

the shells are very thin, like fragile-thin. the heads on it are these fake cowhide things.

when most people play it, it sounds like dump. when our drummer plays it, it sounds like god. i mean, i sit down at it, or steve sits down at it, and you think 'this kit is seriously fucked up. someone should tune it or change the heads or something.' the drummer sits down at it, and it sounds like the entire continent of africa. it's pretty weird.

tmidgett wrote:the drummer sits down at it, and it sounds like the entire continent of africa.

Best description of a drum sound yet!

I think i know the drums you are referring to. An errant ping pong ball found its way to the kick of this set and it scared me half to death. Sounded like a support timber in the ceiling had shattered and somehow sent God's own legion of buffalo sized marbles rolling towards us.


does a thinner shell coorespond with a deeper resonant pitch?

good drummer + crap drums = good drum sound

crap drummer + good drums = crap drum sound

crap drummer + crap drums = crap drum sound

good drummer + good drums = good drum sound

when most people play it, it sounds like dump. when our drummer plays it, it sounds like god.

i wonder if such phenomena apply to crapass guitars and amps as well.

gio wrote:

good drummer + crap drums = good drum sound

crap drummer + good drums = crap drum sound

crap drummer + crap drums = crap drum sound

good drummer + good drums = good drum sound

when most people play it, it sounds like dump. when our drummer plays it, it sounds like god.

i wonder if such phenomena apply to crapass guitars and amps as well.

I believe it applies to all instruments, but none more than bowed strings and woodwinds - especially clarinets and double-reeds.

Even a kazoo will sound better with a trained singer blowing thru it....

I'm a big fan of my 60s Roger's kit. It has a really wonderful brass snare and a kickdrum that has a tone thats really punchy, full and well-defined. The toms ain't so great though.

i have a 60's rogers as well. i like it quite a bit. rogers drums seem to be less expensive than other vintage stuff. plus they look really cool.

-elisha

I have two sets I love.

One is a 1971 Black Diamond Pearl Slingerland 22, 13, 16, 18 and a 10 lug 60's brass 14 x 6.5 slingerland snare.

The other is a 1970 Blue Sparkle Ludwig 22, 12, 13, 16 and a supraphonic snare. I do not use the 12" tom.

Both of these sets were made in Chicago.

While it is true some sets are better than others, I often run into drummers, that no matter which set they own, it will sound like shit, due to their lack of proper tuning ability.

I have tuned some drums that were shit to begin with,but they turned out sounding great. Also, the style of the drummer has a lot with the kit. This is simple stuff like hitting the drums right and even volume.

i have a reuther drum kit that i found in my dumpster.
tossed some decent heads on it...sounds like a millio...a thousand bucks.

geiginni wrote:Even a kazoo will sound better with a trained singer blowing thru it....

I don't believe that kazoos can be better or worse. I think kazoos can be 'on or off', like vacuum cleaners.