dontfeartheringo wrote:No disrespect or insult intended. None taken. This is not my area of expertise at all -- it's one reason I value these two threads so much. Ive been meaning to get a couple good kicks and snares or late, if only because Ive had to record so many shitty sounding ones.Speaking of which, if you could tell me about good kick pedals that I wont have to take out a loan to afford that would be awesome. Im interested in your opinion on batters too -- Ive had to record too many drummers of late who roll in with a cheap ass squeaky pedals with a felt batter and somehow want me to make the sound coming out the other end be all clicky and low and strong. I would like to have something I could just hand them so at least some of the problems would be solved.

killyourself wrote:so to hijack this thread, i suppose thatthis Ludwig kit is a pretty smokin' deal?I am no drummer, but missing bottom tom rings and snare not included wouldnt make me excited.

I was eying that kit today, and was just about to have a friend in GR to go check it out for me. But I'll step off since I have no place to put it until I finish my studio.

ok, how about a what not to buy.

a bass.

dontfeartheringo wrote:I mostly think Pearls are crap, but it's because there are a zillion Pearl Export kits out there. Hate 'em. Crap. There were upperline Pearls, like everything else, but I've never played them and have no opinion. YMMV.the DX, and DLX series from the 80s are quite good IMO - i've played one for years. agree on the export opinion. the other upperlines that replaced that series are also pretty good. great sounding rock bass drum. kit really projects well. totally not cool, so i'd imagine they'd be easy to find cheap - esp as single pieces if frankensteining a kit.FS in omaha or wait, get the REAL DEAL here.they were from that era, but if you just get a 3 piece, it'll sound great.

So, generally speaking, stained drum shells are better than ones with a wrap. But what about opaque lacquer? In general, are those considered better quality than wraps, but less than translucent stains?I'm mainly asking because I'm about to go check out an old Tama Superstar set (thanks to Ringo's suggestion) but the seller says he doesn't think it's a wrap because he doesn't see a seam, but they are solid black in color, so he doesn't know what is on the drum. He's asking $150 for a 24, 13 and 14 set from the late 70's or early 80's. The only problem is the kick has no hoops. But I figure that's an easy enough fix.Thanks in advance to any help on the lacquer question.

dontfeartheringo wrote:a bass.where were you 11yrs ago?

a. james wrote:dontfeartheringo wrote:a bass.where were you 11yrs ago?probably somewhere giving bad advice, just like now.Srsly, though...I'd say avoid Pearl Exports (sorry Benny), avoid any drums with chewed-up bearing edges. The bearing edges are the nut and saddle of a drum - the head has to be stretched between the bearing edges to work properly. If the bearing edge is chewed up, it can really affect the tone. This happens when people leave the bottom hoop off a drum and then haul it around for nine or so years. They get beat up.I have actually heard some Sabian B8 hi-hats that sounded dark and thick and would have been perfect for Doom metal. So, I am not discounting their whole line.Some of these new pacific rim kits with big name drum makers' brands on them sound great. Some do not. My experience is that the smaller drums in these lines sound ok, like the Gretsch Catalina kits in jazz sizes. I dunno if the larger shells give the lie to the less premium wood or what, but the smaller, tighter sounding drums have some nice qualities. The huge kits (read: Bonham sizes) didn't knock me out.Avoid Sunlite, CB700, Juggs, Maxx, Starion, and Peavey drums. Avoid concert toms. Avoid roto-toms, unless you have a fetish for that weird sound. Avoid "hydraulic" heads. Avoid those wind chime things. Avoid playing in shorts. Avoid growing dreadlocks if you are someone who uses sunscreen. Avoid playing with bass players who have five strings. Avoid anyone in a fleece jester's hat, or Cat-in-the-Hat hat. Actually, avoid letting on that you have ever seen these people once you have disposed of the body.That is all for now.

a. james wrote:ok, how about a what not to buy.sabian b8 cymbalsnever been real impressed w/pearl exports or tama rockstar series.pretty much all the entry level stuff - you get what you pay for.dontfeartheringo wrote: During the '80s, a lot of drum companies put wraps on their entry level drums and stains on their upperlines. This is not an ironclad thing to judge by, but it's a good starting point. If a drum is stained, it's often fairly good quality.agreed. i think the only difference btw the DX and DLX pearl's are the DXs are the wrap, and DLX are stains - shells are the same though. but ringos right, that's a good general indicator of the quality from that era.