I started playing in the late 70s. It was mainly garage bands for me but I did a few pub gigs before work got in the way. These days I play with a power pop studio trio.
I’ve got a nice early 1980s Yamaha Recording Custom and a lovely Tama Starclassic maple (above) as my two main kits. I am a bit of a collector and have far too many cymbals but prefer Zildjian Ks, Paiste Signatures and Sabian HH.
So vintage drums go for crazy $ like vintage guitars?
Yep. Crazy money, especially for stuff like 60’s Ludwig kits. Think Ringo and Bonham-era and it’s off the charts.
I know sweet f-all about drum kits, but I gotta say that is a very nice looking kit.
I bought those at a place in Bayswater; don’t know if it is still there or not. It was just five standard shells. I A/B’d the kick drum against every other drum in the store and it won, even beating out ones from kits that were $1,000 higher.
I took them with me when I went back to the States and ordered the 8 rack and 14 floor in a matching finish. They’re back here in storage right now and I’m just waiting to get them out. I’m renting at the moment whilst waiting to build in Greenvale; I’m going to establish a rehearsal / record space once it is finished.
Right now trying to find a wedding / party band to join.
My latest gift to myself. Ludwig classic maple. RRP is around 5-6K depending on who you believe. Was walking past a Cashies and got it in as new condition for less than half that!
I didn’t realise there was a drum thread until just now, nice! This is my Pearl Masters Maple Reserve. I have always wanted a natural finish and I fell in love with this kit as soon as I saw it. Its divine. Sounds incredible too.
Lovely kit! What cymbals are you playing?
I had a Tama years ago that looked like that; it was part of a huge double kick monstrosity that my brother owned but decided to split in two when he went off to uni and started playing jazz.
EDIT - found a pic
There’s some nice deep toms! One of the floors looks like an 18”!
Yeah, I think it’s a 16 and 18. According to my brother it was a 1978 Tama Superstar. He bought it in 1989 when he was 17 and I was 12. Before that, we had a clear Ludwig Vistalite, which he sold, and we wish like hell we still had it. Obviously that was in that dead period well after they went out of fashion but well before they came back in.
It had two bass drums, four rack toms (12, 13, 14, 15), and two floors (16, 18). Looked a bit like one of Neil Peart’s 80s kits without all the concert toms and chimes and such.
When he graduated, he bought a new snare, took the 12 and the 15, and turned the 15 into a small floor tom. At the time he was starting to play a lot of bebop jazz and didn’t have any use for a giant prog kit anymore. He left me the 13, 14 and the two floors. We also divided up the cymbals. Anything that was missing we just filled in ourselves. It was funny when he moved back home for awhile years later after playing bars in St. Louis for several years and we’d put them next to each other; his had noticeably darkened in colour from all the smoke in the bars.
I miss that snare - it’s a Ludwig Supraphonic 6.5 and it was punchy as hell. But these weren’t really mine, so he kinda did what he wanted; I got all the sloppy seconds.
He still has his half but they are in a pretty bad state of disrepair; he’s got two other kits now. My parents sold my half long ago after I’d left for Melbourne.
I bought a set of maroon Tamas when I got here and had those for about 7-8 years until I got the blue Sonors.
Power Pop trio? You drum for Ratcat?
I wish! No, just some rapidly aging wannabes with Beatles obsessions.
I would give my left nut for a 6.5 Supraphonic! Dream snare.
The late 70s Tama kits were incredible. I used to plaster my walls with drum catalog posters and the Tama ones were always full of OTT kits. If you weren’t rocking a double bass drum and seven toms were you even drumming? These days I’m strictly one up one down.
Thanks mate!
Zildjan Z Custom 14 hats
Zildjan Z Custom 22 ping ride
Zildjan 16 Z fast crash
Zildjan 9 hybrid splash
Paiste 2002 18 crash
Paiste Signature 19 power crash
Paiste 12 2002 splash
Paiste 18 2002 China
I’ve never been one to stick to a certain brand of cymbal - when I know what sound I’m after I test all the options and pick what sounds best to my ears.
The only other cymbal I’m chasing (for now haha) is a nice trash!
Ha.
House we are building soon will have a specialised music room; I should steal that.
Is that a Korg synthesiser
