A Question To Those That Collect A Number Of Drum Kits

Cuban

Senior Member
I know we all only really need one kit, I have my go to kit for shows etc, but as I have collected a few kits, I would like to ask those that also have kit collections, the following questions:

Do you collect different brand makes and models of drum kits?
or
Do you collect all the same brand make, but different model kits that are released by the same drum company?
or
Do you collect all the same brand make and indeed same model from one company, just different versions of it, i.e different drum sizes, colours of the same kit or different kit releases within that brand model range?

Just curious?
 
My collection/arsenal falls under all of the questions you ask.

Do you collect different brand makes and models of drum kits?

Yes, but the overwhelming majority are Ludwig (vintage thru modern.)

Do you collect all the same brand make, but different model kits that are released by the same drum company?

I also have different models within the modern Ludwig lines, including Legacy, Classic Maple, Keystone, Signet, and the Asian Element/Club date line.

Do you collect all the same brand make and indeed same model from one company, just different versions of it, i.e different drum sizes, colours of the same kit or different kit releases within that brand model range?

I do have a few "kits" that include multiple kicks & toms in order to put together the sizes/sounds I'll need for the gig at hand. For example, my Legacy arsenal allows me to go from Bop to Bonham, and everything in-between. My Keystones are almost as complete (save for the 26" kick), and they're all the same finish, so I can mix and match as needed (nice round Legacy kick with punchy Keystone toms.)

Bermuda
 
I play Gretsch only and do not have doubles of the same model .... 5 Gretsch kits total

Brooklyn - bop sizes - Satin Mahogany
USA Custom - bop sizes - Nitron Black
1966 RB Progressive Jazz - 20, 12, 14 , 14x5 - Champagne Sparkle
New Classic - 20, 10,12,14 - Merlot Sparkle
Catalina Club bop sizes - Marine Pearl
 
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I don't consider myself a collector, just a guy with 8 drumsets. I'm not that well thought out. I buy my kits because I need them or want them. I have 2 vintage Ludwig kits 1966 and 1976, a PDP kit, a Yamaha Gigmaker kit, a Sonor Players kit, an Eames kit, a DW Collectors kit, and a drum set from some company called Guru. So no forethought, they just amass.
 
I'm not a collector but I do have 4 sets - all of which are Gretsch.

Each are a different line - 3 happen to be the same "general" color (satin maple) and the same size's (traditional 18" bop kit configs). None of these are collector kits - still way too new.
 
I have 4 kits, all yamaha. Each has its own purpose
80's 5000 series wrap removed and oiled 12,16,22(rehearsal kit)
Rick marotta hipgig (small acoustic, jazz kit)
90's beech custom 10,12,24,16,22 (fusion/recording)
Tour custom moto-x edition (12,16,24) rock setup.
 
I like the disposable "oh, & BTW" vibe there Larry ;)

Of course, I don't collect, I create, but I do so based on sounds/character - nothing else.

Disposable? Ha ha, I think not. I own one of the rarest, most well designed, best sounding, and most beautiful (IMO) drumsets on the planet. Plus the tone is improving even more, right before my very ears, as the lignins slowly harden. It's the most pleasure I've gotten from an inanimate object to date. That pleasure just keeps increasing as the months roll on by.
 
Sounds like larryace has seven drum kits and one set of percussive musical instruments.

.
 
I have three drum kits and all for specific reasons. Two stay set up in my studio for teaching purposes, a Pearl Forum 5 pc. and a no name 4 pc. They are both targets of opportunity. The no name I bought to be able to leave in pit orchestra situation so I wouldn't have to worry about it. The Forum I found in the want ads at a great price. My gig kit is a Zickos 5-7 piece which can be used in several configurations. The drum sets are not that important. A drum set is a drum set. The cymbals and the snare drums are what is important. Right now I have more of both than I need of both but I am reticent to dispose of any of them because I like them all. I used to have three snare, one for each kit. Now I am up seven.
 
The drum sets are not that important. A drum set is a drum set.

Say it ain't so ! This ends the party.
I mean if that were the case, why gig your Zickos? Reason is it looks so damn cool, and thus cannot just be any 'drum set'.
 
In my case I bought certain kits that I decided that I wanted from different manufacturers.
I currently have three vintage kits from Ludwig, Slingerland, and Gretsch.
I have 3 modern kits from Tama, Ludwig, and Mapex.
I update my vintage kits with modern hardware because I play them constantly. I like the sturdy modern hardware better than the vintage hardware.
 
I know we all only really need one kit

...um, you lost me there.

It's not a matter of "need," really. Heck, if we wanted to borrow/rent drums kits for gigs, we could probably hustle that. Or, why not just play buckets? Or a digital drum set? Or a pre-recorded track? Or guitar? A djembe?

It's a matter of want. I have a few kits because I want them. I have a 12/14/18, a 12/14/20, a 12/13/16/22, and a 14/18/24. Sure, I could do it ALL with my 12/14/20 and sound great doing it, but I don't really want to spend the time retuning my kit into the bop stratosphere like my 12/14/18, or tune it low and floppy to get the sound of my 13/16/22, and there's no way to get the mammoth sound of the 14/18/24 with that kit. Plus, I *could* take my one hypothetical kit to a gig, and then bring it home to teach on, and then pack it up again for the next gig, and so on. And, I *could* tear down the kit almost every night after playing a musical, instead of conveniently leaving it set up in the pit for 6-8 weeks. No...I WANT multiple kits not just for sound preferences, but for convenience of not having to retune over and over, and for ease of having a kit in multiple places at once so as to not have to set up and tear down ALL. THE. TIME.
 
Forgive the naive question here: But where do you guys keep 8 drum kits?
Especially in places like NYC...

Do you have them all set up in a massive room / basement like some sort of drum kit heaven?

Or do some live mothballed in storage? In various studios scattered around?

I've got one drum kit and get (some) grief from my bass player other half about how much space that's taking up... I can't imagine what would happen if started collecting them!
 
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1 of my kits is on permanent loan to my buddy and his kids, I keep 2 kits set up in my studio, one set lives in my van for gigs, I just got 2 sets with 20" bass drums, one is in my garage because I use it once in a while, and the other....where is the other? lol. Right now it's set up as a 3rd kit in my studio for my 8 YO stepson because it's the smallest kit I own. That leaves 2 kits stacked up in my studio. I'm blessed with a little 12 x 20 space that's all mine, Muuhaha. I earned this space.

Phil makes a good point about needing multiple kits...at least 2. A gigging drummer has to be efficient.
 
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My 4 kits:

1. At my teaching space.
2. Packed up and ready to go for a gig this weekend.
3. Packed and ready to go, soon to be headed for the next pit in 2 weeks.
4. Set up to practice on.

I'm very aware of the space they take up. When I am not using them, they are packed and ready to go, stacked so they only take up a footprint the size of the bass drum case. I only really have a "need" for 3 kits in rotation, but I couldn't pass up the 4th, so I splurged and now have one more kit to maintain and worry about.

If you can get by with just 1 kit, more power to you!
 
I know we all only really need one kit:Yes, and I could survive with only one lung, or kidney, or leg, or arm, or tooth, but once you have 2 of these you realise how much you enjoy having 2. In regards to teeth, I have about 30 of those suckers and I feel like I need them all. I have twice as many cymbals and I think I need them too now.
As for drumsets, the more the better, although you do want to have quality drums, makes no sense to have a bunch of junk sets. Have sets you actually enjoy and have some diversity and you will be happy for it. (Drums take up more room than teeth too, just a note.)

Do you collect different brand makes and models of drum kits?
Most of my drums are Trick, but I have a bunch of snares from other brands. I have diverse sizes of drums so I can make one monster kit or break it into smaller kits that range from Rock to Be-Bop. For my latin percussion I have all sorts of brands, and for cymbals I stick with Sabian and Zildjian.
In the past I have collected more diverse drumsets, (Trick Aluminum, Ludwig Vistalite and Gretsch early 80's woods). All were great sets, and I wish I had them all still, but I had to make choices and decided to stick with Trick and diversify my sizes so I could use them in different combinations.
I have a 13'x18' room for my drums in my house. If I didn't have the room, I would probably scale back the arsenal. A lot of it I rarely use, but I enjoy it when I do use them.
 
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