What is it with the colour black?

Every where I look, nowadays I see loads and loads of black colour drum kits and I don't get why people would buy that colour for, lets say a mid to pro drum kit when you can get awesome exotic finishes that's been hand lacquered for the same price. Any insights into this 'trend' that I don't get.
 
Black is timeless. It never goes out of fashion.
It goes with every event that you may play.
You can play a Wedding one day and a Motorcycle Club gig the next day with a black kit, and every gig in between.
Black really contrast chrome hardware, gold cymbals, and white drumheads.
 
I don't like it myself either but like Bob said, timeless. Most pianos are black, blonde or white. No sparkles, or fades or colors. You would have to go custom. For me the other timeless color for drums is WMP. It will always be in style. (quick, someone search google and find a red piano)
 
I own one kit that is all black and one kit that is black with some blue.
I also have three snare drums that are black.
I do have bright colored kits also.
 
One more very important thing about black: Every manufacturer and almost every line of drums made comes in black... which helps when adding on drums to an existing set, especially when the original kit is no longer in production.
 
Timeless + lucky...always bet on black! ;*)
 
Bob nailed it.

It goes with everything. For people who play a lot of different gigs, you need something that blends in.

Especially if one does a lot of weddings gigs, and such where the drummer has to wear a tux, and the drummer is expected to blend in rather than stand out.

When I bought my first pro kit, I bought a nice Honey Maple (Premier called it Topaz), which fit the and I was in at the time. But as time went on, I found myself in other bands where it wasn't quite right, and I found myself thinking, wow, black kit would fit in better here.
 
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+1 on that alparrott,
When I was putting this low budget kit together from eBay finds.
I bought the predominately black ddrum toms for a real good price and I needed a bass drum.
It wasn't hard to find a black Pearl 16x20 bass drum to complete the kit.
I added a black, Mapex Black Panther snare that I already owned and I had my kit!
I love this kit!
The small bit of the blue really works.
 

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Especially is one does a lot of weddings gigs, and such where the drummer has to wear a tux, and the drummer is expected to blend in rather than stand out.
Exactly, The best paying gigs are the ones where you have to play in the background and not stand out.
A Cocktail Party, A Wedding. Black goes with a dark suit or a Tux.
Black Kit, Black Pants, White Shirt, and you're golden!
Heaven forbid if you clash with the Bridesmaids odd color gowns!
I am not a fashion guru but I have learned over the years what works.
Black, White, Chrome, They never let you down.
 
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I don't like it myself either but like Bob said, timeless. Most pianos are black, blonde or white. No sparkles, or fades or colors. You would have to go custom. For me the other timeless color for drums is WMP. It will always be in style. (quick, someone search google and find a red piano)

Jonathan Cain has had a red piano on almost every Journey tour, going back to the 80s.

But you're right, that's a major exception.
 
To me, there is nothing classier than a nice glossy black with lots of chrome accent, like a Yamaha RC Piano Black. That said, in the 80's and 90's I played a Yamaha Hot Red kit in a wedding band (that worked a lot) and no one ever said a negative word about the finish, I bought them so that something on stage would stand out, since everything else was black or white. To be honest, I don't think anyone that hired us gave two thoughts about the color of my drums.
 
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I have two Black Ludwig kits.
One is Sable Black lacquer, and the other is Black Glass Glitter (both have long lugs).
I've always loved Black drums, and like others have said, it fits for any type of band.

The BGG looks pretty cool under stage lights, and it sparkles great.
For some reason, it's a little hard to see the sparkles in pics though.

I have a real soft spot for Black Yamaha Recording Customs too.

I also have a Red Sparkle kit, and THAT finish you can see on stage!

I think every one has a color or two they "wouldn't get" though.
Mine are: Blue...even though I love Blue, on a kit, it just doesn't really appeal to me.but I have liked Sky Blue Pearl though.

The other is Green.
I've seen some cool green kits, but it's not a color I'm drawn to either.
Besides, "No Green" has been an old family auto racing tradition in my family...don't know why, but it's stuck with me haha! "No Green, No Peanuts at the track" haha!

I like to gig on top notch gear, but taking out a kit with a $1000+ paint job/exotic veneer on top of the kit cost doesn't really appeal to me.
Some kits can look really sharp, but I've never thought that drums needed to look like fine furniture.
To each their own though!!!
 
Gee, and I thought you were all going to blame Steve Gadd ;)

I learned this lesson the hard way once when I got called for a wedding, and showed up with my yellow drums. Talk about a clash on the bandstand, and the fact that every picture of the happy couple dancing had this swatch of YELLOW in it when everything else was black and white.

Good thing I didn't go as far as Tony Williams and have all the drum hardware in RED with black dots top and bottom, eh?

Black is good. For more reasons than you know.
 
Every where I look, nowadays I see loads and loads of black colour drum kits and I don't get why people would buy that colour for, lets say a mid to pro drum kit when you can get awesome exotic finishes that's been hand lacquered for the same price. Any insights into this 'trend' that I don't get.

Black, dark, gothic, mystical, gothic, evil, lord of darkness.....................did I mention gothic? ;-}
 
On an opposite note, alot of guitar players have white guitars, but you rarely ever see white drums. Years ago Gibson came out with Custom Les Pauls that were white with gold plated hardware. I was always waiting for that to catch on in the drum world and it never seemed to.
 
On an opposite note, alot of guitar players have white guitars, but you rarely ever see white drums. Years ago Gibson came out with Custom Les Pauls that were white with gold plated hardware. I was always waiting for that to catch on in the drum world and it never seemed to.

I also think white is pretty on an instrument. However, when I got a white kit (the Sonor Force 3007 white sparkle, as a matter of fact), for some reason I felt the drums were invisible....go figure....
 
Next time your out for a ride notice how many black or white cars you see...with all the coors available they are still the top 2 colors.. I miss my black set of rockstars they looked awesome!!
 
Next time your out for a ride notice how many black or white cars you see...with all the coors available they are still the top 2 colors.. I miss my black set of rockstars they looked awesome!!

I don't know, saw the new Chevy Camaro (The Transformers Bumblebee car) in black and it just kind of disappears. Yellow still looks best on it, but I'm sure no one wants to own the car from a movie ;)

But a Ferrari in something other than red? That's just wrong. And those Astin Martins can't be silver enough!

Oh yeah, I just drive a pickup truck. Sorry.
 
I don't know, saw the new Chevy Camaro (The Transformers Bumblebee car) in black and it just kind of disappears. Yellow still looks best on it, but I'm sure no one wants to own the car from a movie ;)

But a Ferrari in something other than red? That's just wrong. And those Astin Martins can't be silver enough!

Oh yeah, I just drive a pickup truck. Sorry.
There are many Black and yellow Ferrari's!
I still like Red best.
Red was Enzo's color. He hated the Yellow!
He didn't mind the Black though.
I repair Ferrari's from time to time.

Silver and grey doesn't show the dirt much on a car or truck. I always buy a silver or grey Truck for this reason.
 
When I bought my Yamaha Maple Custom Absolute kit in "black sparkle sunburst", I also had the opportunity to get it in a "blue sparkle fade". I chose the black sparkle sunburst primarily because color wise they would be right at home for wedding receptions and corporate parties were I usually have to wear tux. I really liked the blue, but a couple of years latter I got my blue in my DW kit.

I personally don't care for a piano black set of drums, but I really do like a "white marine pearl" set.

Dennis
 
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