An Obsessive 18 months of drum gear purchasing And some quick reviews

Justinhub2003

Silver Member
Over the last 18 months, I have built my dream kit. Or at least the kind of kit I thought I’d never have when I first started playing at 14. I spent an embarrassing amount of money over the last 18 months. So While I did drop a lot of cash of on drum gear, I did pick up a lot of knowledge it what I do and don’t like from certain gear.
I've traded in my other hobbies and have basically turned into a drum gear addict


Heres some quick reviews of some of the things I‘ve purchased:

Kits:

DW Design Series 4 piece drum kit
(10, 12, 16, 22): I got an incredible deal on this kit. Basically walked away spending around 550 bucks on this brand new kit at guitar center. I still have it. This kit sounds great and is built very well. I think its absolutely great choice as an intermediate kit.

Ludwig Classic Oak 4 Piece : This is the kit I have setup now, I’ve had it just about 5 weeks and I absolutely love it. I’ve never owned a drum set that tuned up so Easily with any variety of heads. and in Just 5 weeks I’ve tested EC2S, G2’s, coated G2’s, UV2’s and now, my favorite of the bunch, the Evans G14 Coated. seriously I never get tired of this kit. It was able to talk 400 off the sticker price at Sweetwater. Killer deal on this kit

Snares:

Ludwig Supraphonic LM402: this is my go to snare now. This is the only snare where I didn't change out the snare wires because they sounded so good. add a Remo Vintage Ambassador coated to this and it will never let you down. To me its an absolute must have.

Ludwig Copper phonic 14x6.5: I bought this Snare because I heard Carter McLean play it and it sounded amazing. And while I do love it, its much darker sounding than my Supra.

Ludwig Black Beauty with Brass tube lugs and Diecast hoops 14x6.5: I Bought this drum because I fell in love with the way it looked. And loved it even more when I heard the way it sounded. That said, I felt the Diecast hoops were taking a little life out of the drum so I bought some brass plated triple flanged hoops and it really made the drum sing. That said, its not Supraphonic, at least to my ears

Ludwig Raw Brass Phonic 14x6.5: This was a complete impulse buy, I bought it on Amazon because I loved the way it looked. But I thought I was buying a Ludwig Bronze phonic. Then I heard it and I fell in love with it. Its much brighter than my Black beauty. So I took the Die Cast hoops from the Black beauty and I put them on the Raw Brass Phonic . It a really cool looking Snare. But admittedly, its not something I have to keep in my collection.

Ludwig 110th Anniversary Exotic Avodire 14x7 Snare (1 of 55 in that size) : This is my least favorite Snare from Ludwig. For one, when it arrived, it had a Tension rod that was visibly bent and the leather bag it came with had the ludwig patch glued on and it had fell off. Luckily, I contacted Ludwig and they shipped me 4 tension rotes and brand new Defect free bag. 14x7 is a rare size for ludwig. It comes with Die Cast hoops as well and I believe is 10 plies of Maple with an exotic veneer finish on the outside. It was expensive and to be honest, I rarely play it. Just doesn't have the Life to it that other Ludwig Snares have.

DW Collectors Series Satin Ebony Maple Snare 14x6: I rarely ever play this drum even though its my best sounding wood snare. It was also an impulse buy, as my local guitar center had this incorrectly listed and priced as DW Design series snare. I had a 15% coupon they let me apply as well. It was on a kit as a "demo" and had a Remo Silent Stroke on it. I was able to get the Snare, The silent stroke Head and they gave me my choice of any other head I wanted with it free, and I paid just $255 for it. For the Price I love it, But if I had paid full retail, Im just not sure I'd think it was worth the price tag. I do love the throw off and the 3 position butt Plate. It has Maple Re-rings and is made really really well.

Bass Drum Pedals: (I'm flat footed, with ankles that I've sprained at least 10x playing basketball, so I've been on a conquest to find a perfect pedal that fits me)

Peal Powershifter Redline Eliminator Double Pedal (no longer have) : This the first really high pedal that I bought. And I really liked it. I have nothing bad to say about it. it gave me finesse and Power. And lots and lots of adjustability.. that said, I almost think it had too many adjustments available, with all the cams and such. It made setting it up to my liking very overwhelming. I ended up returning it. But I'd absolutely use this pedal again

Tama SpeedCobra 910 double pedal (No Longer have) : This was my first long board style pedal. And At first I really really liked it. but Im not super speed kinda guy and I felt the pedal lacked the power I wanted from it. Ultimately I ended up moving away from it. Don't regret this and likely wouldn't use again

Yamaha FP9 Double Pedal (no longer have): This is the one I should have kept. This is a smooth pedal that I really really liked. I planned on keeping it but ultimately it started collecting dust. Im likely going to buy it again just to have I think. The pedal was smooth, powerful and very versatile. I had just heard so many good thing about Trick and Direct drive pedals that it tainted my mind a bit and ultimately caved.

Trick Big Foot Pro1-V Double Pedal (Current Pedal): this is by far the most expensive and best pedal I've ever owned. Its smooth, fast and very very powerful still. It has taken time to get used to a direct Drive and I still to this adjust it. I initially was having issues with the pedal swinging back and cracking me in the foot and the default beaters are really really painful. It actually altered my playing a bit and made me scared to hit the pedal because it hurt so bad. But Once I got that figured out, I've slowly figured this pedal out and am really really digging it. I don't use the stock beaters. They are too light for me. I don't play metal but feel this pedal is good for any style just because it does what your foot does with very little input lag.

Various Hardware:

DW's Airlift Series Hardware:
I went all in on DW's Airlift hardware, and Overall I really like it. I have the throne, the Snare stand and the Double tom stand. Lowering and raising my toms and Snare is just a one handed process now. I don't have any con's with them except maybe the price. The Throne is comfy but Id prefer it not be 4 legged as it takes up so much damn room. But over all, its a nice series of heavy duty hardware. Its built to last too

DW 9000 EF hi hat stand: Not much to say here except its an outstanding hi hat stand with an extended footboard. I wear size 11.5 or 12, and that extra bit of room on the footboard is enough to give me more room to do more subtle things on my hi hat.
 
Snare Wires: (I have been on a snare wire buying kick, just exploring new sounds)

PureSound: Over the past 18 months, I've purchased every variety of snare wires from PureSound. And while they all sound good. My 2 favorite are the Equalizer (on my black beauty currently) and the Twisted Series. I was never able to get the Super 30's to sound right. And While I do Love the Custom Pro Brass, they haven't found their way back in to my rotation

Sabian: I had no idea that Sabian made Snares wires until a few weeks ago. When I did I immediately ordered both the Hybrid Blend, which consists of 6-8-6 combo of Phosphour Bronze and Steel and the 2nd model is just all Phosphour Bronze strands. I really liked both of them so far and they remain on my Copperphonic and Raw Brass Phonic. Just wish they were a little Cheaper.

Canopus: My local indy drum shop owner recommended me to try some Vintage Canopus Snare wires. And Maybe its just me, but to my ears they sounded bad. Almost like they were choking the drum even thought they weren't tight., I'll likely give them another go at some point, but for now, I've removed them from Any of my drums.

Ludwig: There isn't a 3rd party snare wire that sounds better on the the Supraphonic than the default ludwig ones. In fact I Immediately took them off of my other Ludwig drums just so I could save them for my supraphonic Exclusively. But they are cheaply made. They seem to break wires much easier than other wires.


Rides:

Paiste 2002 Power Ride 22" (no longer have): If I only had to have one ride cymbal, this would not be it. It has so much ping But its almost uncrashable. I ended up selling it. But I wish I hadn't because I do think its nice to have a Ride in your arsenal that cuts through the mix with a loud cutting ping and bell

Paiste Dark Energy Mark I 22": When I purchased this ride, people questioned why I went with this ride over the Mark II. At the time I didn't even know there was a Mark II, but any way. This is my favorite ride. Its light, its dark, and its very crushable. Its also not over bearing or loud (though may struggle to cut through a rock mix). But it seems most people love the Mark II and yet, I find the M1 to be the best ride I've played

Paiste Dark Energy Mark II 21": After hearing and owning the Mark I, I came across a very very lightly used Mark II for about 250 bucks on Reverb. I impulse bought it. And, unfortunately its not what im looking for in a ride now, I rarely play it. It doesn't sound bad, but it does sound so much glassier than my Mark 1. Im going to keep it though and find a good use for it

Paiste Modern Essentials 22": This is my latest addition. And I very much like this ride. Its a great all purpose ride that kinda finds the middle ground between my other 2 rides. It has a nice bell, a good Ping and you can crash it as well. A very good ride

Hi Hats:

Paiste 2002 Sound Edge Hi hats 14": I used these as my Aux hats at the moment, They sound absolutely great. These are the standard for which all hi hats should be measured. I love them and I'll aways own a pair.

Paiste Dark Energy Mark I Hi hats 14" : To me, these are the perfect hats. Once I bought these and heard them, I just stopped looking other hi hats. I'm always looking to improve every other bit of my gear. But man, these are great closed, they sound beautiful when their open. not to bright, not too dark. A nice defined Chick Sound. Seriously, these are the hi hats for me.

Crashes:

2002 Crashes: I have 16,17, & 18" 2002 Crashes. I love them and I will always have at least one of them in my working setup because its just that classic rock sound you expect from a crash. Paiste knows B8 alloy and they made professional high quality iconic sounds from it.

Paiste Signature Dark Energy Crash 17": This is my favorite crash. The older I get the dark I want the sound to be and the DE series is just perfect to my ears. My only issue is that I don't own more of them. Its complex. Its not overbearing and not for every situation., But I have it right above my hats and I love the way it sounds

Paiste Signature Full Crash 16": This is my most recent crash purchase and I got it used but like new, for a steal. I really really like it. Even though its only 16" it feels much bigger. Its Bright and quick to respond. I don't hit it a ton, but when I do, it sounds really nice.

Istanbul Agop XIst 19" crash: I had never even considered Istanbul Agop until I heard Carter McLean and how beautiful his cymbals sounded (seriously the dude makes everything sound great). But then I saw the XIst line and how affordable it was, and I had to at least try them. I love this crash. its hard to explain but it sounds much more expensive than the 160 bucks I paid for it.



I realize this post is mostly pointless But I've got nothing time at the moment.


Let me know if you have any questions about any of the gear I've accumulated over the past 18 months
 
I'd say referring to yourself as a "drum gear addict" is an extreme understatement. In eighteen months, you've purchased more equipment than I have over thirty-six years of drumming. I'm surprised FedEx and UPS can keep up with you.

Ha I grew up poor as hell. I always said if I’ve I’m ever in a good spot financially, in going all in.

I just enjoy new gear. I’m likely done with drums, snares, and hardware.
 
Impressive collection! Sounds like you haven't found a great sounding Wood snare yet, though. Have you looked at the Canopus The Maple snare? Shane from Drum Center of Portsmouth says whenever someone walks in looking for a snare, and doesn't care about the brand, 7 out of 10 choose a Canopus snare.

From the thousands of videos I've watched on Youtube, I've come to the conclusion that Canopus does indeed make the best Wood snares. "The Maple" has a real snap to it, like a wooden Supraphonic. The attack and tone is so pleasing to listen to. Definitely give it a listen.
 
Ha I grew up poor as hell. I always said if I’ve I’m ever in a good spot financially, in going all in.

good for you man! if I weren't married with a kid I imagine I'd probably have a ton more gear too. I've definitely bought (and sold) quite a bit over the past year or so, but I've gotten such great deals on everything if I were to ever decide to sell it all I'd make money on it all. my current issue now is finding gear for cheap with the intent of flipping it, but I just hold onto it because I like it too much haha.
 
So much for Christmas
Rock on
P.s you forgot to buy shin guards for the direct drive pedal...lol
 
Really great gear “review”. Thanks for posting!

When/if the time comes, check out the Paiste Signature Fast Crash models, and for snare wires on a wood shell, try Fat Cat Adjustable wires.
 
Impressive collection! Sounds like you haven't found a great sounding Wood snare yet, though. Have you looked at the Canopus The Maple snare? Shane from Drum Center of Portsmouth says whenever someone walks in looking for a snare, and doesn't care about the brand, 7 out of 10 choose a Canopus snare.

From the thousands of videos I've watched on Youtube, I've come to the conclusion that Canopus does indeed make the best Wood snares. "The Maple" has a real snap to it, like a wooden Supraphonic. The attack and tone is so pleasing to listen to. Definitely give it a listen.


My Local independent drumshop has one in stock. I haven't played it yet, But I will. I think I'll ultimately sell my DW Snare and start looking for another wood snare and The Maple will certainly be inconsideration.
 
My Local independent drumshop has one in stock. I haven't played it yet, But I will. I think I'll ultimately sell my DW Snare and start looking for another wood snare and The Maple will certainly be inconsideration.
Once you play the Canopus The Maple, tag me in a post so I can hear your opinion!
 
I have also gone on a bit of a binge the last two years, but with a Gretsch/zildjian/yamaha vibe. How is the copperphonic? Would you buy it again?
 
I have also gone on a bit of a binge the last two years, but with a Gretsch/zildjian/yamaha vibe. How is the copperphonic? Would you buy it again?


I’m actually selling this snare soon. It’s a great snare but I just never played it much. The Copperphonic isn’t bad at all, just feel like it’s unneeded with my current collection

Im likely reducing my collection down to:
Sonor Benny 2.0 Beech
Sonor Benny 2.0 Brass
5mm cast Bronze
Ludwig Supraphonic
Black beauty
Ludwig Classic Oak
SJC M4 maple Obey (as a collectors piece)
Steam bent Walnut snare

Which means I’ve sold a lot and I have 2 more to sell:
Ludwig 110th Anniversary Exotic Avodire Maple
Ludwig Copperphonic
 
Ludwig: There isn't a 3rd party snare wire that sounds better on the the Supraphonic than the default ludwig ones. In fact I Immediately took them off of my other Ludwig drums just so I could save them for my supraphonic Exclusively. But they are cheaply made. They seem to break wires much easier than other wires.
I've thought this for a long time, too. Nice to hear someone else say it. (y)
 
It was great reading your thoughts on all that gear. I'm starting to get over a severe case of G.A.S. that lasted several years. I know your journey through all that gear probably sounds crazy to some people, but the only way to to figure out what you really like is to play lots of different stuff. And unless you have friends that have better gear than you do, that means buying it. I bought a DW Collector's kit on clearance at Guitar Center as an impulse buy about 8 years ago, and since then I've bought and sold lots of other drum kits, looking for "the one", just to reach the conclusion that my maple DW kit was "the one" all along. Oh well, it's only money, right?
 
You could always open your own drum shop. You have ample inventory.

Justin, I really enjoyed reading your inventory descriptions! Maybe someone needs a music gear archivist or cataloger---maybe a museum needs someone to restore vintage and historical instruments

Opening a shop is a great idea. Maybe ally that with another music related idea so you have a couple of options going. I've always wondered if I could muster the gumption to open a coffee shop and have open mic jazz and poetry readings and local artists with their artwork for sale on the walls.

(Not trying to hijack the thread---just thought it's a great time for new ideas and starting new businesses. We all are coming out of this awful pandemic and have had lots of time to ask ourselves..."what do we really want to do?")

Just thinking outloud...
 
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Like my banker told me once, You're out of control. 🤪 Just kidding. More power to you. The problem I have is I hold on to everything and don't sell it when things become dated. I'm talking recording equipment, software, guitars, basses, amps etc... I only have 3 kits, a premier Signia, Pearl and Mapex. I'm retiring soon so I'll hopefully have time to thin the heard.
 
As an update.. I have since sold off so much gear. I recently had a 2nd daughter so the acoustic kit was getting so little use that it was just time to part ways.
I sold my Ludwig Classic Oak kit, all my Ludwig Snares except my supra and am down to just 6 snares total and no longer have 2 cymbal bags full of extra cymbals that weren't even on the kit.

I actually think the biggest and best investment in that 18 month span was the Alesis Strike Pro Kit as its allowed me to play at all hours of the night and actually see huge improvements in my playing..

Regardless I've still built my dream acoustic kit. I just now have more space.
 
I can relate to this so much. I have also 'gone mad' over the past 18 months on drum gear. Been a lot of fun though :)
 
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