What's a piece of drum gear that you like the IDEA of having it, but you have reservations or simply no use for it?

notvinnie said:
There are no loud drums, just loud drummers.
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I get that, but some drums are louder than others when hit at the same velocity (is that even the right word?). My Pork Pie USA 13" snare is unusable to me unless I'm at an outdoor venue. My Pearl Masters 14" sits right in the mix so much better even though I feel I hit them the same. Even still, I'm a little wary of the fragility of the vistas.
 
One of those Roland Spd-sx pad things. I think it would be awesome to have all those sounds available to me but I can’t see being able to use it very easily.
 
Chunkaway said:
One of those Roland Spd-sx pad things. I think it would be awesome to have all those sounds available to me but I can’t see being able to use it very easily.
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I have one of those, and now that I'm playing some of the newer-ish country music, I can actually start using it. In the past, I've just used it for stuff like a cross-stick sound, tambourine, etc. I also loaded a "band intro" track onto it which is pretty cool.
 
Morrisman said:
Double bass pedal - sold that within a month.
Splash cymbal - lent it to someone for five years, now its sits in my cupboard.
K Custom Rides - a Session and a Regular - heavy, dead, lifeless, never use them. Lent one to a uni student. Other one sits in the cupboard.
Found a larger matching bass drum for my main kit. Used it once 8 years ago. Now it sits next to the cupboard.
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Your cupboard must be tall & deep. And it seems to be a bit of a treasure chest.
 
Chunkaway said:
One of those Roland Spd-sx pad things. I think it would be awesome to have all those sounds available to me but I can’t see being able to use it very easily.
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I have one.

The downside: it doesn’t fit easily into an existing kit’s layout. And if used live, in-ear monitors are necessary to hear its click.

The upside: when sequences are loaded properly it can really add to a band’s sound.
 
The gong bass drum. I love the sound but the space it takes up on stage an in my car makes it a no go. Plus, if your PA doesn't have subs there is really no point to using one. They don't project very well. I still love the idea of having one though.
 
notvinnie said:
Are you not able to adjust your stroke? If a drum is more responsive, don't hit it so forcefully.
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You are exactly right. Yes, I can definitely adjust my stroke. I don't have all the skill in the world, but one thing I feel I do well is have the ability to play quieter than most. I like to invest in "the right tools for the right job" when it comes to drumming. I don't want to buy a piece of gear to try to make it work with what I do; instead, I want to buy gear that works best for what I do and the way I play. I just don't think the vistas are the right tool for me right now. I hope that make sense!

Full disclosure: I used to be a basher back in the day, but now the video below shows just about as loud as I get these days.

 
Probably this . . . . .


Just kidding!
 
PorkPieGuy said:
I used to be a basher back in the day, but now the video below shows just about as loud as I get these days.
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Nice! Yeah, you're not bashing at all. Back to the Vistalites, I've never owned a set, but the few that I have had a chance to play sounded pretty good. The shells seem to almost play no part in the sound, rather, it seems that it's all about the heads. Regardless, if I were to get a set of acrylic drums, I don't think I would go for Ludwig's, as they seem to be the only ones that have a seam. They've also been known to crack pretty easily.

As for playing quietly, I find it to be one of the most difficult things to do. It's one thing to play a quiet bossa-nova, but to play an up-tempo, burning groove quietly, now that requires some serious skill.
 
For me it's the Porter and Davies throne - I'd absolutely love one to see the difference as I've been told it's irreversible - but I'm simply not doing the gigs (is anyone right now) that would demand it. Still would love one though.

Fun fact: I just learned it was originally marketed as the "Bum Chum" as per an old Drummer magazine I was reading; wonder how long/what made them change ?
 
bananers said:
Fun fact: I just learned it was originally marketed as the "Bum Chum" as per an old Drummer magazine I was reading; wonder how long/what made them change ?
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Bum chum is what you get when you are out fishing on your boat and the bubble guts hit you. Just hang over the side and... catan love it.
 
notvinnie said:
Nice! Yeah, you're not bashing at all. Back to the Vistalites, I've never owned a set, but the few that I have had a chance to play sounded pretty good. The shells seem to almost play no part in the sound, rather, it seems that it's all about the heads. Regardless, if I were to get a set of acrylic drums, I don't think I would go for Ludwig's, as they seem to be the only ones that have a seam. They've also been known to crack pretty easily.
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I've often steered folks away from the Ludwig Vistas because there are other RCI-based acrylics that are seamless and may hold up better. But to totally contradict myself (and to go back to the original idea of the thread), I like the idea of owning Ludwigs even though others may be more durable (and cheaper!). I like what you said about head choice. The only time I see acrylics with single-ply, uncoated heads is when they are new. Ones that have actually been played have either black dots, silver dots, pinstripes, emperors, or any other kind of double-ply heads because many find that shell material sort of hard to tame.

Did you think they were louder than wood-based ply drums when you played them?
 
A rack.
I'd love to have one to clean up my set up, but they're really cumbersome to lug around & take forever to get right from venue to venue.

Hand percussion too. I have a djembe that I haven't played in over 4 years. It's nice to have, but the use of it is spotty at best.
 
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