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[Dave Barnett]

While the guy who is tuning and hitting the drums is the most important element, all else being equal I prefer vintage American drums from the 1960s -- Ludwig, Slingerland, Gretsch, and Rogers, in that order. With single-ply heads.  Remo coated Ambassadors used to be IT, but everyone complains that Remo heads have gone to hell in the last couple of years.

I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that I still see more Ludwig snares than any other brand.  I see guys with a Tama kit and Ludwig snare, Yamaha kit and Ludwig snare, Pearl kit and Ludwig snare, even DW kit and Ludwig snare, on a daily basis.

BTW, I HATE DW drums.  They got no soul.

[Dave Unger]

Noone has mentioned Ayottes.  I have a band this weekend with a fine custom Ayotte set with big maple rings and a drummer that knows how to tune!!   I hardly have to eq him at all!

I think drum sound is (in this order) tuning, good heads, good mics, good mic placement, eqing, dynamics.  I've heard DWs that sound like ass and ancient no names that sound great.

There is nothing quite like a well tuned vintage Gretch kit with a drummer who knows how to hit!  It's like the black face Twin or SVT of drums.

[Tom Reid]

My point was the sound I was able to get from these drums kits emulated the specific artists described.

I no way do I know what these dudes are doing in a studio.
Hell, even Fleetwood Mac beat on a chair during one part of
recording and called it drums.  I forget who retails the chair.

Thanks for the info Craig.

[John Michaels]

How about North? If you turn them upside down and put lights in them, they make really cool driveway lights. Don't remember if they came in any colors besides yellow, though. For those who don't remember - North were the ones with a significant flare at the bottom that turned out away from the drummer, to project better. If memory serves, even the kick had a flared front edge.

Now, for my (personally owned) favorites - my first kit was Stewart (then sold by Sears), which I traded right when I got them sounding good for double bass Slingerland in Satin Blue Flame, which I traded for Tama Imperialstar, which I sold because folding them to fit in my 79 RX-7 proved too difficult. Then getting a Remo Headset, which although very collapsible, took just as long to set up as a regular set, and only sounded good from behind the kit - which I sold to someone who was willing to pay asking price (amazing), and then getting Pearl MX in smaller (i.e. more packable) sizes - 10", 12", 14" toms and a 20" kick. And an identically sized Yamaha (don't rememeber the series) kit in piano grey finish - eventually selling it to a friend (at a really good price) when I couldn't justify (wife?) having two kits.

All that said, good bearing edges, and some type of isolation mounts make a huge difference. I don't know if I ever stayed with a particular flavor of heads more than a year. Tried lots of things  - coated ambassadors, pinstripes, deadringers, those ugly yellow kevlar heads, Evans Generra, Aquarian, Moon Gel. Kit's in cases right now - and there are probably 3 or 4 new kinds of heads to try.  

[Dave Dermont]

Dave Barnett wrote on Mon, 30 May 2005 19:38

While the guy who is tuning and hitting the drums is the most important element, *snip* BTW, I HATE DW drums.  They got no soul.

I have heard different drummers play the same drums on the same stage with the same mics on the same night, and the differences can be astonishing.

I believe it's the drummers that have the soul, not the drums.

Q: What's the best way to improve the sound of a drum kit?
A: Change the nut on the throne!

[Dave Barnett]

AnotherDave wrote on Tue, 31 May 2005 11:43

I have heard different drummers play the same drums on the same stage with the same mics on the same night, and the differences can be astonishing.

This I have experienced many times.  And it wasn't always the owner of the kit who made it come alive.

Maybe I just don't like the kinds of drummers who are most likely to buy DW kits...

[Geri O'Neil]

diluted23 wrote on Mon, 30 May 2005 05:18

my fav set is what i play, tama starclassic, maple and performer

A kit exactly like this is on the last 4 video shoots of the Mississippi Mass Choir as well as the last Dorothy Norwood video.

But the next ones will have my very own newly aquired (from my little brother, a very fine jazz drummer in San Diego) 9-year-old Yamaha Maple Custom kit in the nice green wood-grain finish...
It's also on the last "SingSation" video shoot, shot here in MS and produced in Chicago.

Geri O

[A Man]

What they said. ^^^

I like C&C Drums.

[Grayson Rech]

My favorite are the air drums . . . sound is unparalleled always in tune, I never miss a beat, and load in and out . . . well they are so light and easy that I have time to load out the PA I'm driving!



Hoob

Sorry . . . the post begged to be ripped on    
Okay I'm done now.

[Brian Bolly]

I'll 3rd the Baltimore Drums/Maryland Drums vote.

Keith Larsen, owner, was working at a pretty well-known east coast music shop called Gordon Miller Music - not quite as popular/large as Chuck's, but you get the idea.  (He actually sold me my first set of Zildjians back in the day.)

Baltimore drum started around that time, Keith left GMM to make it a full-time venture and it became Maryland Drum more recently.  As a drummer, my largest complaint (when I priced a kit out a few years back) was the wait time.  However, they are some of the sweetest sounding drums I've heard, ever, and make the wait entirely worth it.

I love my Yamaha Tour Custom kits (birch/mahogany shells), but when I'm ready for the maple kit it'll be a M.D. without a doubt.

He also offers a line of steam-bent single piece snare drum shells made out of some pretty exotic woods.  Very cool.

http://www.marylanddrum.com/