ILOVEDRUMS... It Begins.

[Road Bull]

Hello,

I decided to start a thread dedicated to drums. I was getting jealous of all you string strokers having all the fun. So please take this as an opportunity to post pics of your drums, band, and so on here. Bassist and Guitarists, please invite your drummers to contribute and feel free to contribute as well. The more the merrier.

I will try to get things rolling. My name is Ryder, and I am in a band called Infinite Flux. We play loud Doomy music. I am currently rocking a Tama Artstar Custom maple kit in British Racing Green. I am running a one up and one down configuration in 22x16, 13x10, and 16x16. I am using a Ludwig LM402 14x6.5 Ludwig Supraphonic for my snare. I am using a lot of BIG Paiste 2002s. 15" Sound Edge, 24" Ride, 24" Reverend Al's Big Ride (as a crash), 22" Crash, and a 20" Novo China. Hardware is all Tama with the exception of my DW9000 Hi-Hat and Double Pedal.

About three weeks ago, I threw down some hard earned cash for a Bonham sized Ludwig kit, minus the 18" floor tom. I can't wait for this monster to show up... One to Three months is about the average. Sigh... Its going to be a 26x14, 14x10, and 16x16 in Vintage Black Oyster Pearl, with classic lugs, curved spurs, the beefy Keystone badges. I am excited.

I am in my late thirties so I grew up listening to old Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Metallica, lots of other metal. But I started to gravitate towards slower stuff fairly early on. I grew up in the, then, Death Metal capitol of the world. But even still, I liked the slower and heavier of THOSE bands. Obituary and whatnot. I got my first taste of one of my favorite bands, The Melvins, at my first Gwar show. I really dug Dale Crover as a drummer and his huge flam ridden beats that he pounded out. As far as other drummers that have influenced me, I would say that I really love the way Bill Ward. I like how he could make things swing. I have only recently gotten into Bonham a bit. I have never been a big Zep fan. I like Bonham's approach to his music. I like some of their songs, but it was hard for me to get into them back when I was growing up because I didn't think they were heavy enough for me. I have to say I like how he fills, and his use of space. A lot of drummers are scared to not be playing something all the time. But I find that I really dig drummers these days that play cool stuff, but also know when not to play. It usually makes what they ARE playing, sound cooler.

So I just wanted to see if there was much in the way of interest in a thread about drums here. Please feel free to contribute.

-Ryder

[ShaolinLambKiller]

Have a well used Tama Swingstar 7 piece. 12,13,14,16 toms. 2 22 kicks. Cymbals get changed out often cause I smash them to pieces. But use a range of the bigger named ones Sabian, Zildjian, Meinl, and Paiste basically what I can get for decently priced and I know enough about each of their sounds since I kinda go through them like toilet paper.

I like Iron Cobra pedals and I use Ralph Hardimon signature sticks by Vic Firth, also like the Tom Float signatures.

I started out late in drumming. Meaning I bought a kit when I was 20. I was sitting around listening to Morbid Angel and I said.. you know I can do what Pete is doing. So I went and bought one and just started blasting. Got in a band about less than a year later and basically for at least 8 years I would play around 5 hours a day with the various bands I was practing and playing shows with. I had jams every day and sometimes multiple bands in a day. So that helped a ton in my development to play, be flexible and my endurance.

Now I spend most of my drumming time in recording, I don't have any bands currently where I'm actively playing drums for them as a weekly practice. I'd hope that'll change at some time.

My kit might look beat as fuck, but it sounds great. I always felt it was more important on how well you sound behind the kit than how it looked. So I had always learned how to tune my drums properly and to the best effect for what I have and make sure my playing behind the kit impresses. Judging by the compliments I've gotten from complete strangers I think I've pulled it off.

[Road Bull]

Sweet! I like Pete Sandoval's solid playing. He has quite a few drum cam videos on YouTube. Its also interesting to hear what the kit sounds like without the FOH mixed in, just raw drums and cymbals. Man that's a lot of cymbals. I used to play a nine piece Tama Granstar back in the day with about as many cymbals.

[AxAxSxS]

My kit might look beat as fuck, but it sounds great.

I tend to gravitate to instruments (guitars or otherwise) that look beat to fuck. To me, it means someone liked the sound enough to put that much time into playing it. If I were to come across say, a mint condition 56 Les paul, my first thought would be "whats wrong with it?"

[Road Bull]

Its funny. I think more guitarists and bassists are more comfortable with beat to hell instruments. I suppose that I would be fine with a beat up looking bass, as long as their aren't goudges in the back of the neck, or something else that effects playability or comfort, over having a beat to hell drum kit.

You do the best with what you got, but it is annoying when hardware and lugs break and start causing you problems. I try to take care of my gear and I do what I can to keep it looking good too. I am not going to cry if my drums get a scratch, but I couldn't be the guy that thinks the bottom of a tom rim resting on the bass drum shell is "working as intended" either. Probably for the same reasons you won't see drummers jumping in a "road worn" finish option for new drums the way that people buy road worn basses and guitars.

[D.o.S.]

So, drummers, if I was to try to explain the way someone like Emil Amos or Mario Rubalcava fills up the space between notes/hits to one of your people, how would I do that?

[AxAxSxS]

So, drummers, if I was to try to explain the way someone like Emil Amos or Mario Rubalcava fills up the space between notes/hits to one of your people, how would I do that?

[Road Bull]

I am bad with names and am at work so listening to what they are doing will have to wait. But there are a number of ways to do this. An easy way is to have the ride wash fill up space. In other words, if John switches to solo guitar mode, and its just bass and drums,it might sound thin if I was to play something staccato like closed hi hats. But I play pretty much the same thing with shouldering the ride cymbal, it opens up, creates more volume, and fills up space.

Another thing a drummer can do is play more. It can be subtle like ghost notes on the snare, to full on Cody Willis of Big Business style busy drumming. Its interesting to hear how different drummers approach three piece, or two piece line ups.

[ShaolinLambKiller]

Sweet! I like Pete Sandoval's solid playing. He has quite a few drum cam videos on YouTube. Its also interesting to hear what the kit sounds like without the FOH mixed in, just raw drums and cymbals. Man that's a lot of cymbals. I used to play a nine piece Tama Granstar back in the day with about as many cymbals.

very nice this is actually my scaled back kit from what I used to use I had another floor tom and another 12 that was tuned higher, but that was with my old rockstar kit, I didn't mind dropping the 2 toms esp since it's easier to mic and record now. I used to have a few more cymbals as well. I broke them and haven't really replaced them. What's on there right now is the bare minimum that I like using. Anything less and I feel that something it missing.

[Road Bull]

I realized I don't have a good pic of my kit around.

[whiskey_face]

ax does road bull know im your missing bass VI player so loco can play contrabass?

[AxAxSxS]

We will discuss this at practice, as well as the need to acquire an aircraft hanger to be made into evil lair/jam spot to have space for rigs.

[whiskey_face]

ill bring beer

[AxAxSxS]

[Road Bull]

ax does road bull know im your missing bass VI player so loco can play contrabass?

I did not know that. Well.. get your union card and come on down to practice!