DRUM SET AND PERCUSSION MEGATHREAD: Wait, there's more than just drums?

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > No Music Discussion > Musician's Lounge > DRUM SET AND PERCUSSION MEGATHREAD: Wait, there's more than just drums?

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

So I got my old drums back:

(click for fuckin' huge)

Well 2 outta 3 ain't bad. Played these when I was 8, it's 20 years later and I never figured out what they were until just now. Ludwig WFL and my badge-seer buddy tells me they're from late 40s, early 50s. Never done any kind of drum restoration but I'm willing to learn on these guys! :3:

# ¿ Aug 21, 2013 13:22

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 11:48

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

I am in desperate need of a snare wire for my Ludwig WFL snare. The original has disintegrated and everywhere I look online they've got the 3-screw mount, but not the string mount. The model I need is PLS-1416. Do you guys have any decent resources for this hard-to-find stuff?

# ¿ Sep 4, 2013 00:52

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

I Might Be Adam posted:

Yeah, find a local shop in your area, preferably one that is a licensed Ludwig retailer and they should be able to put in an order to Ludwig for it. I'm actually waiting on my local dealer to get some tom mount gaskets as the factory ones are shot and now the floor tom legs are touching the hoops causing a really irritating buzzing sound. You can't get anything direct from Ludwig as they aren't capable of just straight up charging you though, which sucks.

I've asked some shops and they keep coming back to the same answer, which is that nobody even makes em anymore. It's a sad day. I found a couple links and I have the guy at the custom shop tracking one down for me, so hopefully I'll have wires on my drum. I can't wait!

In funny news I ran across this when perusing for used hardware:
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/msg/4046596803.html
Also this pawn shop is good for some laughs:
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/msd/3974401212.html

scuz fucked around with this message at 01:15 on Sep 5, 2013

# ¿ Sep 5, 2013 00:43

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Okay, I'm new to drumming and all that jazz, so I started taking lessons. My instructor, based on my goals for wanting to be the drummer for this band has advised that I work on my double-stroke rolls. She says it'll increase my speed. However I'm not 100% on whether I'm practicing this correctly. She has advised that I use my wrists as little as possible and to try and use my fingers as much as I can, but that's giving me some problems. Any double-stroke roll techniques for a new drummer guy?

# ¿ Sep 6, 2013 06:18

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Declan MacManus posted:

Yeah, first make sure you're gripping the stick correctly (relaxed, thumb and forefinger, etc.) and try to get the drumstick to move without bending your wrist. It should be similar to the motion for ringing a bell on a bike or a "come hither" hand motion. Beyond that, start slow and make sure your technique is good. You can go as slow as you need to but don't speed up until you have it down. The rest of it is just getting a feel for how your sticks and drums respond. Eventually you'll get a feel for the recoil from striking the drum; that's going to be essential to speed. Instead of bringing your wrist down twice for the double stroke, you bring it down once, the stick bounces up, and you bring it back down with your fingers instead of your wrist. Then you switch hands. You just have to practice until it feels right.

Thanks dude, this helped a ton! I hadn't been using my fingers the proper way before.

# ¿ Sep 8, 2013 06:01

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Declan MacManus posted:

It's the only really efficient way to build speed with matched sticking. If you stick with it you'll eventually be able to do hits with each individual finger and then oh man

Well, not the only way I guess
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QFZfOLbnBwI

mmmmmmmmmff just got done doing double-stroke rolls at 120 for 4 straight minutes and man, do I feel awesome.

# ¿ Sep 10, 2013 06:06

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

The official response from D'Addario/PureSound, by the way, was that they are never making that snare wire ever again. And also to gently caress myself (the rep was a little rude).

Time for some custom work!

# ¿ Sep 10, 2013 23:35

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Kodo posted:

What's your note base? 8th-notes? 16th? Not sure what your playing experience is, but for someone who's just starting to get a feel for double stroke hand motion, I don't think diving straight into 4-minute rolls is the way to go. If you're getting a clean, even sound while staying relaxed, that's great, then no worries. But just playing a double stroke roll for a long period of time doesn't help much with musicality. To me, a lot of drumming is about transitions between different tempos, rhythms, and sticking patterns - can you play those double stroke rolls for four minutes while going from piano to forte in one clean dynamic movement? See, that would be more impressive and more musical than straight double strokes.

I can understand the idea of doing it for endurance, but I'm not a big fan of that school of thought as it implies that you need to have a certain 'toughness' in order to pull off a feat like that. One drumline used to do like iron man double strokes competitions, to see who can play double strokes the longest. It may be fun, but I don't think you can expect anything from that except maybe carpel tunnel. Relaxed playing and playing clean and with musicality to me is more important - tension ruins everything.

Note base is 16ths
I was the drummer for an Operation Ivy cover band in high school (ten years ago) and hadn't picked up drumming again until two weeks ago
I agree and disagree at the same time. I'm in the same boat as RandomCheese as far as muscle memory goes. My hands take a while to get used to a motion, but once they do, it sticks ( ) pretty well.
This is where I agree. I started in band when I was in 4th grade and have musical parents, so I understand fully the concept of musicality. Being able to play at different dynamics at the same speed and being able to have a great range of expression in playing is very important to me. During the 4 minutes, I'd play at a diminuendo volume and get up to about a forte after a minute, and then drop back down gradually and repeat
One of the reasons I felt so pumped after the 4-minute roll was that I could feel soreness (not pain!) in my forearms, and I know that I have to work on my strength a great deal (I'm a lanky nerd)

Edit: Just now I spent 3 hours looking for a suitable replacement snare wire for my snare. Never give up, never surrender.

scuz fucked around with this message at 06:42 on Sep 11, 2013

# ¿ Sep 11, 2013 06:13

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

So I found these pictures during my sleepless quest for snare wire:
The drum in this picture is the drum that I have: http://vintagedrumguide.com/images/snare_applications/wfl_pl-1416/wfl_pl-1416.html
Here's a picture of the PL3-1416 in action: http://vintagedrumguide.com/images/snare_applications/wfl_pl3-1416/wfl_pl3-1416.html
Hopefully this means I'll just need to find one of a similar length and modify it. Meh!

Kodo posted:

cool, wasn't sure how I should have phrased my post, so apologies for any misunderstanding.

RandomCheese, do you have a source for that three-minute figure for muscle memory? It would be interesting to see the full scope of that particular argument.

Oh, no apologies needed! I'm pretty good at taking criticism, and I said I was new so any input is awesome. I like hearing about multiple vectors for learning

# ¿ Sep 12, 2013 00:05

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

You should try it both ways and use whichever way is most natural. There are plenty of left-handed folks out there who play drums right-handed and others who play left-handed; there's no right or wrong way.

# ¿ Oct 13, 2013 22:32

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

So I moved my drums into a practice space so I can actually hear them for the first time.

The tom, I was told, is a 3-ply maple Slingerland that, I was told, would sound great with my drums, and it sure does. The hi-hats are a KZ pair that I picked up from eBay and that snare, now that it has a snare wire, is so much fun to smack around. The first night I set it up I practiced for not quite 3 hours. Drumming rules, you guys.

# ¿ Oct 15, 2013 23:25

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

I don't know much bout models etc, but what brand are these in the first picture?

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/dak/msg/4136102010.html

I'm intrigued, mostly cuz $80 for a floor and rack tom, and a bass drum.

# ¿ Oct 18, 2013 06:30

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

timp posted:

My best auditions (and dates, and interviews, etc) tend to happen when I just say "gently caress it" and walk in like, what up, I got a big cock. If I don't do that then I psyche myself out or beat myself up that I'm not good enough to even be there in the first place, or some similarly crazy thought like that. I assume you've already practiced your rear end off and are super prepared, so at this point all you can do is be confident. Good luck!!

This is true for most aspects of drumming, I've found. I'll be playing along, nailing everything, and then, for no reason, I'll think about my kick pedal foot technique and whether I'm doing it right. At that exact point, it all comes off the rails. Trust yourself, turn your brain down (not off) and rock some poo poo.

# ¿ Mar 4, 2014 02:01

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

A question:

Picked up babby's first crash cymbal (Pastie 2000 series 17") and now I'm looking for a ride to go with it. Something dark with a good crash that doesn't wash out at louder volumes. There's a Pastie Twenty Prototype ride for $200 at a Music go Round which seems okay, but I don't wanna hop on the first thing I come across. Any idears?

# ¿ Mar 4, 2014 19:19

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

I found a Zildjian Sweet Ride for $180 on craigslist today and pounced. The set's all done, just waiting on my drum throne. The cymbals I have really don't blend well at all with each other, and I really like that. Different sound profiles all around!!11!!

# ¿ Mar 5, 2014 07:35

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

These cuties just popped up on craigslist, just as I was thinking I need a bigger kick. Darn you, craigslist!

# ¿ May 6, 2014 01:49

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Schlieren posted:

I want one of those huge but also really shallow kick drums because they look sweet

Oh you mean one of these. Yeah, they're pretty awesome.

# ¿ May 6, 2014 04:38

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Takes No Damage posted:

And yeah post pics, everyone who follows this thread is a sick drum freak that just wants to buy more drum kits and would do so if we had unlimited space. Living vicariously through other people's spare bedrooms is all some of us have

Well buckle up, buttercup, I got a real humdinger comin your way (not really but hey...):

Our drummer is moving away and I was elected by the band, as the bassist, to take his place. I've played drums in lovely punk bands and pretty much told our drummer what to play so I gotta get good and fast! To that end, I gotta choose between two sets of cheap e-drums so that I can practice away from our practice (LOUD) space. One of them is a used Yamaha DTXpress II kit which is probably good enough, but I'm wondering whether going for mesh heads on the similarly-priced new Alesis Nitro Mesh would be worth it? I like the Yamaha cuz it looks like it was made for adults (a few negative reviews of the Alesis talked about it being rough for people over 6' tall and I'm 6' 7") and if it had mesh-heads it'd be a done deal. Just curious if the mesh heads is worth sacrificing pretty much everything else about the kit.

# ¿ Jul 27, 2021 14:13

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Went to the good ol' music-go-round yesterday convinced that I was going to be leaving with that Yamaha but wound up with the Alesis instead. The Yamaha's snare was a single-zone and the mesh heads on the Alesis were just sooooo much better and the sounds the Yamaha made weren't good enough to justify saving $50. Thanks for the guidance, folks!

# ¿ Aug 2, 2021 14:47

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Drums finally, FINALLY set up:

Old-old drummer didn't want his Yamaha Stage Customs when he moved out of state so they've been in storage for years. Before I got these handed to me, I was daydreaming/browsing shell sets on craigslist, but now that these are set up correctly/how I want them, my only gripe is that I want a 24" not a 22" kick. Spent 4-ish hours scraping ancient duct tape and ~*loving mildew*~ off of the shells and hoops. Brand-new heads on everything, hadn't tuned drums in over 6 years so spent another hour or so I tuned things using Randy Cooke's video on Drumeo as a guide. They're tuned so low that I gotta hit em super hard if I wanna be heard over the rest of the band, which is way fun for me in a punk-n-roll band. That snare is an old Wail City which sounds great, but I'm hoping to swap it out with a Pearl brass free-floating soon. The cymbals are cheap placeholders, so that's the next step in more rock. Got my eye on Paiste Signature dry ride and some old 1000 Rude hats, not sure about crash yet, but I want something at least 18" and thin.

Got to play em at full-volume for the first time for 3 hours last night, I was dripping with sweat and loving every second of it. Today I'm sore and realized that I smashed my knuckle on one of the rims. Can't wait to get back!

scuz fucked around with this message at 16:53 on Sep 3, 2021

# ¿ Sep 3, 2021 16:50

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

sebzilla posted:

Looking good!

I know having everything flat as poo poo is cool but for me your crash in particular could do with just a little tilt towards you to help prevent cracking (especially when you spend money on something that you care about.) A little bit of an angle on that rack tom might also help with your knuckles.

Or not, it's mostly taste.

Thanks! I'm 6' 7" so I don't have any issue with the tom being flatter than a pancake. One of my local drum icons plays his set this way and when I saw him play for the first time it just stuck in my head. Good point about the cymbal angle, I'll be changing that. That particular crash is not mine, it's a $20 place-holder crash which sounds like hell and should be beaten as such. On that note, today I picked up an 18" Zildjian hollow logo crash:

I wasn't expecting it to be as bright and fast as it is, was shopping for a fast/thin crash but this was completely awesome as soon as I smacked it around. Hopefully be picking up this Paiste Signature dry ride sometime next week to "complete" my cymbal collection... for now. Kinda curious how the two cymbals will sound with each other.

AndrewP posted:

Flat toms look awesome but I can't play them. I need a little bit of an angle.

Also is that a beater head on the outside of that bass drum?

It IS! It's there cuz I got a new batter head and the old resonant head had a dumb old logo on it and had a hole cut in it. This sounds pretty cannon-like as it is now so I'm probably gonna screen-print something on the outside and call it a day.

# ¿ Sep 4, 2021 21:59

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Anyone have a piping hot fresh discord link? The one on the last page expired.

# ¿ Sep 7, 2021 18:59

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Jazz Marimba posted:

https://discord.gg/KqnTjFMw

thanks much!

Bonzo posted:

Has anyone tried Kick Block? Looks like a much better way than the usual methods and not expensive at all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hflCVc1a4YY

Nifty. I'd like to see how that handles double-pedals at thrash-metal volumes.

# ¿ Sep 7, 2021 20:34

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 11:48

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

goodness posted:

Could I get some help picking a starter drum setup for a friend? I know nothing about drums but he mentioned that he has wanted to play them since he was a kid, but his parents wouldn't let him because of the sound. Bad timing with the gift but he is currently living with them again. So I'm thinking one of those electronic rubber pad setups would be ideal. Are there good options for $200 or under? If not, how high would I need to go for a decent beginner kit.

e: Looks like getting a used one is about the only option, and then it would be a rare find for a decent one under $400

This was posted a few pages ago and is exactly $400 and comes with literally everything you need to get started including a 90 day membership to drumeo dot com which is a prolific drum teaching outfit online:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQWVzHX0Vlc

It's been out for a minute or two so you may be able to find used ones out there for cheaper.

# ¿ Dec 15, 2023 17:21

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > No Music Discussion > Musician's Lounge > DRUM SET AND PERCUSSION MEGATHREAD: Wait, there's more than just drums?