expanding a drum kit

[_brian_]

I don't want to saturate the drumming forum with only my posts, but as you know I had a budget for buying a new snare which was far from breached. I bought an acrolite which compliments my mapex vx series voyager beginners drum kit. I've just started to understand that my drum toms don't have to be pitched for each song & I have tuned them well to their own resonant pitch. I don't want more than 3 toms on my kit but I really like the sound of lower pitched toms and was wanting to add a floor tom to my kit. I've seen quite a few ludwig single toms on ebay uk & was wondering if they would be a good addition to my kit. I really don't care how the kit looks just as long as it sounds good enough because I'm using it for recording. Is this a good way of expanding your kit without breaking the bank? I know due to different materials etc the drum'll sound a little different to my toms, but I'm not too picky. Is there anything I should watch out for when going down this road?

Mapex toms 8", 10", 12" (floor)

Cheers & sorry if I'm starting to piss you all off, I sold my synth to upgrade my drums and want to use the money wisely (with your help)

[Ripthorn]

My drummer once bought a whole new kit and mixed the pieces with great effect, so I think you could do the same. I would just say to make sure the hardware is in good order and invest in some good heads, they make a world of difference. Other than that, yeah, they will sound a little different, but if you're okay with that, then buying just the drum you need is a great way to expand. An extra snare can also double as a good extra tom, though definitely not a floor one (it will add some good variety to your mid tom section).

I say go for it.

[_brian_]

"i say go for it"

cool ,

My original plan was to buy a... cost effective kit and now and again replace parts until I had a complete drumkit of recording quality, with the old drum kit ready to be sold on. I have replaced the snare & have been pointed toward paiste 2002 cymbals but I'm not all that clued up on toms/kick drums.

[santiu]

yeah, if drums not matching in appearance doesn't bother you, then there's no reason not to add to the kit if it's what you want to do.

Originally Posted by _brian_

I had a complete drumkit of recording quality

with that in mind, don't get more drums unless you can afford a nice one that you won't want to ever get rid of. I'm not sure what ludwigs you're looking at, but if it's one of the newer cheap Accent line drums, i'd pass.

[_brian_]

for example;

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...MEWA:IT&ih=006



I would like to go for something that's pretty old & outwith consumer fashion if you like, just to get as good a sound as possible for recording at a low price is what I'm after. I'd love an old roger's kit but you seldom see any rogers single drums & I can't afford to go buying a new full kit. I've looked at shell packs but
again they're pretty expensive. I'm happy with my hardware, the Mapex stuff is of surprising quality. I may upgrade to a dw 5000 kick pedal, but that's far from priority at the moment. The hihat pedal is pretty smooth & the hardware is all sturdy.

[_brian_]

Have any of you bought bear shells without any hardware & completed it with new or old lugs found on ebay? Is this a very cost effective way to go about things? I don't care how much work I have to do to get a nice drum kit, I have plenty time on my hands. Perhaps down the line of old rogers or luwig shells?

Thanks

[_brian_]

Have any of you bought bare shells without any hardware & completed it with new or old lugs found on ebay? Is this a very cost effective way to go about things? I don't care how much work I have to do to get a nice drum kit, I have plenty time on my hands. Perhaps down the line of old rogers or luwig shells?

Thanks

[Ripthorn]

I know people who have had success with it, you just have to be careful to match the shells and hardware, because some 12" shells are 12 1/8" and some 12" hardware is like 11 15/16", but it can be done. Usually if you get the shells and get hardware from the same manufacturer then you are in pretty good shape.

[_brian_]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...MEWA:IT&ih=010

Would something like that be usable?

It's kind of difficult knowing what is shit & what is not

[Ripthorn]

Personally, I think those drums look pretty great. I don't know much about Rogers drums other than the fact that they are supposed to sound great (of course heads will play a part too). I would think that they would work, but I can't 100% guarantee it (by work I mean fit with other hardware). But for the price it looks like you can't really go wrong.

[mikeh]

There can be many concerns with buying bare shells. Hardware from different companies can be very different so you can't really anticipate the spacing of any holes, etc. Drilling holes to accurately mount lug casings must be done carefully to assure accurate spacing, etc. I personnally would not spend my time and energy when there are so many pre-built drums (new or used available).

Regarding adding mis-matched drums - I've done it and I know many drummers who have. While it is not mandatory, it can be helpful to try to match woods/plys as much as possible (to get a relatively close match of tone to the rest of the kit). As an example, if you have a mahogany kit - it may be best to try to add a mahogany drum vs. a maple drum. However, that being said - since you're adding a low tom (with the sizes you already have I suspect you're looking for either a 14" or 16" drum) - a maple tom could add some some extra low end. However, if you add a different wood/ply you could have problems with different resonance, etc. Normally any variances can be worked out with treatment and tuning - but it can add one more hassle to getting a good drum sound.

I will caution one key thing when buying drums on line (in particular if you are not dealling with a legit company). When I worked in a drum shop, I'd have guys come in with "ebay specials" with trashed hardware or rims that did not match the drum (I had a guy with a 6 lug rim and a 5 lug drum and he couldn't figure out how to get the rim on the drum). So.....use due caution if you go that route.

[_brian_]

Thanks mikeh, I'll not bother with building then, some of the hardware prices are pretty high - I think I may actually save quite a bit more money buying something that can actually be classed as a drum

The mapex kit is of low quality & has basswood shells. I'd probably be wanting to go for birch or maple as it will be used for recording only. A 14" drum would probably be best as the 16" is not the best fro recording (i've read).

I will caution one key thing when buying drums on line (in particular if you are not dealling with a legit company). When I worked in a drum shop, I'd have guys come in with "ebay specials" with trashed hardware or rims that did not match the drum (I had a guy with a 6 lug rim and a 5 lug drum and he couldn't figure out how to get the rim on the drum). So.....use due caution if you go that route.

Yeah it's a joke, some people really do disgust me. Ripping someone off in such a cowardly way using the anonymity of ebay drives me mad. I've always been as courteous true to people on ebay. Others just wreck all of that.

Is there any 14" floor toms I should look out for or stay away from? I know it's asking a lot as there are drums of so many companies & models of past & present eras floating about. If it's difficult for you, think about how frustrating it is for me when I'm just learing!!

[mikeh]

As a general rule, if you purchase a drum made by any of the respected company (Pearl, Tama, Mapex, etc.) you should be fine. Ludwig and Slingerland have both had some quility issues in various years (many different companies have "owned" the Ludwig and Slingerland names) - so those are two brands I would caution you on.

Older drums (vintage 1970's and older) tended to have very light hardware - but for studio use you don't need heavy duty hardware - so that is not a significant issue.

Regarding 16" vs 14" - I personally prefer smaller shells for recording - so I would think a 14" would make sense (in particular given the small shell sizes you already have).

One other comment - basswood is used because it is relatively hard (durable) and projects well (loud) - so young rock & roll drummers can buy a low cost kit that can play loud. However, basswood tend to be a brighter sound (thus projection) with less low end warmth. Birch tends to have a more focused mid range tone which records well but does not have the warm low end of maple.

Birch may be a better match than maple for your basswood kit (although I thought the Voyagers were basswood & mahogany....at least the original production runs were).

[_brian_]

Cool, I'll stay away from Ludwig & Slingerland just to be safe. What do you think of rogers drums? There are not many about but If some came along I'd like to know whether or not to go for it.

Cheers

[mikeh]

I owned a Rogers kit back in the late 70's or early 80" (there are a couple of decades that are a little foggy to me). In those years, Rogers were some very decent drums. In addition to wood kits they made some "composite" drums which were some kind of compressed fiberboard material (like cheap coffee tables are made of)........I didn't much care for that particular Rogers product.