Gig Pig, It?s not a cocktail kit but ........

jottesen · Post by **jottesen** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 5:43 pm

Hey there

Have a look here: http://www.gigpig.org/pagxaro.fck.php?b=prod

If the box was higher it could be a perfect cocktail kit I think.
They have a interesting cymbal set up

check it out it?s cool

Have a nice day

Jesper

palacki808 · Post by **palacki808** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 6:06 pm

I saw one of those once. I was in Washington DC, the rockabilly band (who's name escapes me) that opened for the brian setzer orchestra had one of these. It had an interesting sound to it.

-Joe

Post by **jmettam** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 7:13 am

zorf · Post by **zorf** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 7:10 pm

Hi All,
I currently have no drums. I've been narrowing (somewhat) my search to:

GigPig $1000 with cymbal pak)

Taye GoKit ($900 with cases, no cymbals)

Pure percussion ($400 no cymbals)

Whitney Nesting Penguins ($1300 to 1800 with bags, no cymbals.)

Some kind of cocktail set.( The big question; will i tire of standing.)

Looking for small footprint that packs small and sounds good for jazz, latin, americana styles. And of course if it looks cool that's ok too.

multiperc · Post by **multiperc** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 9:39 am

Hi Zorf

I'm not going to attempt to offer the answer here and you have some very interestiing options you're considering. Are you handy? Interested in putting something together yourself? Your words 'sounds good for jazz...' leads me to think that a mini kit of your own design could cover your sylistic needs. Building a mini kit can be a cool project and you'd get what you want/need.

A few thoughts otherwise: get clear with yourself how important portability, space, and setup time is going to be. If you're set to play gigs in SF area you'll likely be able to assess that. Very generally, a cocktail kit will cover the lighter side of jazz, folksy side of Americana, and pop latin genres pretty well. If you're not a cocktailer yet, you'll need to woodshed to translate your technique, touch and vocabulary to a different animal.

I'm increasingly aware of the physical impact of standup drumming. I started playing cocktail in a recording situation and it was not a consideration. When I got into it a bit more seriously, I was in a project with long rehearsal hours. I've since noticed the strain in my left hip and lower back. To play standing for all your gigs and rehearsals, requires you to be in decent physical condition, preferably with no prior knee or back injuries, and ....youth works in your favor.

Good luck with your choice and post back.

matthew medeiros · Post by **matthew medeiros** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 4:15 pm

Hey Zorf, I don't play cocktail set all the time so am not used to standing, what I do is bring a tall bar stool and sit on that while I play cocktail, and stand when the songs permit. Is that any help

zorf · Post by **zorf** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 6:49 pm

Hi Guys,
Yea, i'm coming around to the idea of a tall stool.
I found a club jordan used from a guy near my house. I'm going to
check it out tomorrow.
Quick question; is the club jordan noticebly better than the Global Pro,
or is it percieved as better because of the (high) list price?
If i get it, i'll probably get the gibralter claws for some percussion,
and look for a 15 inch crash/ride.
Sorry to highjack the thread.
I'm still considering the other kits as well.
Any thoughts on the GigPig itself?

matthew medeiros · Post by **matthew medeiros** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 8:38 pm

Can only reply about Club Jordan. I have several different sets of drums, and in my opinion the Club Jordan is a very well made set, sounds good, holds up to hard playing if you want, has good hardware, looks good. The only complaint I have is the Toms/snare don't have much of an adjustment, they are either flat or cocked at an extreme angle (for Me), no in betweens. The cymbal arm holder would have been better if they had put a tilter somewhere in there. Don't know about the Global Pro but I'm sure someone can give some good advice

Post by **jmettam** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 8:56 pm

Hi Zorf,

I believe that the GP is certainly a lesser quality drum, at least in the hardware department. The good news is that most people seem to like the overall sound and quality so it may be a good choice for testing out the concept.

As far as being good for the various styles you listed, a Cocktail kit most certainly will work but remeber that if you are used to playing a traditional kit, you will probably have to rethink bits of your approach. If you are not used to a traditional kit then whatever you pick you will turn into your own thing.

Cocktail kits are cool! BTW, I am selling a remo purecussion headset. The one with the PTS heads. Just thought I'd mention it to confuse things :>)

- John

fw · Post by fw » Sat Jul 08, 2006 10:36 pm

Running with the building a set idea, that really is a great way to go. I have an idea along those lines. What about something that doubles as a cocktail set and a hipgig type set? Try something like a 16" diameter x 18 or 20" height and put three floor tom leg clamps on it. The drum would then work as a standing cocktail bass/floor tom, or, for sit down sets, you could put two old-style bass drum legs in two of the leg slots and get an L-arm cymbal holder for the other slot. Round it off with a 10 or 12" tom, 10 or 12" snare, and maybe even a 13 or 14" floor tom for kit use, and you'd have something very versatile. Solid maple Keller shells would be within your price range, and tung oil and wax is a nice looking and affordable way to finish the drums. You can buy old Slingerland or Ludwig hardware cheap on ebay, and rims and heads don't cost that much. Anyway, you'd have the option to stand when you want and sit when you want, or to do a three piece cocktail set or four piece mini set.

Will

zorf · Post by **zorf** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 9:34 am

Hi Guys,
Wow! Thanks for all the great replies.
I guess what i like about the cocktail drums is the vintage
vibe and compact size. I'm actually not concerned about
adjusting my playing to the different layout. I think it will
spark some creativity.
I guess no one has tried the GigPig here (or anywhere else
that i can find so far) The US rep is really helpful though.
What do you guys think of the sound samples?
Does it sound like a plywood box ? I'm thinking
it sounds cocktail like.
What i like about the Pig; Super small footprint, roll it around
different parts of my studio er, house, for instant different ambient recording sounds, unique look, fast setup for gigs.
And the penguin nesters are flat out goodlooking in my book.
Plus i love the wood rims and breakdown into 2 bags design. Mr Whitney is a cool guy, bye the way.

I'm hearing from some of you that i should build my own.
May go that way, have a good skill and tool set for that.
Plus, kind of cool to point at: "oh yeah, i built that"
Has anybody here made an easily removable head for
nesting the smaller drums in the main drum?
thanks again for all your help and ideas.

multiperc · Post by **multiperc** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 11:39 am

Zorf

Continuing with the custom build solution, I'll second/third that. I've built a full-out large scale (9 piece Eames birch), 5 piece mini kit, numerous snare drums, and most recently, a nice ol cocktail kit:

http://www.cocktaildrum.com/gallery/sho ... isbach.jpg

I gotta say, I'm not all that handy either! But if you've done any craft wolrk you'll do well if you take your time and dig it

Will offers a very nice and flexible design that could work either way. I actually have such a kit (16x16, 9x10, 10x12, 3x13) that is a subset of my main studio kit. While I don't stand up with it, the kick can be used vertically or horizontally with spurs.

Nesting is another thing altogether though. An alternative to nesting shells is to use a multi-tom bag (I have one by beato) or a conga case. The shells aren't nested but several small drums can be carried in one 'tube' container.

Regarding the GigPig, I've only heard the samples from the site and they sounded line tradeshow floor recordings, so everything sounded well, boxy. The idea looks novel, and it's cool that they are basing the idea on the cajon, however, I can't imagine that it could/would really sound as versatile as a cocktail kit (ie 2 or 3 separate drums). Take a look at Peter Lau's designs on this site. OMG....I wonder if Peter has any patents on his work?? There's a short clip of Peter playing one of his 'BoxTail' designs and it DOES sound really good (so does his playing), so maybe there is something to this idea of a multiple-chamber box drum......

mangorockfish · Post by **mangorockfish** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 3:28 pm

Hey Zorf,
Check out my kit in Your Cocktail Kit section under Mango's Champagne Sparkle Kit. I'm trying to sell it for $1100. It is a Phattie built kit with Pearl style hardware. 14X24 main drum w/4 legs, 10"tom and 12" snare. The concert toms as well as cymbals or high hat stand or pedal are not included. Just like new. Not a scratch or mark on any of the drums. main drum has dual snares. The kit is done up RIGHT.
Email me if interested at: rockstarblue5@aol.com.

zorf · Post by **zorf** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 12:42 am

Hi Again,
I checked out my first cocktail set today, the club jordans.
Fantastic. I never thought i'd like pink champain sparkle! I think the bass drum sound is acceptable, standing or stool
is fine, the 8 inch snare is not working for me though. The snares
built into the combo didn't sound all that great either. I could see a
combo drum would work, but it would take some tweaking.

He also had a 12 inch snare with a yess mount that sounded great.

I'm going to take matt's idea and get a lambswool beater.

What do you think; Jordans with tom, 8inch snare, 8inch symbian hats, and 10inch symbian ride and bags, for $650 or,

Global Pro, same set up, "cymbals" no bags for $275? I could throw the extra money at some nicer cymbals

I figure i can play with one of these for a while, and build my own kit down the road as i see what works.

thanks again for all the great advice

fw · Post by fw » Mon Jul 10, 2006 9:35 am

I'd buy the Club Jordan--for that price, if you don't like it or want to change down the line, you won't sell it at a loss--you might even make a few bucks. You could probably also sell the snare here if you don't like it.

cocktaildrum.com