Hey Guys!
This isn't a cocktail question at all, but I figure since you are all veterans, you've experienced something like this before. I'm playing a two-day country/rock/rockabilly show called twang the vote organized by my wife and the guitar player in my band. Our guitar player kind of volunteered the use of my drumset for two nights, meaning nine drummers besides myself will be playing on it.
So the bands are all in the country-rock vein, but there are a few hard hitters out there I'm sure. Plus, I play a 1962 Slingerland four-piece with a Ludwig Super Sensitive snare, and even though I'm used to 13/16/22 in jazz sizes and mahogany shells, I'm sure most of the bands play maple or birch fast sizes or power toms with pinstripes instead of ambassadors and diplomats. The bass drum is very quiet by today's standards. Plus, I just put new heads on the thing.
I'm thinking that if I go back to my old heads (even though I hate removing heads once they've seated) and mount the ride cymbal and tom tom on my DW stands instead of on the bass drum (to avoid a cracked shell by some cave man), I can probably breathe easy. My snare stand is a vintage Slingerland with a tripod base, so it wobbles a lot compared to modern stands, and my hi hat stand is a Rogers memriloc, which was sweet in the early seventies but isn't a marvel of engineering anymore.
My cymbals are mostly 70's A's with an 80's K and an 80's Sabian HH flat ride. I'd describe a few of them as irreplaceable--70's 14" light hi hats and 12" new beats.
So my hunch is that if I put old beater heads on the thing, secure all the drums on heavy cymbal stands, and make drummers use their own cymbals, my drums will probably be fine. But I'm not sure the drummers themselves would be that fine with the drums or the hardware.
It would be convenient for everyone to play the same set, but what would you guys say? Do drummers usually respect other drummers' gear? When I was in high school, almost everybody was used to playing beat up pearl exports with pin stripes and power toms, so since everyone's gear sucked, it didn't make a difference. But now that all the drummers I know are in their twenties and thirties and can buy nice gear, everyone seems fairly particular about their sizes and materials and heads. And the ones who are still cool with the duct-taped Pearl exports kind of scare me.
Any advice or anecdotes you guys could offer as quickly as possible would be of great use to me. Thanks!
Will
Loaning out drums for two 5-10 act shows
Ok Here goes. You as I see it are in a terrible position. You'll meet some great players that you will probably cross again and you'll meet some ass that thinks he is god and you see him again too. It's a small world so be nice to all but don't bend over for anyone, cause you'll have to do it for everyone. First off RENT, if you do not own another kit (crap) or secondary kit. That will take all the stress off. A Pearl Export or similar is cheap to rent and will cut any gig for any drummer. A pro will appreciate the fact that you are willing to not let just anyone play your babies. ( My one time road kit cost about $10,000.00, noboby played it but me. In order for me to let them play I asked for their car keys or wife for the night. Never had any takers) If you can not afford to RENT!!!!!!!!! Then here's what I suggest. MAKE IT KNOWN, that you will NOT supply any Cymabls (No exception) Again any drummer worth his wieght will under stand and not have a problem with this. (I alway pack my own cymbals, they make me feel at home on a foreign set up). You may even want to extend it to Peddles and Snare. Change the heads back to the original. (I always keep several sets of skins used just for these purposes, or to reskin a cheap set I may come across) It's pretty rare that a kid will kill any drum, they will however break cymbals, smash mics and scratch your paint.
You will get some grief from people but just calmly say (Hey man it's only one set you're playing, just live with it, we all have to)
Short list:
Tell the organizer that all drummers must bring their own cymbals (Hide yours far away)
Tell the organizer they are 100% responsible for any damages (go over the kit with the person so they can see the shape they're in. 9 out of 10 times you will see nothing if there are any damages in payback from anybody, so be aware.)
Try to get cash for rental of your kit or make a replace skin deal.
Don't worry about shell size, if they tune they'll work, if not that's what tape is for.
SLAP YOUR GUITAR PLAYER, SLAP YOUR GUITAR PLAYER,SLAP YOUR GUITAR PLAYER,SLAP YOUR GUITAR PLAYER,SLAP YOUR GUITAR PLAYER!!!!!!!!!! Do you think he would let anyone play his 62 Gibson if he owned one. Let him know this is not cool.
Next time just be one of the other drummers, it less stressful and you being the pro you are will play the supplied kit without one bitch or comment about how much better your kit is, just play.
Hey good luck, I hope this turns out and you meet some great players.
Dinkus
You will get some grief from people but just calmly say (Hey man it's only one set you're playing, just live with it, we all have to)
Short list:
Tell the organizer that all drummers must bring their own cymbals (Hide yours far away)
Tell the organizer they are 100% responsible for any damages (go over the kit with the person so they can see the shape they're in. 9 out of 10 times you will see nothing if there are any damages in payback from anybody, so be aware.)
Try to get cash for rental of your kit or make a replace skin deal.
Don't worry about shell size, if they tune they'll work, if not that's what tape is for.
SLAP YOUR GUITAR PLAYER, SLAP YOUR GUITAR PLAYER,SLAP YOUR GUITAR PLAYER,SLAP YOUR GUITAR PLAYER,SLAP YOUR GUITAR PLAYER!!!!!!!!!! Do you think he would let anyone play his 62 Gibson if he owned one. Let him know this is not cool.
Next time just be one of the other drummers, it less stressful and you being the pro you are will play the supplied kit without one bitch or comment about how much better your kit is, just play.
Hey good luck, I hope this turns out and you meet some great players.
Dinkus
Loading Drum Kits
Hey Will,
Of course the best solution is to always play a cocktail kit. That way no one will ever try to use your kit for a house kit and you can whisk it off the stage when your done before the vultures get to it! : > )
I agree with DInkus on all counts. I have done this occasionally and it has worked out fine. Absolutely don't let people use your cymbals! Snare drum is up to you but if you have a secondary, not as nice snare, use that one. If you love your kick pedal make them bring that too. And yes, get money for replacement heads.
One of the hardest hitting drummers I ever knew was a Country drummer. So you will probably get all types. Since you are clearly concerned, go ahead and set the rules:
Bring your own cymbals, snare drum, and bass pedal. If they know it in advance no one should complain.
One other thing to watch out for... the guy that instinctively puts his drum sticks on either side of every wing nut to get extra torque when tightening a stand!
This guy will strip your precious 1962 Slingerland hardware! I would use all newer/heavier/crappier hardware wherever possible. Then all you have to worry about is the tom mount/bass drum bracket and floor tom leg brackets. Again most people will be cool about this. If you see someone being too forceful you can try and NICELY tell them that the hardware works fine without tightening to much AND that they can strip easily with over-tightening.
This is a tough one since old Slingerland brackets DO strip easily if you are too aggressive with them. Just be nice, friendly, and cooperative with people and they should be respectful. Also, don't hover! That will surely make people edgy and unfriendly : > )
Hope this helps
John
Of course the best solution is to always play a cocktail kit. That way no one will ever try to use your kit for a house kit and you can whisk it off the stage when your done before the vultures get to it! : > )
I agree with DInkus on all counts. I have done this occasionally and it has worked out fine. Absolutely don't let people use your cymbals! Snare drum is up to you but if you have a secondary, not as nice snare, use that one. If you love your kick pedal make them bring that too. And yes, get money for replacement heads.
One of the hardest hitting drummers I ever knew was a Country drummer. So you will probably get all types. Since you are clearly concerned, go ahead and set the rules:
Bring your own cymbals, snare drum, and bass pedal. If they know it in advance no one should complain.
One other thing to watch out for... the guy that instinctively puts his drum sticks on either side of every wing nut to get extra torque when tightening a stand!
This guy will strip your precious 1962 Slingerland hardware! I would use all newer/heavier/crappier hardware wherever possible. Then all you have to worry about is the tom mount/bass drum bracket and floor tom leg brackets. Again most people will be cool about this. If you see someone being too forceful you can try and NICELY tell them that the hardware works fine without tightening to much AND that they can strip easily with over-tightening.
This is a tough one since old Slingerland brackets DO strip easily if you are too aggressive with them. Just be nice, friendly, and cooperative with people and they should be respectful. Also, don't hover! That will surely make people edgy and unfriendly : > )
Hope this helps
John
-
fw
Thanks for the replies, guys!
I got them slightly late, but I intuited a few pieces of advice ahead of time, at least. My guitar player got the word out to almost all of the bands in time re: cymbals. Only one guy brought his own kit, which was fine, but struck me as a bit snobbish (maybe I resented that he had a natural maple gretsch jazz set with bosphorus cymbals and I don't). Still, that beats the two punk bands that didn't bring cymbals and had to use my 70's A's....grrrrr. Luckily, I was fairly stingy with what cymbals I'd let out, and they had surprisingly light cymbal touch compared to how hard they hit the drums. A couple people brough their own snares and most brought their own pedals. I put used heads on the set, but they didn't get too banged up anyway. Still, I love the look of brand new coated ambassadors and I didn't want to jeopardize my new heads.
One drummer had some crazy bass drum technique--with one of those anti-skid devices I screwed on the front rim of the bass and those spiky slingerland legs on carpet, and velcro on my bass drum pedal plate, he still kept sliding the bass drum forward. I had to get a piece of 2x4 and nail it to the stage in front of the drum to keep the drums secure.
I ended up meeting a bunch of cool people and have a big list of people who can sub for me now that I'm trying to reduce all of my school year gigs (I teach high school English), so that worked out well. The experience also helped me a lot as a drummer--I got good feedback about my band, could compare our band's music to the music of a bunch of other "twang" bands' sounds and figure out what we do well and what needs work, and I realized that as much as I get depressed about how I never have time to grow my talent to the Jedi-level, I realized nobody else seems to either and that I'm not bad for the town I live in.
On that note, a friend of mine who in Detroit who was a mind-bogglingly talented jazz drummer just passed away at the age of 35, and he died regretting spending years on developing his chops when he could have gotten an engineering degree instead of a music degree and left his family in a more comfortable position. The drive that made him develop the killer technique also made him feel like he was never good enough, and that, combined with having to play drums for a living in gigs and venues that didn't satisfy his muse made drumming feel like a depressing job to him.
I'll be forty before I can get to where my friend was when he passed, and even though I sometimes lament that I'll never be a full-time drummer, I wonder now if it's a blessing that drumming can always be a pure, beautiful thing for me...a love instead of a job--something I fantasize about instead of dread. Someone came up to me after my band's set and said I make drumming look like a lot of fun. I think of my friend, who seemed like a mystic or a samurai when he sat behind the set--his mind was working on levels I may never understand, and drumming looked like a very burdensome but sacred duty when he played. I envy that on a lot of levels. But I've got to step back and recognize that there is something worthwhile, too, in being a happy, drooling, goofball behind the set. I'm lucky to be able to play. I'm lucky to still love my instrument, and to still want to make a joyful noise. I think about my friend with brushes in his hands in his coffin, and when my number's up, that seems like a decent way to go.
I got them slightly late, but I intuited a few pieces of advice ahead of time, at least. My guitar player got the word out to almost all of the bands in time re: cymbals. Only one guy brought his own kit, which was fine, but struck me as a bit snobbish (maybe I resented that he had a natural maple gretsch jazz set with bosphorus cymbals and I don't). Still, that beats the two punk bands that didn't bring cymbals and had to use my 70's A's....grrrrr. Luckily, I was fairly stingy with what cymbals I'd let out, and they had surprisingly light cymbal touch compared to how hard they hit the drums. A couple people brough their own snares and most brought their own pedals. I put used heads on the set, but they didn't get too banged up anyway. Still, I love the look of brand new coated ambassadors and I didn't want to jeopardize my new heads.
One drummer had some crazy bass drum technique--with one of those anti-skid devices I screwed on the front rim of the bass and those spiky slingerland legs on carpet, and velcro on my bass drum pedal plate, he still kept sliding the bass drum forward. I had to get a piece of 2x4 and nail it to the stage in front of the drum to keep the drums secure.
I ended up meeting a bunch of cool people and have a big list of people who can sub for me now that I'm trying to reduce all of my school year gigs (I teach high school English), so that worked out well. The experience also helped me a lot as a drummer--I got good feedback about my band, could compare our band's music to the music of a bunch of other "twang" bands' sounds and figure out what we do well and what needs work, and I realized that as much as I get depressed about how I never have time to grow my talent to the Jedi-level, I realized nobody else seems to either and that I'm not bad for the town I live in.
On that note, a friend of mine who in Detroit who was a mind-bogglingly talented jazz drummer just passed away at the age of 35, and he died regretting spending years on developing his chops when he could have gotten an engineering degree instead of a music degree and left his family in a more comfortable position. The drive that made him develop the killer technique also made him feel like he was never good enough, and that, combined with having to play drums for a living in gigs and venues that didn't satisfy his muse made drumming feel like a depressing job to him.
I'll be forty before I can get to where my friend was when he passed, and even though I sometimes lament that I'll never be a full-time drummer, I wonder now if it's a blessing that drumming can always be a pure, beautiful thing for me...a love instead of a job--something I fantasize about instead of dread. Someone came up to me after my band's set and said I make drumming look like a lot of fun. I think of my friend, who seemed like a mystic or a samurai when he sat behind the set--his mind was working on levels I may never understand, and drumming looked like a very burdensome but sacred duty when he played. I envy that on a lot of levels. But I've got to step back and recognize that there is something worthwhile, too, in being a happy, drooling, goofball behind the set. I'm lucky to be able to play. I'm lucky to still love my instrument, and to still want to make a joyful noise. I think about my friend with brushes in his hands in his coffin, and when my number's up, that seems like a decent way to go.
-
mangorockfish
- Posts: 182
- Joined: Wed Jul 14, 2004 10:23 pm
- Location: arkansas
Loaning drums
My band did a similar thing, "Rock The Vote" and I was put on the spot of supplying the drums. We were on first so it seemed like a no-way-out deal, so I said ok. Well, the more I thought about it the less I liked it, so I just told them that I had to leave as soon as we finished so I couldn't furnish the drums. I drive a truck and had to leave very early the next morning, so I didn't lie to anyone. The second band's drummer told me I could use his kit so that was cool. Well, time to leave to go to the gig,so I called the venue to see if the kit was there and they said "No". I hurriedly loaded my kit, early 70s Slingerland blue sparkle, 18, 12, 14. Got there, set them up and was ready for sound check when the second band came in with the the other kit. Their drummer had to work late so they brought it and it didn't seem to bother them that we would have been late going on had I not had the forethought to bring my own kit.
Moral of the story: Take care of yourself and your equipment and if others don't like it, SO WHAT. It's your stuff and if some BOZO breaks something it will never be the same so I say "Why chance it".
Mangorockfish
Moral of the story: Take care of yourself and your equipment and if others don't like it, SO WHAT. It's your stuff and if some BOZO breaks something it will never be the same so I say "Why chance it".
Mangorockfish