Drummerboy

Ace playing!

I would head down to Rhythm Base in Glasgow. I did that last year and got to try out a load of snares. They have a large demo room out the back and a good selection of wood and metal snares. If you go down during the week it is usually quiet.

Agreed. Really good shop and free postage if I remember rightly.

DW don't do entry level (unless it's a PDP by DW) so you will probably never need another kit as DW's are seriously nice haha

First suggestion I would have for you is to check out www.OnlineDrummer.com ... the forum is extremely good and everyone is very helpful. There is also a lot of videos and teaching material on it.

Now to your questions ...

Double braced hardware is subjective. I have a couple of single braced Yamaha stands that are much more sturdy than most companies double braced hardware. What you are looking for is for thick, sturdy tubes. A lot of cheaper hardware looks ok but is actually really flimsy and will buckle if you try to put a clamp on it and will sway a lot of you mount a tom and a heavy cymbal on it.

I'd recommend taking a look at bigdog hardware (www.bigdogdrumstuff.com) as their stuff is actually pretty good and reasonably priced. The entry level hardware for a lot of the big name brands isn't that great; especially when you get can mid level bigdog for the same price. If you can, try to get boom cymbal stands rather than straight stands. They are far more useful and can be converted easily to be a straight stand. If you want to go straight for decent hardware DW and Yamaha are arguably the best out there.

Hihats become brighter and more responsive the smaller they get. I'd recommend going on the cymbal manufacturers websites as they have sound files that you can listen to of every cymbals they make. Heavier cymbals will be brighter and louder than thin ones. The smaller the cymbal, the higher the pitch.

The big 4 cymbals companies are Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste and Meinl; google them to get their websites and soundfiles. Bruce Millers and R&B pretty much only stock Zildjian which is a shame. Your best bet is to start out with a cymbal pack as it is a cheap option to get you started. These tend to contain 14"hihats, 16" crash and 20" ride. You can then expand from there depending on what you want and/or upgrade as and when you want.

I might get flamed for this but Zildjian entry level cymbals are terrible. I started out with a set of ZBTs and hated them. Paiste and Meinl make really good entry level cymbals and to be honest, Stagg are quite good for the money. I got a Stagg DH 10" splash for 25 and I prefer it over any 80 one I've ever tried.

I'll round this uber post off with a summary of the cymbal companies from my experience. Everyone has different tastes so this is purely my opinion ...

Zildjian tend to have extremely long sustain and are very warm sounding. K Customs (as mentioned by The_Tank) are best suited for Jazz and quieter applications yet I see a great many drummers from all sorts of genres using them and subsequently breaking them. One example was one of the drummers from dananananakroyd who had a massive crack in his 18" K Custom dark crash; expensive mistake as they cost a small fortune.

Sabian tend to be duller sounding with a shorter sustain. That doesn't make them bad as I swore by them for years. It makes them good for rockier music and metal. I don't have much experience with Meinl but from what I gather, they are quite similar to Sabian.

Paiste tend to be very bright and have a very distinctive sound. They are also well known for their big cymbals where 15" hihats, 20" crashes and 22" rides are available on most lines. There's even a couple of 24" crashes and few 24" rides which are staggeringly big. Paiste's entry level-intermediate cymbals are very good with PST3 and PST5 very worth a look at depending on your budget.

Wow that was a big post!!

Ok I'll agree with you on the Zildjian front - their entry level stuff is rubbish. But the rest of the range is good. Won't agree with you on the DW front though ha ha!

I've had my Zildjians for a couple of years and have no complaints. One of the guys I work with has had some of his for 10-15 years and they're still crack free.[/quote

]

Totally! Had mine for a few years now and they are still going strong...

I think when it comes to cymbals it all depends what sort of style you want to play? Personally I have Zildjian and I think they are great - cymbals should not break unless you really go over the top with them. I use A customs mainly as I'm in a blues band (Son Henry band) and so its a good series to use. On the hardware front I use both Pearl's top line stuff and the new DW 6000 lightweight series. If you want heavy duty I would recomend the Pearl stuff as it really is the best. For lightweight the DW's I mentioned are great but if your on a budget then the big dog drums stands are great as well. What kit did you get anyway?

Right

I've got a brown Yamaha bass guitar for sale - relisted due to timewaster. Overall good condition, just the odd nick here and there. Also selling my Laney Hardcore max 60w bass amp. PM me for more info.

Cheers

D

Got a set of TRX turkish cymbasl for sale with case. Set includes a 22inch ride, 20 inch crash ride, 14 inch hats, 10 inch splash and a 14 inch china. Really nice set, from different ranges in the TRX line up (PM me for details). Sorry to see them go but I have not really used them much and have tended to just expand my main Zildjian set up. Open to sensible offers. If you need pics or more info please let me know. This set would cost over 500 new.

Cheers

D

Need a quick sale...

I have used this guy a few times. He normally has some good stock in at good prices:

Graham Russell Drums - Quality Used Drum Kits, Cymbals and accessories sales

As title said.

Got a Laney Hardcore Max bass amp for sale. Its 60 watts so good for practise or small gig amp. Has sat in the flat for ages not been used as Im a drummer and have not played bass for years. Open to offers.

PM me.

Cheers

Hi all

Im selling my Audi 80. Its in blue, only done 85k and has full Tax and MOT. Its got eletric mirrors, sony cd player, central locking. Has had new battery and exhaust.

Please PM me for pics and info etc.

Cheers

The Bin? Now thats a little harsh Phil lol! Why you selling my pedal? :-p

Sounds good guys:-)

Ok guys and girls.

What gigs are you set to go to this year and also what other gigs are planned around the UK that you think would be ace to go to! My current schedual is below:up:

30th May Steriophonics in Aberdeen

Sunday 20th June Paul McCartney in Glasgow

Sunday 25th of July - High Voltage Festival London. Line up:

ELP

Joe Bonamassa

Joe Elliott

UFO

Want to try and see Carlos Santana and also Porcupine Tree later this year when they come as well8-)

Doc's Pro plugs I think are good. I dont really use ear plugs much to be honest but the few times I have its been them.....

Pictures of the bass guitar please.

PMed.....

80 then lol........

It is a nice snare. Played one simular before:-)

Come on guys

100 quid for the amp?

Anyone....

Hi guys

Right I really need SPACE in my tiny flat so please get in touch if you like any of the following:

Brown Yamaha bass guitar - a few nicks here and there but overall good.

Laney Bass amp 60w (Hard core Max range)

14inch FVF custom snare drum.

PM for info and pics.

Cheers

Bump......

Bump back up

I'm in the market for a mounted tamborine (like, one you hit) and a zil-bel. Any good, reasonably priced ones? I don't care if they belonged to Sean Moore but if anyone has either and are needin' rid of them I'd be happy to discuss a price.

Hi Mate

In terms of a Zil-bel ive seen a few on ebay over the past few weeks. Same with the tamborine really. You should get a decent price for if off there.

Cheers:up:

Maybe BDC have stopped stocking Axis pedals.....only UK distributor according to Axis' website is eDrum Ltd, based in Edinburgh. 519 for the Longboard double....+ 50 for a case.

Oocha.

Thats not cheap! That what I just paid for another kit this week lol!

Have any of you guys tried out the Kick Port bass drum device yet. I have read some good reviews, but checked out the web site and wasn't that impressed with the video of it. Probably a bad sound clip so I was wondering if anyone had one or had heard one for real.

Can't say I have played oned on a kit or heard it live. However from what ive heard it does do the trick! I can't honestly see it making things worst?