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Thread: Best and worst backline drums you've ever had to play!

  1. #1

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    Default Best and worst backline drums you've ever had to play!

    This should be fun. What's the best and/or the worst backline drums you've ever played?

    For me...


    Best: DW 4-piece in broken glass. All cymbals were big, shiny, thin, NEW Zildjian A Customs. Yummy!!!!


    Worst: Beat-to-death CB Percussion 5-piece with B8 (I think) cymbals. They were awful.



    How about you?

  2. #2

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    Default Re: Best and worst backline drums you've ever had to play!

    Unfortunately I can't think of a best. The worst was a mid-level Yamaha kit that with old heads and stands that were falling apart, etc. This was in Vegas and I was surprised that with all the acts that come through there, this was the best they had to offer. It really pissed me off.

  3. #3

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    Opened up for a band at a private party and got to play a very nice set of vintage rogers that even I could not make sound bad.

    Worst was a crappy Pearl forum that had the throne tied too the bd by a rope to prevent it from moving but the hi hat kept sliding away from me and the throne had zero padding..arrrgghh that sucked and it sounded horrible.
    Ludwig Classic Maple 22x16,10x8,12x9,16x16
    7" Moon Gel Practice Pad
    Sabian HHX Legacy

    Decide whether this is love for the craft or simply an ego thing

    http://www.redskymary.com/ NOT MY BAND, JUST A GREAT LOCAL BAND WHO SHOULD BE SOOO MUCH BIGGER IMO

  4. #4

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    Worst was a POS MIJ silver wrapped kit with ZBTs I had to play at a fundraiser. I sat down at it and reached for the 13" mounted Tom and the pot metal bracket broke before I could get my other hand on the wingnut to adjust it. It had no name single ply heads and I'm pretty sure it was never tuned. I played the hats, snare, and bass drum and never touched the rest of it.
    Last edited by Rotarded; 01-03-2015 at 09:04 PM.
    _____________________________________________
    Ayotte Custom "Ray Era" w/Wood Hoops Copper Sparkle (10,12,14,16, 20)
    DW Rack

    1964 Ludwig Downbeat Black Diamond Pearl (12,13,14,16,20)
    ALL of its Original Hardware

    Ludwig Stainless Steel "Bop" (12,14,18)

    Ludwig 1947 Standard Deluxe w/Art Gold hardware 3ply Maple 6.5 x 14
    Ludwig 1959 LM470 Auditorium 3ply Mahogany 6.5 x 14
    Ludwig 1959 LM908P Jazz Festival 3ply Mahogany 5.5 x 14
    Ludwig 1964 LM400 Supraphonic 5 x 14
    Ludwig 1968 LM410 Super Sensitive 5 x 14
    Ludwig 1969 LM404 Acrolite 5 x 14
    Ludwig 1976 LM400 Supraphonic 5 x 14
    Ludwig 1977 LM401 Lacquered Brass Supraphonic 5 x 14
    Ludwig 1978 LM405 NYC Bd of Ed Acrolite w/factory Imperial Lugs 6.5 x 14
    Ludwig 1984 LB552 75th Anniversary Engraved Bronze 6.5 x 14
    Ludwig 1990s LM404 Black Galaxy Acrolite 10 Lug w/Silver Monroe Keystone 5 x 14
    Ludwig 2010 LB417BT Engraved Black Beauty 6.5 x 14
    Ludwig 2017 LB402B COB Supraphonic 6.5 x 14
    Ludwig 2020 LC662KTC Hammered Copperphonic w/all Copper Hardware 6.5 x 14
    DW Collectors 3mm Cast Bell Brass 5.5 x 14
    DW/Craviotto 2000 Steam Bent Solid Cherry 5.5 x 14

    Zildjian As and A Customs

  5. #5

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    Default Re: Best and worst backline drums you've ever had to play!

    Didn't get to "play play" but I did get to sit behind Mike Portnoy's kit and hit a couple drums and cymbals during sound check. Greatest experience/thrill of my life as a huge Portnoy fan.


    Worst experience... did a fill in last minute for a church gig and they said we have a drumset and everything you need.. was a no name (seriously couldn't find a single tag or badge) with the worst plastic heads possible and no name cymbals that you might as well just painted trash can lids gold and used those instead.

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by SpazApproved View Post
    Didn't get to "play play" but I did get to sit behind Mike Portnoy's kit and hit a couple drums and cymbals during sound check. Greatest experience/thrill of my life as a huge Portnoy fan.


    Worst experience... did a fill in last minute for a church gig and they said we have a drumset and everything you need.. was a no name (seriously couldn't find a single tag or badge) with the worst plastic heads possible and no name cymbals that you might as well just painted trash can lids gold and used those instead.
    As a HUGE Portnoy fan, I definitely would understand the thrill. Wow, that's awesome!
    Quote Originally Posted by rickthedrummer View Post
    There is intelligent life out there. The problem is that there isn't any here.

    -Mike

  7. #7

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    Best: My first time playing in front of an audience besides church (100ish people) I played a high end Yahmaha 5 piece set, hand forged cymbals all around(didnt catch the name) it was nice . The owner has been playing for 25 years so he gave me a couple tips after the set too, great guy I still keep in touch with him, I was 15 at the time.

    Worst: I played a Christmas service in my church with my drumset when I was 14, Battle by Gammon Percussion it needed new heads and if it got those it still would have been better off as kindling. I had to throw mutters on because the church was designed with acoustics in mind, which is great if your speaking, not so for drums.
    Wear hearing protection.

  8. #8

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    Best experience is hard to tell, as I've usually had way better kits myself than the ones provided at a gig. It's a tossup of a nicely tuned Tama Superstar (newer type), a Premier Genista or a Yamaha Oak Custom, I think...

    Worst is either a beaten up Tama Royalstar with really bad hardware, or some early 80's Pearl kits, again, mostly because of really bad hardware. Have been lucky to not have to put up with anything below those, say CB, Groover Percussion etc...
    Last edited by Marius84; 01-04-2015 at 07:19 AM.

    Pearl Masters BCX in Piano Black (birch), 22x18"x2/10x8"/12x9"/13x10"/14x14"/16x16"
    Snares: 14x6" Tama Starphonic Bronze, 13x5" Mapex Black Panther DL Cherry Bomb
    Paiste cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, Evans heads

  9. #9

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    Worst was some crap set of Yamaha.........don't know what they were.
    Did not sound good..............did not feel good.

    Best was a late '50s round badge Gretsch kit.........ugly to look at.........beat to hell.........road scars all over............sounded like a dream.
    Gretsch USA & Zildjian
    (What Else Would I Ever Need ?)


  10. #10

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    I've played so many bad kits it's hard to pick one. Probably a Pearl Forum with 26 year old heads that were so dented they looked like Rocky Dennis' face

  11. #11

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    Best was a beautiful set of Pearl Masters with A Customs all around. We were opening for a local band and I used his kit.

    Worst was a Yamaha Stage Custom that all the bands shared at a local outdoor music festival. The snare was tuned so low it was basically dead, the toms were all smothered in duct tape, and the wing nuts kept slipping causing the cymbals to fall down while I was playing.
    Matt

  12. #12

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    The best backline kit I've run across was a set of DW Jazz series in Champagne glass glitter, I used my own snare, pedals and cymbals as always.

    The worst was a set of Peavey International series drums, they were rebadged Gammon or something equally dreadful. The heads were the original cheapies and had no life in them. I used my DW pedals, I think my Zildjian "K"s and one of my Black Beauties. The venue's sound guy said, "Wow, the kit sounds good tonight, what did you do?" lol. This was at a club in Baltimore about eight years ago.
    -Mike


    "We don't stop playing because we grow old.
    We grow old because we stop playing."

    "I wish that my playing reminded people of Steve Gadd. But they seem to confuse me with his little known cousin... E."

    "Snare drums happen."

  13. #13

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    Best: yamaha maple custom absolute

    Worst: Subaru

  14. #14

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    Funny...I've never played back line. What is that any way?

    all the best...

  15. #15

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    Back line kits are provided kits by the event promoter or others.
    Now playing Gretsch and Slingerland Drums

  16. #16

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    Default Re: Best and worst backline drums you've ever had to play!

    Quote Originally Posted by kay-gee View Post
    Funny...I've never played back line. What is that any way?

    all the best...
    Backline (which can include drums) is any equipment provided by a venue for bands to use so that they don't have to use their own equipment. A lot of times, there is a backline PA system and sometimes there are drums. Backline drums are used in multiple situations. For example, I've been to music festivals before there were a dozen bands back to back, but there was only one drum set that everyone played (each drummer usually trades out their own cymbals, snare, and kick pedal though). In addition, if the venue is not conducive to easy set changes, then there may be one drum set if there's more than one band playing.

    Hope this helps answer your question.

  17. #17

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    Default Re: Best and worst backline drums you've ever had to play!

    Best? Still waiting on that.


    Worst. Well....all of them.

    Pearl of some sort. Heads were as wavy as the Pacific ocean:


    And a Mapex of some sort. Also heads beat to death:

  18. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by marko138 View Post
    Best? Still waiting on that.


    Worst. Well....all of them.

    Pearl of some sort. Heads were as wavy as the Pacific ocean:


    And a Mapex of some sort. Also heads beat to death:
    The kits may have been no good but those are some awesome pics!
    Matt

  19. #19

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    Default Re: Best and worst backline drums you've ever had to play!

    ^those are nice armpits haha

  20. #20

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    Default Re: Best and worst backline drums you've ever had to play!

    Quote Originally Posted by yohin View Post
    The kits may have been no good but those are some awesome pics!
    Quote Originally Posted by SpazApproved View Post
    ^those are nice armpits haha
    The show must go on!

  21. #21

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    Default Re: Best and worst backline drums you've ever had to play!

    Someday I hope to play a venue of enough importance that they require a back line kit, LOL.
    -Brian

    "Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"

    Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!

    "I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham

  22. #22

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    My worst and best were the same kit. Played a blues fest in Hamilton a few years ago and the kit was a set of References. Beautiful kit, but it was tuned so terribly it sounded like crap!

  23. #23

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    Best: The kit that appears in this video. My band opened for Sinate a few years ago and the drummer let the opening bands use his kit (Starclassics) for our sets.



    Worst was a Pearl Export, which isn't a bad kit (I play some Exports). But this kit had broken floor tom leg clamps, tom mounts that didn't tighten properly so the toms kept swivelling away from me whenever I played the kick drum, and heads that were taped to hell and back. But I made it work.
    Last edited by xweasel; 01-05-2015 at 12:50 PM.
    - Zack

  24. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by N2Bluz View Post
    Someday I hope to play a venue of enough importance that they require a back line kit, LOL.
    Either that, or play a gig with a lazy sound tech.

    Play out long enough, and it won't take long to run into this situation.

  25. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by kay-gee View Post
    Funny...I've never played back line. What is that any way?
    Short answer:


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