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Thread: Drum sets that are real "sleepers"

  1. #1

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    Default Drum sets that are real "sleepers"

    Ever played a drum set that was a "sleeper?" As in, maybe it's a drum set that may be beat to pieces, maybe it doesn't have the best brand name (or any name), however, you tune them up and they sound WAY better than they should.

    Experiences?

  2. #2

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    No

  3. #3

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    Not me but a friend brought to a gig a Sunlite drum kit that he bought for USA $ 125 at a flea market. It sounded good.

  4. #4

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    I heard a set being played (unmic'd) at a local punk gig that sounded pretty good to me about 6 months ago - I checked them out after the gig. They were YD series Yamaha's, I assumed they were an earlier version of something like the stage custom birch kit. When I got home I had a bit of an online trawl to find out what they are - an old Phillipine mahogany (luan) starter kit.

    I'd only had 2 beers - honestly.

  5. #5

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    My resurrection kit surprised me. New heads and heck it could be used for gigging.
    Signature here

  6. #6

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    Drums always sound good if you're the owner.

    all the best...

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by kay-gee View Post
    Drums always sound good if you're the owner.

    all the best...
    There!

    Every time there is a debate on this forum about which drum(s) sound better than others, your statement should be quoted.

    We all have so much emotion, pride, and money tied up in our drum kits that even an objective criticism feels very personal. That's just natural, and it's not going to change. Good observation, kay-gee.

    GeeDeeEmm

  8. #8

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    I think almost any cheap kit can be a sleeper with good heads & tuning. I played on a borrowed set of First Act drums (as in Walmart/Target) at band practice for a couple years. It was all we had available at the time. I put clear pinstripes on the toms and managed to get them tuned fairly well. I was amazed they actually lasted and didn't self destruct. They didn't sound great....but they sounded good enough. I bet if I had changed the reso heads and sanded the bearing edges, it would have been very surprising.
    -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

  9. #9

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    Of course! There are some vintage MIJ kits out there that sound amazing and have some of the coolest wraps! I have a Werco brand kit you can see in my picture album that sounds great. A C/List find.

  10. #10

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    I am currently playing a Sound Percussion kit. Poplar shells. Very nice bearing edges. Very slight outside cut for resonance.
    Emperors over Ambassadors, Powerstroke kick, Dixson BD lift all add up to a really nice sound. Far exceeded my espectation for this little japanese starter kit. I plan on re-wrapping them so they look as good as they sound. Played black for 30 years. Never again.

    Proudly playing:
    Doc Sweeney Drums
    A bunch of snares
    A bunch of cymbals

    Off-Set double pedals

    I think I love to play the drums simply because you get to hit 'em!!!

  11. #11

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    can't say I have either

  12. #12

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    Taye TourPro
    The answer to all "Which one should I buy?" questions is the same. Play them and choose the one that sounds best to you.

  13. #13

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    I found a Premier Olympic set on CL that I picked up for under $100. I stripped off the old wrap, cleaned up the bearing edges, polished the hardware and stained the shells. After putting some decent heads on them, they sounded surprisingly good!! I ended up selling them for a small profit. Don't hate for the Tama head on the kick, it's what I had laying around. LOL

    Aut Viam Inveniam Aut Faciam
    "I shall either find a way or make one"

  14. #14

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    My first kit was a Mapex v series. Basswood shells, but decent sounding. After some TLC, new heads and proper tuning, I got them sounding fantastic! I am now on my 4th kit, and while I am happy with my current kit, (Yamaha stage customs) I wish I still had those v series drums. They were the best sounding of all my kits, even thought they were the "lowest tier". I got myself convinced I should get a "better" kit, and got rid of them. I regret it to this day. Never let anyone tell you cheap kits have to sound cheap. Some can sound great.
    Yamaha Stage Custom 6 pc
    Assorted Zildjian
    Gibraltar hardware
    Zildjian laminate sticks
    LOTS of snares
    AQUARIAN heads

  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by Johnny G View Post
    I am currently playing a Sound Percussion kit. Poplar shells. Very nice bearing edges. Very slight outside cut for resonance.
    Emperors over Ambassadors, Powerstroke kick, Dixson BD lift all add up to a really nice sound. Far exceeded my espectation for this little japanese starter kit. I plan on re-wrapping them so they look as good as they sound. Played black for 30 years. Never again.

    Thats interesting the way you have that set configured. Looks like you are using a lefty double pedal to shift the bass drum to the left? Years ago I set up a kit in store by first placing the snare where I wanted it, then placing the three upper toms at snare level, and the same for the two flying floor toms. Then I used a lefty dbl pedal to slide the bass drum in directly in front of the hi hat stand. I couldn't believe how comfortable that set was and how easy it was to do runs across the toms. I need to try that again with my current kit.

    GeeDeeEmm

  16. #16

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    I used to own a Sonor Force 2005........................... a solid Birch kit in a beautiful blue fade lacquer.

    For a mid-level kit, it was IMO, 90% as good as my DW and Risen kits. Not sure how the hardware and drums themselves would hold up over time, but it was an excellent kit.

    At the time, I paid $750 for a 5 piece kit with 200 series hardware and a B8 cymbal pack.................sold off the B8's, so the kit cost around $550 new with hardware.

  17. #17

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    My friend bought his 5 y.o. son a little junker from a yard sale for like $20...really tiny. I mess around on it when I go over there and I always laugh thinking, hey, this isn't so bad!

  18. #18

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    I didn't have the whole set but around 1990 I bought this 8x14, wood shell CB700 snare drum. I remember the guy at the store telling me it was a marching snare but it didn't have the typical marching guts/wires on it. Just regular snappy wires and plain steel hoops. Don't know if it was a marching snare converted or what but there were no throwoff changes/extra holes.

    I liked the sound I got out of it. Used it for this punk type band I was in at the time. The only problem was the lug casings were very cheap pot metal and a lot of them broke. Wish I still had it I'd put some good lugs on it and maybe some die-cast.

    found these pics online but this is exactly what it looked like except that looks to be more than a 8" depth


    Last edited by slinky; 03-19-2015 at 07:12 PM.
    RDM/Damage Poets
    UFiP TAMAHA Zildjian
    REGAL TiP
    AQUARIAN

  19. #19

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    My first kit was a Groove Percussion I paid $50 for---I cleaned up the bearing edges, put some new heads on, and tuned them---they sounded amazing, but after a year of playing and buying all the hardware and cymbals to make it a nice kit the cheesy pot-metal lugs started to break Ok---time for new shells---I found a set of Pearl Exports for a steal on CL, and headed out to pick them up! When I made the 1 hour trip to meet the guy we found out his ex-wife had thrown them in the pool (he had already moved out), so we fished them out, and he gave them to me! the shells were destroyed, so I put the Pearl lugs/hoops on my GP shells, and ended up with a serious sleeper

  20. #20

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    Before picture!
    Much later picture!

  21. #21

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    ^^nice^^ good save
    RDM/Damage Poets
    UFiP TAMAHA Zildjian
    REGAL TiP
    AQUARIAN

  22. #22

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    One of the more under rated sets I played back in the day was the Pearl World series.
    Big fat and warm, with a great lacquer finish.
    FibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibes FibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibes FibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibes FibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibes FibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibes FibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibes FibesFibesFibesFibesFibesFibes

  23. #23

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    Hey Johnny G how deep is that snare? Is that the Rogers 12x8
    Last edited by myk; 03-17-2015 at 08:27 PM.

  24. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by myk View Post
    Hey Johnny G how deep is that snare? Is that the Rogers 12x8
    Yes, that is the Roger's 1971 12 x 8 tom-turned-snare. Love love love the sound of that drum.
    Proudly playing:
    Doc Sweeney Drums
    A bunch of snares
    A bunch of cymbals

    Off-Set double pedals

    I think I love to play the drums simply because you get to hit 'em!!!

  25. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by gdmoore28 View Post
    Thats interesting the way you have that set configured. Looks like you are using a lefty double pedal to shift the bass drum to the left? Years ago I set up a kit in store by first placing the snare where I wanted it, then placing the three upper toms at snare level, and the same for the two flying floor toms. Then I used a lefty dbl pedal to slide the bass drum in directly in front of the hi hat stand. I couldn't believe how comfortable that set was and how easy it was to do runs across the toms. I need to try that again with my current kit.

    GeeDeeEmm
    Actually, what you have there is an Off-Set pedal. Matched performance for L and R foot. Totally ergonomically friendly. Strongly recommend checking them out.
    Proudly playing:
    Doc Sweeney Drums
    A bunch of snares
    A bunch of cymbals

    Off-Set double pedals

    I think I love to play the drums simply because you get to hit 'em!!!

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