New band (UK)

[Leprechaun]

Hi, just joined, and thought I'd make a start here

I'm Ed, and I'm the drummer for a very new (heheshiny) cover band from Lincolnshire, UK. At the moment we're The Scarves, because we started up in late November and it was very cold the first night we practiced, but this is subject to change as the weather improves

Ended up winning the school's talent show this December (Bon Jovi - You Give Love A Bad Name seems to be more popular than we'd expected), rather handy 'cause it's the last year before we're all off to uni, and we've just started getting our hands on some proper live venues to get the word out.

We're playing mostly classic/more modern rock and some blues, with a bit of swing improv/pop mixed in occasionally, so Bon Jovi to John Mayer to Alphabeat to Sara Bareilles(sp?). Really it's whatever we feel like. We oughta have some videos or recordings by the end of March or so, and if there's even the slightest bit of demand then I'll put them up somewhere for people to see.

We do have a problem, though, and it's my drumkit. I'm mostly happy with my cymbals, because I bought most of them myself separately from the kit, but the basic kit is a Black Mamba beginner's kit, and so as far as live gigging is concerned I might as well hammer away at a pile of yak buttocks for all the difference it'll make. Wouldn't be such a problem but that I have precisely no money to buy a new kit with.

So, can anyone suggest a basic set by a good manufacturer that'll be good for live playing in pretty small venues but isn't going to cost much? I've looked myself, but I'm completely self-taught and so not only am I not as good as I'd like to be, I also don't know that much about the kits themselves beyond some decent basics.

Basically I need a new bass drum, snare, a new tom-tom (I only play with one attached to the bass drum, the other broke in the night and now I prefer it this way, kinda jazz setup), one or two floor toms and a new ride cymbal.

My current cymbals are Paiste 101 14" and Zildjian Planet Z 16" crashes, a Zildjian ZBT 10" splash, Planet Z 13" hi-hats and a Pearl CX-500 ride, although the size has rubbed off and I can't be assed to measure.

Basically, the sound I want from the toms is a fairly deep sound (although this can be achieved nicely with tuning), with plenty of punch. The bass drum again wants to be quite small ( I'd like the kit to be compact as possible, really), quite deep but punchy, without too much reverb, and the ride wants to be a nice bright pingy sound that'll cut through the rest nicely without sustaining too long. I know a lot of this depends on the heads and tuning, and the acoustics of the room, but I'm really mainly after decent quality at a low price.

For all the other kit, we're okay, we're getting hold of some decent mic equipment and our guitarist has a pretty decent PA system, so really it is just my drumkit that's holding the sound back. Pity it's gonna be the most expensive bit to sort, but that's life, eh?

[pastor_bob]

Leprechan, I might suggest the Gretsch Catalina Club Jazz kit (4 piece), or even the Catalina Maple Limited Edition kit (6 piece), which is cheaper, and which you could configure any way that you want. Both of them are shell packs, but if you already have hardware, these would be good kits.

[Leprechaun]

Looks nice, but I'd be relying on ebay. There's nowhere I can find around Lincolnshire that stocks any Gretch. I'm trawling ebay at the moment for second hand Pearl kits. An old Export would do fine, and there's a BLX going cheap at the moment, no reserve. Do you know what kinda price Exports or BLX-es usually go for?

Ooh, just found a Gretsch Catalina Ash Series on ebay. Youtube gives a decent impression of the kit, but the sound quality's not great on the vids I've found. Can you recommend this kit, or is it not worth £350 (about $490)? We do seem to pay more for things over here, but I'm not sure about the standard prices, really.

[Dustin]

Firstly welcome mate

there is a Mapex V series shell pack on Ebay for £139 plus shipping!!!!! It has no snare but for that money I would grab it with both hands right now! You could use you existing cymbal stands for now and pick up a snare from ebay quite cheap too. I will pm you the link as its not permitted to post links to commercial sites on DC!

[Dustin]

you can pick up a brand name snare on ebay for as little as £40!

[Leprechaun]

So you'd definitely recommend the Mapex V series for live playing (small venues)? I've got the link, and it looks pretty good.

I take it shell packs come with heads, then? Never bought a shell pack before.

I'm also looking to lay my hands on a decent new ride. Paiste seem to be the biggest name at a low price, but is there anything I need to know about them?

Thanks for the link!

[ratmycue]

yeh leppy, nice to meet ya. That mapex sounds like a great deal and Ive heard good things about them.

[Dustin]

So you'd definitely recommend the Mapex V series for live playing (small venues)? I've got the link, and it looks pretty good.

I take it shell packs come with heads, then? Never bought a shell pack before.

I'm also looking to lay my hands on a decent new ride. Paiste seem to be the biggest name at a low price, but is there anything I need to know about them?

Thanks for the link!

Its a decent entry to mid level kit - as with all things Mapex the quality is outstanding. it does come with heads and tom holders but thats about it! For £140 you cant go wrong mate.

Re cymbals - unlike drums which even the cheapest kit can sound good with careful tuning and decent drum heads, its best to go for the best quality cymbals you can. I use Paiste and would recomend them to anyone

[Leprechaun]

Found a V Series from the same dealer in a much nicer pure silver for £115, even cheaper and in about the same condition. Gonna lay ahold of it tonight, I think, and leave the snare for later. Thanks hugely for that link!

[Dustin]

Found a V Series from the same dealer in a much nicer pure silver for £115, even cheaper and in about the same condition. Gonna lay ahold of it tonight, I think, and leave the snare for later. Thanks hugely for that link!

No problem mate - my pleasure. Remember to post pics when you get the drums and add the "Mapex Mafia" to your signature too!!

[Leprechaun]

No problem mate - my pleasure. Remember to post pics when you get the drums and add the "Mapex Mafia" to your signature too!!

Will do, and will do :D

Just waiting on the post now :P

Thanks again!

[Leprechaun]

It's here, set up and I'll be tuning and playing with it all tomorrow to get it set up how I like.


This bass drum has a kick like an artillery piece :D

[Dustin]

Hows the kit sounding mate?

[Leprechaun]

Tunes better even with my limited knowledge of drum tuning, more resonant. Sounds much better, but it's taking me ages to get used to having another tom, and I have blisters from playing too much :P

[Leprechaun]

Haha, time to resurrect this thread with a piccie of three of our four band members at our last ever jam session before we all go our separate ways to university.

So, from left to right, me (drums, of course!), Chris (guitar and my best friend, he'll be joining me at Durham University), and Helen (bass, Oxford University). Not pictured is Vici, our singer, who's packing to move down to the University of Kent on Saturday and so couldn't make it.

[AlexGoodwin]

Yo! im from LINCS aswell! nice to have some-one local to me around the forum!

Where are you from? im from a village just outside Lincoln called Welton. However my family is from the Boston area.

Would be nice to hear back!

Alex.

[Leprechaun]

Sturton by Stow, kinda halfway between Lincoln and Gainsborough. You're about 8.5 miles up Scampton hill :P

[AlexGoodwin]

Sturton by Stow, kinda halfway between Lincoln and Gainsborough. You're about 8.5 miles up Scampton hill :P

Really ? haha, both my girlfreind and 2 of my best friends live in Sturton! its a small world!

What school did you go to, QE? i am in 6th form at William Farr!

Alex.

[Leprechaun]

Haha, this is far too much of a small world :P

Yeah, I went to QEHS in Gainsborough. Moving out to Durham University on Saturday though!

[AlexGoodwin]

Haha, this is far too much of a small world :P

Yeah, I went to QEHS in Gainsborough. Moving out to Durham University on Saturday though!

Ah cool! My best freinds brother is also going to Durham to study Geography! CRAZY TIMES !

Alex.

[Leprechaun]

No joke! What college?

[AlexGoodwin]

No joke! What college?

I think it could be Collingwood? is that one? im sure he said that anyway!

Alex.

[Leprechaun]

Yeah, Collingwood's one of my college's biggest rivals (I'm at Grey), but we seem to get along very well when we're not being rivals :P

I have a friend who'll be at Collingwood also. Smalllll world.

[AlexGoodwin]

Yeah, Collingwood's one of my college's biggest rivals (I'm at Grey), but we seem to get along very well when we're not being rivals :P

I have a friend who'll be at Collingwood also. Smalllll world.

Yehp !