Adopting a New Baby

Last Saturday I bought a drum kit for $150 off of Craigslist. I'm still marginally conflicted about the purchase. I have this thing about making the most out of cheap stuff. I've been looking for just such a deal.

The kit is a Pulse standard set: 12, 13, 16, 22 w/ 14 steel snare. The hardware and cymbals are total crap as was expected, though the cymbals honestly aren't as bad as I'd expected. The hardware is possibly worse than expected though. The kit is about a year old and bought on the internet for a 12 year old who never got into it because "it was too loud." Well that is certainly true. Ear plugs are my best friend these days.

The kit is essentially the new version of the kit that I already own...though my kit has already gone through the upgrading of hardware, cymbals, and heads. I've not upgraded far mind you...but far enough to get along.

I wanted a second kit for two reasons. First to possibly have one kit to leave set up for practice and one to leave packed up that I'd only use for shows. Essentially this would eliminate one take down and set up cycle for every show. Less wear on both my back and my hardware. This option doesn't really become viable until I have at least two sets of functioning hardware, though.

The second reason is to have a kit that can go live somewhere else if I'm ever in a band that practices somewhere besides my house and that doesn't have a kit on site. Perhaps too much planning ahead. And that two would require another set of hardware...and probably cymbals too in order to make it truly convienent.

I toy too with getting a THIRD kit to have in Indiana...but that's probably excessive. Thought this doesn't mean it won't happen some day.

I thought the acquisition of the new kit would make me happy...but it has kind of made me sad, cause it makes me think of the things that I need to upgrade and replace. And this leads me to wonder if I should just get a second set of intermediate level hardware...or replace the hardware that I have with the next step up and recycle the intermediate stuff to the other kit. I'm leaning this way, because I seem headed towards needing to replace that stuff anyway. Screws just don't hold. I don't know what real mashers do. I'm pretty easy on the stuff and it all shifts. Maybe mashers have to buy better quality stuff.

But then I wonder...is the better quality stuff THAT much better. I really don't know how to tell. I mean cheap stuff is obvious to a point. But it is hard to know where the balance of quality versus cost hits the level. I'd pay $150 for a crash stand if I knew it would last ten years instead of two. But otherwise, it's hard to not just buy the $75 stand instead and put up with it when it starts to fail.

I suppose this is the age-old question of consumerism.

I'm happy with the shells, though. And honestly, when you buy drums, unless they are a complete used kit, you usually buy the shells separate from the hardware and cymbals anyway. So essentially what I got was a really good deal on shells that I can live with (normally they'd be $300 or so...so I got them half off).

I just don't ever think I'm gonna be able to justify buying expensive, higher quality stuff. I don't think it is in me. I hope that doesn't super restrict how far I can get in this game. I don't care about posturing...I just wonder if the equipment will limit my abilities at some point. I know that is true to a point...but there's probably also a limit to that effect.

Anyway...I just gotta take my time and fill out the second kit as I can. Keep an eye out for good deals on decent cymbals and not settle for buying crap new (repeat after me...I will NOT buy ZBT, ZHT, PST, etc cymbals). Look for sales and deals on hardware and add pieces slowly over time to mitigate the financial impact.

Patience.

Another result of all of this kit stuff...I think I'm starting to lean towards a leaner setup. Baby sitting Pant's kit for the last six months or so taught me that less can be enough.