Upgrading

I've long held that the problem with upgrading or with using high quality equipment is that then you get accustomed to that level of performance and your life becomes more expensive. I've thought this to be true of bicycles and of musical instruments in particular. And so I've tried to some extent not to expose myself to higher quality things.

I don't really know why, but when I bought the second kit I started feeling bad about the fact that I had bought something so crappy. It made me feel like a loser and made me immediately want to upgrade the kit. This is an unusual way for me to feel.

But so began the great update. I am now about $600 into what began as "I'll just pick up this cheap kit off Craig's List". I can feel another $600 going out the window before I'll feel totally set up for a while too.

In the end I still think that the kit purchase, at $150, was probably a good deal. The toms and bass are solid and it would have cost double or more to buy any other ones. And heads, stands, cymbals are usually sold separately anyway...so it's not like I would not have needed those things anyway.

Yesterday, my order from Musician's Friend of heads and a straight cymbal stand came in. I replaced the resonent heads, including bass, on the new kit...and switched my good bass batter head to the new kit as well. The new baby now has new stuff all the way. Well, with the exception of the snare, which I think is kind of crap. I'm going to use the new toms with my old snare and all of my best hardware as my "gig" kit now...leaving whatever is left over set up permanently at home to practice on. My best cymbals will do double duty on both kits. I'm pretty happy about the new straight stand. I've been using the light weight one from the new kit at Drain practice and it scoots away from me constantly. The new one is REALLY heavy. It should stay put.

I also, after days of research but still relatively on a whim, went to Good N Loud and bought a set of used Zildjian A New Beat 13" hi hats for $185. I wanted the 14" ones and wanted to pay less than $175...but by the time I got there...there was no going back once I saw that they had a set of New Beats. After my nearly exclusively online research, these had emerged as my main choice on a list of "keep your eye out for" models. These would have been $300-$325 new.

At SSW practice last night I used the New Beats and the El Sabor ride I bought last weekend. The El Sabor had been a little bit of a disappointment when I got it home. It is very bright and I didn't like it as much as I thought I would (I do like the bell a lot though). But playing the El Sabor without ear plugs with a live band...it sounded fine. I do think one day I may want to get a "darker" ride. I'm finally starting to understand what that means. Something in the "K" family of Zildjians maybe.

And then there was the New Beats.

Oh my god. These sound and play totally differently than any hi hats I've ever played. They are awesome. I'm going to have to totally adjust my playing because they are so sensitive to my foot pressure...I used to have lots of slack and now it really matters how much pressure I apply. It feels like a whole new world.

And so...as I suspected...I'm ruined and in for great expense. Perhaps another $600 before the dust settles, though there's no rush on any of it.

The anticipated progression of money:
-replace the tom brackets at least on the gig kit if not on both kits. I researched today and to replace these with Pearl-style mounts it will cost about $65-$75 per kit. This is the most cheaply made thing on my kits and the most irritating. I took a good look this morning and realized it is totally replaceable with Pearl-style mounts. This would make set up and tear down way easier and I wouldn't always have toms getting loose or falling. This may become priority one now that I know it is possible

-Probably priority two: get a good quality crash. I'd like to have two on the kit. First get something bigger than the 16 inch I have...then later add a second 16 inch to replace the Colorsound I have (maybe...maybe not...would be down the road). I can get a crash for less than $200 used I suspect...perhaps even lower...but research pending.

-get a good quality snare. I wasn't really worried about this until last night...but I realized that it could really elevate my playing the way the new hi hats will. My old snare is actually in decent shape...the new one is crap. I'll need to decide if I want an upgraded metal snare (both of the ones I have now are metal) or to get a wood snare. This could run a huge range of cost and I imagine will take a while to research. I think I probably could find something in the $200 range to suit me though.

-a good quality splash...still not sure if this is needed. I think most splashs kind of sound shitty...it's inherent in the product. Probably I will just move away from using the splash so much and move into using crashes more. Wearing earplugs will make this possible and playing with louder bands may require it.

-eventually...no rush...get a darker or better ride cymbal. This would be a "keep an eye out for used" situation. Just wait until a steal or a really great cymbal comes along. I don't want to spend more than $150...but rides, especially nice ones, can be really expensive. I want to wait for the right one more than pick up a steal. I bought my cheapie already (the El Sabor) and that'll be fine until something great comes along.

The good news...I think my hardware is where I need it to be for the most part now except for ongoing repair and replacements. And I'm totally happy with my bass pedals. There isn't much in the way of accessories that I need either. Heads and sticks will continue to be an ongoing expense, of course. But I think I can make things respectable for a reasonable amount. $1200 at the end of the day SEEMS like a ton of money...and it is for me...but I essentially saved another $600 on the kit.