Been away from drumming for 30 years...thinking of giving it a go again....

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smittyboy63 said:
Yeah, I haven't heard back yet from any of the storage or recording studios that I emailed regarding rehearsal spaces.
Without a place to practice, I will never be able to set my kit up again and play it. It's not looking very promising so far.
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Get a set of Roland’s to practice with .
I resisted for a long time but I really enjoy not worrying about bothering folks .
 
smittyboy63 said:
W


I'm definitely going to keep the same size kit. I always loved rolling around the toms and having all the various tones from high to low. I see folks playing Rush tunes on 4 piece kits that are amazing players, but I miss hearing those high concert tom tones. I was really into hard rock and progressive rock growing up, and all those old recordings still play a major influence on me today.

Thanks for the recommendations. I'll Google the thrones and check them out.

Yeah, I don't even know where to start with bass pedals nowadays. Just watched a recent video of Phil Collins son laughing at the Speed King pedals we all used back in the day. I have never used any other pedal than a Speed King, as simple and clunky as they are, and really wouldn't know where to start or even what to look for in other pedals. Maybe someone can update me and give me the low down on features to look for in new pedals?

I wrote Precision Drum Co. and got a rough quote back from them today, in regards to shipping them my shells, with wraps still on, and hardware removed. For my 9 drums (minus my chrome snare) they want $400 for removing the old wraps, $800 for wrap itself, and $1160 for wrap installation...total: $2660.00, which isn't bad, as buying a kit this big nowadays would cost WAY more. I've thought about doing the wrap myself, but am not really set up where I currently live to do the job..at least I don't think. I think I'd be confident in everything but removing the old wraps, as I have no clue how the original went on...if it's glued all the way around or not?

My drums are 1979 6-ply Ludwig's. I bought them brand new. I actually custom ordered everything from Ludwig, through a Mom'n'Pop music store. They are heavy drums.
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Do your drums have the rivets on the seams? I don't know the exact year Ludwig started doing that, I had a late 70s chrome over wood kit that definitely had the rivets. If there's no rivets and you just have regular overlapped seams somewhere on the drums, it's safe to assume they were glued all the way around. If it's a riveted wrapped set, it might not be glued all the way around but the rivets can pose a lot more hassle. I might not mess with that, to be honest.

It's a process, but one that can be mastered. Usually you'll want to take a heat gun on a lower setting and gently work the wrap off as evenly around as possible with a paint scraper. It can be time consuming, but it's not something you want to rush. Sand any glue residue off (I prefer a finer grit paper or sponge through the whole process to avoid over sanding), clean shells thoroughly and use contact cement to reapply the new wrap, which can be ordered in pre-cut pieces which saves time. That said, if you're not set-up to do it, I'd keep it as is for now. There's polishes you can get to make your current wrap look really good and new again. Black is certainly timeless, and those cortex wraps usually hold up really well through the decades. If you really get back into it, you could always find a smaller black sparkle kit down the road.

As far as pedals go, if all you've ever played are Speed Kings, I'd stick with what you remember for now. The new ones are really good, honestly. There's a few minor upgrades they put into it, like new bearings and a drum key attachment to the base plate, but it's essentially the same pedal. I think the linkage might be a bit beefier as well, but I'm not certain. They look identical to me but the feel on my new one seems sturdier, somehow. But smooth, and no squeak yet.

I'm not a huge fan of chain drive pedals, but I've played a few Tama Iron Cobra pedals and they're nice. I don't like Tama Drums but their hardware has always been decent, and still is.
 
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wflkurt said:
The snare you have also looks like a 6.5x14 LM 402 and those are fairly collectable thanks to the Bonham connection.
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I have a 1979 chrome Ludwig Supraphonic. I always loved this snare. It has a great sound. I think the last time I played it, had been awhile since I had inspected it, and I actually had rust in places, and lots of pitted chrome. I should have paid more attention to it after I played gigs and band practices, but I didn't. I'm one of those drummers that sweats like a pig when I play, LOL. Hence, the rust and pits. Here's a nice video I just found of it on YouTube:

Ludwig Supraphonic 14 x 6.5 (1979) Vintage
 
theludwigman said:
Do your drums have the rivets on the seams? I don't know the exact year Ludwig started doing that, I had a late 70s chrome over wood kit that definitely had the rivets. If there's no rivets and you just have regular overlapped seams somewhere on the drums, it's safe to assume they were glued all the way around. If it's a riveted wrapped set, it might not be glued all the way around but the rivets can pose a lot more hassle. I might not mess with that, to be honest.

It's a process, but one that can be mastered. Usually you'll want to take a heat gun on a lower setting and gently work the wrap off as evenly around as possible with a paint scraper. It can be time consuming, but it's not something you want to rush. Sand any glue residue off (I prefer a finer grit paper or sponge through the whole process to avoid over sanding), clean shells thoroughly and use contact cement to reapply the new wrap, which can be ordered in pre-cut pieces which saves time. That said, if you're not set-up to do it, I'd keep it as is for now. There's polishes you can get to make your current wrap look really good and new again. Black is certainly timeless, and those cortex wraps usually hold up really well through the decades. If you really get back into it, you could always find a smaller black sparkle kit down the road.

As far as pedals go, if all you've ever played are Speed Kings, I'd stick with what you remember for now. The new ones are really good, honestly. There's a few minor upgrades they put into it, like new bearings and a drum key attachment to the base plate, but it's essentially the same pedal. I think the linkage might be a bit beefier as well, but I'm not certain. They look identical to me but the feel on my new one seems sturdier, somehow. But smooth, and no squeak yet.

I'm not a huge fan of chain drive pedals, but I've played a few Tama Iron Cobra pedals and they're nice. I don't like Tama Drums but their hardware has always been decent, and still is.
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I don't recall ever seeing rivets on the seams, but I haven't seen my kit closely in 12 years. It's in a storage facility about 20 miles away. I am planning on driving down there soon, just to pull the kit out and evaluate things. Re-wrapping would be something down the line. First I need to just replace some busted equipment and then play for awhile...then decide if I want to go the re-wrap route down the road. If I did that, it would be shipped off to Precision Drum Co. , as I have no desire to possibly mess my kit up. I'd rather leave it to the professionals (even though it would cost an arm and a leg).

And yes, I was checking out the newer Speed King pedals on YouTube, and have decided that is the way I would go. That is the only pedal I've ever played on, so it makes sense to stick with something I know I liked. I'm still debating hi-hat choices...not sure what I want, or like, that's current. And yes, I have always liked Tama hardware. They were the kings of drum hardware in the late 1970's - early 1980's. I do have two Tama concert toms though. Not sure why I bought them and not Ludwigs though, it's been so long ago. They are the concert toms with the grayish-oatmeal coating on the inner shell (I don't know what they called them?). I also had bought a 10" and a 12", and looking back, I'm also not sure why I bought a 12" concert tom when I also have the 12" double-headed Ludwig tom. Maybe I was planning on adding the 6" and 8" at some point, and wanted 4 of them in a row??? I do know I ordered the concert toms from a different store back then.
 
Houndog said:
Get a set of Roland’s to practice with .
Click to expand...
I have a set, but to be honest I hated playing on them. I dropped around $3,500.00 on an electronic set in 1888...the Gibraltar rack, 5 Yamaha pads, a Roland R8, and an Octapad. I bought it specifically so I could play in the apartment I was living in at the time, figuring it wouldn't make any noise and I could play with headphones on. Wrong! Within one week of playing them I had my downstairs neighbor banging on her ceiling (my floor), screaming to stop. I play hard and I'm one of those guys who doesn't keep my foot flat on the pedal. I play on the top pad of my foot and toes, and I kick hard. This drove my downstairs neighbor crazy, LOL. It wouldn't be any different where I live now. It would drive my 94 year-old Dad crazy as well. And to be honest, even if I could play it again, I wouldn't. I hated playing on plastic pads. Some folks might like these kits, but to me it was a big waste of money. I just couldn't get into it.

Here's my electronic kit. Pics taken in the apartment back then with the screaming neighbor beneath me:

Roland1.jpg


Roland2.jpg
 
smittyboy63 said:
Hey all,

61 year-old guy here. I started playing drums when I was 3. Took formal lessons from 7 thru 15. Played constantly up until I hit my early 30's. Work, a relationship, and no place to play, or practice, took me away from things. And to be honest, once I started playing clubs, I hated it...the late nights, the drunks, dragging the huge kit around, unpacking it and carrying it up 3 flights to my apartment after gigs. Lots of excuses, but I just got burnt out on the music scene at the time. And honestly, I didn't really miss it anymore. I dove into all kinds of other hobbies that filled my time and kept me busy. I was a really good drummer though, and kind of kick myself now for walking away from it. Currently, I am a caregiver to my 94 year-old Dad, living out in the middle of nowhere. I haven't picked up my sticks since the early 90's when grunge was HUGE!

Anyway, I'm having day dreams of somehow being able to play again. My kit has been in storage in a storage locker for the last 12 years. When I played my last gig, my drum throne broke (pole came up through the seat), and my Tama hi-hat stand pedal broke. I also had cracked two of my Zildjians. And years ago I lent my Speed King pedals to someone and never got them back. So it needs some investing. Recently, I've dreamed of re-wrapping it, as it took alot of abuse years back, and instead of buying new drums, I thought it would be cool to re-wrap them...not sure how much that would cost, as I have nowhere to do that presently myself. I also would love to put everything on a Gibraltar rack...get rid of a bunch of the stands. Just make it look like a new kit again.

I was on Ebay tonight looking at Ludwig kits. I am mortified that a 4 piece kit is going between $2,000 and $3,000.
OMG! I can't believe that. I paid around $3,000 for this Ludwig kit below in 1979 (I was in 11th grade)...and I have 10 drums, not 4, LOL.

I have to admit, I still love big kits. I grew up playing a 4-piece, but when I hit my early teens I wanted more drums, as big kits were all the rage in the 1970's. My observation was they faded out when Nirvana hit. I rarely see them anymore. I see there's all kinds of new stuff out there now. Stuff I've never seen before...weird cymbals and all kinds of other stuff. I've been away for awhile.

Anyway, here is my current Ludwig kit, w/Tama concert toms, and Tama cymbal stands. It replaced a red-sparkle Ledo Supreme kit that I got when I was in 2nd grade. This pic was taken in 1986, when I was living in the basement of my cousin's house. I ended up adding two more cymbals to it after this was taken (a China-type and another crash). It's a pretty kit, but I'd love it to be black "sparkle" instead of just plain ol' black. When I bought it in 1979, I was a HUGE Rush fan. Hemispheres had just been released and I wanted black chrome, but Ludwig only had black when I bought this.

I'm just curious though. How much would a vintage kit like this sell for now?

View attachment 731555
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First off, welcome to the Drum Forum. Congrats on your rekindled interest to play again. Nice Kit Man!!

I'm 73 now, In 2019, after receiving a cheapo Kit for 2018 Xmas from my Bride (at that time 44 years, now 50 years), I resurrected playing drums again after a 50 Year Hiatus [1969]. Never played in clubs , etc. but had been a member of 3 piece Garage Band (HS Buddies). At that time (I don't want to be redundant in my posts here) I had taken lessons at our local Music Store circa 1967 bought a Cheapo Kit form that store and teamed up with the other guys - one of which had a home with a basement. That's where I kept the drum set. After HS Graduation June 1969, we stayed together for a little longer and then went separate ways ..... I had to dispose of the drum set because I had no where to keep them living in an apartment with my parents. Then as I was seeing Retirement in My Headlights in the fall of 2018 (started working June 1973 in real estate finance) , one day I mentioned to my wife ..."I Think I'd Like to Go to a local Music Studio, just to bang on their drums for bit". That Xmas, she got me a Gammon Cheapo kit as a surprise gift. I never did go to that Studio. Set the kit up in my finished basement of our Ranch House here in Westchester County, NY, watching the included videos on how to do that. Plugged in an old Boom Box, played a Cassette tape (one of many in my collection) and played "Time Is On My Side" by The Stones. During the course of the 50 years, like all of us who have Drumming in their Blood, I would always be drumming on desks, Dashboards, etc.... The song has a very basic beat, which was easy to duplicate and play. That Gammon Kit was given to my 4 year old Grandson who loved playing the drums every time they were here visiting, but really hasn't touched them much since. I purchased a USED PDP Concept Maple Kit, New Cymbalas, new drum heads, etc. Watched Countless Videos about Drum Tuning - an acquired ART as far as I'm concerned. Now I play as a retirement Hobby (finally retired with lots of back issues (OA in the Spine) in May 2021) - about 1 hour a day, 4-6X a week. I play along to MY MUSIC which is somewhat different than yours. Who Knows....Maybe If I try hard enough I may be able to hook up with local Geratric Musicians for a Jam Session or two!.
 
I’m a couple years younger than you, and I just retired. I took some short breaks along the way, but always came back to the drums. In 2012, I was really inspired after attending the CT Drum Show, and I have not let up since. I travel as light as possible to gigs now, with as few drums and cymbals as it takes to cover the gig. And speaking of gigs - it’s been years since I have played a gig that has gone past 9 or 10 PM. Later this summer, we are playing a set at a local fair from 10 - 11 AM! I wish ALL the gigs could be that time!

Welcome back and best of luck to you!
 
MrDrums2112 said:
And speaking of gigs - it’s been years since I have played a gig that has gone past 9 or 10 PM.
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I can remember back in the 90's, playing gigs that started at 8:00PM, and we did 4 sets, and didn't stop til 1:30am. We weren't allowed to start taking our equipment down til the bar was empty...around 2:00am. I wouldn't have my Honda hatchback packed up til 2:30am. Then I got home at 3:00am, and it took 8 trips to carry my equipment up 3 flights to my apartment at the time. I wasn't in bed til 4:00am-4:30am. That was part of the reason I was done with playing clubs back then. I was working 40 hours a week and it was too hard to juggle. All I want to do now is find a place to sit and play alone...maybe after a year of getting back into the swing finding a bass player to jam with. I still don't know how I'm going to play yet, as I cannot find any place to set my kit up and leave it...safely.
 
smittyboy63 said:
I can remember back in the 90's, playing gigs that started at 8:00PM, and we did 4 sets, and didn't stop til 1:30am. We weren't allowed to start taking our equipment down til the bar was empty...around 2:00am. I wouldn't have my Honda hatchback packed up til 2:30am. Then I got home at 3:00am, and it took 8 trips to carry my equipment up 3 flights to my apartment at the time. I wasn't in bed til 4:00am-4:30am. That was part of the reason I was done with playing clubs back then. I was working 40 hours a week and it was too hard to juggle. All I want to do now is find a place to sit and play alone...maybe after a year of getting back into the swing finding a bass player to jam with. I still don't know how I'm going to play yet, as I cannot find any place to set my kit up and leave it...safely.
Click to expand...
Man, that's what I would call Devotion. 8 trips up and down 3 flights of stairs with equipment makes you a Rocky Balboa! I can hear Gonna Fly Now in the background!

I'm not qualified, but maybe you could become a studio drummer as an option?
 
smittyboy63 said:
I wrote Precision Drum Co. and got a rough quote back from them today, in regards to shipping them my shells, with wraps still on, and hardware removed. For my 9 drums (minus my chrome snare) they want $400 for removing the old wraps, $800 for wrap itself, and $1160 for wrap installation...total: $2660.00, which isn't bad, as buying a kit this big nowadays would cost WAY more. I've thought about doing the wrap myself, but am not really set up where I currently live to do the job..at least I don't think. I think I'd be confident in everything but removing the old wraps, as I have no clue how the original went on...if it's glued all the way around or not?

My drums are 1979 6-ply Ludwig's. I bought them brand new. I actually custom ordered everything from Ludwig, through a Mom'n'Pop music store. They are heavy drums.
Click to expand...

With shipping you could be into that re-wrap for around $3000. I would guess that it "could" only add $1K-$2K to the current value of your drums.
And it all assumes the re-wrap goes well, original badges and grommets transfer perfectly, etc. And even with a "new" re-wrap you still have the same
46 year old chrome hardware. Vintage 1979 Ludwigs with decent to good wraps probably bring more money than a fresh re-wrap.

Your Tama toms sound like either Imperialstar or Swingstar series with the Zola coat interiors. Not big dollars in the 10" and 12" sizes. $125-$175 for the pair imo.
 
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Tama CW said:
Your Tama toms sound like either Imperialstar or Swingstar series with the Zola coat interiors. Not big dollars in the 10" and 12" sizes. $125-$175 for the pair imo.
Click to expand...
Well, that is ALL good to know. Thank you.
What is that coating made of and why did they do that?
 
Houndog said:
They did that to cover up bad looking wood .
Click to expand...
LOL, well you never know. I was just curious why they weren't wood on the inside.
I don't remember what the guy in the music store told me all those years ago, but apparently he sold me on them.
 
smittyboy63 said:
Hey all,

61 year-old guy here. I started playing drums when I was 3. Took formal lessons from 7 thru 15. Played constantly up until I hit my early 30's. Work, a relationship, and no place to play, or practice, took me away from things. And to be honest, once I started playing clubs, I hated it...the late nights, the drunks, dragging the huge kit around, unpacking it and carrying it up 3 flights to my apartment after gigs. Lots of excuses, but I just got burnt out on the music scene at the time. And honestly, I didn't really miss it anymore. I dove into all kinds of other hobbies that filled my time and kept me busy. I was a really good drummer though, and kind of kick myself now for walking away from it. Currently, I am a caregiver to my 94 year-old Dad, living out in the middle of nowhere. I haven't picked up my sticks since the early 90's when grunge was HUGE!

Anyway, I'm having day dreams of somehow being able to play again. My kit has been in storage in a storage locker for the last 12 years. When I played my last gig, my drum throne broke (pole came up through the seat), and my Tama hi-hat stand pedal broke. I also had cracked two of my Zildjians. And years ago I lent my Speed King pedals to someone and never got them back. So it needs some investing. Recently, I've dreamed of re-wrapping it, as it took alot of abuse years back, and instead of buying new drums, I thought it would be cool to re-wrap them...not sure how much that would cost, as I have nowhere to do that presently myself. I also would love to put everything on a Gibraltar rack...get rid of a bunch of the stands. Just make it look like a new kit again.

I was on Ebay tonight looking at Ludwig kits. I am mortified that a 4 piece kit is going between $2,000 and $3,000.
OMG! I can't believe that. I paid around $3,000 for this Ludwig kit below in 1979 (I was in 11th grade)...and I have 10 drums, not 4, LOL.

I have to admit, I still love big kits. I grew up playing a 4-piece, but when I hit my early teens I wanted more drums, as big kits were all the rage in the 1970's. My observation was they faded out when Nirvana hit. I rarely see them anymore. I see there's all kinds of new stuff out there now. Stuff I've never seen before...weird cymbals and all kinds of other stuff. I've been away for awhile.

Anyway, here is my current Ludwig kit, w/Tama concert toms, and Tama cymbal stands. It replaced a red-sparkle Ledo Supreme kit that I got when I was in 2nd grade. This pic was taken in 1986, when I was living in the basement of my cousin's house. I ended up adding two more cymbals to it after this was taken (a China-type and another crash). It's a pretty kit, but I'd love it to be black "sparkle" instead of just plain ol' black. When I bought it in 1979, I was a HUGE Rush fan. Hemispheres had just been released and I wanted black chrome, but Ludwig only had black when I bought this.

I'm just curious though. How much would a vintage kit like this sell for now?

View attachment 731555
Click to expand...
Welcome back to drumming and welcome to DFO, a great forum with knowledgeable and friendly members. For rewrap ping and restoring sets, I would check out Lawton Drum Company, Jim Lawton, owner, of Sunbury, PA. Reasonable prices and excellent work, http://www.lawtondrum.com/

Jim rewrapped a Gretsch RB floor tom for me and he kept me informed and I couldn’t have been happier with the results.

I can’t help with hihat recommendations since I use a 1970s era Rogers, but the hardware by all major companies is top notch. I have newer Ludwig stuff (series 900 and 800) from 2008 and I’d recommend Ludwig hardware as well as DW, Tama, new Rogers, Yamaha, and Canopus without reservation. Look forward to hearing about your progress and welcome aboard. -Bill the Drummer.
 
Hey all,

Just wanted to say, after weeks of deliberation, I have finally pushed the purchase button at Sweetwater.
What did I buy?

• Lightweight folding music stand (for something to hold my music when I'm reading rudiment and stick control manuals)
• A second Speed King pedal (yeah, I know they're archaic, but they always did the job for me...my other one is currently being refurbished by Baltimore Drum Company)
• Aquarian Superkick II Clear Bass Drum Heads (qty 2 - for my double bass drums)
• Aquarian Regulators Black Center Port Reso Heads (qty 2 - for my double bass drums)
• Ludwig Pro Saddle Throne
• Aquarian Texture Coated Reverse Dot Batter Head w/Reso Head 14" (for my snare)
• Ludwig Snare Wires Vintage 14" - 18 strand
• Tama Iron Cobra Lever Glide Hi-Hat Stand
• Evans E-Rings Standard Pack
• Overtone Labs Tune-Bot Drum Tuner

Anyway, just wanted to thank you all for all the advice you've given me, and for putting up with my tons of questions about the current equipment out there, as I was really in the dark after being away from playing all these years. You guys have been great! Cheers! And wish me luck!
 
smittyboy63 said:
Hey all,

Just wanted to say, after weeks of deliberation, I have finally pushed the purchase button at Sweetwater.
What did I buy?

• Lightweight folding music stand (for something to hold my music when I'm reading rudiment and stick control manuals)
• A second Speed King pedal (yeah, I know they're archaic, but they always did the job for me...my other one is currently being refurbished by Baltimore Drum Company)
• Aquarian Superkick II Clear Bass Drum Heads (qty 2 - for my double bass drums)
• Aquarian Regulators Black Center Port Reso Heads (qty 2 - for my double bass drums)
• Ludwig Pro Saddle Throne
• Aquarian Texture Coated Reverse Dot Batter Head w/Reso Head 14" (for my snare)
• Ludwig Snare Wires Vintage 14" - 18 strand
• Tama Iron Cobra Lever Glide Hi-Hat Stand
• Evans E-Rings Standard Pack
• Overtone Labs Tune-Bot Drum Tuner

Anyway, just wanted to thank you all for all the advice you've given me, and for putting up with my tons of questions about the current equipment out there, as I was really in the dark after being away from playing all these years. You guys have been great! Cheers! And wish me luck!
Click to expand...
Good Luck!! PS: I use the Evans E-Rings on 4 of my 5 Toms. They seem to work for me, cutting the overtones just right (with some Tuning Tweaks).
 
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