Am I Crazy?

[Myvanpounds]

my 2 cents... take it or leave it. is that us musicians tend to chase the sound we want to hear or chase status with higher end gear. for example. I have a low end $350 ibanez bass. sounds good plays good. yet I'm not too happy with the look and fact that its not really high end... but every time I play other basses that look better and cost 2-3x more I'm disappointed with the sound and it gives me a greater appreciation for the bass I have. I've also sold decent cymbals because they just didn't do anything for me anymore.

[Healthie]

I consistently hear really good things about Stage customs. Same with that modest gretsch kit.

[space jeff]

I still want to know where yamaha gets the statistic that Recording Customs are the most recorded drumset ever. What about the 30 years before they existed when ludwig absolutely dominated the recording space. It seems like marketing BS to me.

I doubt there are actual numbers to back it up but pretty much every major studio in the world had a Recording Custom as the house kit and since engineers loved them, they were the kit of choice for pretty much every hit from 1975 onward. It doesn't matter what an artist endorses, the studio often has final call over the gear used on studio sessions and most pros will play on whatever the client wants.

[mzd]

Not going to sell my main kit (Saturns), but I did recently pick up a Stage Custom bob kit. Initially it was just to leave at a new rehearsal space (friends house) and I am very pleased with how great they sound. We also recently got a recurring lower volume gig at a smaller bar/restaurant so I’ve been gigging with the Stage Customs as well now - the 18” kick helps with both the smaller space and lower volume. They really are fantastic drums for the price.

[dale w miller]

For someone who has a mediocre ear, I find the more expensive drums to be easier to tune. Otherwise it gets to the point of “it’s a sound”. It’s just a matter whether you like that sound or not.

[HPD260]

Drums eventually reach a point of diminishing returns. Once you're past a certain point on the quality ladder, the nuances and changes in sound are incredibly hard to notice, even with a good ear.

I've owned an MMX, a BRX, and two References series kits among others. While I loved all of them for their own reasons, I also loved an $800 Tama Superstar just as much. If you think about it too much, it gets very hard to "justify" a $2,000+ kit when a kit from any of the big names intermediate lines would arguably sound just as good.

[Ron Gerber]

I sold a 13, 16, 22, MLX +10" MMX to buy an 8 pc cherry sunburst Prestige Session kit (SPX). I've had regrets occasionally but I'm not sorry.

[sinuatus]

I still want to know where yamaha gets the statistic that Recording Customs are the most recorded drumset ever. What about the 30 years before they existed when ludwig absolutely dominated the recording space. It seems like marketing BS to me.

Yeah, and also, is Tama really the "strongest name in drums" ?
How about Pearl, "the best reason to play drums", any data on that?

[sinuatus]

A

[Feenix]

100% birch shells will do that.

Can confirm. I have to actively try to make my SCPs sound bad.

[keaton_86]

Oh, I’m well aware of the rep of birch for recording. It just never pleased my ear.

Birch rack toms sound amazing. I find on bigger drums like floor toms and bass drums they lack oomph.

[keaton_86]

I still want to know where yamaha gets the statistic that Recording Customs are the most recorded drumset ever. What about the 30 years before they existed when ludwig absolutely dominated the recording space. It seems like marketing BS to me.

[JY Kelly]

since Recording Customs are the most recorded drum on the planet and they are 100% birch shells.... it could have just been that particular kit but the evidence for birch being an awesome drum wood is overwhelming.

Oh, I’m well aware of the rep of birch for recording. It just never pleased my ear.

[skeld-the-wicked]

Howdy everyone! Hope you’re all happy and healthy.

I’ll cut to the quick, I played a Yamaha Stage Custom at a music store the other day and was legitimately taken back by how good they sounded, even with stock heads. I can imagine that they’d sound even better with my preferred heads on them. I recently got the second bass drum for my Starclassic Maple kit and I love the drums, but I did have a thought of selling the Tamas and picking up a set of Stage Customs and using the leftover money to get myself a nice new snare and a new set of cymbals. Obviously the Tamas are a dream kit and I love them, but I don’t play them out often and they pretty much live in my basement.

Just was curious if anyone has ever acted on that impulse; selling your high end drums in lieu of something much cheaper.

Cheers!

No your not crazy but you might regret selling the Starclassic’s down the road. The problem with selling a high end kit like yours is finding someone who is willing to pay the price you want.

[space jeff]

Perhaps it was my tuning but I could never get a pleasing sound out of my masters BRX’s.

since Recording Customs are the most recorded drum on the planet and they are 100% birch shells.... it could have just been that particular kit but the evidence for birch being an awesome drum wood is overwhelming.