Thanks for the info; good to know! Sounds pretty straightforward.

The_Prowler, what kind of lug locks do you like to use?

As a side note, I have to give a thumbs up to the Ocean Galaxy Flake finish - pictures don't do it justice!

I've had a Decade Maple for a few months now and am really enjoying it. I found a tuning on the toms that seems to complement them fairly well:
10" - E
12" - A
16" - D
The resonants are tuned...

Right now I've got a 16" Z Custom Light Power Crash that I've borrowed. Yeah, I don't play metal....so I ride it. You can smack those things pretty good though. They're probably great for what...

Breaks are good but I would make sure you can play for a good long time so you'll have no problem doing gigs or whatever. I don't really have a set practice pattern; I just do it when I get the time.

Allowance...those were the days. Sweet deal on the ride, chief. I hope it works out for you in terms of the sound and durability you want. If not...I'll give you my mailing address.

Sigh...I don't have a ride. I never knew how much I liked them till I didn't have one. Oh well.....

I use Zildjian because I admire the logo they use.
Just kidding. I do use Zildjians but I would also use Vic Firth or Promark, etc. I like the 5B DIPs for my normal playing and Mike Mangine...

Ebay can be okay if you ask plenty of questions and make sure there are pictures. I bought my Export on ebay and it's a beatitful set. Of course, I went and checked it before I paid for it, but if...

Yeah...my steering wheel has some pretty decent bounce to it. But certainly that's not the sort of thing we advise.

I'm in total agreement with you there. The weak springs bug me. It was a good starting point but I plan on upgrading to an Eliminator whenever I can (which at this point will be in about sixty...

Yeah...I have Pacific hardware not by choice. It seems pretty decent except it's got a lot of sharp corners. My chrome gets somewhat scratched in the normal use of my snare stand where a bolt is...

Very nice indeed. For my money with Export color you can't beat wine red and deep blue....wine red was my second choice; I almost bought a wine red Forum just because it was so nice looking!

Yeah, why does Pacific hardware suck? I have a couple Pacific stands and they seem okay; nothing special but decent. Can anybody back up Pacific hardware with experience?

So what are some better practice pads?

You should consider getting a semi-hollow Epiphone or Epiphone Elite. There are those who say that semi-hollow Epiphones can at least match a Strat in terms of tonal versatility. But it all depends...

Okay, we got one vote for "Pacific = crap". Nice. Anybody else have any thoughts or reasons why Pacific sucks? Or does anybody think it's good?

I think the experiment has failed...oh well.

They definitely last a while. I do rudiments with them because they're a bit heavier than my other sticks. Are you sure they're birch though? I was thinking they were made from laminated plies of...

Also, make sure you're not trying to hurry to much. When learning a beat or a rudiment, it makes a world of difference to start it out slowly and get it 100% right on, then speed it up as gradually...

How does 800 series Pacific hardware compare to Pearl hardware? What Pearl hardware series would it be most similar to? Thanks.

A vague subject for this thread....I'm experimenting to see if...

Sigh...very true. I accidentally stole a paper clasp from a church in California back in 1998, I think, and I still feel bad.

I guess I'll just have to do it the hard way. The honest way.

Ha ha ha ha...Pyrrho, that was awesome. Cool, somebody reads my stupid threads.
To Don Hoagie and xxxDISENGAGExxx, good point. Buying the timekeepers together would better ensure that'll they'll...

Okay, I've currently got 14" Sabian B8 hi hats, an 18" Sabian B8 crash/ride, and a 16" Zildjian Z Custom Light Power Crash (and yeah, I don't play metal. Don't ask how I got it). Light power...

The HHX studio crash is a nice one, especially for washy mallet work and low-volume situations. If you try to get too high-volume, it'll lose a lot of its dark tone and in my opinion, it doesn't...