Karl, your post about vintage kits really set me remembering:
Played once with a guy who had a rosewood set of Sonors (back in the 80's when they got a lot of mileage as Steve Smith was using them with Journey, a terrific drummer), they sounded amazing.
Of course back in the day, nobody ran double heads. Drum 'fashion' comes and goes just like guitars. They always sounded like phone books, just never got that resonance you get with both rims/heads, and tuning both ends separated the men from the boys. I always remember those open kick drums (26's !), usually with a gnarly looking pillow in the bottom with a Shure, or better yet on of the old AKG's that looked like an electric razor, what a kick mic !
Yellow kevlar snare heads ! I played with a guy that BROKE one, my ear is still ringing on that side. Remo pinstripes. Joe Morello sticks. Guys would come in the music store and r-o-l-l them across the counter to get straight ones, sigh . . . Ghost pedals.
After I came to Nashville, I became friends with Willie Cantu, who played with Buck Owens for forever (all of his hits, as well as the Carnegie Hall set, and amazingly a fabulous straight Jazz drummer). Willie still has and uses his Rogers kits from the days when Leo Fender let Buck and his boys have anything they wanted. His favorite snare is two Rogers metal snares: Two shells, the top one with the top head, and the bottom on with the head and snare strainer on the bottom, joined in the middle with lugs so there's a 'vent' all the way around between the two: Magic, in his hands.
I remember when the market began to swing away from Ludwig and Rogers, to TAMA and DW and I remember what a big deal when Yamaha rolled out the Recording Custom kits. Remember those floor toms that had the detuning pedal like tympani?
We were running late for a gig, so I set up the drummer's kit as he was gonna get there just in time to sit down and blow. He had a Ludwig OctaPlus, one of those giant double kick kits with 2 floor, and SIX flying toms. Plus this was before racks, so there were LOTS of stands.
I knew the setup (I thought!) and when he walked in, he was thrilled . . . . until half-way throught the first verse of the first tune in the set: He was 6'6, and had arms like Mr. Fantastic. I'd set it up where the reach felt fine for ME without knowing it was WAY too close for him! We got it stretched out for him, and I learned a lesson !
BTW, remember the VistaLites WITH lights in them ?
J o e y
