On drums...

Goki's post about how much he loves his SClassix got me thinking in parallel.

As some of you may or may not know, I have rediscovered and rekindled my love for Rogers XP8 drums over the last couple years. My first real drums were a set of black XP8s purchased in 1982: 12 13 two 16s and two 22s with a COB Dynasonic snare. Most amazing drums, I spent lots of time playing and tinkering with them. they made me and my friends feel great when played. They also got dragged around to gigs when I was on bass or guitar because they just had that something something missing from my buddy's kits. (Over the top quality, to start...)

They were regrettably sold in the early 90s to finance my broke musician life. I was playing bass all the time, something big, bulky and valuable had to go.

Fast forward to Sept, 2009... It all started back again with the purchase of 24x14, 14x10, 15x12 and 16x16 Midnight Mist XP8s I found on Craig'sList for a song. The virus took hold. My friends, band mates and myself were so blown away when they were tuned and played with what I know now vs those early teen years of questionable tonality and feel. The yellow Sonors were taken down as the home/rehearsal space kit and the Rogers set up in their place. Not long afterwards-found and added a 10x9, 12x8 (from a shell and parts) and a nearly mint 18x16 found in Chicago while on tour. I even found a player's 12 13 16 22 shell pack of metallic silver XP8s for almost a song, as well as a minty set of 12 13 16 22 + COB Dyna 1977 black Big Rs for not even as much as a song, but a jingle!

The Midnight mists-wrapped in a relatively rare and more intriguing color-were definitely the keepers and the Big Rs were sold (kept the Dyna) for a nice profit. The silvers were kept around for seemingly an indeterminate reason--the silver 22" bass did make an appearance on two tracks of the new record along with my Midnight Mist toms.

Then my leg broke. I spent my downtime selling some unnecessary gear and therefore funding some projects for my eventual return to drums and the CD release tours starting in mid April. Since I couldn't play my drums, I hunted for, built and modified them to keep myself from going nuts.

Over the 'break' (pun intended) I have found some MidMist shells-13x9, 14x10, 22x14-which had been sitting in a basement for 2 years. I poached the hardware and heads off of my silvers (so that's why I was sitting on them) to bring the 13 and 22 back into the fold as complete drums. I also found another 16x16 midnight mist shell with lugs that I am converting to a bass drum. The second 14x10" shell has just been finished being cut down, re-edged and bedded to be a 14x7.5" snare! All of the parts and heads ordered to do the final touches on the snare and 16" bass conversions are coming in this week. It's all timing out nicely.

The recently stripped silver 22" XP8 bass shell has been converted to a stand-up bass drum, replacing a much cheaper luan stand up bass I have been using since 1996. A considerable upgrade in looks and tone, for sure! The 13" shell is on the auction block, as it the 12" tom. Keeping the 16" around for a bit while I contemplate another project-thinking of putting it's legs on the 15" tom...

Fast forward to the last couple days: my leg is healing fast and I have started gingerly walking on it. Playing drums, however, is less demanding than walking and I have been rapidly & rabidly playing to getting my muscles rehabbed and reawakened. The reality of joining the band in early April for a short warm-up tour and our subsequent CD release shows later that month is 99.9% a GO! As a bonus, the convalescence kit will be on the road sooner than later!!! This is good, I am full of anticipation to play and play these tubs somewhere other than home.

Once I get the snare & mini bass assembled this week; those, the 22" bass and the 12" & 15" toms are going to accompany me on my first shows with the 'bionic leg'! I'm so excited to take these drums out for their first tour! Playing them is not only great for my ears, but my heart and soul. I really love those midnight mists, as does the band.

My usual tour kit, the trustworthy, solid and beloved Emerald Mist Pearl Masters, will have to sit it out for a spell. They did a great job comforting me that night 5 weeks ago when I played them with my freshly broken leg, left footed, open handed. I was not fully myself, the set up was different, but the drums the same.

It's kind of funny how attached we get to our instruments.
Except Kelly.
Not only am I nostalgic about XP8s, but pragmatic. They are really well made and great sounding drums relative to today's offerings. Sure, the hardware is bulky, but it's solid and reliable and still functions as it did 30 years ago. Best part is that XP8s are not ridiculously expensive, not even remotely expensive, but a bargain. To add to the emotional content: a few of my XP8 drums came about when I couldn't play to stay centered and grounded, but rather they were tools to keep my mind off of playing and focused on the instruments that would accompany me on adventures once I started playing again. The 'convalescent kit' will always remind me of what I learned about having an important limb not at your service, but being served.

It's gonna be fun introducing these drums to their new life..!

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Chris

Boy, did you just state a mouthful there, Chris. All through that essay, there are things to respond to, including the XP8 sound. I heard Rod Morgenstern playing a sizable kit with the Dregs in about '80 or '81, and that kit shone. I don't know if they were special made for him or off the shelf items, but man, what a sound. Made me envious. I had bought a script badge Rogers in '74. Mind you, that kit still had its original heads, and I have no idea how I tuned them, or if I did. I know I owned a drum key, but I am not sure what I did with it. So my reference point is a bit shaky, but the projection of the XP8 in that small club, sitting six feet from the bass drum, was impressive by my standards - I particularly remember that during the solos the way the large floor toms continued to fill the room. If I had had the money at the time, that kit would have been mine. I loved the big hardware. I was working with a guy named Gary Klein, building the first large tubed aluminum bicycle frames, and rigid construction seemed all the answer to me at the time. The hardware design made perfect sense to me.

Your penultimate sentence, quoted above, is the one that grabs my attention. All this stuff: our bodies, our drums... are tools. Tools need to be serviced, should be respected, and can be enjoyed in and of themselves, surely; but tools need a purpose, beyond their own glory. As musicians, we often think that the audience comes to serve us, whereas, in truth, we as musicians are there to serve the audience.

Rock on, Chris! Your continued healing is great news.

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Gregory

In a small way, I can relate to all of this.

My script Rogers have been with me since around 1970, and no matter what else i have around, they come out every once in a while, and I still love playing them. Most of you have seen them here.

Back in the day when they were my main or only kit, I would take them apart down to bare shells and lowest level hardware assembly for cleaning, polishing, inspection and repair, once a year.

The downtime was good for me, and it was always such a pleasure to set-them up again, having earned the knowledge that they would not let me down in any way in the forseeable future.

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Cliff

River City Trio

What if we did all have the same opinions?

Hehe, I got on a roll, there...

Nice tubs, Cliff! They clearly look like drums that have been well cared for.
I used to do the same with my drums back when I had one set. I would take them apart and really take care of them on a regular basis. Now my drums only get a cursory polish (with guitar polish) when changing heads.

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Chris

Rock on, Chris! Your continued healing is great news.[/quote]
Thank you.
I would argue that the musicians can be a catalyst for the audience, but if the audience is enjoying themselves, they give back and a feedback loop is created. Depending on the size of the audience or the intensity of their focus, it can be a little overwhelming. I have been sick or sore or in a poor mood, yet all the pain and misery goes away for the duration of the show and for a short time afterwards. There is a energetical support that happens in the moment. This is prime support that I know I will be OK going out and playing again in 2 weeks. I feel pretty darn good. If I can play for 45 minutes at home or at practice, I know playing for 75 minutes will be no problem live.

As far as Morgenstein goes, not sure what kit you experienced, but he played standard XP8s until his custom-built kit came in 1982. These were a red wine color and were a prototype to the "XL" versions of XP8s that featured 18" deep bass drums and square-sized toms (how 80s is that?). Shells were standard XP8: 8-ply, 1/4" old growth New England Rock Maple shells but the edges were cut so that they peaked close to the inside of the shell. A standard XP8 edge is a double 45 with the peak in the center of the shell. The results from the R&D dept was that the edge didn't cause any noticeable difference in the tone or performance vs the stock edge. It was just an experiment. Nonetheless, a set of XP8s under anyone's hands sounds pretty good, under his, they would be outstanding! It's too bad, Rogers was making the best quality American drums at the time, but a lack of marketing and their high price weakened them, when Japan struck strongly in the late 70s and particularly the early 80s, it was over.

That's cool you worked with Klein. I LOVED his bikes, but could only afford a Cannondale, another oversized aluminum ride. I still have that bike, 21 years later and it's rolling strong.

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Chris

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Cliff

River City Trio

What if we did all have the same opinions?

Drums as an emotional bonding tool & mental stabilizer...

I simply cannot imagine my life without them. And yes, I've changed drums and cymbals since my first set in 1996, but I'm finally moving closer to my biggest dream:
To have a set that's not BIG, but big enough to split in two!!!

I was just a step away when I found the 16" Hilite floor tom from a guy named Jan, in Belgium. But, finding an 18" bass drum proved to be impossible. All I've seen were two 20" bass drums.
And then I realized that it's not gonna happen so I decided to sell the Hilite...
Luck smiled for a moment, when Tim offered that so-called bop Designer set (10tt,13tt,18bd).
I was so excited that I could actually match the Designers with a set back here (long lugs, 13tt, 14tt, 15tt, 16ft, 22bd), and kindly offered to swap my Hilite which was in top shape, to the used Designer for which I obviously needed a new set of heads, top and bottom. And, further more, Tim's offer was very tempting, if I remember correctly...
But, the whole deal hit a snag, when the seller here said he wanted 2400euro for the set, which, frankly, was absurd.
So, I ended selling the Hilite set, and dreaming of a Designer bop kit for a total price of 2000euro (with no luck). After weeks of seeing it won't happen, I ended up with the brand new S Classix (from the drum store here).

2 things I liked best about the sale were:
1) I got them for a discount, for a fair price (like in Europe), with a perfect configuration, and in a finish I liked (walnut roots - non lacquer).
2) The shells are exactly like the birch Designers I missed from storsav (those were green sparkle I think, or walnut maybe). And I realized that birch is the sound I like, it's dryness and projection fit my perception of drums more than the dark and rich maple. There's nothing wrong with maple (and it's a preferred choice), but I guess my ear likes birch more.

And voila - again, the chance of getting a 16"ft and an 18"bd to expand the set. And (almost) having a Designer set...
I guess, thanks to you guys, I'm a step away to finally fulfill my initial SONOR dream, after selling the Catalina bop set...
The S Classix (to me) is just that - the latest series Designers (different legs and mount), in Birch, with different rubber isolation and tom mounts...

Since 2006, SONOR drums have really bonded with my life, and the way I feel about drum gear...

And, to tell you the truth, I sense that passion in Kelly, regarding the SIGNIA series. Boy, I remember when those came in the store - a breathtaking set, for sure (10,12,14,16,22)

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Goki - short from Goran

Let the good drums roll!!!

"...stein" it is.

I believe the kit he was playing in San Fran, where I saw him, was blue. By '82, I was no longer in California.

CBS had gutted the quality of Rogers in the mid '70s. Japanese quality and engineering, and pricing, were being pushed in the stores. When I picked up a new kit in '84, I didn't even look at drums by company. I told the music store I wanted a wood kit, not wrapped. They said the only people you could get that from, without custom ordering, was Sonor. I had never heard of them but that's what I ordered. At least it was a happy accident.

I would have been thrilled to have a Rogers wood kit that sounded like Morgenstein's, but as far as I know, that didn't exist.

Audiences: I wouldn't argue with you about the loop of energy set up by an enthusiastic audience. I think the notion of service still holds. Old saying, but if it is better to give than to receive, then service is where it's at. Audience response is an agreeable byproduct, and their energy gives us greater enthusiasm. I know what you are talking about: at some point, if things are going well, it becomes hard to tell who the performer and who the audience; the two tend to merge. Anyway, just something I've been thinking about.

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Gregory

"few

Bubinga, I believe, with an 18 floor tom. I came very close to buying that kit as well.

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Gregory

I just saw the Rogers XP8 Chris... Those really look beautiful, and have a bold statement in design, for the time being produced...

I also noticed that they used 8-ply hard rock maple shell. And to get the same grain both inside and out they did a switch inside the shell (h-v-h-v-V-h-v-h). Very nice...

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Goki - short from Goran

Let the good drums roll!!!