On drums...

Can't say I understand it myself. I have been looking at drums for fifty years and still find that, without knowing anymore about it, without even picking up a stick to hear what they sound like, some drums speak to me and some just do not. Sometimes it is color. Blue sparkle is almost mute, so little does it say to me. Red sparkle shouts "stay away!" Some blues are interesting, particularly the intense Bugatti-like blue that a few Designers showed up in, a bass drum of which has been on ebay for a while. I'd like a kit like that. Don't ask me why.

But everyone knows color is a personal thing, and no one expects universal color preferences. What I don't understand is whenever I see a Ludwig kit, for instance, I have no desire at all to find out what it sounds like. Round badge or USA Classic Gretsch, almost always want to try them. Pre Big R Rogers the same, particularly in small sizes. Tama, Pearl, Yamaha all occupy a zone that is off my radar in part because of the high production mass marketing corporate investment thing, but visually I have no response, so what's the point of getting over the prejudice? DW... nope.

Goki started a conversation about a year ago about drum visuals, but it didn't get very much traction. Wondering what fires your jets and why. I suspect that my impulses rest on whether drums look well engineered and designed. Lumpy lugs, spindly hardware, visual clutter, bad logos, awkward badges; they all intimate, however wrongly, poor sound.

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Gregory

Yeah I know what you mean, I've always loved veneers, it feels right that drums look like they're made of wood
I always imagined you'd secretly have one of these Greg: http://www.totaldrumsets.com/image-file ... e-drum.jpg
My Designer snare is red sparkle and I must admit it looks very nice, obviously would've referred it to be matching bubinga to the kit but oh well...

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http://percusski.co.uk/

Sure, color, wrap, and veneers are all part of the choices that one expects to differ on. But why would I dismiss a Ludwig kit without playing it? Or why do Rogers kits attract? Why doesn't TAMA instill curiosity?

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Gregory

There has got to be dozens of things at work, both at a conscious and sub-conscious level.

Consciously, I look for solid look and feel, warmth rather than glitz, and ease of set-up with exact repeatability.

Subconsciously, visual cues will suggest association with past experiences, favorable or unfavorable.

I don't know how effectively I can analyze initial visual attraction (or lack thereof) to any product, and the only observation I think I could consistently apply would be that if it looks like a Chrysler product, it will lose my attention immediately.

To their credit, I think that just about every Chrysler product ever made is readily identifiable as such by styling cues that I can not even identify, but my curiousity ends there.

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Cliff

River City Trio

What if we did all have the same opinions?

I have always been attracted to colored wood finished drums. Reds & purples, some blues. Although a wood veneer with a nice figuring will always catch my eye. I've always wanted a Cherry wine Tama Superstar from the 80's. When I was younger I wanted a big SIgnature kit. As I age (and hopefully get wiser or more practical) I find myself wanting a phonic kit because of the wrap for durability. Something else I've noticed is that no matter what the wood finish is, on stage with lights, they all look brown....

To Greg's comments, it seem to me that the Japanese companies Tama and Pearl mostly marketed their drums and hardware toward the heavy rock crowd since the '80s. Tama was the first company that I remember making really beefy hardware, and their drums still come with those huge die-cast hoops which I can't stand. That being said I was tempted to buy some Starclassics used because you can get them so cheap and they sound great to me.

Yamaha did this to a much lesser degree, as they had so many jazz, studio and fusion guys as endorsers but they are a huge company that makes everything from pianos to snowmobiles so it could seem to one that it's not just a "drum focused" or musical instrument company like others are.

Gretsch drums have always attracted me until I play them. I just don't dig the sound for the most part, or I guess I just prefer a sharper bearing edge.

The way drums look on the outside has gotten me into plenty of trouble over the years. I got into Sparkle lacquer finishes for awhile. I still like certain sparkles and glass glitters but not as much as before. I do love a lot of the Sonor type veneers, esp. scandinavian birch. But as I get older, I'm more concerned about the whole look of the drum particularly the lug design. There are fortunately so many ugly lug designs, that my eyes and wallet don't get tempted by those drums.

I fell in love with Premier Signias in 1992, and with a lot of detours into almost all the other drum companies including some small custom builders, that's where I have returned 20 years later. The shells, lugs, rims, iso mounts, and whole package is my cup o' tea I guess. Sometimes I wish they had some more exciting finishes but that is a small thing when you think about tone being the most important thing, no?

- D.

Colors, I think, stimulate responses of the subconscious kind, but why does a Ludwig (eg.) kit not attract me? Chrysler has never figured into my drum choices, for better or worse. What are you touching on there, Cliff?

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Gregory

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Cliff

River City Trio

What if we did all have the same opinions?

Got ya, but I have no particular brief with Ludwig, other than that I would like to like them. They just don't look right.

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Gregory

Can you say, "Reliant K"?

- D.