Originally Posted by chetatkinsdiet  Sounds like you've definitely got some nice stuff there. With the kit being primarily a Gretsch, I'd look for a kick that does something different. If you went with a Rogers or Ludwig kick, both of them have reinforcement rings which are going to be a little different sound. Not to say that they're both similar, but they're just both definitely different than the Gretsch you have now. If it were me, I'd probably go Ludwig as the Rogers shell is possibly going to be a Jasper, like the Gretsch. You should easily be able to find a single Ludwig kick as there are tons out there if you're not picky on the color of the wrap.
As for the snare...since you already have a wooden snare, I'd definitely get a Ludwig Supra. Every studio should have one. It's that classic sound that you've heard on so many records. There are always a ton on ebay. Right now, there's one that's got a lot of surface flaking for about $110 BIN. Such a deal if I didn't already have 4 or so of them. Other choices might be a Rogers Powertone, but really, it's very, very similar to the Supra. It does have a chrome over brass shell which gives it that brass sound, but still, fairly close to the Supra. The dynasonics are nice, but most that are sold on ebay are missing the parts. It's got a special snare system that only works properly if all the parts are there. It's easy enough to get all the parts, but sometimes, you'll spend $200 on the drum and another $100 or so to get the snare parts.
I've got a lot of different vintage snares....25 or so...and typically always use one of my Supra/Black Beauty drums. For the studio, the 5" drum works well and for loud rock gigs, I do love my 6.5" supra.
Oh, the radio kings are nice snares, but they can be expensive. There are a lot of drums advertised as radio kings that aren't really. Over the years, Slingerland has abused that name and sold a lot of drums that don't really comply with my definition of what a real Radio King should be. To me, it's a single ply maple shell with 8 or more lugs. Sling offered a Radio King Student model which was a 3 ply drum. You'll see them a lot on ebay. While it's an ok drum, it's not a "real" radio king in my book.
A great snare from Rogers is their very famous and expensive wooden dynasonic. The going rate for them is in the $1500-3000 range depending on color, condition, etc. In other words, way too expensive. They are great, but not for actual playing. If you're just collecting, get one. Don't put a $3K snare in your studio for every idiot to play with.
Later,
m |