Jarick
01-10-2006, 06:18 PM
Hmm...well, I dunno really what else to do here, so I'll rattle off some things that come to mind.
Use a hockey bag for your hardware bag. Get a nice and big one. They are incredibly rugged and durable, are fairly big, and have separate areas for skates that fit bass pedals perfectly.
Use the least you can get away with (i.e. gig appropriately). This is fairly obvious, but why gig out with a massive 8-piece kit to a hole in the wall bar? Chances are, most people in the audience won't be able to tell the difference between all those toms. I'd keep my number of toms at a max of four, personally. I usually only use two or three and have been known to only bring a floor tom. Also, don't count on a sound guy to mic more than 3 toms. Same goes for cymbals. Don't really need more than a couple crashes, a ride, hihats, and maybe a china or splash.
Get a drum rug. Okay, I haven't really done this one myself, but I have had to rig one up at the last minute. You can get a sizeable rug at Home Depot for 15 bucks...I have one that's basically neoprene rubber that won't slide anywhere. If you have ever had to play a show on hardwood floors, you know what I'm talking about. The hihats, snare, floor tom, kick drum, and all the cymbals constantly slide away from you. Furthermore, if you get a drum rug and mark it with tape or paint, you can quickly set up the stuff exactly where you want it. I also mark all my stands with a piece of tape to identify which ones they are.
Be prepared. This is key. Before any important show, make sure your heads are tuned and/or replaced if worn, your cymbals are free of cracks and cleaned to your taste, and you have plenty of sticks. If possible, bring a spare snare stand, hihat stand, or pedal. Tighten down all screws on your hardware and kit, and periodically (during head changes) tighten down all your lug screws to prevent rattle or tearout.
I can't think of anything else off the top of my head. But one good investment I made recently was a real simple rack. I used to be a stand man (partially for ease of use, flexibility, and aesthetically), but now I enjoy my little drum rack. I have a Gibraltar curved rack, which consists of two legs on T-supports with cymbal mounts on the top and one curved bar in the center. I can mount all of my cymbals and my rack tom off this one bar. With memory locks and tightening everything down, my setup time is greatly reduced. I hated my old rack that didn't have the T-legs because it would always fall over; problem solved. The cymbal mounts on the top of the legs are also a nice touch because they're perfect for crashes and save space and free up clamps. I actually converted my old Gibraltar rack into the new one. This is something to keep in mind if you have one of the older systems. The leg supports are about $25 each, the curved bar is $20, and the cymbal mounts are about $20 each. New bars are less than $20. You can mix and match to taste.
So anyone else have some tips?
Use a hockey bag for your hardware bag. Get a nice and big one. They are incredibly rugged and durable, are fairly big, and have separate areas for skates that fit bass pedals perfectly.
Use the least you can get away with (i.e. gig appropriately). This is fairly obvious, but why gig out with a massive 8-piece kit to a hole in the wall bar? Chances are, most people in the audience won't be able to tell the difference between all those toms. I'd keep my number of toms at a max of four, personally. I usually only use two or three and have been known to only bring a floor tom. Also, don't count on a sound guy to mic more than 3 toms. Same goes for cymbals. Don't really need more than a couple crashes, a ride, hihats, and maybe a china or splash.
Get a drum rug. Okay, I haven't really done this one myself, but I have had to rig one up at the last minute. You can get a sizeable rug at Home Depot for 15 bucks...I have one that's basically neoprene rubber that won't slide anywhere. If you have ever had to play a show on hardwood floors, you know what I'm talking about. The hihats, snare, floor tom, kick drum, and all the cymbals constantly slide away from you. Furthermore, if you get a drum rug and mark it with tape or paint, you can quickly set up the stuff exactly where you want it. I also mark all my stands with a piece of tape to identify which ones they are.
Be prepared. This is key. Before any important show, make sure your heads are tuned and/or replaced if worn, your cymbals are free of cracks and cleaned to your taste, and you have plenty of sticks. If possible, bring a spare snare stand, hihat stand, or pedal. Tighten down all screws on your hardware and kit, and periodically (during head changes) tighten down all your lug screws to prevent rattle or tearout.
I can't think of anything else off the top of my head. But one good investment I made recently was a real simple rack. I used to be a stand man (partially for ease of use, flexibility, and aesthetically), but now I enjoy my little drum rack. I have a Gibraltar curved rack, which consists of two legs on T-supports with cymbal mounts on the top and one curved bar in the center. I can mount all of my cymbals and my rack tom off this one bar. With memory locks and tightening everything down, my setup time is greatly reduced. I hated my old rack that didn't have the T-legs because it would always fall over; problem solved. The cymbal mounts on the top of the legs are also a nice touch because they're perfect for crashes and save space and free up clamps. I actually converted my old Gibraltar rack into the new one. This is something to keep in mind if you have one of the older systems. The leg supports are about $25 each, the curved bar is $20, and the cymbal mounts are about $20 each. New bars are less than $20. You can mix and match to taste.
So anyone else have some tips?