Hello All,
Recently checked out some vintage RK's from the early 50's but was hesitant to buy because of issues like....the bass drum was a marching drum and had no spurs, and the rack tom sounded good but the heads were tough to get on.
So...back to the drawing board.
Which era/brand should I look for besides Radio Kings? Not at all interested in looks, but need something to record and play an occasional gig with. I'm looking for great sound.
Dan
It's too subjective to answer. "desirable" and "great" are ambiguous terms that can only be defined by the individual.
Hello All,Recently checked out some vintage RK's from the early 50's but was hesitant to buy because of issues like....the bass drum was a marching drum and had no spurs, and the rack tom sounded good but the heads were tough to get on.So...back to the drawing board.Which era/brand should I look for besides Radio Kings? Not at all interested in looks, but need something to record and play an occasional gig with. I'm looking for great sound.Dan
Dan, the bass drum was probably not a marcher, they had clamp on spurs then. also Rk's are notorious for hard to fit heads due to shell warpage. But they also possess the very qualities soundwise that your looking for.
Dan, the bass drum was probably not a marcher, they had clamp on spurs then. also Rk's are notorious for hard to fit heads due to shell warpage. But they also possess the very qualities soundwise that your looking for.
Interesting....so even though the head fit tightly, the drum definitely tuned up.
Odd. I'm used to eccentric drums sounding like a box.
The kick had what looked like a handle from someone's medicine cabinet, along with two j-hook looking things drilled into the shell(forgive...I'm new to these kinds of drums).
Dan
Right on, Dan.
I have a few 50's drums and they have calfskin heads on them....which is a significantly different sound than they produce when synthetic heads are used. Personally, I like drums to be as close to the way they were when they were new -just because it represents the sound of a particular era better and because I like drums to be as original as possible.
For me, the sound of 50's drums are almost always calfskin-centric....Fat, warm, and dark....which are also ambiguous terms!Burger Kin
Agreed. It's all opinion, and so, I wouldn't mind hearing from others about what does it for them. Helped me go after a set of Oaklawn Camcos.Dan
Of course when you mention 1950's, one brand comes to mind......George Way! Kits were built from 1959-61 so not too many of them out there.
[IMG]http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x246/dolfan54/George%20Way/P1010335.jpg[/IMG]
Equip:
Well, I'll throw this out there. You can never go wrong with a nice set of Gretsch drums. I've been playing Gretsch for 36 years, and other than a 1940s set of Radio Kings that I once played, there is no finer drum, to me.
No knock on Luddys, Slingys and Rodgers, they are all fine drums. Its just that Gretsch really does it for me.
Here ya go, laddy. This is a kit for sale at one of Steve's stores. It's a sweet sounding kit. Check it out ... sound file and all.
http://www.maxwelldrums.com/slingerland-201316-radio-king-drum-p-4436.html
Cool beans.
First off, this is my opinion & my opinion only.
My studio kit/kits are NEVER gigged! If you've got a sweet a$$ studio set-up, you don't take it to the Do Drop Inn so Billy-Bob & his inbreed sister Eunis-Bobbette can play wipeout on a vintage kit as soon as you head home from the gig! Get a banger kit to drag around if your clubbing...if you're doing stuff that requires something that someone in the crowd can appreciate the sound difference in, buy a custom boutique. Not GC custom boutique...a real custom boutique...you can even build it yourself!...or I CAN BUILD IT FOR YOU! D' Drummer There are guys out there starving to death that can build you a custom kit that will sound 10 times as good as most old vintage drums in a club setting & be 50 time more reliable. Not trying to sell my or any of my friends services here, I do that on many other sites. Just hate seeing guys take beautiful vintage drums to night clubs & then bring them to me to repair.
There's nothing that sounds better than a great old Radio King kit in a well EQ room with some old tube mics loving on them...but don't take it to the club! It's earned the right to sit back & make sweet music...those lil' darlin's shouldn't ever be subjected to wipeout again!
