Year: 1957

Drums: 1954 or 1955 Gretsch bought used from school mate

Color: Duco Cameo Coral and Charcoal Gray

Pieces: 14x20, 8x12, 5x14, no floor tom

Cymbals: All A Zildjian purchased new in 1957 22, 20, 15 hats

This picture is the first gig I played at some lodge hall. I was 14 years old. I had played in school band since fourth grade. This was my first drum set. I'm a lefty, and thought that setting up lefty was right for me. Not to be. Within a few days of this gig, I switched to a righty set-up, and learned to play open handed with ride cymbals on both sides of a typical righty set-up. The next band I played with was a guitar, bass, drums Rock n Roll band. The bass player had a red sparkle Ludwig four piece set that used for a couple of years. In 1961, I traded the Gretsches in on a new four piece Rogers set in Black Diamond Pearl. That was beginning of a succession of new drums (keep the cyymbals and hardware) every 12-18 months for the next 20 years of gigging.

so cool man that ride looks like a monster.

My first kit was a Telestar four-piece in red sparkle for Christmas.

Ring -a-ding-ding, but Ringo to my ears!! Probably '72 or so.

I had bought a fifty-cent pair of drumsticks at the local music store the previous January, and had beaten them down to nubs the whole year on everything in the house. Cabinets, desktops, stove, fridge, nothing escaped my amateur licks.

Certain of a drumset in bows under the tree for Christmas, I stole into the den about 3 a.m. to find...... NO DRUMSET..... but instead, another pair of sticks!

Dammit......, but tied to the sticks was a string which led around the room and out the back door and into the snow in the side yard. I followed it around the house, and then to the front door, which was locked. I raced back to the back door, found the string inside the front door, followed it around the house until it led to the downstairs steps.

Downstairs were the new drums, nicely set up by my dad, who was a righteous percussionist and reed player himself.

The folks let me play for an hour or so, then came down and shut down the show until later that morning (but only after dad sat down for a short session).

Still, the best Christmas ever.

Sorry, no pics...... just memories!!

Kev

This isn't my first kit,but it is my first Rogers kit!

If someone can post the pic for me,I will take a digi camera pic,email to you to post.........

The kit was a Blue Sparkle Londoner kit,with the rare 22" BD......all flat grey Cleves!

ALSO,wood Dyna (in pic) ,matching cannister throne (in pic) ,matching bongos!

Also,Buddy Rich style hi hat/foot pedal,and Macintosh cases for all!

Bought it ALL in around 1973-74 for $400 with some A.Zil 14" Flange hi hats,and I recall a 20" and 18" A.Zil!....crazy/crazy/crazy!

It had 2 or 3 Rogers swan leg cymbal stands,but they seemed too wimpy,so I traded them for 1st gen Atlas stands at a music store.

I don't have the bongos in the pic,or both of the mounted toms on the kit>(12 or 13 I took off),but, if you look to the far right,you can see the Rogers woodblock I mounted on a music stand!

PM me your email please,I'll send a pic!

Check my profile for my email, I can post it for you.

Yes Sir

My brother's best friend decided to crash at my parent's house, and when I got home from school that day, a four piece Ringo kit appeared in the basement. I asked my brother's friend if I could play, and he told me "only after I took a lesson first". After the first lesson, he told me that those drums were mine to play as long as he lived in my parent's house. The thing I regret is that I couldn't convince my parents to buy those drums.

I've had several other really cool kits between the U.S. and the U.K., but the Ringo kit, the Clem Burke Premier kit (okay- not a "Clem Burke kit"; one just like it) and the Rogers kits are what I miss the most...

I still have, and have used these same cymbals and some more that I have acquired over the years, ever since buying them when they were new.

My first kit wasn't really a kit. It was a chrome snare and cymbal combo from, I think, Sears. I used a big, deep, NY TELCO poly bin as a kick drum (I actually kicked it). I don't think any pics were taken of my sweet setup, but that was my beginner kit, back in 1974.

A year later I graduated to a 4-piece red sparkle Stewart kit, as a birthday present. I loved that kit, or so I thought. Decided I would be a drum refinisher and tore the sparkle wrap off and stained the shells......just stain, no finish. Yuck. Another nice kit ruined by silly youth. I think there's a pic somewhere. I'll add it if I can find it.

B

Ludwig transition badge, c1959

[img]http://www.bermudaschwartz.com/images/jbsludkit.jpg[/img]

The snare came from Wm. Ludwig Jr. in return for some advertising work my father did for Ludwig. It was given to my older brother and my dad added a matching blue/silver duco bass drum & tom. We moved to Phoenix, and in 1965 I inherited the kit and took lessons.

Note the snare - no lugs! I'm guessing Bill II cheaped out and bartered the most stripped-down snare he could, it definitely wasn't in the catalog. Wish I still had it and them. :(

Bermuda