My vintage drums arent really museum pieces so I dont mind using them for gigs. My 40s era kit generally stays home unless I am playing a little coffee shop gig, then ill bring those. For my normal blues/country/rock gig that I play once a month at various locations, I use my early 70s Ludwig red sparkle kit. The wrap on this kit is intact, but has seen better days... so i dont mind if it gets bumped up here and there. I always transport every drum I own in cases however.

I use my seven- piece vintage turquoise sparkle Star kit for gigs (featured in Drum Gallery). I've babied this kit so much over the years that I like to show it off. I have two more Star stencils at home along with nearly a dozen Star snares. These are all good drums but, I'm used to playing my my big kit and simply enjoy the sound.

Brian

I gig a moderate amount. I'm almost 64 years old. I gig about 2-3 saturdays a month with 2 local Blues bands. I use vintage kits. I have several Ludwig and Slingerland kits. I trade off and use them all. I also play as house drummer at a weekly weds nite jam session. I use an old beat up Percussion Plus kit for that one. I use a different vintage snare every week for myself and then let the jammers use an old rusty CB700. I also play in a community concert band once a week. I use an early Ludwig Down beat kit w/ a jazzfest snare for that one. All my drums are players quality and they get used and enjoyed. I have alot of fun and only work with musicians I like working with. Any attitude or drama and I leave them behind. So, all in all, I probably play 8-13 times a month. My wife keeps asking me when I am going to finally quit and I told her "When they pry my sticks from my cold dead hands." :)

My vintage kits are in VGC but I bought them to play not to show case. I gig with them, in fact I only play vintage drums.

Good questions, not every answer is a simple one though. I do gig regularly with several bands and have roughly 30 kits, and half are '70s and earlier vintage.

1- Are your vintage drums a museum piece? On display but rarely played.

I have one such kit, my 1944 L&L Victory kit. All others are stored, and ready to play, but only in certain situations (see #3)

2- Are your vintage drums house kits? Set up and played at home but never gigged?

No.

3 - Do you gig occaisionally with your vintage drums?

My '70s kits see some live action, the '60s kits not yet (I have an immaculate '66 Oyster Blue Super Classic kit I'm dying to take on the right gig!) But I have a lovely Ludwig transition kit with its original plastic heads that only gets used in the studio with one of my bands.

4 - Exclusively gig with vintage gear?

No.

5 - Do you have drums that you gig with and drums that stay home?

Apart from the Victory kit, every kit is eligible for a gig or session. I do have certain drums that are used for certain bands/venues, and my touring kit for Weird Al is exclusive to that gig and just lives in flight cases (cymbals, sticks, electronics, everything.)

Bermuda

I have only vintage kits. There are 7 Rogers kits. 1960-1980.

4 get used regularly for gigs. (3 of these 4 are rewrapped, 1 is Koa which is bulletproof)

3 other kits stay in the house, one of which is set up in my office for me to occasionally bang on. I may take 2 of these to a gig for a special occasion, the other one means too much to me to risk it.

I use one of the gig kits to host a jam every few months, believe it or not. Only once have I had to tell someone to cool it...

Four of the older snares in my collection are very original including calf skin heads...they are for display only. The others I occasionally play, usually my 1922 Ludwig "All Metal Separate Tension" snare.

My only kit is the 1963 Ludwig Hollywood so it is gigged, exclusively, when we jam about once a month. It's not set up at home (space limits). At home I stay loose on a Roland HD-1.

I gig with my Ludwig standard, Mostly Jazz, my Ludwig vistalites, blues & Classic rock, and my Rogers Powertones, also blues and Classic rock, I'm not finished restoring my Gretschs, and my Kents. I also gig with my Yamaha's although not vintage.

I have 8 vintage kits and 3 modern kits. I use them all according to style of music, venue, stage space, or outdoor gig. My 6 ply Ludwigs stay in the recording studio. My PDP's on outside gigs and iffy weather. Sometimes my Big R Rogers. Catalina jazz and Sonor Safari sets in really small spaces / tiki bars / lounges.

Then my other vintage kits I will rotate when I am playing larger secure stages.

I always use the same hardware for my vintage kits. 1400 cymbal stands, atlas snare stand, ludwig spur lock hi hat stand or single brace Tama hi hat stand, Fibes or Speed King pedal, Gilbralter snare stand for single mounted toms and a Ludwig atlas dbl Tom stand when using double mounted toms. Keep them ready in a small rolling fibre H&B trap case. Drum and cymbal bags. I always transport my own stuff so very careful. If I am on a tour or something I will hard case everything but mostly doing South East Florida gigs at Local resorts and venue's right now. So yes, I play my vintage sets a lot.