Crazy... I was thinking of exactly the same kit.. here's a pic..

Cheers

John

Yep, this is no brainer. Look for a deal on a 5 pc Yamaha Birch Stage

Custom. I've seen the shell packs are going for less than $600 new

recently.

I've had a couple of these pass thru my hands in the last few years -

everything about them was first rate - the only thing I wasn't crazy

about was the 17" depth bass but I always prefer a 14".

Also, I'd shy away from vintage for a multi-user workhorse kit.

MW

First off, that's a nice Slingerland kit! I love the sparkle. That looks familiar; do you have it on craigslist? I feel like I've seen it before. I'm not sure if they would go for a 4 piece, even though that's what they're using now.

MichealWray, why would you shy away from a vintage kit? Are you worried about damage to the drums? Or do you just not think it would be appropriate soundwise?

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but the 1970 Slingerlands they're using now are about the perfect volume level for them. I'm a little worried that newer drums might be louder, owing to the thicker shells. As it is, they're using the Lightning Rods pretty much exclusively. I'm pretty sure mine are 3-ply; they are definitely thin.

The Slingerland kit is up for sale by a member here.. Just pm him if you are interested.. dsansone..

Cheers

Yeah, I'm hoping I can sell them on it. Our music director is away until Wednesday. When he gets back, we should be able to get the ball rolling and start making a decision.

You seat 700 and need to use lightning rods?

I don't get it.

I was only thinking about adjustability and durability of the Slingy tom

mounts and spurs vs newer kits for your purpose. Personally, I much

prefer the three ply era.

MW

Ploughman,

The room is capable of seating up to 700, but that's not how many people attend. Not even close. I suppose I should have clarified that. Our attendance is probably closer to 200.

Our PA system wasn't designed for contemporary worship and is hopelessly underpowered. We're still dialing in our sound, but so far the lightning rods have actually worked out pretty well. We're in the process of evaluating upgrades to the sound system too. Once that's sorted out, we may be able to step up to regular sticks.

I have played in churches that had horrible sound systems. It can be quite the challenge. Will the drums be set up significantly apart from the main body of musicians? I see this happen quite often where most of the musical instruments are on one side of the stage, and the drums are all alone on the opposite side. It is almost always a problem the drums will be too loud for most people, unless the drummer has a real keen sense of dynamic playing ability. And, even then, it is quite unfair to the drummer as a musician to be so grossly handicapped by something so easy to remedy by a proper placement of the drums relative to the body of musicians. I think one of the worst situations I ever played on a regular basis was a church that had a three foot elevated stage, and the drums were at least a foot above that. And all with an exposed wood high ceiling. The piano and guitars set on floor level off to the side. imagine that acoustical nightmare.

The drums are close to everyone else. In this case, it's actually kind of the opposite of what you mentioned. The bass and drums are in front, at the same level as the pews. Everyone else is on a raised stage behind them. It works "ok" but not great. Also, the acoustic piano is in front of the drums sometimes, which can block them a bit. However, if need be it could be wheeled out of the way slightly, as we use a keyboard for contemporary.

Our music director recognizes the limitations of the layout, and ideally, we'd all like to be together, it's just all taking time. Considering, it actually works out alright.

We all have monitors too, which definitely helps in hearing each other.