I'm a full time drummer for hire here in the MI. area but also have my own original music that I write and produce. After my third CD my wife was hoping that would be the end of recording and releasing my own music (lol) I don't blame her because it's so expensive.
What about just producing your stuff at home and uploading it to youtube/soundcloud/bandcamp etc? Way less expensive and I'm not sure the CD is still the path for an emerging artist, though I'm not an industry expert.
I wonder if you've heard Club Goin Up [On A Tuesday] - the artist [Makonnen] spent a couple years endlessly uploading inexpensively produced clips to youtube until Drake heard one of them and now Makonnen drives a Bently.
Admittedly one of those rare occurrences but the method is cheaper and you get your stuff out....link the heck out of it and see if anything happens. That's my plan anyway....:)
Something to think about before saying farewell to such a beautiful kit...
Mitch