First and foremost, player..Not a "pro" although we get paid sometimes. I'm in a band called bedroom talk. So for me it's about creating art. We play all the time around southern california. Sometimes 2 or 3 times a week. I have 9 or 10 kits. And I use every one of them.

After that a collector/restorer. I was raised on vintage drums. I love these things. As a kid in the 80s to high school in the early 90s..I used my dads slingerlands. I've never owned a modern kit. Not that I never would, but as a kid, we didn't have a whole lot of money. And vintage kits in the 80s and 90s were cheap. So it was a win there, plus they were colorful instead of all the horrible white, black, forest green and wine red kits every modern kit was looking like. I could be unique and I always strive to be my own person and walk to the beat of.. well, you know.

third, I sometimes buy and sell them. Why? Cuz why not? It can fund other kits. I can repair and restore things that some other people can't tackle. So it's my way of preserving the hobby. And I don't do a lot of selling, or parting out, but it's nice to make a couple of bucks doing something i like.

Jason

"ps sorry for the typo "he house" I meant the house"

I took this as "Out House"... My wife would have me out there in a flash..

Cheers

Actually I voted player... Because I do gig whenever possible.. Not so much past couple of years but I pick up the sticks most days to practice. I jam/rehearse at any opportunity... I have played fully pro for just two years but semi pro for 30 plus years.. Led and managed my own band for almost ten years. Those semi pro years paid off my mortgage and provided a better standard of living for my family & self.

70s & 80s were my prime gigging years.. at times booked solid.. I remember one month we did 21 "One Night Stands" in a row... As much as I love to perform, under no circumstances would I ever consider gigging for less than the standard going rate for a pro muso...

Cheers

John

Well we're at 79% right now. That's interesting. Wayne if your there, tick the poll would ya? Please. Its only for a laugh. And yes Fiends are welcome!

Hehe. That made me laugh.

You know you've hit something there for me. Theres something about the finishes of those old kits. When I look at modern kits from this century trying to do a vintage look, they always look, I dunno, too heavy somehow.

Even the wood finish kit's land up looking more like furniture than musical instrument. And agreed on the restricted colour schemes. Yamaha 9000's red, black, white and that maple custom green. With the occasional natural maple thrown in.

I really get depressed with myself when I think about this.

I started playing at age six, took private lessons for nearly two decades, toured Europe twice with a hand picked marching band, was awarded the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award, and I'm a lot easier to get along with than any guitar player...

I dedicated a big portion of my life to the craft, and can not play anywhere near the level of my only progressive rock ("art metal?") record.

Now look at me. Great gear and some stories. No time to even go to the local jazz jam on Saturday afternoon any longer.

Thanks for making me feel so good.

It depresses me, I want to be able to gig as much as poss, but mainly it's that old thing of who you know etc.

Well put Jason,

Pretty much spot on for myself as well..

Don't you hate having to drag a nice vintage kit to rehearsal? I use to do that every weekend we weren't gigging. Now a days everything stays at our lead vocalist house, she's really good about that. I actually picked up an inexpensive Kent kit to leave their, so my Rogers stays with me until the next gig.