Shared Drum Kits

[cheddatom]

I play drums in a few bands and this winds me up. I get that the idea is to save time. This is mainly for the soundman because his stands and cables will be intertwined with the kit and so swapping the kit is a pain for him. Fair enough! I often let other drummers use my shells and don't mind at all

BUT

1 - If you're using my kit, please can you bring your stands with you? Setting up the cymbals in the right place is what takes the time. If you use my stands, you'll be adjusting them for 5 minutes, and then so will I. Let's just keep our cymbals on their stands back-stage, and switch them over when the bands switch over. This will actually save a load of time, which is the whole point of sharing a kit

2 - If you're going to share your kit, please could you make sure it's vaguely in tune? And that the toms don't wobble about everywhere?

3 - If you're sharing your kit, DON'T insist that every drummer uses all of your hardware and that none of it can be adjusted. That's not really sharing.

4 - Can we sort it out in advance please?

Maybe you lot could share some of these tips with your drummers?

[christhammer666]

i had this problem at a gig the weekend.My drummer uses a ride cymbal but where the kit was on a rack he couldn't use it because the rack was in the way.As you said a bit of consveration before hand would solved all of this.
If im sharing bass gear I sort it all weeks before the gig

[bassjim]

I wouldn't want random others using my gear for fear of it getting damaged, and then no way of getting it replaced. I agree you need to try and contact the other bands to discuss what bugs you.

Maybe you could draw up a contract sort of thing. Rules if you are using my kit are 1. bring this bring that. 2. under no circumstances ect If you think it would hold weight, ask for a monetary deposit.

[cheddatom]

A couple of weeks ago I turned up to a gig and the drummer who was sharing his kit said "leave your gear mate, you can use all mine, it'll save loads of time". I grabbed my kick pedal and snare drum hoping for the best. He had two rack toms, but I only like one. I asked "Do you mind if I take this off?" and he looked a bit pissed off. I felt bad about it, but I just removed it. It gets in the way and puts me right off. He didn't look happy at all. Then I had to go and get my ride cymbal as his was in such an awkward position, and all tangled in with the cables so I couldn't move it. I also grabbed my stool because his was wobbling and falling apart, and my snare stand for the same reason. I figured I'd wasted enough time by now so just tweaked the set up and decided I'd live with it. It wasn't until we started to sound check that I realised his hi-hat stand was broken. I didn't have time to swap it so just had to deal with it which was very frustrating.

After we'd played, the drummer got on stage, and I assumed he was going to put everything back the way it was, but NO this guy was LEFT HANDED!!! I could have packed away my entire kit and set up his in the time it took to switch everything around, and I would have had a much more enjoyable gig... my fault, I should have spoken to them in advance. I was really grateful and thanked him for his generosity, and I really do appreciate it, but it's times like these when I wish "kit share" wasn't a thing at all. I'm not sure how much benefit it really brings.

[dmccombe7]

Our drummer is left handed so usually means 2 kits on stage if sharing with another band. Add to that 2 different keyboard players and there's not a lt of room on a stage for the rest of us.

Dave

[Yank]

The problem is every drummer sets up so differently, according to his arm reach and seat height and idiosyncrasies of his playing style . From seat height to snare height and angle to tom angles to cymbal heights, our playing suffers when on other's kit. It would be like playing someone's bass where the string type and action are different and the amp was foreign. OK at a jam, not on a show.

[Dad3353]

I play lefty (although I'm right-handed; it just worked out that way when I started...). I can't remember ever having to play anyone else's kit, but I've very often had my kit used by others. We'd simply switch over the floor tom and hi-hat, then switch out my double pedal for theirs if necessary, and that suffices for most (sometimes permute the rack toms, too, if requested...). The snare is usually replaced, and usually cymbals, too, unless I know the other drummer very well indeed..! It's true that, during a long career, I was more often head-lining than not, with an excellent Camco kit, and so had first choice of set-up. Despite all of that, most drummers I've played with are flexible enough to adapt to a 'foreign' set-up, as long as the snare stand is at the right height/angle for them. There are exceptions (head-bangers with a hit-hat perched almost 2m from the floor..!, Or those that use only china crashes for their whole set..!); maybe I've just been lucky, most of the time.

[mikel]

I play drums as well as bass and If its multiple bands a kit share makes sense. Its no good moaning about tuning etc cos we all have our preferred sound. I have done it a few times and play the kit as it is, with my own cymbals. I dont even adjust the stands just change the cymbals in case of breakages. I make a point of sometimes using the studio kits at rehearsals as It makes you work to play a strange kit. After a couple of songs I dont even notice.

As Buddy Ritch told a drummer who tried to adjust Buddies kit "Play is as it lays". Its a good learning experience, not Ideal but it happens, so get used to it.

Why is this on here though, I feel sure its a Bass forum?

Edited April 11, 2017 by mikel

[ahpook]

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1491904236' post='3276266']
Why is this on here though, I feel sure its a Bass forum?
[/quote]

What, you want another bass kit sharing thread ? Really ?

[mikel]

[quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1491904697' post='3276274']
What, you want another bass kit sharing thread ? Really ?


[/quote]

Ha. Didnt say that, but I am not about to get into a guitar amp discussion on a bass forum. If I want to talk drums I go to the drum forums.

[Dad3353]

I've been waiting for Drumchat.co.uk to be launched ever since I signed up here..! Some day; some day...

[cheddatom]

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1491904236' post='3276266']
...As Buddy Ritch told a drummer who tried to adjust Buddies kit "Play is as it lays". Its a good learning experience, not Ideal but it happens, so get used to it.
[/quote]

Yes, good point, and I don't mind to an extent, but when a hit-hat pedal isn't functional, the rack tom won't stay still despite a generous amount of gaffer tape, and the stool is set for someone a foot shorter than me, it's a bit too much to handle

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1491904236' post='3276266']
Why is this on here though, I feel sure its a Bass forum?
[/quote]

I thought there might be some people who play drums and/or in bands with drummers. Clearly a silly assumption!

[PaulWarning]

drum sharing is a necessary evil on multiband bills, our drummer is left handed but unlike Ringo plays left handed, but just gets on with it, in my experience "just bring your breakables" means cymbals, bass drum pedal and snare drum, but pack you stands just in case, the best story I've got is where we played a small, very small, festival and the supplied kit didn't have a floor tom, one poor drummer couldn't get his head round it so played an upturned plastic dust bin instead, oh how we laughed

Edited April 11, 2017 by PaulWarning

[Lozz196]

Our drummer always brings his stands when told breakables, sets them all up, ready to go. It`s just one of those things, you have to compromise on some areas if gear-sharing, but good comms with the other bands prior to the events should sort as much of this as possible.

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1491904236' post='3276266']

As Buddy Ritch told a drummer ...
[/quote]

Buddy who?

[cheddatom]

It's fair enough to say "you should be able to play on anything" etc. and that is a valuable skill, but I wonder how many of you would be happy to be forced to play a "house bass"

As has been said, fair enough for a jam, not really fair enough if you're supposed to be putting on a professional performance for which you're being paid.

[radiophonic]

I think the OPs point 4 is the most important. This applies to all kit sharing. If everyone knows what happening in advance, there's much less scope for bad feeling. I can remember a time when this was normal too. I do get irritated when the venue tell another band they can use my amp, but don't ask me up front. I bring the gear I will need to play our music and it won't necessarily be suitable (read: loud enough) for another band. There's also not much point sound checking if someone is going to vandalise your stage volume before you play.

[cheddatom]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1491908352' post='3276317']
Our drummer always brings his stands when told breakables, sets them all up, ready to go. It`s just one of those things, you have to compromise on some areas if gear-sharing, but good comms with the other bands prior to the events should sort as much of this as possible.
[/quote]

Good man!

...I was looking at your gig list the other day. I keep thinking we're going to collide at some point as we're playing with similar acts in similar venues but there's nothing yet!

[Number6]

Our drummer is left handed so we try to work with all the other drummists. He only uses a single tom, floor tom etc but has to move things to the other side. Three cymbals for him crash, splash and ride. Aleays brings his own snare, pedal, cymbals and a couple of stands regardless.

[Jakester]

I'm primarily a drummer and a bassist second. I did a gig recently where I offered to bring my kit but I was told someone else preferred to do it, which was fine. Or so i thought.

When I got there it was a guy who'd been playing the same kit he learnt on in in the 70's - no problem, you'd have thought, except it didn't appear to have been maintained in all that time. Knackered heads, all of the screws/nuts rusted and seized. I tried to adjust the floor tom so I could actually hit it and the wing nut snapped in my hand (looked like metal fatigue- I'm not that strong!) but luckily I'd got a hose clamp in my stick bag (legacy of another bad kit share) so was able to bodge it.

I couldn't believe that the guy gigged his kit but that state, so although we'd all agreed beforehand what was happening, I still ended up with a duff kit! Unfortunately it seems an unavoidable part of playing drums...

[cheddatom]

It's worth clarifying what "breakables" means as well. The other night a drummer said to me "I wish I'd known you'd brought your own stands, I would have used them, the shared stands are sh*t". I was shocked that he'd not brought his own, and also assumed he would be able to use mine.

Some people say "oh yeh, use my stands, it's no problem, set them how you want" but then the stool is a non-adjustable bar stool and the snare stand can't stay still

[cheddatom]

sorry for the multiple posts but I just have to rant a bit

A couple of years ago I was playing to support a band and the drummer offered to share his kit with me in advance. I said "OK, yeh, if it'll save time, thanks very much". He said "it'll save loads of time, it takes ages to set my kit up" and I soon found out why. A full rack, 2 rack toms, 2 floor toms, about 10 cymbals, double-kick pedal... As he sound checked I set up my cymbals on my stands thinking I could just fold his rack stuff out of the way. After his sound check, I took my gear towards the stage he said "you won't be needing those mate, just put your cymbals on my rack and don't adjust anything". He was almost a foot shorter than me, and I was forced to play with his exact setup. I did get away with it, and maybe that makes me "adaptable" or whatever, but it was not fun at all

[dmccombe7]

I've always assumed a drumer gets use to where everything is on his kit and instinctively can play each drum, snare, cymbal without thinking where it might be on a rack.
I guess there's a fair comment about having to adapt. I've allowed other bass players to use my basses in the past mainly because my basses have always been good quality but wouldn't let just anyone do it. They were all guys i knew and trusted to look after it.
I've allowed other guys to use my bass rig but they always want to fiddle with the settings and i need to return everything to where it was for me. Its all going thru PA so front of house won't make a lot of difference to the sound.
I won't let anyone use my bass now unless its an emergency and no other choice as its pretty unhygienic to be honest.
If i use someone else amp i leave the settings as they are and use EQ on my active bass to get as close to what i want. Again front of house should correct any short falls via PA.

So all in all i suppose a drummer has every right to expect same as guitarists with kit.

Dave

[BigRedX]

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1491907867' post='3276311']
the best story I've got is where we played a small, very small, festival and the supplied kit didn't have a floor tom, one poor drummer couldn't get his head round it so played an upturned plastic dust bin instead, oh how we laughed
[/quote]

I used to play in a band whose drummer only used one rack tom and no floor tom. He was always quite happy for the drummers from other bands on the bill to use his kit and we always made sure that we told all the other bands we were playing with, that if they wanted more than a single rack tom they need to bring their own. And every time the drummers from the other bands would turn up and look at our supplied kit with dismay...

[mikel]

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1491908372' post='3276319']
It's fair enough to say "you should be able to play on anything" etc. and that is a valuable skill,[b] but I wonder how many of you would be happy to be forced to play a "house bass"[/b]

As has been said, fair enough for a jam, not really fair enough if you're supposed to be putting on a professional performance for which you're being paid.
[/quote]

This point has been brought up on lots of drum forums, "Why just us?". Because drums take up a lot of space and take a lot of setting up and mic placement. Most drummers accept it if its the only option.

I have had to use lots of "House" gear, not a bass guitar, that is just silly, but amps etc. If you want to play the gig, it is what it is, sometimes. Usually its the headliners kit when its a kit share, and I doubt any headline act would have a damaged kit/poor mounts etc.