I'm currently playing in a Jamiroquai tribute band. I usually use 2mm picks (for +20 years). For funk licks, 2mm is way too thick, but I like the 2mm for soloing, power chords, and note to note stuff. I ordered a 2mm sheet of Delrin (similar to Tortex material) for a few bucks, and designed that hybrid picks 2mm/0.8mm. Some failed attempts later on my hobbyst cnc, I finally completed a handful of those. Perfect size for me, very convenient and does exactly what I need.
Lifelong drummer here. Was in bands on and off from high school to my late 20's/early 30's with years in between pursuing other endeavors(see profile page). At one point I had a Tama 8 pc with a dual set of Zidians and Sabians but I gigged w/only a small portion of it. Then overseas work put the long term kibosh on all that and we parted ways. I'm contemplating picking up a DW or Grestch 4 pc and putting something together again. For me it's 2nd nature, like riding a bike. Give me a set list and a couple weeks to get my chops back. I also dabble in bass and have a Fender acoustic.
It's now easier to be a drummer as it was. In my young age, the typical drum kit included more toms, more cymbals, moreof everything. Now the typical setup is the 4 pcs kit with a single tom ... apart for metalheads
If you’re a gigging drummer you learn sooner or later to economize your kit. Even w/my 8 pc, w/in a couple months of playing out I minimized things down to a 4 and sometimes even a 3 pc(bass, snare, 1 riding tom) with 2 cymbals and the high-hat. Maybe doesn’t look as cool, but it’s WAY more sensible logistically, esp. post-gig after a few beers. If you know your rudiments, you can make a 4 pc kit sound like something much more. A double bass pedal augments this as well. Remember- in bar gigs your audience is typically more drunk than you are.
My son is now a pro drummer.. but he doesn't drink at all, and likes his 3 toms and his cymbal forest (+6) His only concession is on the double bass pedal, he uses it at practice but rarely on gigs. His band mates are cool and give him a hand to carry all the stuff, if he has to carry everything alone he will probably reduce a bit During gigs the drummer takes so much time to pack up that he never get the beers and the girls
He was the master.. point. I can play led zep albums 1000 times (I probably did) and always wonder how John Bonham was a magician.
Bonham knew his rudiments, you could tell. It makes all the difference. A triplet or a quadruplet utilizing multiple drums is just something that gets past most players that never mastered their rudiments. There’s a lot of signed, famous drummers out there that have ad-libbed their entire careers. Not this one. I crushed it.
Time to time I like to dig out this thread. Just bumped on a little guitar accessory made in UK (pitchkey), and so clever. It's a simple mechanism you put on the string to switch between for example standard E to drop D. Ordered one yesterday and will try that as I get it. If it works ok, I can reduce my numbers of guitars to carry with my Soundgarden tribute band.
A few of my recent builds , the buckeye burl blue is natural ! Cocobolo is toxic to work with but gorgeous, the quilted maple got about 20 shades of dye , each back sanded to give it the finish , it shifts in the light.
yes, but for Floyd Rose trem, you have a system that exist for years the EVH D-tuna http://www.dtuna.com/index.php
Stunning !! Yes cocobolo is really a pain to work with. so toxic to breath. Amazing work. The burled maple one is awesome.
Obsession ... I've been building for the last 23 years, now that I'm retired other than riding it's what I do for fun. And Like riding I'll do it as long as I'm able to. two more I built for local artists . the top one is quilted Sapele over granadillo semi hollow, and the bottom is quilted maple over chambered spanish cedar
Yes the thread sometimes fall in the abyss of the forum. That's why time to time I put it back to life.
