Omega: The original lineup, 1983, L to R: Ken, Mike (RIP), Jon & Evan
I’ve been answering several drum set questions on social media lately… “What kind of drums do I buy?” Naturally, the answer to that is highly subjective and could inspire a dissertation…However, it’s safe to suggest that people recommend drums they have bought and used to cover their musical journey. Sure, they are projecting their wants and needs onto you and that’s perfectly fine! In this post, I’m going to briefly share my 40-year drum set journey.
The above picture with my first group, Omega, is drum set number one from 1983: Tempro (sic) blue sparkle, and a cheap chrome snare drum. It was made in Japan and most likely an inspired copy of Pearl Drums. I bought it from a Staten Island Tottenville HS senior, Ritchie, for $100.00. It was all I could afford at the time, but good enough for lessons, Omega practices, jam sessions, and gigs.
Unfortunately, the Tempro set was stolen from the music wing when I became the drummer for a Tottenville HS school play. I was crushed! My father pulled me aside and noticed how distraught I was. He told me to keep an eye out for something inexpensive and we can work something out for my October birthday… Two weeks later, there was an ad in the Staten Island Advance for an Aspen White TAMA Swingstar set with hardware, a throne, and cheap cymbals for $500.00. My father agreed to purchase it with a few reasonable conditions: Practice, use it to justify the purchase, and help him out with his business on the weekends to earn some extra money. I agreed! Here is the 2023 version of the TAMA Swingstar drum set number 2:
The TAMA Swingstar became my everything set! The original configuration consisted of 5 drums, a Paiste 16″(sic) cymbal purchased from the late Jazz Drummer, Sam Ulano, Camber hi hats, and a LOUD Zildjian Ride that rang for 45 minutes. In fact, it’s still ringing! I custom ordered 8 and 10 inch matching toms from Lane Music, S.I.N.Y. The drums remained the same, but the cymbals changed to mostly Zildjian for the rest of high school. As I went through my Neil Peart (RUSH) phase, I purchased a 22″ Zildjian Ping Ride and 14″ New Beat hi hats–buh bye to the Camber Nickel hats! One final thing to point out is the Zola Coat that was sprayed on the inside of the drums. This coating provided shell protection and an enhanced sound, arguably. The wood is most likely some blend of Mahogany (Japan, China, Philippines), Particle Board, and possibly Poplar. However, I love the sound of these drums and they’ve delivered for thousands of gigs, practicing, and 40 years of incredible personal growth. They are in my closet and do not leave the house–ever!
While living in Virginia from 1993-2000, I won a Yamaha Stage Custom drum set at a drum toss in Roanoke, VA. I’m grateful for winning something BIG–this never usually happens, respectfully. I purchased drum cases from Noteworthy Music (now defunct) and a Pearl double pedal. Not to sound ungrateful, but I wasn’t feeling it. WHAT? The drums seemed too barbaric at the time, so I sold everything to a former drum student. Drum set number 3 was short-lived, but I was still interested in this “birch” sound that everybody was talking about…
While living in Maryland from 2010-2022, I noticed a few bubbles or air pockets on the white TAMA bass drum and decided that these drums would always stay home for practicing and studio recording. It was time to purchase a smaller set up (drum set number 4). I traded in a 13″ Pork Pie Snare Drum and $100.00 for another TAMA 5-piece:
Drum set number 4 is a blue TAMA StageStar 5-piece set up with much smaller toms and an 18″ bass drum. After playing a 22″ bass drum for many years, I had to adapt to an 18. However, it worked out really well! It has some cosmetic scratches on it, yet sounds great with or without microphones. At this point, I used 2 different snare drums: A custom designed white 14″ Gretsch (sic) and a Mapex Black Panther–a heavy beast! It’s hard to see the snare, but here is my last gig with the legendary blues guitarist, Mike “Tough Guy” Presutti, at Filthy’s in Vero Beach, Florida:
Shameless Plug Section:
I’m settled in Sebastian, Florida (Indian River County) and jam with the following musicians: Mike Presutti, Dave Scott, Kenny Clarke, et al.
The Thom Parks Group is my latest project: Blues, Latin, Contemporary Pop, Classic Rock, and more. Click me to hear one cover version (FaceBook) of Sunshine of Your Love–Cream–live at Filthy’s in Vero Beach, Florida. We are booking private parties RIGHT NOW because “season” is here.
Email me if you want to hire us for live music at your very special party event!
I’m also teaching private drum lessons! Please take a moment to fill out the easiest contact form if you want to improve your drumming quickly! I will help you with the following list and anything else that you want to do:
*Sounding better at jam sessions
*Playing faster without struggling
*Playing with great technique to avoid injuries
*Playing songs from your favorite drummers/bands
*HAVING FUN!
Drum set number 5: It’s beautiful!
I was using the blue TAMA StageStar setup for rehearsals with the Thom Parks Group. However, it became rather inconvenient moving the drums to the second story, practicing, and reloading in 97 degree weather… Chris Sadlers, our bassist, suggested leaving drums at his place, but what do I use for fill-in gigs? After 6 weeks of internet grinding, I decided to purchase something in maple (birch was a runner up). Enter the 5-piece Mapex Mars Maple in Glossy Amber (sure, it’s orange). The bass drum is also 18 inches; the toms are 8, 10, and 14. Out of the box, it sounded great with minimal tuning. However, the snare drum sound was awful. I changed both heads and the snare wires; it sounds great!
To wrap this up, I’ve had 5 drum sets in 40 years. The TAMA Swingstars are still in cases, whereas the StageStars and Mapex Mars Maple are being used for gigs. I’ve been more inspired to practice, especially with the latest drum purchase. On a final note, I’ve changed cymbal choices as well: Mixed Zildjian, Sabian, & Paiste. For example, I purchased a used Paiste 505 20″ Ride. I’ll use this for lighter Jazz gigs and resort to the classic Ed Shaughnessy 21″ Ride for everything else. Buying new toys is a great way to add excitement to the musical journey… Next time, I’ll provide my thoughts about a recent cymbal endorsement opportunity from SoulTone Cymbals–so tempted to sign the agreement…
