Most of these are the "turn a buck" bunch. Looking for the next big payoff so they don't have to do an honest day's labor. Great bunch of Joe's, each and every one of 'em.

Sorry. That was uncalled for. Just sick of this type of crap. I got my iPod stolen last night. REALLY bitter about low life scum right now.

Need to clarify: I'm not a collector. I grab drums and enjoy them. Loves me thems drums.

Yup, it's a new era. And the internet has just made it that much harder for the bargain hunters. Everyone can easily find out what they have and, roughly, what it's worth.

That is primarily where all those stripped down sets and snares on ebay, broken up for parts, raped to the last tiny washer........ come from.

I agree EVERYTHING is Raped and molested....and the parts are so expensive......I wanna get this 4160 up and running....but Im not spendind 350.00 for parts for a drum that is worth 275.00

Z

There are all kinds of collectors. Some people flip sets to turn a buck and they don't have any passion for the drums one way or another. Other collectors are VERY passionate about their drums and will only sell pieces of their collections under extreme circumstances. And then there's the other collectors who dabble in a bit of both -some stuff they love and will never sell and some stuff they don't care for but buy it to turn a profit.

I agree there are so many collectors out there now, it's really hard to find any really good deals....hard but not impossible. I, personally, like to collect matched drum sets from the 60's. And that category of vintage drum sets have become very difficult to find. This is after all a finite commodity, now. There will never be any other sets to replace the ones that are in existence. I saw this coming down the road, man. I even directly told people to get the sets while they can. And, now, a good deal of the matched sets in existence are in collections. I think it's a good thing for the most part because it means the drums are (usually) in the care of someone who knows what they have and who knows how to care for them. Hopefully, because of those collectors, the drums will be around for a long, long time.

I also love to play the drums. So, in my collection, every kit gets played. None get put on a pedestal. They are musical instruments, after all. And since I am a musician, that works out just right!:)

And sometimes, people think that these things get put into a display case and never touched -for fear of causing a blemish that might devalue them. I don't think that's true, generally speaking. I think most people who are knowledgeable enough to be collectors, already know how to play well enough to be careful enough to not do damage to the drums if they decide to play them. I mean, drumheads are made to be hit and they are easy to replace. I rarely stab the shells anymore these days or smash cymbals to smithereens for the visual effect -ya know? :)

I started out with a Jazzette bass drum gifted to me by a friend and that led me to read and study more and more....which led to finding more stuff...which led to more interest...and so on. Now, I have one room of my house dedicated to vintage drum sets! How did that happen!

I may be wrong, but it's a dream of mine that one day, certain vintage drum sets will command the same kind of respect that certain vintage guitars get presently. And if I am wrong, then so what? In the meantime, I have a fun hobby that I can enjoy regardless of what the market does. I see it as a win/win situation.

But the time for getting super deals on the type of stuff I collect, is nearly over. If any of you find a great deal on a matched, vintage drum set, now, then it's a fluke and you'd be smart to grab it, in my opinion.

I want to buy more drums, but I literally do not have any more room left. I'm at the point, now, that if I want to get more stuff, I have to sell some stuff I already have. The problem is, I suspect I won't find any other sets like the ones I already have and in as good a condition anymore. I'm in a holding pattern at the moment. That may be the way it stays for quite awhile. We'll see. Mister T

I agree.Its a lot easier to focus on an era or builder,colors,etc.I also love the 60,s gear,but i,ve seen mostly hobbyists that scour the market with fierce intensity looking for the same.These are guys that "used" to play in high school,and think they can get rich doing this...True story;.A new enthusiast to the seen calls me up to rub salt.He says,"you should have been up early today,you should see what i got at a garage sale"I go over to look it over..A Rogers blue sprkl,PT what seemed to be decent...at a glance.What he paid 50 bucks for was a Japanese Stewart with a Rogers badge GLUED on.Because he,s a drum snob he wanted no part of it,so i gave him 15 bucks for it...He learned a lesson,and i got a nice old rehearsal drum...like i need another oneCoffee Break2

These things happen. The reason I am SO specific as to what I collect actually helps me to limit my collecting. If I collected just anything that said "Ludwig" on it, then I would have no rooms in the house left for living!

I suppose I am a bit of a snob that way, too. I don't mean to insult anyone else's style of collecting drums, but my thing is very clear-cut. I'll turn down drums that other people would jump at -only because, like I say, I am limited by space. And I suppose I am a stickler for details as a result of my collecting style. I have to look for things to be wrong with a kit so that, if I find them, then I won't buy it!

As far as buying drums because of the way they sound...? Not anymore. I have modern drums and vintage drums and the sound library is complete, now. I really don't think there are any drum kits that can set themselves apart, sound-wise, enough from the kits I already own. I don't "hoard" drum sets. I don't need one of each color or anything like that!

The harder the deals are to find, the better it is for me -for two reasons:

1. It means that the demand is exceeding the supply -which drives up the value.

2. It means that I simply can't get what I want to buy -which means that I buy less.