I gig all of it.

Granted, I dont play bar gigs. And Im not playing gigs with thrash metal players. And I am very careful who, if any, other drummers play my gear.

[IMG]http://inlinethumb35.webshots.com/30114/2912943580028342110S600x600Q85.jpg[/IMG]

I gig ONLY my vintage stuff these days. Granted, I don't own an irreplaceable Ludwig, Gretsch or Rogers kit, but my Kent drums have all had some serious time put into restoring them (by me). So while they may not be high-buck kits, they do have plenty of blood, sweat and tears in them.

I do also own 2 modern kits, but find that the vintage stuff works better with what I'm playing (blues, funk and some funky blues).

And it's great when another drummer strikes up a conversation at a gig and asks me what the heck kind of kit I'm playing. You won't get that gigging a Pearl kit.

I gig with my 1970 Ludwig Downbeat. I originally got it because it was on the cheap and slightly beat up, so I wouldn't care if it got banged around at gigs. It sounds great, still looks good, it's light weight, and it definitely gets drummers coming up to talk with me between sets about it.

I made the mistake of digging into a Pearl Masters Mahogany Classic Limited Edition Franklin Mint Sweet Polly Purebread Monaco Plumber Blah Blah Blah kit and gigged with it. It was so doggone expensive with hardware and cymbals that I freaked out every time I set it up in a studio or on a stage. I stopped the insanity and have never gigged with it since. I now only gig with vintage drums. None of them come close to the cost of that stupid kit so I don't ever think about it anymore. If a drum breaks or is stolen, I replace it. No night sweats now. Sweet.

Im gigging with my XP8 Rogers kit. If I had a decent recent kit I'd take that out and play. But bringing the Rogers tone to the live setting is always good Clapping Happy2

I've always played my kit out, and people love it! A lot of people aren't familiar with vintage drums, at least in my age group(early 20's), so they are very interested in them.

However I do want to get a new set, and leave the Ludwigs at home...

1967 Ludwig Club Date + 1969 Ludwig floor tom

The reason I started this thread is that occasionally someone will make a comment like "Man, I would never bring that drum out to a place like this!" I feel that I owe my fellow musicians and the audience the best music I can make. And that includes my best sounding stuff. I regularly gig with either a Camco Oaklawn bop kit with a 20s Ludwig NOB snare or Rogers dayton 20, 12, 14 with my own design snare and my 1970 Sonor teardrop rosewood kit with a '28 Ludwig black beauty. This is my best sounding stuff. I know guys who have incredible drums at home, but play beater stuff live. I don't get it. These are musical instruments. They should be used to make music with. To me, to leave them on the shelf is disrespecful to the instrument and the people who made it. There. I got this off my chest. I feel better now.

I agree - These are musical instruments and they were made to be played, not hidden away. I pretty much play only bar gigs, but I'm careful to keep an eye on things when I'm off stage and I don't generally play in places where fights break out.

I did in the past :) where I was playing more guitar than drum gigs. It's the reason I bought a Telecaster - The best guitar-as-a-weapon ever made :)

Anyhow... If you keep your "good" drums home and never play them out live, you're really missing out on something special.

I agree, but the reason that people don't take them out is to protect them. If they get damaged or they get stolen, you're REALLY going to miss out on something special.

I used to play a "beater" kit out, but then I got my 1970 Ludwigs so that I could play something nicer out, but something I wouldn't mind getting beat up a little from packing/unpacking/stage antics/inebriated patrons/etc... There's no way I'm taking my immaculate-condition DWs out on a gig besides studio sessions. I want to protect my investment, as I'm sure I will probably sell them about 30+ years down the road.

I can see both sides of the issue on this one.