I've said many times on this forum that I don't have any real regrets about selling or trading away drum sets that I've owned. I have pretty much replaced my favorite drum sets from forty and fifty years ago with recent acquisitions of similar drum sets to those I gigged with way back then.
However, there are a few drum sets I have owned that maybe I should have kept. One of those drum sets I wish I had kept was my very first real drum set. My mid-1950s Gretsch pink and charcoal Duco three piece set (no floor tom) has nostalgic value even though they were not great drums. My last gigging drum set was a mid '60s Slingerland five piece outfit in Green Glass Glitter. They were outstandingly terrific. And, lastly, here's a set that I obtained as a 14x20 bass drum with two 8x12 toms and a 16x16 floor tom. I added a Luxor and canister throne that were a little more yellowed and a complete set of pedals and stands that were period-correct. This drum set, the throne, and some of the hardware resulted in trades for three great vintage sets.
I should mention that I'm profoundly left-handed. I thought that I should set up my first drums lefty style. I didn't realize at the time that set them up so that I was playing with lefty feet and righty hands. Shortly after struggling through this first gig on a drum set, I set them up in a conventional righty configuration, and began playing open-handed. Sixty years later, I still play open-handed on a righty drum set.
Any similar stories?
