I think it is perfectly natural that the focus of a collection evolves. It can be due to space constraints or the change in a collector's interests.

I have been refocusing my collection for both of the above reasons, but have a ways to go. Due to space, the overflow of parts and items designated to be sold are in a climate controlled storage unit.

Guess I could open up the unit periodically for anyone locally who is looking to buy drums and parts. Could also make for a good episode of Storage Wars.

My focus of collecting is motivation to play and taking care of the drums I own with maintenance, cleaning etc.

Just to give them another chance to shine in front of the crowd.

I narrowed the kits to two sets, and will generally keep to that amount during my (hopefully long lived) drumming.

I won't push my children to play 'em if they won't show the interest.

It's for my own playing pleasure, and to preserve the best sound music ever had in 60's era.

I've narrowed my focus on collecting drums to top gig ready condition or those needing a thorough clean-up with minor restoration to be in top gig ready condition. I think that I'm done with total rehab drums. I've had as many as twelve complete drum sets at the same time. I have downsized the collection since downsizing to a new smaller house. My collecting tastes and playing preferences are highest for mid twentieth century Slingerland (two sets), SlingerLeedy (two sets), Leedy orphan rehab set (one set), and Walberg & Auge drums (one set) . For the heck of it, I have one set each of CF Martin era Fibes and Ludwig Standards. I have enough 40's-60's A Zildjian cymbals that I have acquired since I began playing in the mid 1950's to outfit at least three drum sets. My drum hardware stash includes pedals and stands to outfit eight to ten drum sets. Each of my drum sets has its own matching or compatible snare drum. I also have a few very nice extra snare drums. I am constantly thinking of whittling the collection down to one set each of Slingerlands, SlingerLeedy, Walberg & Auge, and maybe one other set. I don't think that I'd want to get rid of any of my cymbals, extra snare drums, pedals or other hardware because they don't take up much space.

To expand on what I said earlier - for me its easier to justify the museum grade or near perfect kits. These kits if I needed to sell for whatever reason I could easily do so. Also I play a top of the line moderm kit. My kit I think would cost about $7k new all together. What is the point of having something nice and not using it? I of course did not pay retail for any of my Sonor drums but even if I did I would not hesitate to take them out.

With my vintage gear they tend to get used more for practice and some session work. It was hard for me to spend months restoring my Ludwig Clubdate kit, gigging it one time and then selling it. My tastes and needs change so therefore my collection changes.

The biggest reason for me to collect a drum is that it sounds good. No reason to keep any drum in my collection if I can't take it out on a gig. Every snare in my collection has been gigged or recorded. I sometimes audition every snare in my inventory to find the right sound.

I'm with Gerald on his one too. Smoke 'em if you got 'em. The only problem is deciding what gear to shlep. Yesterday was a backline gig on a PDP kit (they make drum sounds when you hit 'em I guess) and for some reason the freshly headed Dyna won out over the new Supra. At change over the next drummer pulled out a Supraphonic. I couldn't help thinking it was cool that the audience got to hear both fine snares after all. Anyways all that to say get the magnificent drums out there and share them with people's earholes so to speak.

Not all of us gig. In my case, I don't gig any more. I did gig for many years. My drum collecting is a hobby that I began a few years before I retired from my traveling "civilian" job. I knew that I needed something music related to hold my interest. I also kept thinking that I might want to play some gigs or just jam with other like-minded people. I'm one of the "collectors" that some of you folks hate because I have several perfectly gigable drum sets and associated drum gear that never leave the house. I'm not the least bit defensive about what I do vs what other people do with their drums. For all of the years (25 plus) that I actively played gigs (I even played some REAL SHOWS in very large venues), I never owned more than one drum set at any time. I would trade one set for a newer one quite frequently for no reason other than wanting something new. My mind did not even think about having more than one drum set at a time--not even an extra snare drum. In my hobbyist mind set, the only constraints for how many drum sets I own are space for the drums more so than the cost of the drums. BUT.........I don't lust after super expensive vintage drum sets, I prefer to trade something I own for something else that I want more that what I trade away. The few collector or museum quality sets I have that would each command a few thousand bucks were obtained by trading other drums that cost me a lot less for these beauties.

I'm not gigging either. I've cut down from my old excess (I could have sent The Who 'round the world so long as the venue had a PA) to merely being able to host a medium-sized rock festival. I used to be in a very good band with (I think) actual potential, but after the songwriter/vocalist/guitar player died unexpectedly I haven't had the heart to be in another band. Maybe in the future. Probably not.

I'm 35, I work long hours, I don't cheat on my wife or have a gambling problem or play the stock market or have subscriptions to multiple highly-alarming niche **** sites. ****ing around with drums and guitars in my basement seems to be pretty good as vices go. As for kits and guitars sitting around not-being-used-much, well, I have an aunt who has easily $100k worth of "Collector" clown figurines - Hummels and Precious Moments and that sort of thing, and nobody *ever* will get any joy playing with those. I've got something around 7-10 kits depending on how you stack 'em, maybe 2 dozen cymbals, 15 guitars, 4 basses, couple amps, and a motorcycle. Almost all quality stuff that was beat up and I rehabbed, maybe 5 things out of the whole pile worth more than a grand.

When I croak it'll be a pretty cool yard sale.

Edit note: I didn't actually use any foul language, but apparently the forum's filter is a bit of a pearl-clutching church lady.

I've recently retired - my wife is as well - and my focus on collecting has changed a bit.

I / we have a lot less money coming in now but we're doing okay. I can't afford to buy drums now and the drums I do have I'm putting together a plan to sell most of them.

I thought I'd never sell my Gretsch drums.....any of them....but things and values change sometimes. I have 5 Gretsch kits......three vintage and two modern. I have two of the vintage sets for sale now. So, for me...that is a big change in my focus ....which was collecting and bringing to life old drums = mostly Gretsch.

The 'Focus' of my collection now is to keep the drums that are special

to me for whatever reason and sell the rest....including these.

Been at this along time. Have a huge collection of kits. snare drums, cymbals, hardware and pedals and heads and cases. I only collect original wrap kits no rewrap kits, And mostly like companies that build their own shells. So I am not a big Rogers fan due to that fact.

I've always been more of a player than a collector. I own 3 vintage kits and I play them all! I, just like a few others here, can't have drums sitting around that don't get played. If I do, I will sell and/or trade them to get something that I will use. Good topic, though.