gear...especially my own. After all, I bought everything I
own because I liked it. The kit on the left is a Tama
Starclassic kit I bought in 1997. They're all maple shells
with no reinforcing hoops and they sing. In fact, I think
they may have even improved a little with age. Either
that or I've learned how to tune them. Of the cymbals
listed here, the oldest one is the K Custom ride which I
bought in 1989 and has been my main workhorse since
then. Although this kit stays set up in my practice room
the majority of the time, I do occasionally take a smaller
version of it out to gigs or recording sessions, usually
four or five pieces with a smaller cymbal setup as well.
The Mapex kit on the right is actually my main gigging
kit. They're smaller drums which is really helpful when
having to set up on some of the incredibly small stages I
often encounter. The ride cymbals listed here are
relatively new to my cymbal family. Since I've been doing
more and more jazz gigs recently I felt it was time to
finally get some real jazz cymbals. These two
instruments, simply put, are awesome!!! The K Custom
Session crash was a anniversary gift from my wife a
couple of years ago and has proved to be very versatile. I
use it for every style of music I play. The clave block
(also a gift from my wife) has been a nice musical (not to
mention challenging) addition to my setup. Learning left
foot clave is tough to get together, but well worth the
effort.
