Casey Cooper recently invited eight prolific Sweetwater drummers into the studio to answer this contentious question. To do so, Casey employed a visual and aural aid in the form of his 4-piece Pearl Vari-Pitch kit with a Firchie TM1 “Time Machine” snare drum, which the other drummers (unbeknownst to them) would be playing.
The Vari-Pitch was a collaboration between Pearl and Remo that saw the marriage of Remo rototoms and Pearl’s phenolic shells. Theoretically, this gives you the instant tunability of rototoms with the body and tone of full-size toms. Likewise, the Firchie TM1 snare drum employs a rotating mechanism that enables you to tune both heads simultaneously. It also sports a double throw-off mechanism that gives you easy access to three quick snare tension settings.
Our eight drummers had no idea what kind of drums they would be playing. They only knew that they would be playing a “vintage drum set.” As they entered the room one by one, their initial impressions universally expressed intrigue and appeal. Clayton Beehler commented that he had “never seen drums like this,” a sentiment echoed by Wayne Davis: “I don’t know what this is, but it’s amazing!” The drummers’ enthusiasm only heightened after Casey introduced the kit and showed them how it worked. Arturo Angulo exclaimed, “I need this! I spend so much time just tuning!” whereas Steve Dibblee remarked, “That is the most unique thing I’ve ever seen.” As you may expect, the drummers’ delight reached a fever pitch once they played the kit. Damian Hyde and Jalen Floyd had loads of fun testing the drums’ range by tuning them to extreme highs and lows, and Evan Turner immediately rocked the famous Phil Collins “In the Air Tonight” drum fill. Perhaps the prevailing mood was best summed up by Mark Johnson when he asked, “Is someone selling this thing? I want it.”
Some folks think of vintage drums simply as old drums that lack all the finer appointments, the bells and whistles, that modern drum engineering provides. However, Casey is quick to point out that many vintage drums have “fun and interesting” features not found on contemporary drums — his Vari-Pitch kit is a perfect example. And, Casey continues, if these features were found on modern drums, then you’d likely pay considerably more money for them than you would by scoring a great vintage kit on Sweetwater’s Gear Exchange.
So, what do you think: are vintage drums worth it? If the experience of our Sweetwater drummers is anything to go by, then the answer is a resounding yes!