diary of a madman

All I want for Christmas are really small items.

1. Etymotic ER25 musicians’ earplugs, custom moulded $150-$200
2. 20″ K custom medium ride $489 (on its way)
3. 12″ Pearl soprano maple snare
4. 16″ Paiste Signature Full Crash
5. Yamaha Flying dragon hihat stand
6. 2x boom arms
7. 80gb ipod video

If you can’t afford to get me my etymotics, feel free to get me the ER20 that isn’t custom moulded, yet is capable of reducing the noise by 20dB. All for USD$12!

Some photos’ll be up soon… as soon as I get my 20″ Zildjian K custom medium ride, 19″ Paiste Dimensions raw-medium crash, and a boom-arm for my other stuff. Oooh exciting I can’t wait.

Merry christmas to all you trolls out there too.

Since I got these babies, I haven’t had a chance to do a proper review on them. Since I’m really, really, really, bored now with nothing to do at 5.45am, and with my screwed up body clock, here’s a little review on the 14″ Zildjian K Light Hats.

Specification: 14″ hihats
Weight: Medium-thin over Medium
Finish: Traditional

Extremely sensitive and crisp pair of hihats, well suited for anything from a softer to a medium-loud mix. Even though this pair of hihats aren’t as loud or beefy as the 14″ K regular hats, they work well for anything louder as long as they’re sufficiently miced out. When closed, it sounds extremely articulate, with a crisp, dark response. The semi-open “slosh” sound isn’t washy or “crunchy” like some of the heavier hats, which isn’t much of an issue for me, seeing how I already have a pair of 14″ A custom regular hats. The “sloshy” sound when played open isn’t overbearing, but cuts through nicely without an obnoxious feel or sound. The “chick” sound when played with the pedal is extremely articulate, but falls short of being overbearing.

Overall, the $600+ price tag attached to this baby is well justified. This pair of hihats definitely aren’t suited for hard-rock, metal or similar genres, seeing how it lacks the beefy crunch some of the heavier hats possess. If you’re in the market for a new pair of hihats that’re articulate, crisp, and darker, do consider and try out this pair of hats.

“Wow dude you have like 13029834032892 hihats and 93020382 crashes and 38430 snares! You must be a damn pro drummer!”

Sentences like that piss the shit out of me. Along with sentences like, “I need two rides that sound different, one for heavier stuff and one for jazzier and softer stuff.” What’s with the big hoohah over hardware, equipment and gear? It’s not as though having more cymbals or more snares will make you a better drummer. True enough, having more cymbals and snares give you a wider palate of sounds to play around with… but how often will this come into play?

Zzz. When will people realise that its the skill of the drummer that makes the equipment sound good, and not the over way around.

GRRR.

New addition… say hello to Mr. Maple Custom Absolute with noveau lugs! (Pictured with 14x6.5 Pearl Sensitone Custom Alloy snare for reference)

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Maple Custom Absolute #1
Maple Custom Absolute #2

Just felt like posting up the total amount I’ve spent on my drumming so far. If you’re about to call me a show off, or a goddamned attention seeker, but the bottom line stays - I have the goods and you don’t, so suck it up and fuck off. Otherwise, feel free to ask me questions about anything related to my equipment.

I’ve excluded the total amount spent on older hardware, cymbals and pedals, my drumsticks, my stick bag, my practice pad and my various drumheads used over the years. At the same time, I expect the total amount to increase significantly when I am finally able to justify blowing SGD$190 on a 16″ Istanbul Sultan crash, and another SGD$290 on a 20″ Istanbul Sultan ride.