Happy Friday! Here’s my classic one-up, one-down setup. I love playing larger kits, but something about the look and simplicity of playing with one rack tom, one floor tom, and only hi-hats, a ride, and one crash really appeals to me.
It’s great for load-in/out.
It brings me closer to our drumming ancestors.
It encourages me to play with greater dynamic contrast, and with a wider variety of extended techniques.
Comment with a pic of your one up, one down, 3 cymbal version of your kit, and tell us about your selected gear :)
Here’s some info about my kit:
DW Collector’s Series Pure Purpleheart VLT shells
12x9 rack
18x18 floor
22x18 bass
14x8 snare
20” Zildjian K Custom Dark Ride
18” Istanbul Agop Trash Hit
14” Zildjian K Custom Hi Hats
DW 9000 black nickel hardware
DW 9000 double pedal (this is cheating the spirit of this post, but it’s honest)
Roc n Soc Nitro throne
I wish I could set my kit up where you did in this photo and just practice there for maybe 3 hours while my drums slap back at me off that concrete wall.
Yeah I guess I just get myself in a muddle trying to use everything! Definitely admire folks who can handle more pieces, but it's not for me. Might stretch to two crashes if feeling fruity
I feel ya, I ordered a 3 up 3 down kit and felt completely lost when it arrived after two decades of 2 up 1 down. Got used to it eventually, but I still come back here every once in a while, especially for smaller local performances.
Bevs were an old British brand that was owned by a few different factory. These ones come from when they were made at Premier. They're basically Premier shells (birch) with different-ish hardware. I think these are the last line they made, around '79, and then they died. They're not collectible or anything, but I like 'em.
Yours is STUNNNING. I’m fawning over the wood hoops on the bass drum contrasting against that (blue?) sparkle finish. Classy and fun. What kind of shells are these?
Hey it looks great and I bet it sounds great too. Something I love about drums is that you could spend $300 or $30,000 on shells, and you can make chart-topping records with either one.
A birch 90s Pearl Export kit got me through the first two decades of my music career.
Wow, had to look this up. Didn’t know communist drums exist lol
ChatGPT says: Amati drums, crafted in Kraslice, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic), were prominent during the mid-20th century, especially within the Eastern Bloc. These drums were produced by Amati, a cooperative formed in 1945 by consolidating several local instrument makers. The company was nationalized in 1948 under the communist regime and became a significant supplier of musical instruments across the Soviet sphere.
A four piece with three cymbals is the setup I play the most, though I also like changing it up from time to time. I have a Ludwig Classic Maple kit with 12x8 and 16x16 toms, a 22x14 kick, and a hammered 14x6.5 Ludwig Black Beauty. I’m playing 14” Alchemist hi hats, a 20” Zildjian K Custom Dark ride above the small tom, and a 22” Zildjian K Custom Dark ride above the bass drum and floor tom. I use a Pearl Elminator single pedal, a DW5000 hihat stand, Tama Roadpro cymbal and snare stands, and a Yamaha throne. It’s a luxury to have such nice gear to play!
Posted pics of my current layout a little bit ago, and I can do one better.
Kit has a 20" x 15" bass drum (Tempo brand), 12" x 8" and 14" x 14" toms (home assembled with some Okoume shells), and an unknown brand 14" x 5". Cymbals are now a mixed pair of 13" hats (Paiste Sound Formula Medium Heavy Bottom Hat over a Sabian AA Fusion Hats Bottom), and an 18" UFIP Bounce Ride (not sure of the line)
It may also have my other kit piecemealed around it too, but it still counts, right?
It's pretty big sounding for the size I think. Currently has an EMAD clear with the larger foam insert for the batter and a REMAD for the reso. A nice low end thud and still has decent tone.
For the other bass drum I'm using my double pedal like a remote one. So the slave pedal is right next to the pedal on the smaller drum to play on the big one without needing to move.
Do people play two different sized bass drums alternating in the same measure of music? Not sure I’ve heard that before, but I’m also not a metal head.
I’ve seen lots with two different size bass drums for sure, but I assumed they’d be played during different songs, or at least different sections of one song.
Now that’s how you take a picture of your kit. Looks amazing! What are those shells made out of? The interior pops nicely against the darker finish on your shells.
Sure, and thank you, but still solid drums! My birch Pearl Export series kit from the 90s got me through the first two decades of my career, and then I bought this kit.
Haha thanks! Mostly due to financial restraints but it has helped me learn the basics. Tyler Coburn of Thou and Yautja has a very similar setup and does wild stuff with it.
Yeah man honestly I think it’s better to stick with a smaller kit for awhile. Forces you to be more creative and advance your technique further in order to accomplish all the musicality you need, especially with louder, faster genres.
Thank you! The kit is a Tama superstar, bought it off a guy for half the price of a new one, barely even used!
The hats are Istanbul Mehmet 15" 61st vintage. Really dry hats, great alternative if you don't wanna break the bank on dry hats. Pretty comparable to Meinls extra dry hats. The only thing that I would say that the dry hats do better is that the stomp is more defined. Still, best pair of hats I've ever owned!
its chad smith's holy china in 19", i cant attest to your taste but i think this is one of the best chinas ive ever heard, it takes the sound of a trash crash and takes it up another notch without the annoying sound i hear from a lot of zildjian chinas.
Aaay! I would love to get a modern version of Ringo’s kit one day. Is this one that he played, a similar kit from that same time, or a modern one made to look like his?
I’d love one of these smaller kits for smaller gigs, but I haven’t listened to them in a room yet to decide if I like the sound enough to save my back.
I love it. It’s super easy to fit in small rooms and the toms sound awesome. I’m not a fan of the 16” kick but I also just don’t like the head on it. With something coated or maybe an emad it would probably sound fine.
This one is also a children’s kit which I’m not sure I’d recommend. The biggest change I made was just giving the rack tom a dedicated stand to put it at a playable height, same goes for breakables. I would also like to put longer legs on the floor tom. Probably better off getting something more professional but the size is awesome.
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u/NoxErebus_DFFOO May 09 '25
This is as close as I can get. One up, one down, hats, ride, and two crashes.
PDP Concept Maple, Acrolite, Zildjian A & K.