worth updating for...
as of a couple days ago, i now have my dream drumset:
1965 Ludwig Downbeat be-bop kit in Champagne sparkle
*the story, as posted in my thread in the Drummers group*
"in my "good news and bad news" thread, i mentioned in an update that i bought a old ludwig kit for 150 bucks from a guy who was despirate for cash. it was a cool kit and all, but i wanted a be-bop sized kit( 8x12,14x14,14x20 kick) and this kit was 9x13,16x16, 16x22 kick...way too big for jazz, strictly a rock kit. i bought it because i had the money and it was an old kit , but it wasnt really what i wanted. i actually only played it once and them put it in storage for the last 5 months, trying to decide what i wanted to do with it. i planned on selling it to get some money towards my dream kit: a late 50s to late 60s ludwig or gretsch, be-bop sizes, and wrapped in the most beautiul finish of all,champagne sparkle . and then.....
a couple days ago a customer came into my work looking to buy some covering material to re-wrap an old kit that he had just aquired. we got to talking and i found out the kit was also an old ludwig. he said it was an ugly gold sparkle and he wanted to re-wrap it to look like a ringo kit. i figured he had some 70's kit with the big center mounted tube-style tome arm on the kick and the same big shell sizes as mine. we chit chatted for a bit and then he mentioned he was bummed because the kick was only a 20". my ears perked up at that. i told him that mine was a 22" kick and it was more like the color ringo had. then he mentioned that the kit was just too small in general. now i was really interested in what he had. i offered to buy if he wanted to get rid of it, but he didnt act interested in selling. as he was turning to leave, i offhandedly mentioned that i would trade if he was interested and i gave him my number and said goodbye.
later that night, i mean past midnight, i get a call from the guy. he asks me if i really was interested in a trade. i said sure and we made plans to meet the next day. before i hung up, i asked him to get a measuring tape out and get exact sizes for me. he comes back a minute later and confirms my suspicions...8x12,14x14, and 14x20!!!!!!! at this point, i was really excited!!
i woke up extra early the next day and went and picked up my kit from storage. i went to work with the kit in my car and waited for the guy to come meet me. i started to get worried that he might bail on me, but then i get a call from the dude telling me that he was on his way. i didnt realize but he was coming from 2 hours away! and he brought the wife and kid! he showed up and i went out to his minivan to find my dream kit, a late 60s ludwig be-bop kit in champage sparkle!!!!!!!! he took one look at my faux ringo kit and the deal was sealed. five minutes later hes driving away happy as a clam that he got a big kick kit, and i went home with this:
"
after years of collecting and listening to the right albums, collecting the right cymbals(zildjian Ks), and with the addition of this kit, i now have the tools to begin to fulfill a lifelong dream to be a be bop jazz drummer a la bill stewart and joe morello
life is good
in other news...
* for the past couple month, i have been enjoying the pros and cons of my new position at Guitar Center: Drum Dept. Manager.
pros: i get to decide which drums to display , which cymbals to put on them, and i get to "test" and "demo" all of these products on a daily basis. i am the go-to guy, the respected drum sage, the one everyone asks for when they need to be
taken care of, the guy who has all the answers.
cons: i have no life, i work a million hours a week and get paid shit, i have to babysit the other guys in me dept and ride their asses all day to get anything done, i have to call manufacturers every day to request availability and pricing info for people who probably arent going to buy anything anyway, and is MY fault when the numbers look bad, and TONS of paperwork!
ahhh...the life of a retail manager...
*as a Guitar Center employee in general, i enjoy a very healthy discount and im really taking advantage of it: ive been stockpiling cymbals, sticks, and parts for my drums, and i plan on continuing to hoard shit until the day that my employment ends, whenever that may be... hopefully not TOO soon, because i still need a full set of Paiste 2002s and a couple snare drums.
*im STILL looking for a new car...anyone have a jeep cherokee for 1500 bucks?
*spring is just around the corner, and that means ANOTHER VW SHOW SEASON!! WOOHOO! i have some stuff i need to do to the '56 bug to get her ready for the trip up to ypsilanti, MI for the spring vintage show. here she is last fall, right before she got stored away for the winter:
trying to be artsy:
i cant wait till the first warm weekend of spring so i can dust her off and take her for a ride.
oh, and one other cool thing about being the manager of the drum department...custom price tags!!
as of a couple days ago, i now have my dream drumset:
1965 Ludwig Downbeat be-bop kit in Champagne sparkle
*the story, as posted in my thread in the Drummers group*
"in my "good news and bad news" thread, i mentioned in an update that i bought a old ludwig kit for 150 bucks from a guy who was despirate for cash. it was a cool kit and all, but i wanted a be-bop sized kit( 8x12,14x14,14x20 kick) and this kit was 9x13,16x16, 16x22 kick...way too big for jazz, strictly a rock kit. i bought it because i had the money and it was an old kit , but it wasnt really what i wanted. i actually only played it once and them put it in storage for the last 5 months, trying to decide what i wanted to do with it. i planned on selling it to get some money towards my dream kit: a late 50s to late 60s ludwig or gretsch, be-bop sizes, and wrapped in the most beautiul finish of all,champagne sparkle . and then.....
a couple days ago a customer came into my work looking to buy some covering material to re-wrap an old kit that he had just aquired. we got to talking and i found out the kit was also an old ludwig. he said it was an ugly gold sparkle and he wanted to re-wrap it to look like a ringo kit. i figured he had some 70's kit with the big center mounted tube-style tome arm on the kick and the same big shell sizes as mine. we chit chatted for a bit and then he mentioned he was bummed because the kick was only a 20". my ears perked up at that. i told him that mine was a 22" kick and it was more like the color ringo had. then he mentioned that the kit was just too small in general. now i was really interested in what he had. i offered to buy if he wanted to get rid of it, but he didnt act interested in selling. as he was turning to leave, i offhandedly mentioned that i would trade if he was interested and i gave him my number and said goodbye.
later that night, i mean past midnight, i get a call from the guy. he asks me if i really was interested in a trade. i said sure and we made plans to meet the next day. before i hung up, i asked him to get a measuring tape out and get exact sizes for me. he comes back a minute later and confirms my suspicions...8x12,14x14, and 14x20!!!!!!! at this point, i was really excited!!
i woke up extra early the next day and went and picked up my kit from storage. i went to work with the kit in my car and waited for the guy to come meet me. i started to get worried that he might bail on me, but then i get a call from the dude telling me that he was on his way. i didnt realize but he was coming from 2 hours away! and he brought the wife and kid! he showed up and i went out to his minivan to find my dream kit, a late 60s ludwig be-bop kit in champage sparkle!!!!!!!! he took one look at my faux ringo kit and the deal was sealed. five minutes later hes driving away happy as a clam that he got a big kick kit, and i went home with this:
"
after years of collecting and listening to the right albums, collecting the right cymbals(zildjian Ks), and with the addition of this kit, i now have the tools to begin to fulfill a lifelong dream to be a be bop jazz drummer a la bill stewart and joe morello
life is good
in other news...
* for the past couple month, i have been enjoying the pros and cons of my new position at Guitar Center: Drum Dept. Manager.
pros: i get to decide which drums to display , which cymbals to put on them, and i get to "test" and "demo" all of these products on a daily basis. i am the go-to guy, the respected drum sage, the one everyone asks for when they need to be
taken care of, the guy who has all the answers.
cons: i have no life, i work a million hours a week and get paid shit, i have to babysit the other guys in me dept and ride their asses all day to get anything done, i have to call manufacturers every day to request availability and pricing info for people who probably arent going to buy anything anyway, and is MY fault when the numbers look bad, and TONS of paperwork!
ahhh...the life of a retail manager...
*as a Guitar Center employee in general, i enjoy a very healthy discount and im really taking advantage of it: ive been stockpiling cymbals, sticks, and parts for my drums, and i plan on continuing to hoard shit until the day that my employment ends, whenever that may be... hopefully not TOO soon, because i still need a full set of Paiste 2002s and a couple snare drums.
*im STILL looking for a new car...anyone have a jeep cherokee for 1500 bucks?
*spring is just around the corner, and that means ANOTHER VW SHOW SEASON!! WOOHOO! i have some stuff i need to do to the '56 bug to get her ready for the trip up to ypsilanti, MI for the spring vintage show. here she is last fall, right before she got stored away for the winter:
trying to be artsy:
i cant wait till the first warm weekend of spring so i can dust her off and take her for a ride.
oh, and one other cool thing about being the manager of the drum department...custom price tags!!
VIEW 7 of 7 COMMENTS
9uh:
I love you Dave.
nave:
Thank You for the birthday wishes! 