This is basically the same exact crazy drum kit as the last post, but I have improved it significantly. It went through two iterations that I tested for a few weeks each.
On the second version I added an 8" Buffalo drum. I moved the snare wire from the 12" drum to the 8" drum. I still had to use a hi-hat stand (I have been trying to get away from stands altogether.)
The kit sounded nice, however, the 12" drum and 14" floor tom were both tuned to the same note. Since the 12" drum can't be tuned, I tried different tunings with the floor tom but nothing really sounded as good as the note I originally had it tuned to. Two toms tuned to the same note is pretty pointless, so I went ahead and removed the 12" drum.
Another issue with this version was the location of the ride cymbal. It covered a LOT of the floor tom head. Because it was just slipped over the tom leg, it couldn't be raised up any more than it already was. I added a cymbal mount to the floor tom shell on the left side. This created 2 new problems: The 12 inch Buffalo drum was now almost completely covered (because of the ride and hi-hats) and the added weight made the drum kit a little bit unstable. I moved the cymbal mount to the right side.
Bird's eye view of version 2.
I mounted a closed hi hat to the floor tom shell with a pair of 12" splash cymbals (completely mismatched but they sound great, both given to me by strangers at no cost). The little white mount peeking out just above the snare drum in the photograph is a post mount. I had mounted it to the 12 inch drum for use as a snare in a different drum kit. When I decided to use the Buffalo drum on this drum kit, I removed the post mount and drilled the floor tom to match the already existing holes in the Buffalo drum. When I added the hi hat arm, the post mount was my natural choice as the floor tom shell was pre-drilled for it. Modular drum building 101!
Version 3. Hi hats added, ride cymbal moved, 12" drum removed.
I'm using the same kick pedal, same ride cymbal, etc. This is a really compact drum kit - no stands. It is definitely NOT a cocktail drum kit - just a regular sit down drum kit configured differently.
This kit sounds fantastic, has a small footprint, and is easy to move - just pick it up and put it where you want it. It's really comfortable to play and is a very fast kit. I have been trying to build something like this for years.
I have owned a cocktail kit in the past and I was never really satisfied with the sound or the awkward (for me) playing position. I really like the Whitney Sidekick drum kits but they are out of my price range. This crazy drum kit is a compromise, using the best elements from both the cocktail kits and Whitney's Sidekick.
This kit was inexpensive to build.The bass drum pedal came from a cocktail kit that I bought for $40. I sold the kit and kept the pedal. I made a tidy profit on the kit so the pedal was free. The hi hats were free. The white post mount came off a snare drum that I sold, so it was free. The cymbal arm was free. My buddy Mikey gave me the (really nice) heads for free.
The floor tom came from a 4 piece kit that I bought for $40, so call it a $10 floor tom. The cymbal post mount was $10.The ride cymbal was $40. The Buffalo drum was $30. The hi-hat post was $20.
Total: $110.00 - for a real functioning drum kit that sounds great.
