All of the drums had small, round, "Made In Japan" badges except for the snare. It was a "no-badger." Shortly after getting this kit all cleaned up and ready to go, I came across another generic blue sparkle floor tom, so I decided to add it in to make this a six-piece.
Along with my standard 5x14 snare and 14x20 bass drum, I now had 12, 13, 14 and 16 toms, a pretty extensive set-up for a MIJ kit. If I were a greedy Ebay seller, I would be able to ask $999.00 for this drum set, because indeed it is in EXCELLENT condition and is SUPER RARE!
Everybody on Ebay thinks their "used drums" are "rare vintage collectibles!" Sorry, but I just can't bring myself to spend $1000.00 on a drum kit just because it has a kick head that says "Ludwig" or "Slingerland." Don't get me wrong, I think those drums are more valuable and better constructed than the Japanese copies, but come on. This is not a highway and I won't be robbed. It's next to impossible to find a reasonable deal anymore. Even the owners of modern Tama and Pearl kits think they have something super special that is worth a load of money.
So, yeah. I think I'll stick to what I do here. I think the cheap stuff is a lot more fun to play around with.
________________________________________________________
So right after I posted this brief rant I went on Ebay and came across an ad for this Slingerland kit, and this is EXACTLY what I'm talking about. This is a very nice vintage kit in great condition with a beautiful Oyster Pearl wrap. You have two 24-inch kicks, a couple of toms and a floor tom. No snare, no cymbals, no hardware, no cases, no nothin'. Not even a pair of sticks. Just five Slingerland drums.
Now these are quality American-made drums in pristine condition, so you immediately assume they are valuable. Sure. This guy's gonna want to make some money off these. We know that. So what do you think he's asking for them? Eight hundred dollars? A thousand? Surely not two thousand?!
No. Believe it or not, this seller is demanding EIGHT THOUSAND DOLLARS for these, plus 300 dollars shipping. Really? REALLY?!! I could put a hefty down payment on a house, I could buy a car, I could support myself without working for six months, but no! I'm going to spend eight thousand three hundred dollars to acquire these drums with greedy Joe's name plastered on both kick heads.....and then I'll still have to round up a snare and my own hardware and cymbals!
What....in....the....?
So see, this is why I stick to Japanese drums. Sellers like Joe - or as he as known on Ebay: "drumhappy" - are just all too common. And they piss me off. "Drumhappy," my ass. More like "cash-happy."
____________________________________________________________
POST UPDATE UPDATE:
So sometime after I posted this vicious rant about this Slingerland kit for sale, I decided maybe I better do a little research. Maybe Joe Arenth was somebody famous which made this set more valuable. But no, Mr. Arenth is just an average Joe from Pennsylvania who has a typical Facebook page. He plays in a Christian musical group called "The John Wyrick Band" that plays worship music at churches. It appears he owns another Slingerland kit similar to the one for sale, but with a gold or silver sparkle wrap (hard to tell from the pictures). It is also absolutely gorgeous and in tip-top shape. So I am sure that good ol' Joe is a wonderful person with a strong faith in God and our country who takes extra-good, loving care of his drum sets. But I still think the asking price for this Slingerland kit is WAY up there. Come on, Joe. I love ya but seriously, $8,000.00? Be reasonable!
No comments:
Post a Comment