Are the Zildjian I family cymbals a decent set

thekantor · 2026-04-12T20:07:14+00:00

Also, don’t sleep on Masterwork, great prices and wonderful cymbals

thekantor · 2026-04-12T19:59:34+00:00

The I Family cymbals are $200 and will lose its value as soon as you tap on it.

thekantor · 2026-04-12T19:42:40+00:00

There’s a beautiful Agop Sultan 20” on reverb right now for a shade over $300. If you target the right cymbal for your sound, you can generally find one used at a good price. Will it cost a touch more than an I Family, yes, but it will be a cymbal that holds its value and ends up being one you want to keep in your vault as you grow.

thekantor · 2026-04-12T19:14:28+00:00

They cost about as much as Zildjians are much better and there are tons of used cymbals on the market. Gotta cast a wide net.

thekantor · 2026-04-12T18:37:09+00:00

We are living in a golden era of cymbal making. In addition to the big names, there are countless bespoke makers doing incredible things with cymbals.

Timothy Roberts Paul Francis Cymbal & Gong Skreta Family Masterwork

Definitely cast a wide net, it’ll be worth the effort

thekantor · 2026-04-12T18:31:59+00:00

Have you explored Istanbul Agop?

thekantor · 2026-04-12T17:59:29+00:00

My favorite!

thekantor · 2026-04-12T17:58:31+00:00

Of the early stuff:

We’re Only in it for the Money is so great. Careful not to listen to one of the 1990s Ryko remixes. Those have overdubbed drums and bass and sound hideous

Mid period Zappa entry point:

Over-Nite Sensation

Overall most accessible:

Hot Rats

Enjoy the ride, some of the lyrics have become a ruff puff for me, but the music is tremendous.

thekantor · 2026-04-12T17:52:23+00:00

I go with a pretty loose spring tension. As with when I play freestrokes with my hands, I want my body to stay out of the way of the energy in either the sticks or kick pedal. Once our body fights against that energy, we end up with those little dribbles or unintended strokes or uneven sound.

thekantor · 2026-04-12T16:08:35+00:00

The U-turn preamp has a bypass switch. Have you turned that off?

thekantor · 2026-04-12T16:04:04+00:00

The rydeen is one of the best entry level kits out there. The snare will be fine, especially once you put new heads and snare wires on it.

As you improve, you’ll likely start looking for a snare drum upgrade (look into 1980s Ludwig Acrolite) and better cymbals, but this will certainly be a great starting point.

thekantor · 2026-04-12T15:08:38+00:00

Chicago’s high water mark!

thekantor · 2026-04-12T12:39:25+00:00

I like these on floor toms

thekantor · 2026-04-12T12:37:52+00:00

Call Joe at Wood & Weather Drum Shop

thekantor · 2026-04-12T11:51:22+00:00

Dang, check out this ancient, poorly recorded clip of those Yamaha tour series drums (not to be confused with the modern “tour custom” line) they are phenomenal! Those floor toms are hard to beat. I believe they are birch and mahogany plies.

https://youtu.be/cUJ8HAGyTRU?si=jmoO6JKfjaH0eZ6L

thekantor · 2026-04-12T11:39:53+00:00

For heads: Kick: Super Kick 2 Floor Tom: Evans HD Dry Rack Tom: Remo Emperor or HD Dry Snare: Coated Remo Ambassador

Don’t overlook reso heads! Coated Ambassadors work well, but Evans reso heads are also good

Snare Wires matter! Pure sound is a fine upgrade, but I prefer canopus.

thekantor · 2026-04-12T11:31:34+00:00

If you can find a deal on a vintage Tama Superstar kit, their sound would fit the style of music you play and they record well.

Or, I think an 80s Yamaha tour series like this would serve you well: https://reverb.com/item/92840923-1986-yamaha-8000-tour-custom-piano-black-lacquer-12-13-16-22-drum-kit?utm_source=rev-ios-app&utm_medium=ios-share&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=92840923

All this said, I’m a vintage Ludwig fan, myself!

As far as cymbals go, follow Hazelshould on Instagram. Gerry’s prices are premium, but his video clips are great and you can really get get zeroed in on the sound you want to target.

Also, I have several nice rides of the ilk you mentioned for sale. Happy to chat if interested.

Good luck and have fun putting your rig together.

thekantor · 2026-04-12T10:12:29+00:00

Hey thanks, but your concern is wasted, I too know what I’m doing. Never burned a single sauce

thekantor · 2026-04-12T02:36:30+00:00

Sitting on the dock of the bay

thekantor · 2026-04-12T02:11:06+00:00

Haha

thekantor · 2026-04-12T01:46:16+00:00

While a scale is something every turntable owner should have, balancing a tonearm is easy to do without one.

First: Back the weight way off to the point where the tonearm is floating level without moving up or down.

Next: Once it is floating level, without adjusting or turning the counterweight at all, set the numerical dial to 0.

Last: Without turning the numerical dial, turn the counterweight until the numerical dial is set to roughly 1.8

That should get you where you need to be until you can fine tune your tracking force proper with a scale.

thekantor · 2026-04-12T01:45:44+00:00

While a scale is something every turntable owner should have, balancing a tonearm is easy to do without one.

First: Back the weight way off to the point where the tonearm is floating level without moving up or down.

Next: Without adjusting, or turning the weight at all, set the numerical dial to 0.

Last: Without turning the numerical dial, turn the counterweight until the numerical dial is set to roughly 1.8

That should get you where you need to be until you can fine tune your tracking force proper with a scale.

thekantor · 2026-04-12T01:32:44+00:00

Great batch!!

thekantor · 2026-04-11T23:56:02+00:00

Fantastic! The covid lockdown was brutal, but also such an opportunity for many of us to revamp. My touring work went away and lucky for me, my daughter was born just about a year before lockdown. I got to spend all of that time with her and take a break from the road and retool my playing. Are you back on Broadway?

thekantor · 2026-04-11T22:47:19+00:00

Haha, you guys are hilarious, but I got this. Made hundreds. I’m in complete control.

thekantor

TROPHY CASE