I would wager that most of us over age 60 were pretty well acquinted with computers for our jobs or in our homes. You don't need to know anything about computers to use them once you learn how to turn it on, get online, send and receive email. All the rest develops as we use them.

Ok.....I'm on the younger side of the demographic here, but I was also playing a vintage kit when it wasn't vintage yet.....also been playing a very long time.....

This first pic is of me (yeah I know I wasn't really playing yet..lol) and the "old ****" off to the side was my dad. The second pic is of me behind the same kit at age 4 or 5. This was dad's 1968 Ludwig Jazzette kit finished in Black Panther, which later became my kit. Very early 70's on those pics....

I just make the 25-40 category at 26! I've been playing for about 12 years. The last 6 or so very seriously. I started on my dad's old Pearl DX & Paiste color sounds that were collecting dust in the basement- not a bad first kit! I then graduated to a Spaun custom maple.. DW collectors etc, etc.. until I played my first vintage kit. I've been hooked ever since. I've been on the forum for a few years now and in that time my knowledge has increased exponentially! There is a great bunch on this forum and always someone eager to help a brother out. Thanks it's been a pleasure!

Im 35.

Started in Middle school with an Acrolite, played through High School in the Marching, Concert, Jazz and Orchestral bands.

In late Middle School I bought a Pearl Export 5 piece with FG shells, played it till I sold it in 97.

Then a dry spell until 2009/10.

Had my 69' Ludwigs find me and have a bunch of stuff now. 2 kits 15 cymbals, 8 snares, etc.

Im making up for the dry spell ;)

In my living room if you weren't in Chicago! lol

I'd love to spend an evening or twenty sipping some wine, flapping our jaws and torching a few with some of my good friends from VDF... :p

John

I will be 47 tomorrow. Either WAY I'm not yet receiving my AARP benefits!

My chronometer just clicked over to 63 a couple of weeks ago. Got started in 1963 when my Dad took me to meet an older blind chap who could touch play piano and gigged adult dances in our small town (pop. 5,000), usually with a tenor sax player. He had a set of orphans with a real wood block, cowbell and temple blocks shaped like human heads on a tray on top of the bass drum. He gave me 3 "lessons" and I played my first gig (I was awful). Played old standards with them at weddings, local Legion hall dances at Valentine's, Hallowe'en, New Year's (which usually added a trumpet, trombone, alto sax), Saturdays at the sailing club (made $10 per gig) while practicing to the latest teen radio hits on 45's on a dinky record player in my parents' basement. My blindpiano friend showed me trad grip but with the stick laying over my middle finger instead of my ring finger. I played like that for over two years before I found out it was wrong. Took a while to transition over but I persisted.

My first kit was an Olympic snare and bass for $100 with hats and a crash that sounded like trash can lids. I would borrow a marching drum from my Air Cadet squadron and my blind friend's sparkle finish floor tom.

[IMG][IMG]http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n206/strider_07/Myfirstkit-1.jpg[/IMG][/IMG]

Flash forward. I gig in 2 bands, go to open mic's and jams and do sub and one-off gigs. My Dad staked me to buy my 1965 Blue Marine Pearl Slingerland 1N (I still remember opening the boxes and setting them up for the first time) to which I added another matching bass and 13" tom in 1966. I gave my Dad 1/2 of my pay from each gig. I didn't appreciate what I had until much later. I have never needed anything else although I must admit a strong dose of G.A.S. Other drummers go nuts when they see them. I recently added a hammered chrome Supraphonic.

[IMG][IMG]http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n206/strider_07/ALongTimeAgoInaGalaxyFarFarAway-Copy.jpg[/IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][IMG]http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n206/strider_07/MichelleonDrums1.jpg[/IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][IMG]http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n206/strider_07/WestHill31-07-10.jpg[/IMG][/IMG]

Never hit it big although I was on the road for 18 months that made me go back to school.

Cheers!

Strider

I (and I'm sure I can speak for everybody else,) am really enjoying the before and after photos and the personal histories. Please feel free to eat up bandwidth with your stories, I'm loving it. Makes me feel like I know you a little better. I'll post a little bio on myself shortly, (I'm being called for dinner!) look for it later. In the meantime... please, by all means keep the stories coming. Great reading.

Thanks to all who have contributed so far...

John

PS - leedybdp - Man, I -really love- that old two-tone round badge Gretsch kit in the photo. Do you still have it? J

In retrospect, 50 years later, I wish I still had it. It was traded in on a new Rogers set in 1961. Notice,that in the picture, I'm playing left footed and right handed. Within weeks of that first gig, this profoundly left-handed guy switched over to play open-handed on a righty set. That's still how I play.

Good thread John! The Purdie Shuffler is the only member I've met and the few times we got together his advice and explanation of technique has allowed me to advance much faster than I would've on my own. Many thanks John!

I turned 55 in june after having bought my 1st drum set the previous November so I've been "playing" for 10 months. I gotta' say that I also play Guitar(45 yrs) and 6 or 7 other stringed instruments with varying degrees of proficiency but I've never enjoyed or had as much fun learning any of them as I've had with my drums.

Thanks to all you guys for selflessly sharing your knowledge so freely.