Vintage Simmons Drums (UK) Users Group

Welcome to the group and thanks for sharing the stories. Here you'll find 
gear addicts, drummers and tech-heads in a vicious mix...

electronically yours, jesper - probably sorted among the gear addicts, but 
also moderator
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www.electronic-obsession.se


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "hooplahpro" <ghooper@...>
To: <Simmons_Drums@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2006 3:27 AM
Subject: [Simmons Drums] Thoughts on the SDS-8 from a New Member...


> Greetings,
>
>   Well I just joined the Simmons group. What a pain per all the
> Yahoo pages you have to go through to sign up...and no, I don't want
> the Yahoo Toolbar! :>)
>
>   I own two SDS-8 setups in nearly mint condition with all the
> original Simmons hardware/stands. Nearly mint as all the hardware
> looks perfect, but one of the kick drum sensors went bad, and I
> never got around to finding someone to replace it (know anyone?). I
> bought one set in the '80s new when they first came out for around
> $1600.00. It was so new then the manual looked like a Xerox copy!  I
> bought the other on the Internet from a guy in New Jersey years ago
> who never really played them. Like me, he wasn't a pro musician,
> just an at-home-toy to play with. Then I combined the two sets
> together for an impressive setup.
>
>   Over the years, I added DW Drums hardware per hi-hat and kick
> pedals, Zildjian "A" cymbals, and some Yamaha PCY80 2-zone cymbal
> pads. I also added a more sensitive pad per use as a snare, (forget
> who made it), and a DrumKat Turbo (which is a complete percussion
> MIDI unit all-in-one). Thanks to eBay, I also have two Simmons MTMs
> (MIDI Trigger Modules). The end result is a combination of the best
> of electronic and acoustical sounds (real cymbals) in one setup.
>
>   So for the past 20 years I've been keeping them polished rather
> than actually playing them. I've learned a lot of tricks per getting
> an old Simmons system to keep its new appearance. For example, Armor
> All will restore the strike pads to like new condition, and with
> enough rubbing, even removes the stick marks! A good automotive
> paint scratch remover/wax in liquid form will make the plastic
> shells shine like new...providing the scratches aren't too deep, and
> there are no cracks. Chrome cleaners with Hydraflouric acid as a
> percentage will remove oxidation from chrome hardware (use gloves as
> HF in it's pure form will melt skin and liquify bones).
>
>   So now I'm interested in Simmons again, but how to set it up to
> actually play it? I'm thinking an Alesis DM-Pro (maybe two) for all
> the inputs. Just the channels for the Simmons, Yamaha, and Drumkat
> pads require 23 inputs. Then I still want to incorporate the
> original Simmons SDS-8 brain for those '80s sounds and to once again
> twist all those knobs! Finally I'm thinking the Roland PM-3 drum amp
> system to hear it all. But I also have two JBL 15" Eon-G2s I could
> use. Only problem is I don't want to blow them per percussion hits.
> Anyone used Eons in their setup?
>
>   I once setup the Simmons in the '80s per a company party in Los
> Angeles. There was also a Yamaha acoustical setup. We did a battle
> of the drums per "Wipeout" by the Ventures, acoustical vrs
> electronic. The Yamaha's of course won as real skins are a lot more
> sensitive than the Simmons skins. But if I had my DrumKat then,
> where you could program multiple hits per one strike of the pad,
> then the result might have been different!
>
>   But Simmons was never really about competing with acoustical
> drums. Simmons was about presentation with style and a new look, and
> with sounds no acoustical drum could ever match. The "Wipeout"
> battle was just for fun.  The sound is why I kept them for so many
> years. I went to a birthday party last month where the theme was
> the '80s. I wore my Indiana Jones brim hat and an Amiga T-shirt! I
> also brought over a basic SDS-8 kit hooked up to an old Roland R8M
> drum module feeding into their Karaoke System. Not great, but the
> sounds of the '80s from the drums still got a few squeals from the
> audience!
>
>   Anyway I'll post a pic of my gear as soon as I figure out how to
> do that. I also have the manuals for all the Simmons gear I have if
> anyone needs a copy. I'll probably charge a few bucks per the cost
> of copying, etc. But I think most are also on the web somewhere.
>
>   Glad to be here on the Simmons group.  Hope you enjoyed my
> ramblings...
>
>   Best Regards,
>   George
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