Tempted as I am to join in; “Drummer for a brain transplant? It’s like giving someone my lungs and liver” – I do have sympathy for the no-show drummer. The instrument that most depends on being acoustically sound in the first instance.
A £300 kit really does sound like perphooey. Even a £450 Premier or Pearl needs some serious outlay on Remo heads, Zildj-Sab-or Paiste cymbals (another £300) and still the hardware is toast, the snare a glorified biscuit tin. After splashing a grand; whaddaya get? Sat at the back with the “toilet” sign over your head and jokes like “what’s got three legs and a tit on top?”
Vocalists – now that does get me on a rant. I don’t mean the useful ones, who play guitar and sing; I’m gunning for the ‘singer’ types. “Singers” learn their first two complete sentences early in life:
(1) “Does anyone need a hand?” – said at 9:45 as they waltz in late clutching a mic.
(2) “The PA is expensive, I think it’s fair if we all chip in to pay for it”
and they’re talking about a little, pub-venue, vocals-only thing that costs about £500.
I got sick of this, so I bought a 400W PA for rehearsal. The guitarist bought a 1000W PA for gigs. The vocalist talked about upgrading from the Peavey PV-i (£25) to the Shure SM58 – “but they’re nearly £100, you know”. Soon, you’ll hear the idea that the band-name should be changed to Lead Singer and the Bandname 🙄 . Dontcha just love ’em.
Thanks to Pop Idol/American Idol etc, there’s no trouble finding some eedjit convinced (s)he’s a singer – but finding a useable/bearable one is murder.