General Drum Buying/Upgrading Advice

[Tadpui]

Do you drum experts use lube or grease on your lugs and other moving parts? My set is too new for me to have worried about it, but it sounds like JD is fetching a kit that's lived a long life. I just remember that rdavidr guy doing that every time he refurbs or mods a kit and I was wondering if that was a common practice.

Yup. Lug screws get some goop and if necessary pack the lugs with vaseline soaked cotton balls or something. Lubing the lug screws gets you smooth tuning. I'm an old engine builder, so I use engine assembly grease, but simple vaseline works fine. Grease is good because a tiny bit goes a long way and lasts. Just wipe off any excess goo. Keep the kick and hi-hat pedals clean and all the moving parts in good shape and lubricated.

And....the throne. Drum thrones rattle and squeak too. Keep them in good shape.

The only noise you want from your drums are the drums. Drums have a lot of moving parts and lots of potential for extra squeaks and rattles that will definitely find their way into the mics.

The Clash's "Jail Guitar Doors" has a clunky noisy hi-hat in the intro. They didn't realize it until mix time, and just left it. Topper Headon said he had a bent hi-hat rod and didn't know it.

That reminds me of the squeaky kick pedal in "Since I've Been Loving You" from Zeppelin.

Oh and Tom Waits had a boot stomping as percussion in one of his songs. After mixdown, he kept hearing some weird sound every time the boot stomped. Turned out it was a zipper or chain or something on his boot that the mic picked up. They just left it, and the liner notes listed it as "mouse tambourine"