What the heck is that thing?  Glad you asked!  It's a Zendrum MIDI-controller, of course.  With this device, I can trigger drum sounds from the V-Drums (or other MIDI-enabled sound module) with just a touch of the finger on the cute little round buttons.  Cool stuff!  

Somewhere along the line I purchased a Simmons SDS-8 kit.  I had fun with this kit, but never really had use for it other than being something cool.  Check the picture above for how I integrated into the acoustic kit.  I got it used for $1000 around 1982.  After 25 years of collecting dust, I recently sold the kit on eBay for $450 to someone in Japan.  It cost $400 to ship it there, but that wasn't a problem for the buyer so off to Japan went the Simmons!

Years later, I decided it was time to re-vamp the way I played.  I set off on a journey to play traditional grip. I also sold half the Tama set in trade for a Roland SPD-11 at The Player's Bench in Crystal Lake, leaving me with the basic bass drum, snare, rack and floor tom configuration.  Ironic that I moved out of townhouse into a bigger house, but now had a smaller drum set.  Playing with MJSTK in 2001 (shown in picture on the left), I started on "the trail"... 

For the DW kit config, I went with a smaller 20" bass drum, and 8", 10", 12" and 16" toms in Cherry Satin Oil finish.  The snare was purchase separately in a blond finish to stand out from the other drums.  Each of the toms are mounted and the bass drum is killer for it's size, or for any size for that matter.  The toms are tuned across a full octave range from the 8" to the 16".  I kept the Tama Rock Star kit as a "live" kit, and planned on using the DW in the house and studio (picture to the right is the kit all mic'd up in Precision Recording studio).  I eventually used this set live at a couple of gigs for MJSTK.

2004
Somewhere along the line, I decided the old Tama kit was no longer tuning correctly (bearing edges and slight out-of-round condition on 14" tom), and I wanted to get a kit that would mirror the DW. This way I could have the same configuration live as in the basement without exposing the DW to the wear and tear of the road. I didn't shop extensively for this kit, but instead by chance came across a Gretsch Catalina Birch kit with the same 4 tom config at Guitar Center (seen in photo on the left). They weren't DWs, but were OK for what I needed.

Having so much fun with the electronics and having seen Akira Jimbo and Neil Peart use electronics in innovative ways in their drum solos, I decided to try to integrate my acoustic and electronic kits into one.  I added elements to my standard drum solo and suddenly I had a pretty impressive piece of work.  Lugging around the extra equipment was kind of a hassle, so the integrated kit only saw a few gigs.  The Gretch kit was augmented by a bunch of Roland pads (KD-5, 3 PD-9 and a PD-7), a Dauz pad, and a Roland SPDS.

Eventually I figured that I should try the V-Drums on their own.  The only thing I was not willing to do was play the V-Drums cymbals, which at this time I did not feel were there yet in terms of response.  So enter the second iteration of the integrated kit - - kind or reversed from the first one - - with the V-Drums providing the basic kit and augmenting them with acoustic cymbals.

2008
At this point, I had a little break from playing live. I gave the Tama kit to my nephew, as he was playing snare drum in the school band. But then I got involved with Party Freak. Anticipating a much more busy schedule, I planned on a stripped down kit that would be easy to transport. For our first gig, I used the Gretsch kit.  Over time I gradually expanded it to full form after starting with just two toms. After several gigs, I just didn't think it fit the "party" theme of the band with it's very refined cherry finish. On a whim, I spotted a red sparkle Pacific kit (the economy line of DW) at Guitar Center. It just said "Party!" to me. So, I sold the Gretsch on eBay and I started practicing on yet a different configuration.

This kit had a 24" bass drum, a 12" rack tom, and 14" and 16" floor toms.  It took a little getting used to but it was a blast to play.  With the new drum head from DrumArt.com (seen below), it made a great touring kit.  

Also in 2008, I had an opportunity to bring the V-Drums out again at a gig. The band loved the ability to control the stage volume and the clarity which they were hearing the drums. I didn't really understood why they didn't have clarity of sound with the acoustics, but I totally understand the stage volume thing. I still used acoustic cymbals.  In the photo on the right, you can see this setup was a copy of the Pacific kit, with one rack tom and two floor toms.

Anyway, I thought it was time to investigate the newer electronic drum technology, the TD-20. With better triggering technology, new cymbal trigger pads and a more realistic high hat, this seemed to be the answer to my issue about having to mix the acoustic cymbals with the V-Drums. So onto eBay I went...

Wow! What a difference. It still will take a little getting used to the new high hat and cymbals, but I think I finally have the answer. My original plan was to use these exclusively for inside gigs, use the Pacific kit for outdoor gigs, and sell the old TD-10 V-Drums.  Plans changed, of course, and while the TD-20s are indeed cool, they just didn't seem to be the right fit for the current band.  So the TD-20s are mostly used for practicing and just messing around with the advanced capabilities for now, although they were used on 2 gigs where sound volume in small clubs was going to be an issue.  They worked great, cymbals and all, but for the full rock show I still prefered the acoustics drums.

2009
After some 30 shows, I decided it was time to retire the over-sized Pacific kit and traded it in for a more conventional sized Pacific kit.  The big 24" bass drum was tricky to play and, after dealing with just a rack and floor tom for awhile, I thought it would be good to open up my playing and expand a bit with a few more drums!  

I managed to use the minimalist electronic kit - - just once.   This kit looks like it is missing something (of course, there are no cymbals!). I used the triggers on the rims of the V-Drum pads for cymbal sounds, eliminating the need for other cymbal triggers. Had to be very precise playing on this kit...  I added a digital sign for a better visual effect (not shown in the pic).   Oh and I did break out the Zendrum for 2 songs... we'll have to come back to that idea later.  It was WAY cool to be out front! Anyway, back to the electronic set... Got a few comments that it just didn't look like a drumset and people were very confused how all the noise was coming from this compact kit. Doesn't seem people are quite ready for this concept just yet.

So, once again I re-configured and went back to a more full electronic kit, complete with V-Cymbals, the standard v-Drums and an extra Dauz pad.  Went online and grabbed a TDA-700 V-Drum monitor at a great price (thanks, eBay) and was all set - - - at least for a few more gigs.

Changes, changes!  Just couldn't pull the trigger on the electronics for the long term.  I continued to use electronics for low/controlled volume situations, but the core kit remained acoustic.  It's great to have this flexibility for the band.  So, we are back to where we were in 2009, using the Pacific X7 kit.  Only one other change...  I have gone to a stripped down kit with only one rack and one floor tom, keeping the other drums in reserve for larger shows.  Also, I have added a additional mount for the band's digital sign in front of the kit.  Over the years, one thing remains the same: change!