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CharlyG
01-01-2010, 01:52 PM
First of all, howdy and sorry I waited to introduce myself here. Bassist for years, picked up the drums a year ago to play along with the blues on the radio. I play bass in church so not a "gigging" musician per se, but a lot of experience!

and now to the story:

The Saga of my Switch to E-Drums

Ok, I loved my Renowns, but too loud to practice for more than a few hour on weekends. I decided to check out the world of e-drumming, and due to my lack of knowledge, I was set on a Dm5. My local Sam Ash, had sent a demo back to the factory and it came back in pieces. No one in the store wanted to put it together so they put a price of 399 on it, No sale, dropped it to 349. No sale again, dropped it to 299 and here’s where I come in.

I traded in my Epi Thunderbird to offset the cost, and snapped it up. As I was learning more about e-kits, I discovered how limited the DM5 is as far as inputs. AS I was perusing cl ( a hobby of mine and where the best deals are), I found a Yammie DTXpressII for $460.00. I offered 400 and he accepted. When I got home, I realized I forgot the ps, but it was too far to go back. That same day, a DTXpressIII brain popped up on ebay for $200 on a buy it now. I snapped it up as i knew I could sell the II for $125 or so.

So I get the brain, and I am having a blast, waiting for some missing parts for the DM5 from the factory so I can resell it. About a week later, I see a DTXtremeIIs (does some rudimentary sampling)module on ebay for 425 with no bidders, and BIN was 475. I opened the bidding with a couple days left and ended up winning! So now I have a DTXpressIII module with power supply for sale as well!

Now, you would think I would leave well enough alone for a while, but due to some unforeseen cash (part of the reason for selling the Renowns). I found a TP120SD, and a PVY150S, so I snapped em up for $240 with attachments. So, if I upgrade the three TP65 toms to TP100, and wait for the price to drop on the used mkt for a DTXtreme III module, I will have a DTXtreme IIIs on a DTXpress II rack! At least close..

Here’s the money breakdown for those interested in such things.

Trade in Thunderbird - $200
Sell Gretsch Renowns - $1200
Sell 16 ch mixer - $400

=$1800

Buy DM5 - $300
Buy DTXpress II kit- $400
Buy DTXpress III module - $200
Buy TP 120SD and PCY150S - $240
Buy DTXtreme IIX module - $425

=$1525

Will Sell
DTXpress II brain (no ps) $110
DTXpress III brain w/ps $200
Dm5 kit $300
Old 65 series tom pads and 65s snare pad not sure yet what to ask.

=~$600




So that’s the saga, and I will have the Xtreme stuff on Wednesday!!!!!!!!!

Axe_Grinder
01-01-2010, 02:59 PM
Congrats Charly :)

It's always nice to hear about someone else's endeavors with edrums.

Welcome to the forum and I hope you enjoy your stay :)

WildWes
01-01-2010, 04:32 PM
You know, most drummers experience GAS over the course of years, but you seem to have whittled that down to days. Maybe you should just go ahead and order the new DTX 900 series and be done with it. hahahaha

dauzman
01-01-2010, 04:38 PM
I know ...I was going to say you are really on a roll.... I would not encourage anyone to move that quick on purchasing this stuff.... There are just to many factors...

CharlyG
01-01-2010, 04:54 PM
This took about 3 weeks from beginning to end. I had the cash and I always learn better when it costs something. I don;t seem to get motivated to learn a technology until it is in my hands.

Still, it was a lot of fun, and I'm not out much. The reason I say this, is I count my time doing all this as worth something too. So even tho I came out a few hundred dollars ahead, I pretty much broke even switching from acoustic to electric.

And I want to stay small with the folding rack for portability. Maybe go to Tp100 toms and a 130 or above hihat but not much else other than an Xtreme III brain when the price drops used.

Really

Scorch Whammin
01-02-2010, 04:46 PM
Congrats on your purchases CharlyG!...and keep your eyes open on ebay for deals...they're there...but you gotta catch em right!....there was a III module up on ebay for $620 (almost a steal at that price) just yesterday!..:)...regarding your IIs module talk with Alvis and Jack on that module as they both have owned it and probably can give you some tips/pointers on tweaking it!..:)

CharlyG
01-02-2010, 04:52 PM
wow at 620 it won't be as long as I thought. New they want $1400.

Scorch Whammin
01-02-2010, 05:24 PM
yea...there's a new one on there right now with a starting bid of $1125...which is a really good price also!