Graham Collins - Back Beating

The drums are stunning, everything I could have hoped for sonically and drums stores all telling me that I had got the bargain of the century, could it have been better?
Well yes, The only dampener on the kit purchase was that after some intensive research and discussions with Pete at Fender, the likelihood of me being able to track down a 8x7" tom to complete the set, would be like the proverbial needle in a haystack.

So what to do? Either obtain another Renown 8" x 7" Tom in the newer 'Blue Burst' (which has also just been discontinued) or, either adapt my playing to just three toms, or perhaps add something like a Roto-Tom back in to my kit?

That's when fate opened the door and stepped in once again as another Renown appeared! A flurry of calls and a dash up the motorway in the driving rain of an English summer and I now own a Renown in the Autumn Burst colour that I had tried to order several months before! A year old kit in excellent condition with just one mark of note and once again, at a "deal of the century" price as I secured it for less than the first! I even managed to get a full set of Hardcases included in the deal! You can be sure I'll be on the phone tomorrow to order the 8 x 7" Tom which is available in this current Gretsch colour, so as soon as that arrives, I will also be booking into the local studio once again to put this kit through the paces.  Sadly though, that means the 'Record Breaking' Blue Renown will soon have to be on the market.

So, my kits are now complete (dare I really say that?!) Work will now continue apace on my performance and I can only hope that I can do my new equipment the justice it deserves!