I bought my first actual Vintage kit when I was 30. Prior to that I was drawn to the new stuff. BUT I believed in those days that I could never afford to go Vintage. In fact I found my first 70's Ludwig 3plys re-wrapped for £400 and I was hooked to that sound.

I always advise my young students who are stepping out to buy their first real snare away from the creature that came with the starter kit to buy a 60's Luddy 400. From there they are on their own because I believe sitting over the 400 would of taught them all they need to know about snare drums.

Hi there. I'm 16 and have been drumming for a measly three years. The first kit I got is (I think) older than I am and I love the sound, vibe and soul of vintage. My first proper (and only) vintage purchase was off school and I'm looking for more! Living in Australia is difficult because shipping is super expensive. I'm still young and learning and I'm so grateful to everyone on here; you are all so generous and knowledgeable! I do love drumming, and being in a band at my age ... any age! is incredible!

Seb

I always appreciate younger drummers who appreciate vintage gear, as well as classic rock or any older music, including jazz. I think it's cool that you are into vintage gear. P.S. my son-in-law is from Melbourne.

I'm 26, play music and work full time, and in my spare time I research vintage gear. There's nothing like the old stuff, and I learned that when I was only about 12 years old, thanks to my local drum shop. My brother played video games, I studied up on old instruments and music. There's a lot to learn from our elders. :)

My Rogers kit was born the same year as my father, by the way. :cool:

Top 10 Reasons why older guys are more likely to have vintage gear.

1-those drums imprinted on them when they were younger.

2-they are nostalgic for the era in which they began playing.

3-they can afford more expensive collectable gear.

4-they can't afford more expensive newer, quality gear.

5-they are nostalgic for the drums their hero's/idols played.

6-they didn't think there were any drums made after 1980, '77, '70, etc.

7-they love to tinker and restoring drums combines 2 favorite hobbies.

8-they don't speak Japanese

9-they believe that newer drums are not made as well or don't sound as good.

10- vintage? whats vintage, I bought this new!

I'm 44, but I feel like I just aged a year after reading 28 pages of this thread!

For some reason I thought that collecting/playing vintage was unique to the US alone.

I'm 27. Collector and player. I've been collecting and restoring vintage drums since I was 18. My dad passed his 60s niles drums over to me at the age of 11 and to this day I've never owned a new drum kit..

I have a pearl president bdp kit 2 60s slingerland silver sparkle kits and a orange sparkle kent kit .. I'll never play a new drum.

Do you know a lot of drummers your age who play and appreciate "vintage" drums? I rarely meet/see drummers much younger than myself who are into vintage.

I think there are more younger drummers getting into older gear than in the past. I wonder if it's just the economy or a desire to be unique, or a serious appreciation for the sound and construction of older drums.

I also find that a lot of the younger drummers that play "vintage" kits play drums that I don't really think of as the classic definition of "vintage". In other words 80's and 90's Tama's and Pearls.

I'm 52, started getting into vintage drums about two years ago. I guess I started out of a sense of nostalgia. I started playing drums on a jellybean set of old MIJs in the early 1970's. I remember the excitement and also the great sound of my old cheap luan wood drums.

Also there is that smell, when you pull off the head of a luan wood drum it and sniff inside of it, there is a very distinctive aroma that brings back fond memories of the exciting days of my first jellybean kit.

Playing the drums gave my life meaning and a feeling of acceptance among my fans and friends when I was a young adult. It all goes back to that first jellybean MIJ kit. I actually kept one of them on my kit right up into my 30's. That's how potent those old vintage drums were for me even before I became an enthusiast twenty years later.