And then I played that one for years until I got married when I was 26. So naturally, I played the same old Slingerland kit my parents got me in 1977 for years before I earned enough to get into a Tama Superstar kit around college. But like everyone else, I had to earn what I had as I started to get serious about it. Thank God mom and dad supported me in the beginning by helping me out whenever I broke a head or needed sticks. I've often wondered how I've gotten into this cycle of drum kits - and I honestly think it sprang forth from my kid days when I never had any money for anything.