Dear community,
I’ve been collecting Simmons drums and everything related to them for almost 25 years. It started small with an SDS8 brain and a few SDS7 pads. And somehow, my childhood dream took on a life of its own. The first SDSV! I couldn’t believe it. As a teenager, it was unaffordable and completely out of reach. For 25 years, I’ve taken great pleasure in collecting and preserving these gems and sharing photos, manuals, flyers, and gossip with those interested. This passion has opened many doors for me. I’ve made many friends (unfortunately, a few envious people along the way). My policy has always been non-profit. I never wanted money for anything. I’d rather lend something for free than sell it. Not even when Genesis asked me for an SDSV brain for their 2007 world tour, or Howard Jones for SDS9 pads for his then-touring drummer, Jon Atkinson. I’ve had the privilege of visiting Dave Simmons at his home and meeting many of Simmons’ former employees.
Now I’ve started selling gear. What happened? Until four years ago, I was lucky enough to live with my family in houses with space for my collection. Due to personal reasons, I lost that space. A good friend helped me temporarily, and when that ended, my employer also provided me with office space to store the collection. But these options will also disappear over the course of the next year.
My kids aren’t interested in 80s drum synthesizers, and although my main passion is still music, especially playing live, it feels like the time is right to say goodbye to my equipment before I’m gone and it all ends up in the e-waste bin. I’ll part with most of it, at least. I’ll keep a few pieces and use them in the rehearsal room. But only the ones that make sense. Let’s be honest: What do you do with ten SDS5 kits? Besides enjoying them when you go down to the basement and look at them. I’ve also had the pleasure of exhibiting some drum kits, either permanently or temporarily, in museums. Of course, free of charge, as per my policy.
The simmonsmuseum.com website will continue to exist as long as it’s running. It was the central hub of the collection, and I’ve always been amazed by the continued interest in these vintage treasures, which I hope will continue for a long time. And I’m not withdrawing from the subject. I’ll still be happy to answer questions and offer advice. I’m simply going to drastically reduce the size of my collection.
I’ve set up a page: https://sales.simmonsmuseum.com. Everything that’s been tested and is for sale is listed there. This list is updated regularly. I still have about 50 synthesizers, some of which I haven’t turned on in 20 years, or even ever. These need to be tested before I can offer them for sale. You can find all the details there.
Thank you, Wolfgang