If you are not satisfied with your present drum kit,you basically have 2 options:(1)-Buy a new drum kit or        (2)-Customize the drum kit that you have.                   If you decide to buy a new drum kit,will it have the EXACT sizes that you need or want? Will you need to do a special order so that you can get the sizes you want? Does the company MAKE all the sizes that you want? A special order is usually more expensive and the wait can be 4 weeks to 6 months!  Or do you want to add on to your drum kit and the company does not make the size you want or the color has been discontinued? Then you need to find a good drum technician (myself included). These are things that can be done:

*Recovering--*Restaining--*Repainting--                 *Shell Cutting (reducing the shell depth--*Example--if your 12x12 tom sits too high,it can be cut down to a 12x10 or ANY dimension that you want)--*Adding better hardware (spurs-lugs-tom holder-floor tom brackets-hoops)--*Conversions (taking a drum and converting to another use-- Make a rack tom into a floor tom--Make a floor tom into a hanging tom--Take a 13x13, cut it apart and make a 13x4 piccollo snare and a 13x9 tom out of it! Just about anything is possible if you find the right drum technician. 

Example: a customer of mine had a set of Slingerland Radio Kings and he wanted to use them all the time. They had already been altered,so we weren't ruining a vintage drum kit.We recut the bearing edges (better sound)--recovered them in Marine Pearl (better look)--installed modern spurs (more stability)--installed a modern tom holder on the bass drum and rack tom (better placement and more stable) and added a shell mount cymbal holder (replaced a cymbal stand)-AND installed an internal mic system (better sound and easier to setup (no mic stands). BUT---the drums were from the 40's,so they were made to use calfskin heads. Back then the drums were slightly larger and modern drum heads were hard to get on and sometimes did not fit. So--we placed all the drums on a lathe and slightly reduced the diameter of each drum. Now he can use any drum head he wants.

Hardware: Hardware ( racks included) can also be modified. Pieces can be cut-welded-chromed (shiny chrome--black chrome--satin chrome & nickel)-or power coated. Almost anything that you can think of can be built. You just have to find the right drum technician.

Cymbals: Cymbals can be modified also. (see my other cymbal guide) They can be made smaller-lighter or you can add rivets.

Cases can also be modified.

If you have a decent drum kit,think about what you would like to have and talk to a good drum technician about your wants-needs & ideas. Remember a good drum kit can be made into a great drum kit. You can take your drum kit (that 100,000 other drummers have) and make it into a one-of a kind set. Just think about what you would like to have.