If I walk in and see someone with their drums set up to look dramatic at the expense of playability, I tend to be suspicious. Impossible tom angles, cymbals to the ceiling etc. Obviously, some genres demand large setups, which look more dramatic by nature, but when I walk into a bar to hear a top 40 cover band and the drummer has Bozzio's setup I tend to think to myself "here we go"...

Call me an ass.

I tend to judge drummers too, more by the ergonomics of their setup than their brands, like many said.


Here's an exception: Dave Grohl when he played with Nirvana.

His setup, especially in the Smells Like Teen Spirit video ( <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/kPQR-OsH0RQ" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/kPQR-OsH0RQ</a>), but even when playing live, is something most of us would scoff at before we actually heard him play.

Probably 
But I meant I seem to demand more out of a guy with a 12-piece drumset with 14 cymbals.  But on the other hand I seem to actually expect more from the guy with the "jazz" set-up. 

On a similar note, how do you guys feel about a guy who sets up 10 or more cymbals, but they're all Sabian B8 or some other intro line.  I always think to myself, "Sheesh, I would sell those 10 cheapos and buy 3 really nice ones."

That's just me.  Back before I became a cymbal nerd I probably would have prefered quantity over quality, but I've totally nerded out the last year or so.