Hello and welcome

Hello and welcome to my new blog! I am new to all this but have been asked by a fair few people to go ahead and create one of these to answer some of the many questions I get asked. I plan to answer questions from you too! I plan to answer the common questions such as drum purchasing, why to have multiple snares, vintage gear, gear acquisition, heads, listening material and so forth. So for now I shall talk a little about me.
Firstly I am 21, I live both in the UK and the Netherlands. I have done band work but currently do session work. I have been to university, I am doing my Trinity and Guildhall grades. I have an endorsement with Drum Port. I have G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome), I have played for Dog Salad, Medicine, The Outtakes and Heathens, and have played alongside Jimmy Davies (The Prodigy) and Jack Monk (Syd Barrett). My favorite drum store is Sound Attak.

My gear list:
Kit:
Carrera shells 8x6, 12x8, 16x14, 20x14 (4" Increment sizes)
Ludwig lugs on all drums except on 8x6 where I use premier as they fit better
Gibraltar legs on bass drum and Gibraltar mounting system on floor tom
2.3mm hoops on all drums
Wood hoops on bass drum with natural inlay
Matte black hardware and drums

Heads
8x6 - Ambassador over Ambassador
12x8 - Evans g2 coated over g1 clear
16x14 - Evans Hydraulic Black over Aquarian performance 2
20x14 - Evans Emad2 with Drum Port

Hardware
Millennium drum rack
Dixon tom mount
CB Snare stand
CB Hi Hat stand
Pearl Eliminator Demon Drive pedal

Cymbals
Istanbul Sultan Hi hats 14"
Dream vintage bliss 17" Ride
Stagg Black Metal 14" Crash

Snares
1920s Wurlitzer snare drum 10x3 steam bent maple with mahogany hoops and calfskin heads.
1930s Boosey & Hawkes spun brass 14x5 with solid brass tube lugs and brass single flange hoops. Calfskin batter over unbranded vintage plastic reso.
First edition Premier Modern Classic hand hammered brass, made in England 13x5.5 black nickel finish. Aquarain triple threat batter with evans G2 coated reso.
Traps 12" flat snare with stock heads.
Pearl Masters 14x6.5 birch with Artisan 2 finish feathered walnut.
PDP Limited Edition 20 ply bubinga/maple 14x6.5

Well there you go, that's me. Who I am, what I have done and my gear. I mainly do session work now in Netherlands and can be caught playing at the Corner Pub sometimes or as the house drummer in O'Malleys Groningen when I am around with Ofer. Thanks for reading, and now I am to start writing about the questions I get. First off, part 1 of my Studio Help Guide: Why so many snares?

Oli