Why on earth do you collect old Simmons electronic drums?” At some point I stopped counting how often I was asked this question. But probably the following story is a part of the answer.

Years ago, in May 2015, a scientific assistant of the National Museum of Music Research in Berlin contacted me. He explained that his institute is running a musical instruments museum. They were planning a special exhibition about the history of electronic musical instruments and if I would be willing to provide a Simmons exhibit. Of course I was!

Presenting Simmons gear is always better than storing it until the end of days. But nothing happened. He did finally contact me again and we negotiated the conditions. He was interested in an SDSV and I preferred to bring it by car (600km) rather than unromantically sending it with a carrier. Although the exhibition was from March to June, the institute needed the exhibits at the end of November in order to make the catalogue in time. So just a week before that deadline, I jumped into my car with a blue SDSV with brain and cymbal pad plus my Suitcase Kit and headed for Berlin.

Incidentally at the same time there was another SDSV for sale in Berlin.

I took the opportunity to bring one kit to the museum but also to bring a new kit back home. However… I had the chance to visit the museum and I am glad that I did. It was extremely cool!

Musical instruments representing all centuries.

Musical instruments I have never heard of. Very impressive. If you happened to have been in the Berlin area between March 25th and June 25th at that time and managed to visit the special exhibition “Good Vibrations – A story about electronic musical instruments” you know exactly what I am talking about. If you missed out- there is always this video to fill the void:

Early in the morning… Don’t make appointments at noon if you have 600km to go

At least not much traffic at that time

12:30. We are about to land soon

First stop in Berlin: Appointment with the seller of a white SDSV pad set. To be honest: A friend of mine asked me NOT to buy those pads and leave them for him. I agreed. He had been waiting for years to find a pad set for his brain. A round of applause for my modesty, please…

There is still some time until I meet the guy from the museum. Time to discover some essential buildings

Finally! The hall of fame!

After we brought the gear inside I explained how to set up the kit right

Inside the box on the left there’s a Mini Moog. The exhibition will include around 70 exhibits

I am invited to visit the museum.

It is much much bigger than I thought. It shows classical instruments from the 17th century as well as contemporary gear. But the focus is on classical instruments. My favorite exhibit is a “Trautonium”, a predecessor of the synthesizer

This is the space for the special exhibition. In some special events some of the gear will be explained and played

The craziest musical instrument I have ever seen. The organ is only the controller of a hall full of instruments like percussion, snares, timpanies, chromatic percussion, organ pipes… all triggered by compressed air.

I counted more than 20 harpsichords. All vintage and all restored in the institutes own workshop

I really recommend this museum if you are interested in music.

I will come and visit again (Will any of the instruments still recognize me?) and of course I went back to pick up my SDSV once the exhibition had ended. For the Silo, Wolfgang Stoelzle. Read much, much more about Simmons drums at Wolfgang’s blog here.

Supplemental- A brief history of Simmons drums

Short segment featuring Silo producer, artist and musician Jarrod Barker playing Simmons drums: