Michael's Drums
This is for my friends who've asked over the years about my drums. Initial pix/txt taken/written 13Jan2000.
Updated routinely.
I started playing drums when I was five years old. A toddler, barefoot, gawking as the KSU band marched past the 50 yard line during one 1974 summer practice of CCR's 'Proud Mary,' fell in love with the crash cymbalists as they pivoted midstep to hold horizontal 20-inch 'crash-hihats' for the following snare drummers -- it was so nifty. I knew then I wanted to play drums.
We moved to Maryland, and I got a Remo practice pad along with Ludwig 2B wood-tips practice sticks (which I still own but rarely play). A year later, when KISS was all the rage, I got a 5-1/2 x 14-inch chrome Ludwig snare drum, which accompanied me to school for band every third day in its molded black plastic case. Two years later, I received 14" Zildjian hi-hats on a Ludwig stand. More practice. I still love that snare.
Christmas of 1979: I spied Santa-Dad's midnight delivery of an 6-ply maple black lacquer Ludwig "Rocker" drumset. That morning at sunup, I was the overly exuberant drummer on a 22-inch bass drum, 12-inch and 13-inch mounted tom-toms, a 16-inch floor tom, a 5-1/2 x 14-inch chrome snare, a 16-inch Zildjian (type "A") medium crash, and a 22-1/2-inch Zildjian (thick) Ride. More practice.
Years passed, musical interests expanded, pieces appeared. A 20-inch Zildjian Pang appeared first, almost like magic. Then came Remo roto-toms (two sets even!), Remo timbales, many more Zildjian cymbals (always the original 'AA'), and various accessories, trinkets, and traps (mostly LP Percussion).
I've been in a number of bands over the years. They were either, it seemed, too serious or not serious enough. I play to enjoy now. I'm looking for some good musicians who are otherwise gainfully employed to get together and play for fun and quality.
I tend to like songs rather than artists (I have my own preferred list of one-hit wonders). I avoid rap and heavy metal. Fusion, SKA and country are OK. Jazz is better. Progressive jazz and (light) rock are even better.
Note added May 2022: Years later my natural aversions are confirmed by the ongoing revelations of Dave McGowan (Inside the LC / Weird Scenes Inside The Canyon); Dr Leonard Horowitz "Musical Cult Control"; Mark Devlin, Neil Sanders, G. Craige Lewis (Ex-Ministries) and many others -- see https://soundquality.org for more.
200+ songs span my "bestest bests" collection...Sara McGlocklin (spelling?) - Sting - Fleetwood Mac - Steely Dan - Tiger Lilly (what IS her name...the 10k maniacs singer) - Motown - *numerous* one-hit wonders (Tubes' She's a Beauty, Dokken Alone Again, Tommy-Tutone 867-5309, etc.) - of course Buddy Rich and his big band! (Neil Peart, RUSH's drummer, BTW, produced and EXCELLENT Buddy Rich tribute CD with 17 tracks, each with a different remarkable drummer and featuring all the available original players - Dave Brubeck - Rickie Lee Jones - Paul Simon - Bob Marley - Cyndy Lauper - Bryan Adams - John Cougar - Eagles - James Taylor - Peter Erskine - Spyro Gyra - Steve Gadd - RUSH - Police - Stray Cats - Joe Jackson - Chet Baker - Linda Ronstadt - Dire Straits - Simple Minds - Tori Amos - Van Morrison - Billy Joel - Madonna - Huey Lewis - Dire Straits - Lisa Loeb - Pretenders -- it's difficult to remember all the bands/names/songs; it feels like a rush of feelings more than words. I guess that's why I love music: I'm emotional and feeling cancer the crab, and music and rhythm are built in.
I tend to play quietly but with a wide range of speed/tempo, inflection/feeling, and power/dynamics. I've averaged one hour daily for years, and I've not missed more than a day or three in a row. People often ask, "are you good?" I don't know; I play what I feel, and the more I play the more I find there is to learn and to express, and there are so infinitely many ways, it seems, to play even the same song. Music and rhythm and drums run a fairly deep and powerful undercurrent in my life. This remains a good thing.
I prefer an undampened, tangy, ringy yet full drum sound. I never tape cymbals and rarely use internal dampers (except a magical big blue blanket inside my bass drum, which changes the sound from an objectional rrrboing to an incredible thick thud), using instead light shop rags to shush the largest cymbals and control the head ring. I don't like the 'meat' oil-filled heads; Remo pinstripes are almost too dead and restrictive (I play a lot of quiet rim type shots, with lots of clicking and unusual strokes with sharp attacks). I like Remo ambassador heads on the main rotos and mounted toms and on the front bass head. Remo clears are on the timbales, left roto toms and octabons. A Remo diplomat covers the second chrome snare. I'm sure I need more cowbells!
9Jan2001 updates:
Xmas brought a large LP cowbell, a Zildjian large/low ice bell, a LP (green plastic) jam block, and an LP cowbell rack. Sweet. Nothing beats the spirit of giving; receiving comes close, though
Through an unusual chain of events last year, I met a friend of an employee of a client, one Mr. Terrence Brown. The Talented Mr. Terrence is a born musician and a generally nice guy.
Over the course of a few days back in September 2000, he and I brainstormed several tracks.
Mastered Primary Jam (.mp3 4.3M) -- added 3 Oct 2002
We were both playing and no one was watching the 2track controls, so you can hear the distortion as we proceeded to overload the mic and saturate the tape. The mic was mounted high up on its boom in the sound room, too close to the drums; Terrence played guitar through an old Crate transistor amp sitting next to the drums; there was no EQ or compression during recording -- it was an all-tube signal path straight to tape. Nice, except for the too hot drums and hotter levels.
The digitizing cost significant liveliness, but the grooves survive. I wish the unbelievable alacrity of the master would convey over the web and mp3...
Youngest bro Chris has taken up drums...and audio production.
Chris added a third snare, a 13" 6ply maple Pearl piccolo w/ Ambassador batter head. Crack! Compared to the Ludwig brass 14" black beauty and the Ludwig chrome 14", this piccolo bad boy is relatively monotone, outrageously snappy and loud, and (alright, I'll say it) -too- sensitive. The piccolo was in main position for a time, but it was just too hard to keep under control. Now, the brass snare has regained the main position. Somehow, the chrome 14" goes so well with the chrome LP timbales, so it hasn't moved from second position. Poor maple piccolo is snare #3, back by the 15" jazz hihats. It is true, one can never have too many drums.
Faves:
Best 70's: Rolling Stones / Beast of Burden
Best 80's: Fixx / Saved By Zero, Madonna / Like A Virgin, Motels / Only The Lonely
Best 90's: Sarah McGlaughlin / Building A Mystery
Pics of soundroom / studio 30 Jan 2001
More studio pics 1 Nov 2001
Added some nice new equipment, three or four more splash cymbals, and four additional cowbells and LP gadgets in the cracks in addition to several mics. Each piece is playable. (Yes, that is an AMPEX 351 in the background, pristine-clean and rebuilt from component-level up. Its SQ is reality-altering.)
2003-2004
Many more studio goodies have arrived: Several new mics, mic pres, and effects equipment, in addition to new recording and mastering software on both pc and mac. New tools are *so* much fun. And, it's so nice that all this stuff shows up in the passive voice!
Meanwhile, here's a mastered version of Primary Jam from above...big difference! mp3 4.3M
March 31, 2003...temple blocks and a fire-alarm bell!
Summer 04: two more splash cymbals (6" & 8"), an ice bell, LP plastic/wood blocks (orange+purple, red and blue).
2009-10 -- Jason Greenwalt recordings from 2000 / 2001
In the winter of 2000 Potomac Dawn was in production. Vance, who wanted to feature local musicians in the film's soundtrack, invited Jason Greenwalt to record a song for use in the Conner/Summer music store dance scene of Potomac Dawn. Jason, his girlfriend and several others met in the studio to hammer out something for evaluation. Good atmosphere meant 'one quick take' soon became several impromptu takes each of maybe one dozen songs. He kept playing guitar and we kept rolling tape. The setting was basically Jason sitting on a couch with an AKG C3000 microphone for vocals and another near his guitar's soundboard. Both mics directly fed a Sony DAT recorder. Except for some rack-mounted echo post-applied to "The Wanderer" (and a digital conversion from 48kHz to 44.1kHz) these recordings are raw and untouched.
We also ran the tubed stereo AKG C24 microphone, boomed a few feet above and in front of Jason, into the rebuilt tubed two-track quarter-inch Ampex model 351 (electronics chassis serial numbers 102 and 103). That recording is very special. While the recording made by the Sony DAT sounds quite good, I can say that playing back the master reel tapes through the Ampex makes the proverbial jaw drop on the floor as Jason magically rematerializes for a repeat performance. It's so palpable it's spooky.
Anyway, we've enjoyed hearing these tunes ever since recording them and hope others will also appreciate Jason's performance.
Chasing Trains - My personal favorite. I love Jason's anecdote at the beginning -- we had recently filmed a short scene near the spot he speaks of (the 1906 big "Gothic" railroad bridge over Seneca Creek / AKA "the fifty-foot drop" (it's actually much taller)), and I had been there before several times many years before. Though I've never actually chased trains as he describes, I'm sure we can all relate. MAP of location we discuss.
Media Song - A passionate observation and statement of the times then, that has only grown since. "To the world the media speaks, to the enslaved viewer, staring bleak."
The Wanderer - Haunting, introspective. "I am a wanderer; that's what I do. I am an explorer; take notice of you. Be afraid 'cause I don't stalk on that pain; so casually just another face in the rain. But this smile; is smiling at you. I am a watcher; I hate TV. I am a voyeur; waiting endlessly. A 'peeping Thom' but I am not at your window; just malls, coffee shops and places I go. And I sit for a cup or two, but leave empty. When it seems like I am not watching; you're most likely under my eye. No need for any senseless paranoia, I'm really quite a harmless guy..." "...a slave to freedom, with no one to please..."
Subsequent to the studio session, we took some nice equipment over to the Arcadia music store in the Kentlands and recorded Jason's live performance there one spring night, 2001. I believe he sang into a Shure SM-57 and used a removable pickup that were both amped into a crate combo. We mic'ed that with an AKG C3000 fed thru a rack mic pre into a Sony DAT recorder.
Virus - "This one's got just kind of a kind of groove that makes everybody jump into it, so anyway. I wrote this in ninety-six about watching every field that I ever had a campfire in, learned to ride my bike in, or-- just any place that I considered sacred that wasn't populated, watching it turn into a strip mall, and it just got old, really quick. This song's called 'Virus'." Includes percussive audience participation...cabasa, tambourine, various shakers.
All Along the Watchtower - Chills. Several persons had been browsing the CDs in "Arcadia" (now WarHammer, MAP) up to this point. By the time Jason finished playing this song, the number of people inside the store had tripled and a group had gathered on the sidewalk out front. Clearly still powerful, and a gripping performance.
2010 - 2011
Played out in DC (Black Fox Lounge, Dupont) several times this winter with Maureen Mullaney, Jason Robling, Tom Kirk, and others. Maureen Mullaney Fun! Same for Dan's Place in Boonsboro, Md.
Latest little "gig" kit is the Taye Drums GOKIT which sounds fantastic. Got a 20" ping ride from Jason, a super heavy 14" hithat bottom that doubles as an icebell, a 22" sweet ride (added one removable rivet), a 16" EHX, a 14" EHX trash splash, and a great 14" K splash. Yup, got another cowbell, this one bright and cowbelly, not dark or deep...probably easily too much for the kit-must play it so quietly. I switch in some 13" re-recording hats and a 12" AA pair along with the 13" piccolo and toneful 14" maple snare that came with the GOKIT. Looking to get a pair of 12" special recording hats soon. This is a fantastic kit - portable, relatively light manageable (fits in three bags), and has -great- sound. Perfect for small clubs. Perfect.
Also refitted key drums with Diplomat heads - ditched the Emperors (waaay too thick and homogenous) and shelved the Ambassadors. So nice to rediscover uncovered levels of nuance!
2012 - 2015
Still playing every day. Drumming has outlasted almost everything and everyone else in my life. Good thing for family! I feel sorry for those who have lost, given up, or never had such an unmatched, strong base.
Picked up a popcorn snare, and another snare drum - el-cheapo, on purpose, for the el-cheapo sound difference.
Got a pair of Zildjian 12" special recording hi-hats, and I love their sound! Not as thin or sharp as their 10" siblings, definitely meatier, but still fast and exact - precision hi-hats.
Added a few more gibraltar cymbal arms and cymbal "stand-offs" or "risers". Trying out some of the plasticky things that are something like brushes, something like rods...different sounds, not better.
Been looking at Dave Weckl, Jojo Mayer, Benny Greb.
Next addition, Carl Palmer power piccolo, green with brass by Ludwig.
Below I'm enjoying a tasty little TAYE 'go-kit', 7-ply maple, shockingly resonant. Pearl maple piccolo snare with Remo Diplomat batter. Remo Ambassador coated heads on both sides of toms and bass. Cymbals are Zildjian A series. Hats are 13" re-recording -- they do record much much better than they sound live. Next is an old favorite 20" crash/ride mounted upside-down. Next is a double-stacked 16" LASER-cut something or other (trashy-sounding) with a beautiful 12" splash mounted coaxially (both mounted upside-down -- giving a really bright, sharp attack and comparatively quick die-off vs traditional mounting). Next is a 22" sweetride that sat on my 'least-favorite' shelf until I whimsically installed a single custom "rivet" (about 1 inch in from outer rim) that is a #6-32 x 1" stainless screw (head on top) weighted by 2 #6 brass hex nuts...in this way the sizzle stays really soft but comes on stronger the louder it's played. It's a 'heavy' sounding sizzle, not bright and tinny and cheap at all; very unlike typical 'riveted cymbal sizzle sound'. I tried the 21" sizzle upside-down but the sizzle wasn't enough.
2016
Because of this I picked up a Ludwig acrolite (acrolyte?) snare. Pristine and broadly tunable, but still lacking the tang of a chrome shell. Maybe it's the Evans "emperor" batter head on the acrolite vs. the Remo diplomat on the chrome. Acrolite is dry - closer to wood shell sound than chrome; probably that's no surprise.
Also picked up a Pearl brass piccolo. Phat!
My favorite remains Ludwig chrome 14x5 w/ Remo Diplomat; second is new Pearl brass piccolo.
2017 - 2018
Been experimenting with various cymbals. The ones with the big LASER-cut holes -- 18" crash, 10" splash. Nice and trashy at low- to mid- volume; they don't respond with greater volume, however, when they're beaten: Greater loudness beyond mid-volume does not exist with and can not be gotten from these cymbals...it's like the surface area, because it is substantially less (due to the big holes), and the lower material mass causes the sound output to "compress" -- in other words, playing mid-loud, full-loud, too-loud, and danger!-loud all sound approximately the same. I actually prefer their sound at low-volume because it's so interesting. Close-miking candidates fersure. I wonder what a removable, heavy homemade rivet (below) would soundlike...
Fixed a $350 22" beast "jazz ride" that sounded sooo good in the store but awfully out-of-place on my main kit...I drilled a single hole for a homemade heavy "rivet" that consists of a 1" long #6-32 machine screw with a pair of #6 nickel stainless nuts (heavy) tightened against each other (and an internal tooth lockwasher) at the screw's end, so that -- unlike standard "rivets" -- the sizzle is VERY light at low level but comes up nicely at mid- to high-levels. The character of the sizzle can be changed by adding more nuts (weight), and/or moving the nuts further towards the screw head, and/or changing the length of the screw. Adding more screws and/or thickening this one are options, too. Everything is removable (except the screw hole(s). The cymbal sounded so awful that I figured nothing could really worsen it, even a crack (you know, now that I write that, it sounds pre-cracked or something... ...just not purity to the tone, it's all mungy, without the rivet.). Anyway, I'm sure glad I tried it. That one rivet made it about 100x more interesting to play and hear.
Picked up a bunch more snare drums, all different depths, shells, heads. My favorite is still my original 40-year-old Ludwig chrome 'symphonic' snare. Pretty soon I'll need a snare/drum rack.
2019
Based on this I got a Mapex Armory kit. Bass drum is instant killer deep and thuddish and still responsive -- love it. (I usually cock the beater off-kilter, so that it impinges with a triangular strike at low kicks, such that the triangle digs deeper into the batter head with increasing power; this seems to add maximum character-ability.) The steel "tomahawk" snare drum is silly-overpowering for this kit and my other kits...so it sits on the snare shelf. I want to try their hand-hammered version sometime. This kit should come with a similar wood snare, IMO; this tomahawk monster sounds waaay out of place (not bad, just mismatched).
The responsiveness of the kit is very different from the TAYE go-kit and also my main Ludwig all-maple kit; comparatively it feels, sounds and plays "compressedly". It does not excel at all at low-levels and responds best from mezzo-forte to full-on FFF or whatever I can give it (which is nice, the lack of volume compression from the mid up toward the top -- I'm not sure where the top is of this kit). Below mf it becomes character-less, but above mf, all the way up, it brings on smiles and foot-tapping groove -- this may be the first kit I've played that sounds better the louder it's played. For under $1k it pretty much can't be beat and is a wonderful alternative kit...it also provides a place for what has become a second cymbal setup...this time mostly Meinl. More on those soon.
This kit is beautiful, sturdy enough, and the shells are nicely rough, not all laden with smooth laquer, in fact hardly coated with laquer at all (which is great for best wood / non-plasticky tone). The sound is a combination of birch and maple -- crack (when played above mf), nice sustain, and an interesting mix of tone with a kind of heightening 'bump' in the mid-front of the note. It kinda reminds me of the difference between a chrome snare and an acrolyte snare, but in a wooden version...as if the shells are self-gating to some extent.
I'm going to try playing it up on a small wooden stage, hoping to improve the low-level tonality with added resonance. I did replace the key-only bass drum lugs (both sides) with winged lugs that were for a Mapex Saturn bass; no difference in tone just much easier to tune. I disagree w/ Ollie in the review (the low-level is homogenous), but I'll try his suggestion of replacing the batter heads, then adjust this note if warranted.
2020
Picked up a 14x6 DW / PDC multi-ply maple snare with wood rims on both heads. It's ridiculously tonal, ridiculously responsive at all playing volumes, ridiculously loud when pushed, always ridiculously crisp and flavorful. It's even more more than my main Ludwig maple kit. I've been hesitant about DW drums because, of all the DW kits I've heard in all the many recordings of many different drummers, I've thought they all seemed to share a too-similar "DW sound". This snare might change my mind and remove the block for buying into a bigger, full-DW kit; I'll have to record it and hear how it does. Unlike the cheap Meinl HCS starter cymbals (that 10-pack for ~$400), which WILL make you run away from Meinl altogether (unless you've heard their Byzance anything, which might make you forgive the horrendous HCS), this DW/PDC is a superb starter, a great harbinger for what may indeed be excellent tone justifying the hype.
Picked up another DW/Pacific snare, darker wood, deeper shell, wood rims on both heads. Wow, this thing is a wooden golem. If the end-of-the-world had a snare sound, this would be it -- part cannonfire, part mountainous obliteration. I'm pretty sure this is the most powerful sounding, loudest thing I own...can't seem to find its top-end of power...makes it conceivable how players can crack cymbals, trying to keep up. Although I've tested near-perfect hearing (still), it's rare that anything except gunfire (and exposure to wifi radiation) can make my ears "ring" these days, a single rimshot on this monster does. ...now if I might only find a kick that can do similar...probably would have to be 26" dia.
2021
Acquired a bunch of fun new toys over the past few months -- "cymbal stack" extender/risers for mounting cymbals coaxially...several new Meinl cymbals. Somehowhere acquired a Sabian cymbal -- I keep hearing the same general conclusion: The Meinl (even Byzance) and especially Sabian are somehow missing that upper-end shimmering sparkle, at all volumes, under all stickings; just can't shake this no matter the combinations I try. For kicks I set up the Mapex kit facing the Ludwig kit. Goofing around with crappy Meinl/HCS toys (maaan they are baaad) -- will probably try drilling holes, sawing edges, applying cryogenic splashes -- literally anything would be improvement. Added a few more snares for effect, but still nothing has bested for wide tonality my original symphonic chrome/steel snare (This has changed in 2022, read on!).
2022
Been watching years for a piccolo snare with free-floating hammered red brass shell; just bought one from a drummer thinning his collection via ebay...what one drummer may be 'tired of' may delight another... This will be my first snare (and maybe any drum) with die-cast rims. I'm hoping it's bright, complex, maybe shimmery meets choked-tangy? I want a snare that can deliver that cymbal-like kind of top-end "bristle"; I will post impressions later this year. Next foray is into lighter/thinner triple-flange hoops, hoping to open up the shell tone even more. I've been trying various wood hoops but not finding that sharpness.
Meanwhile I'm installing dense felt mats underneath the Persian rugs under the kits. Juggling some gear. Rewiring parts of the drumroom. There are two full kits settled (and growing) in there now (with Taye/3rd packed into an alcove), facing kick-to-kick...nephews are loving playing together! When is "too many" drums and cymbals really ever actually too many? More coming.
soundQuality.org
New goodies to play and show and tell
Above - Steel floating shell Pearl piccolo FTSS1435 - die-cast hoops, Ambassador batter
Above - TreeHouse Custom 4" x 14" Solid 1ply Steambent Maple Snare Drum - THICC 1-plt maple shell, PHATT maple reinforcement rings, black die-cast hoops - this thing has attitude
Above - 2002 DW Blue sparkle maple shell, 12x5" "popcorn" snare with wood hoops - lovely tone as expected, does nothing wrong but almost 'too well behaved'? I think I need something on that side snare with a bad attitude.
Above - Vintage Ludwig Slingerland Snare 5.5X14 Solid steam bent 1-ply maple shell - old-school delicious; I promised its previous long-time/original owner a great home and will provide.
Above - Vic Firth 3.5x14 Vicious V stainless steel snare - kind of a 'throwaway' for trash / play; justified because somehow I misplaced my black steel snare...
Above - Pearl Sta1450Pb Sensitone Premium 1.2mm Phosphor Bronze -- this thing is insane, and it immediately grabbed the #1 spot (away from my decades-long-time fave chromed aluminum Ludwig!) after only a few seconds sitting in on my main kit -- tangy but smooth, deep but complex, dynamics galore, extremely versatile and accomodating voice...wow.
It easily weighs 4-times what my previous champion weighs. Its play/feel is mostly the same in some manner but also wildly different in other (compared to chrome/alum Ludwig); it's easier to play quieter, and it likes being played quieter; the nuances are begotten effortlessly, and it's actually this dramatic sensitivity that makes it a bit more challenging, er, engaging to play...I could get the nuances with the chrome/alum but only at mf or more power; this gem has nuance all the way down to ppp...and all the way up; in fact, it kind of overpowers my main kit's Wood Power in the same way that heavy cymbals quickly become just too much.
I'm not loving its strainer which, though beautiful, lacks the spectrum of engagement I'm used to from my chrome/alum Ludwig; otherwise, superb...hadn't realized what I'd been missing! Pretty sure this snare will soon be sporting Diplomat heads and 1.6mm 3flange hoops, hopefully to release even more of that unexpectedly exciting tang and pang and zazzle. As it is right now, this snare sounds stupid good.
Funny thing the several snares I picked up recently mostly have die-cast hoops and all have Remo Ambassador batter and reso heads, both of which I've not been too keen on in the past. I'll post soon on how things progress and morph.
Jun 2023 update
On a fluke of boredom one night I switched in the 1-ply maple Slingerland. Just when I thought things couldn't get any better than the phosphor-bronze...OMG. This old-school character has pop, crack and just as much if not more sensual and infinitely-coaxable timbre as any drum I've ever played. It has Evans clear batter and reso heads and die-cast hoops, all of which are extremely unusual for me (last time I had clear heads was on my then-new maple kit when I was maybe 8 years old). Yes, there's the appeal of the 'fresh and new' drum, heads, hoops, etc., but the playability is just shockingly effortless...and the seamless way the drum tonally slipped into place with the rest of my main maple kit...wooden kinship maybe?...this one drum has 'shifted my pyramids' so to speak and I'm now reconsidering lots more than I should. I'm wanting an all-maple 1-ply kit, and another with all phosphor-bronze shells...insane.
A few days later of course I found this gem https://drumheadauthority.com/articles/forget-the-best-drum-wood/ which compellingly makes the case that 80% of drum tone is from heads...though I'm not sure I agree with 80%... A 62-head demo is here, and a best-parts summary of the drumheadauthority article is here.
Oct 2023
So I long ago gave up on finding, in one shot, 'the other half' of my main kit, a 6-ply maple Ludwig Rockers II kit covered in black cortex. My original half is 12 and 13 mounted on 22 with 16 floor. The absent half is 14 and 15 mounted on 24 with 18 floor. I just knocked out the 18 floor...
Here's the feedback blurb I left for the seller -- "A+ Dust-free. Rust-free. Chrome bright shiny, wiped-down no fingerprints on chrome or shell. Very Very Clean. Very Nice. Cortex black wrap in A condition. Nothing loose inside, no fallen-off nuts or dampener. Wood perfect. Tone perfect. Perfectly matches existing Ludwig Rockers II set: Even the tuning was relatively close! Same look, same tone, same wood, same everything. Perfect fit. Instantly part of the big kit, as if it were a long-lost cousin (which it was). Thanks, guys! [ Item RARE 1970's 18" 6-ply LUDWIG FLOOR TOM in BLACK CORTEX for YOUR DRUM SET! ]"
18 July 2024
Below is (still) my #1 snare, "steam-bent single-ply maple". It's so unusual because it is so unlike all my other drums. 1-ply steam-bent maple. Hardware unspecial except for its vintageness (which isn't that much more 'vintage' compared my main kit's hardware!). The rims are die-cast, not triple-flange. Heads are clear Evans, not Remo coated diplomats and amabassadors. No dampener. I'm half-tempted to switch out the rims and heads (bought a special set of extra-thin triple-flange hoops, intending to boost response and tang...but I'm also other-half-insistent on leaving well enough alone...I'll probably give in pretty soon and make the switch...but, could this sound actually be improved?
Jul 2024
I have A Lot of different drumsticks, weights, cuts, woods...been playing over the years with sanding/roughing body, shoulder, tip...same, differing, etc. Same for the tips. I recently came across Claus Hessler via his technique of 'crushed rudiments' which mimicks an similar idea I've been exploring. Then I found he has custom ProMark sticks that offer something "ActiveGrip" coating on "firegrain"/heat-hardened hickory wood (!) and I thought I'd try something new and frivolous. Well, frivolous Not! -- the ActiveGrip is pretty amazing, and the weight and cut of these sticks is unexpectedly appealing, along with the 'deadness' of resonance -- the sticks almost play themselves...nearly nothing has been able to unseat my second-most-recent favorites, "Jazz Club", and these Hesslers are so absurdly inverse of the JazzClubs that I'm wondering about my playing sanity...and so now of course I'm exploring this wonderful rabbit-hole of ActiveGrip sticks, firegrain woods, different-wood (acorn (!), on the wiggly-body sticks) tips, and even wild body cuts. Will add more on this.
