DRUMMER CAFE

Pearl Blocks ( High and Low Pitched )

I got both the Peatl high and low pitched blocks for christmas so here is my review after having had them for a few weeks. Fo startes there is a set of three. High ( Orange ) ,Medium ( Yellow ) and Low ( Green ).For starters the High Pitched block sounds identical to LP's High Pitch Jam Block ( Blue ). However the low Pitch Pearl and LP Jam block do not share the same tonal properties. So off the bat if you already own one or the other High Pitched..there is no need to buy the other. Their sound is great and stick response is also very good. One feature I love alot and wish LP would consider is how the blocks are mounted. On the LP's you can leave the monting clamp in the back or move it to either side where the holes are. Thats pretty much it,and you can rotate it on the L-Rod. Where as with the Pearl blocks one its positioned on the L-Rod there is a space around the back of the block where with the loosening of an entirely seperate bolt you can move the block into a good range of positions.Its very user friendly in that respect.They are sized about the same as the LP Low Picth Jam Block BUT all three Pearl blocks are the same size,just with the right modifications for High,Low,and Medium picth on the inside of the block. All in all they are a good buy and Pearl is definaly making some good percussion. The price for the blocks is about $23. So a bit lower priced than the LP's which are about $31-$34. Definatly an item to consider if you are thinking about adding some synthetic blocks to your kit.

Also up for review is an LP 9-1/2" Grande Aspire Cowbell. This baby is great. The sound is warm and cutting and very distinct. The other cowbells I own ( and have comparison to are the LP Ridge riders rock,classic,and lil' as well as a 5" Rhythm Tech studio ) Now obviously there can be no comparrison as the other cowbells are in very different fields. But what I can say is the Aspire is my new favorite. Its a very diverse cowbell and one that will see much use for accents as well as for riding. And with a price of about $23 its a good buy.

Thumper Custom Drums - Snare Drum Review  January 2006

I was fortunate enough to become the owner of a snare drum from Thumper Custom Drums earlier this year, and after taking some time to really play this fine instrument, I wanted to post a review for the drumming public.

There is a picture of my snare at www.thumpercustomdrums.com/more_snares.html  

my snare is in the 2nd column, 10th drum down.  Dark brown with chrome rims and tube lugs.  13 x 6.5.  

close up large picture of my snare www.thumpercustomdrums.com/pictures/lrg_view_snare20.jpg

if anybody out there knows how to copy a pix from one website and transfer that same image to another site [ I.e. grab the pix of my drum and display it within this review section ] and would be willing do so, well, mate, I would be most appreciative - I lack the ability to do so at this time using my positively ancient computer.  thanks in advance.

Construction :  13 inch diameter x 6.5 inch depth.  8 ply Keller Maple shell with 45 degree bearing edges.  2.3 mm triple flanged hoops.  Black Nickel Works snare strainer.  Shell is finished to a custom requested Jaco Bean Stain finish [ a dark Mahogany-ish natural wood color ] with several coats of oil sealer.  Classic chrome over brass tube lugs.

I had a very specific snare in mind when I contacted John Jones, the drum maker and owner of Thumper Custom drums, which is now based in Seattle, Washington.  I have a preference for 13 diameter snares, as I fell they tend to offer a slightly more " focused " sound and, when combined with the appropriate shell depth, can result in a very versatile snare drum.   To compliment the 13 inch diameter, I decided on a nice deep 6.5 inch depth.  My main focus in drumming and music is Reggae, although I also enjoy many other styles including jazz, ska, rock,  and pop.  Besides my own original musical pursuits, I often practice to recordings from a variety of artists : Brother Bob Marley, Steel Pulse, Misty In Roots, Steely Dan, Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, Led Zeppelin, Tom Harrell, Christian McBride, UB40, Papa Wemba, and many others.  As many Reggae drummers tend to favor a more natural woody "organic" sound, I felt the Maple shell was a good choice.  I wanted a very specific snare to meet my " roots"  needs -  a crisp, exact sound that allowed standard snare strikes and rolls to just jump out of the plentiful crosstick playing often associated with Reggae and Ska music.  I have gone through perhaps a half dozen snares over my 20 years of playing and this snare is perhaps one of the most agreeable and enjoyable instruments I have ever played.  Thumper custom drums and John Jones delivered exactly the sound I had been searching for.

Fit & Finish : I inspected this drum very, very carefully and I was certainly impressed.  Construction was flawless and John Jones is obviously very dedicated to his craft and  delivered a wonderful drum.  The bearing edges were perfect and the snare heads sat perfectly on them.  Beneath each tuning rod and above the rim sat a small thin metal washer and above that sat a very solid plastic washer ensuring the tuning rod, once tuned, was not going anywhere.  Between the lugs of the classic looking tube lugs [ which leave perhaps the smallest possible footprint of any lug, less than 1/2 inch circular diameter ] and the shell are small buffer gromits so there is absolutely no hardware to shell contact, allowing the drum to resonate to its fullest capacity.  The final Jaco Bean Stain finish was executed with the professionalism of a master furniture maker - really impressive.  There is not even a slight overlap of stain on the bearing edge or anywhere on the inside of the shell - very meticulous execution.  John and I were in contact often while he constructed the drum via emails and even a few phone calls and he sent me an photo of the drum towards the end of the shell finishing process.  While the picture he sent looked great, I informed him that I was really looking for a slightly darker finish, while still allowing the grain of the shell to show through.  A few days later, John had added some more stain to the shell per my request, emailed me the most recent photo and I gave my stamp of approval.  Now that certainly is outstanding customer service.

Sound :  While I had received the snare some time ago, [ packed very securely and shipped via UPS ] I felt it was appropriate to really play the snare, let the heads settle and spend some quality time discovering its voice before I wrote up my review.  While first impressions were great, things only got better.  The overall sound is crisp, very woody, lively and offers a very pleasant warm, confident sound.  The 13 diameter gives it some wonderful " pop" and a tight, focused "crack" to it, while the 6 and 1/2 inch depth delivers some generous body to my stick strikes and gives plenty of volume. As most Reggae drummers know, the crosstick is absolutely crucial to a successful overall  "roots" sound.  My Thumper snare has a delightful cutting, " crack" when I strike the rim with the butt end of my stick.  Some may insist that one can achieve a more impressive crosstick sound with the heavier, stiffer die cast hoops, but after hearing my drum live in a variety of rooms and on a few recordings, I am really quite satisfied with the 2.3 mm hoops.  Hit the drum dead center and you can achieve the most punch and pop, work your way towards the outer region of the head and a little more "bite" can be discovered.   I only used a small piece of 1/4 inch weather stripping [ the poor mans 'Moon Gel' ] along the edge of the head to just slightly damping a tiny amount of sharp ring - this is of course strictly to my personal taste - others might enjoy a little more ring to their snare sound.  To each his own.

While there are literally thousands of snare drums to choose from these days, certain drum makers - usually the smaller shops and sometimes single individual craftsman - create unique instruments that stand above the conventional drums offered by so many.  Certain names have become synonymous with exceptionally sounding snare drums - John Craviotto, Greg Gaylord to name just a couple - I would be very confident to say that you can certainly add John Jones and his Thumper Custom Drums to such remarkable instrument craftsman.  I am very pleased with every aspect of my new snare drum - sound, construction, finish and the lifetime guarantee.  My experience with Thumper was a very positive one and I would recommend that those musicians who are seeking to create and construct drums perfectly tailored to their individual sonic desires to contact Thumper Custom Drums.

I would be interested if there are any other happy Thumper Custom Drum owners out there and what you think of my review.  Thanks and JAH bless.

www.thumpercustomdrums.com

Vic Firth Akira Jimbo Signature Sticks

the good gents/ladies @ LI Drum Center were having a "buy two sticks, get the third free" sale.  so, along with my usual VF SD4's, I figure I get a "curiousity" pair just for kicks.  today, that pair happened to be my review namesake.

without a doubt, I'm a freakiest of the freakie AJ fans.  I watch all of his video's and DVD's w/ popcorn, and a huge helping of lost abandon.  and admittedly, half the reason I'm such a Yamaha fan is cause of him.  I doubt they'd help me pull off his tricky "double bass triplets / under a 2-3 clave / while activating the next program patch with his left nostril" fill, but like most rabid fans, I'm happy enough from the wonderful feeling of kinship that owning a pair of his signature sticks can provide me.

to 5A or not to 5A?

according to the VF site, the stick measures a healthy L=16" (40.64cm), Dia.=.565" (1.44cm), which essentially makes it a VFirth 5A.  but, that's where all similarities stop.  

tackier than betsey johnson

the very first thing you notice, especially upon holding them is the rough, yet almost sticky glossy finish.  its about the same sensation as holding your 6 yr. old nephew's arm after he's gone elbow deep in a jar of grape jelly.  almost tacky feeling, and at first I was rather put off.  BUT, as soon as I put stick to practice pad, my hands felt even more relaxed, since the sticks didnt seem to wanna wander off anywhere as sticks in my hands are want to do.  in fact, it was quite impressive.

does this make my butt look...

also, you'll notice the very rounded butt end of the stick.  I'm very much a back of the stick kinda player, where the stick's end usually moves to the back of my palm.  with this rounded edge, it actually feels quite comfortable.  but the real reason this is there is cause Jimbo loves playing back beats with the butt end.  but more on that later.

tips are appreciated

the tip is an enlongated oval'ish teardrop shape that forms a kind of point at the very tip.  cymbal sounds become fat, thick, and intense.  this aint no polite ball tip.  it'll really whomp out some huge sounds from your hihats or rides.

highwire act

balance wise, again, it essentially feels like a 5A with that more taper shaft heavy feel.  so interestingly, if you use the butt end of the stick ala Jimbo for your backbeats, the feel becomes surprisingly fast and yet the rimshots just blast outta your snare.  very fun!

wild 'n out

tonight, at a power trio rehearsal, I just couldnt put this pair down.  like using my favorite 5A pair, but not once did I have to worry about them slipping outta my hands.  and compared to the usual acorn tip, the AJ's teardrop sound wasnt not as focused as the acorn, but much more open and almost more splattery.  made my somewhat clangy and "too dry sometimes for my tastes" 22" K Custom Dry Light sound that bit more alive and wet.  quite interesting.

something familiar but oh so different

all in all, if you're a VFirth 5A guy, and wanna try something different, or at least something that wont slip outta your hands as easily, try a pair of AJ Siggy sticks.  no doubt, they put a fun little twist on the ol' favorite.

Back in January, I won the Drummer Cafe contest, with the prize being a drum wrap from Snareskinz.  They delivered the wrap very promptly, but it took me until this week to figure out which drum of mine I wanted to wrap.  I decided to put it on a popcorn snare I built a few years ago, with a Keller shell that had a decidedly unspectactular look to the grain.


Installation was quite easy.  The wrap came in a sheet precut for a 6.5x14 shell, so I cut it down to size to fit this 6x10 shell.  The wrap is thinner and more flexible than, for example, the white marine pearl wrap I bought from Precision Drum, but still seems fairly sturdy.  There's a strip of adhesive on one end of the wrap - no glue or tape on the shell (although, according to the manufacturer, I could glue the wrap if I so desired.)  The adhesive is holding quite securely, and I haven't noticed any lifting on the seam itself.  

(According to the directions provided by the company, it's also possible to glue the wrap to the shell, same as a traditional drum wrap, but their idea is to have a wrap that doesn't damage the drum's existing finish, meaning that one is free to remove the Snareskinz wrap at a later date if they have a change of heart, and return the drum to its original appearance.  The adhesive connects one end of the wrap to the other, and doesn't make direct contact with the shell.)

I just put the wrap on this evening, so I can't comment on how well it will hold up over time.  So far, tho, so good.  The whole process - removing the drum's hardware, installing the wrap, and reassembling the drum - took less than an hour.  All I needed for tools were scissors, a straightedge (ruler) to mark the wrap for cutting to size, and an X-acto knife (to punch holes in the wrap to accommodate the hardware).

I still like natural wood finishes more than wraps, but if I had a drum shell that didn't have an attractive natural finish, I'd consider using a Snareskinz wrap again.

The custom snare drum wraps offered by the company cost about $25 each.  I don't know how much custom designs would cost, nor do I know how much wraps for toms and bass drums would cost.

(And just for the record, I'm not offering this positive review out of any sense of obligation to Snareskinz, Bart, or the Cafe, for winning this wrap in the Cafe contest.)

First let me just say that my Pearl Sessions came with a lower end version of this HiHat. It is single braced but has the pulley mechanized like the new H100k. I LOVE the way the pulley system smooths the hats out and the way the pedal feels under my foot. Very nice job Pearl!
After years of abuse on the road, my original developed a crack on the plastic piece that is threaded and allows you to adjust the spring tension. I'm sure it's my fault as the HH stand goes int the bottom of the hardware box with EVERYTHING else piled in on top. I'd bet dollars to donuts that had a lot to do with the breakage. Plus, it's 10 years old so I'm sure that contributed to it as well. So the search was on for a replacement HH! Take a look at this piece of equipment!

It's beefier than my original HH! Heavier too. Nice construction and everything down to the fit and finish is top notch. Speaking of which. The threads are now on the inside of the adjustment piece and are notched to prevent slipping. So you dial in the tension you like and the dentents keep it from vibrating to a different setting while you play. It also seems to allow  more tension than my old model. Which is also great because I play with a heavy top HH cymbal. Take a look at the pulley action on this rig!

Double chain drive and smooth as silk. I really dig it. Now for the price....$109.00 and FREE SHIPPING from Muscian's Friend. That my friends is a bargain! I would have paid more for it. I like that much!

I haven't used a splash cymbal on my kit in a few years, but for some reason I got the urge to hear that sound again. I had a couple of mid-range Paistes on my kit before, but I wanted a different sound, so off the the drum shop I went. After going through several cymbals, the sales clerk suggested I try the 10" Sabian Paragon (they keep all the splashes and bells behind the counter as they've had a few walk out in the past). Wow! It's a great sounding little cymbal. It has a nice crispy, quick, full tone without being brittle or gongy sounding. It opens up with a very light touch. Very nice blend of highs, mids, and lows - I keep going back to a "full" sound, but it's nice and light. I don't have any experience with the rest of the Paragon line, but the 10" splash is a winner in my book. $90 + tax.

many of people have always asked about how they work, if they work, if they are worth the $$, etc etc. well here are my thoughts I have found and hopefully will clear up the questions in some people's minds.

price: from $50-70, depending on where you get it (or possibly cheaper off ebay)


Drumdial Drum Tuner

do I own one? yes I do. so this isnt just a one time trial deal.

first off, the question of "is it really needed"?
I would say yes and no.
if you play a lot of shows, travel, are your own tech, and always want great sounding drums (no reason why you wouldnt) then yes, I would definatly consider getting one. the advantages that I have found with it is usually setting up for shows you do not really have a lot of time to tune your drums. basically its just setup, soundcheck, and play. the great thing about the drum dial is you can write down your tensions of each drum head (on the provided chart they give you) so after you setup, you dont even have to hit the drum. you can even do with when other members are getting their sound checks. simply put it on the head by each lug and if they are off, just tighten or loosen your lug until they are all the same. smack the drum (if you can) and its perfect. drum dials are better than the ratchet keys b/c they use tension on the rods and not the heads. the problem with the rods is if you dont have a smooth rod (on cheaper sets) than friction can cause the ratchet to release even of the rod is not as tight as the rest. they are nice for high end drums with buttery smooth tuning (like masters)

a reason why the dial is good for pre show tuning is b/c you do not need sound or anything to tune them. if you tune the conventional way, you probably will not get an accurate tune b/c of the other noise in the room (people, guitars, etc) the dial you just look at the gauge and see. (like I said above)

besides pre gig tuning, its also great for head changes. you have all of your setting set, and just remove the head and tighten down the head to the recorded setting, and your basically done tuning your new set of heads. now you can spend the hrs playing that you would normally have spent tuning. yes, fine tuning may and will be required, but once they are all in the same area, then it makes this part a snap.

Reason to not get it would be:
I dont like spending time tuning or I am a new drummer and dont know how to tune. I think as a new drummer especailly, you NEED to learn how to tune the standard way. if you rely on this to tune for you, then you will never learn and someday, just someday you may not have your dial with you when you need to tune a drum 
also if you have lower end drums (drums $700 and under usually) this may not be the best purchase you can make. generally speaking (usually) these people also have lower grade cymbals and other hardware. this $60 would be MUCH better spent on upgrades. plus, there is usually a lot of inconsitant lugs, tension rods, and flimsy rims with sets in this price range. can you use it? yes, but I personally think it would be a waste of your money (especially since, statistically, most people with these kits are younger and money is hard to build up)

also remember that the drum dial is NOT your savior in tuning. you will still need to fine tweak them to your liking, they just aid you in getting there.

so in closing, do they actually WORK? YES! they do work, they are not just hype. they work great infact. I highly recommend them to touring people, frequent giggers, people with huge sets, or people that feel the need to change t heir heads every few days

I own one of these also and previously owned it's single-braced legged predecesssor as well. That is what made me purchase the newer model of this stand. I've tried a bunch of hihat stands, many costing more than the H1000K, and nothing feels as smooth as this one does. I love it and highly recommend it to anyone in the market .

At 55% off List, ou cannot beat the price Musicians Friend has on it either. That is where I purchased mine about a year ago and it is still selling there at the same price of $109.


Pearl H1000K Hi-Hat Stand

Just pick up an SKB Trap X1 hardware case used. I was running out of room in my plastic footlocker.

This thing is positively HUGE! 40"x18.5"x17"H outside, 7" longer and about 1" in the other directions bigger than my footlocker. 2 handles per long side, 2 on top, & 1 on the end opposite the 2 wheels, all heavy duty spring back types rivited on with metal backing plates inside. Metal skid plates on bottom for dragging up stairs & such. Place for 2 small rubber feet on the end opposite the wheels (one missing on this used unit and the other worn down, probably from sliding on wood/cement surfaces, to be replaced with bigger ones). Held together with 2 wraparound nylon straps, bottom inside has 2 matching ones to hold down hardware firmly. The inside bottom also has a thin velour type material applied with the inside tray having some, too. Lift out tray is HEAVY for a plastic piece. It's advertised "usable as a monitor stand". Not sure how they mean but it can stand some weight. Molded into the tray is a cup holder, a standard drum key holder, and a catchall bin for small parts.

Overall I like it a lot. I prefer plastic (corners) to those metal flight case types since I haul this in my vehicle, maybe some scratches but no real gouging.

Initial complaints:

The main tray is just a tiny bit too small front to back to place my Pearl Eliminator single pedal in the orientation to be flat when the case is placed on end.

Keeping the interior straps up and NOT under the stands is a minor PITA when loading. Plus they are spaced in a manner that they can only secure LONG stands. Example: My hihat stand has a memory lock so I pull the upper tube out (unscrewing the rod, of course).  The one (Upper end) strap barel