DRUMMER CAFE

Recently I have putchased the ROLAND SPD-S.

First off let me say that I am new to the world of electronic drums. I've played them, but never have I tried to "play with" them.  This is all new to me, so read this review knowing that much. Also, I take a lot of infulence from bands like Radiohead and The Cure. If your familiar with their sounds, then you'll know why I like this so much. 

Here are the specs:

• 9 velocity-sensitive pads
• 8-voice polyphony
• 360 seconds of sampling @41kHz
• 128 patches, 399 waveforms
• CompactFlash slot
• 30 effects
• 2 waves assignable to each pad
• MIDI in/out
• 1 Trigger input (can be split for 2 triggers)

Basically it will do what you expect a drum pad to do. But wait theres more!  With the SPD-S you can sample just about anything your creative mind can produce. With a compact flash card you can sample literally hours of whatever you like. With MIDI inputs and the flash card, I have been able to sample from any CD, MIDI keyboard, or create something on my computer (FruityLoops anyone?) and use that as well.  On top of that, you can modify these samples with 30 effect options. You can even edit the effects as well.  Wow! 

I'm still learning this unit and its almost overwheming what I can do with it (eventually).

So you have the pros. Here's the (somewhat) cons... Although the manual is user friendly, I think it should be more detailed and more descriptive. Sometimes the info is too vague.  Additionally, the SPD-S does not have the ability to connect directly to a computer except via CompactFlash. A firewire or USB direct connection would help temendously in modification of waves and patches as well as startup & recovery of the unit.

Overall, I love this thing. Its great, and I can't wait to use it more often. I've tried it in one show along with my acoustic set and it was a wonderful addition. 

Trueline TG Drumsticks - Nylon Rock model



finally a got a hold of a pair.  seems like they've caused a bit controversy, cause you either love 'em or hate 'em.  well, i cant decide...  

first off, the ball grip is pretty nice!  i really like how my hands do in fact feel much more relaxed.  i dont have to grip as tightly, and the stick stays in within my fingers.  helps with my annoying, backbeat interfering, stick slippage.  actually, really cool for trad grip, too.  almost feels like i'm cheating.  

but the particular "rock" model i'm using, which is .535" dia, 16-3/8" long, are a little too tip heavy.  that translates to lots of power on tap, but does feel sluggish.  makes me kinda whip the stick, rather than have more control.

thus, i've found the natural balance point of the stick to be much further up the shaft than where the ball grip actually is.  i kinda met it halfway, and instead of having the ball grip between my fore and middle finger, i have the grip btwn my middle and ring.  it helps, but kinda bummed, the ball isnt further up where it should be.  

also, the ball does kinda get in the way for cross sticking on my snare.  you do get used to it, but it does get a little cumbersome, making sure the ball end is on the outer edge of the snare, when in the middle of an intense passage.

for another viewpoint, my buddy who normally uses Vater Fusion's, says he loves 'em.  he too found them just a tad too tip heavy, but he got used to it really fast.  says, cause his hands were more relaxed, he felt freer.  so there you go.  *shrug*

but for me, the idea is very cool, but quite honestly, its not quite as well excuted as i'd like.  krisdrum, a forumite from a few other forums, was kind enough to send me the lighter thinner, "jazz" pair, so we'll see how that pans out.

I recently picked up the 5.5X14 version of Mr_A's Blacrolite, and while I don't have comparable onstage experience with mine, and while I haven't had the chance to A/B it with a keystone Acro (got one on the 'Bay recently, should be getting it any day now), and the one Acro they have at the drum shop where I teach, is a b/o badge, which sounds OK but...well, I don't like the way the other teachers at the shop tune their drums, let's just leave it at that...

ANYWAY...

I can second Mr_A's comments about this being a SCREAMING drum.  I've got mine in Bruford/Copeland range tuningwise, with a coated Ambassador on top, and the rim shots will take your head off from twenty paces away.  It sounded good tuned lower, too, but the higher tuning really fills a void in my snare drum arsenal.  If I ever get called for an R&B gig where I need that high-pitched "crack," this is the drum I'll take.

I pulled the internal tone control out of mine about three minutes after I got it home - outside of one drum I've got that needs it, I can't stand having those things attached to the shell.  The drum doesn't need it - the sustain is just perfect as is.

I had 42s on it for a bit, and it sounded great, but I was getting too much sympathetic vibration from my small tom.  (I'm leaning towards trying again - not that it sounds "bad" with 20-strand snares by any means!).

Once I get ahold of my keystone Acrolite, I'll see if I come up with any good comments to add to Mr_A's exhaustive review.

(Note to Mr_Acrolite:  next time you're up at Mohegan Sun, you'll have to borrow my 5.5" Blacro to try out at the sound check, if you're so inclined...)

Another needed addition to my gear this year is the Pearl DR-80 Drum Rack. Pearl also makes the "Big Brother" the DR-500. The difference between the two is the DR-500 use a bigger square tubing and the lateral bars are height adjustable. The DR-500 is also called the "Icon". It's also more expensive than the DR-80 and THAT was the major reason I chose the DR-80!  
One of the other reasons is, I see no need for the lateral bar having to be height adjustable when I can make the height adjustments on the tom arms or cymbal holders.   The DR-80 is also a bit lighter than it's big brother and that's another reason I wanted a rack! I have eliminated the need for carrying around five double brace cymbal stand bottoms. I'm not sure what the weight difference is from stands to the rack, but because the rack is carried separate from my hardware case, it's a much easier haul for me! The Rack actually weighs about 30lbs (that’s the shipping weight anyway) so it's no problem for me to carry by myself.
One of the great features is the lateral bars are square tubing! This means NO SLIPPAGE when you set the clamps! I love that about Pearl racks!
The DR-80 also saves me time in set-up too! A great deal of time! Rather than setting up 5 stands, the DR-80 sets on the gig rug, the tom arms and cymbal booms are numbered matching the clamps on the rack. MY GUITAR player can now assemble my kit! You just pop the arm or boom in the matching clamp. Slide it in until the memory lock falls into the slot and snug a wing nut! Easy as pie and a lot less work.
When the gig is over, the drums go in their cases. The hardware goes in it's (much lighter ) case, cymbals go in the cymbal bag and the rack folds up  to a very nice skinny size that fits right in our trailer.
For scuffs...it's a flat black finish that’s very easy to touch up!   So it stays looking new!
Retail price for the DR-80 is $249.00 US. But I've seen them in stores for $149.00 US. It comes with 4 PC-8 clamps. I ordered 4 more with my rack. It's extremely sturdy so now there's a lot less "sway" when I'm banging away on the kit. I really love this little rack!  

Pulse Steel Piccolo Snare 14X3.5 Inches

I had wanted to get a piccolo snare for some time, and this deal was at least worth a try for $29.99.  It came in, as expected, with cheap heads but was better quality than I expected for this price.  I had also ordered an Aquarian High Energy batter and a Classic Clear snare side.  I put them on, and quickly remembered what a pain it can be to tune a snare correctly.  I have been using VDrums for over a year now!  I think a DrumDial would do wonders (hear that, Santa?).  But as I tuned, it was apparent that you could get a decent sound in the middle or upper range with this snare.  I settled on the upper range, and it has a nice crack with a little bit of beef to it (fat). Good response.  The snare itself seemed pretty good, but I think I'd like a better quality one or a 42 strand.  That would be a good choice.

Overall-  

PROS:
Great price
Fairly decent quality
Very playable, durable
Nice sound (better if I could tune!)

CONS:
One lug was a little squeaky when I began to tune the top head really tight
Need to replace heads right away
A little ringy, but not too bad, after all -- it's a steel shell!

This is a pretty decent snare overall.  

26 people on the Musician's Friend rated it as follows:

Features:   7.50
Quality:   7.58
Value:   8.08
Overall:   7.73

I would say a solid 7 overall.  If you're used to playing snares in the $300 and up range, this may not be for you.  But if you want to add a different sound to your palette for a little bit of nothing, you have little to lose and a lot to gain.  I am considering getting another to convert to an electronic drum with a mesh head.  

Following DrumnDad's review of this snare drum, I hopped off of the fence, went online, and bought one for myself.  I figured, "If the drum sounds bad, I can just pirate it for parts and buy a Keller shell..."

I really dig this drum.


Pulse Steel Piccolo Snare 14X3.5 Inches

It arrived earlier today, and I took it straight out of the box and tuned it up.  It sounded very good, even with the stock snares and no-name heads on it.  There was a bit of the dreaded "steel snare ringing," but nothing excessive - probably just about as much as one would want to cut through the guitar player's amp if the drums are unmic'd.  The response was good and even, the dynamic range was very good, and the drum sounded good at medium- and medium-high tunings.

I was tempted to just leave it "as is," but then I re-read DrumnDad's review, and I decided to take the time to disassemble the drum, take a closer look at it, and follow his suggestion to replace the snares and heads.

I took the drum apart, and found that the workmanship is pretty darned good.  There are a few minor cosmetic flaws in the counterhoops, but they're in true, they're strong, and the holes are spaced accurately - everything a counterhoop needs to do.  The lugs are well-made and seem sturdy enough.  They're hollow, and have springs inside, so I took the time to remove all of the lugs and stuff them with cotton.  I was able to remove and reinstall the hardware without stripping any threads - I was watching for this, thinking this might be a place to "cut corners" on a drum sold at this price, but the hardware looked pretty solid.

I also removed the snare throwoff, and put some cotton into the open space inside of it.  The throw looks good, lowers the snares enough to let them sit freely away from the head when in the "off" position (I hate snare throws that don't completely release the snares), and the fine-tuning knob works smoothly and effectively.  It's not as smooth as a Nickel throw, but the whole drum cost half as much as a Nickel - it works just fine.  The butt plate seems a little flimsy compared to the other hardware, but it's plenty sturdy enough for my purposes.  (I'm still debating picking up another one of these drums, just to pirate the hardware.  I'd certainly be content to use this drum's hardware on my next drum building project.)

I reassembled the drum with an Attack Terry Bozzio medium-weight batter head, and a clear Remo Ambassador snare-side head, and also replaced the stock snares with a set of Cannon snares.  This did make a noticeable improvement in the sound of the drum, but not so much that I'd say the stock parts should be thrown out without a second look.  Stuffing the lugs also made a significant change - the "steel shell ringing" was cut down by more than half.  The drum still cuts, but the noticeable sustained ringing isn't there any more.

There is no internal muffler on this drum.  It doesn't need one.  There are no snare beds, but I don't find that this has any sort of adverse affect on the responsiveness of this drum at all - I was able to play a press roll, decrescendo-ing (if that's a word) all the way down to nothing while still getting good response from the snares.

At $30, I think this drum is a "no-miss" proposition if you're looking for your first shallow snare drum.  It has the piccolo range and quick response of a 3.5" drum, but I haven't yet noticed the dreaded "marble kitchen counter sound" that so many piccolo snares seem to produce.  I probably wouldn't use this as my one and only snare drum, but I'd use it for small-group jazz gigs, for the kind of "crack" that many drummers want when playing for smooth-jazz and R&B groups, and I'd definitely use this as a second snare drum in tandem with a more traditional-sized shell.

Would I pay $100 for this drum?  Maybe.  Would I pay $75 for it?  Probably.  I got mine for $35 including shipping - and for the quality I got, that's "no-brainer" territory.

Protection Racket PR6021 Deluxe Cymbal Bag


This cymbal bag is awesome! It is very light weight.

All Protection Racket cases have an integrated three layer construction of Racketex, Propadd & Propile which are doubly stitched. First the main body of the case is stitched using bonded nylon that doesn't deteriorate and holds the case together even if an area of stitching is breached, next the sides or end circles. These two parts are then stitched together using the same bonded nylon to form the case. This method of construction ensures twice the security at all case corners and edges for greater protection and durability. Both handles and seams are doubly secure by the former being stitched to the seams 1,500 kilo breaking strength webbing, rather than to the body of the case. Protection Racket cases have no inherent weakening or lessening protection at the corners and edges that take the majority of the knocks. The cases are semi-rigid not floppy. The sides of the cases remain upright during insertion & taking out of instrument, and their one-piece construction ensures effortless functionality.

I would recommend this product to any drummer! I am seriously considering purchasing Protection racket M.I.T.S. for my entire drum set.

for information on their other products check out their website
http://www.protectionracket.com/

REVIEW:  Sound King� 5.5x14 Lacquered Copper Shell Snare

http://www.musicyo.com/product_specs.asp?pf_id=030

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Taken from the MusicYo web site:

Description:
•� 1.2mm Lacquered Copper Snare Shell� 
•� 2.3mm Slingerland Stick Saver Hoops� 
•� Slingerland traditional low-mass lugs� 
•� Zoomatic Throw off

Technical Specifications:
Shells
� � � � 
*� � � 1.2mm Lacquered Copper Shell
� 
Drum Hardware� � � 
� � � � 
*� � � Slingerland traditional low-mass lugs
*� � � 2.3mm Slingerland Stick Saver hoops
*� � � Slingerland Zoomatic throw off
� 
Finishes
� � � � 
*� � � Lacquered Copper
� 
Heads � � � 
*� � � Coated White on Batter
*� � � Clear Snare on Resonant

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These are the vaunted Taiwan-built Slingerland copper snares, currently on sale for $79.99 plus shipping (thru 12/31/03).  I picked one up earlier this week, having been lusting after some sort of copper snare drum for over a year now.

For those of you who don't want to spend the time reading the whole review, let me just say that this drum has me ready to sell my 5X14 Dynasonic.  Granted, that's a Dynasonic with some aftermarket parts, and maybe I'd feel differently if it were a 100% accurate and authentic Dynasonic, but after spending some time dialing in the Slingerland the way I want, and after successfully trying several different tunings, I don't see the need to keep the Dyna.

For those of you looking for more details, however...

CONSTRUCTION/DESIGN

This is a mass-produced snare drum, so it doesn't necessarily have the attention to detail that one would find with "boutique" snare drums.  However, there's nothing noticeably wrong or faulty with this drum's shell or hardware.  The bearing edges are even and smooth, the snare beds are shallow but adequate, and the chrome finish and lacquered copper finish are both well done with no visible flaws.  The (ten) lugs are the classic Slingerland design, and include grommets between the lug and the shell.  The tension rods benefitted from a couple of drops of "Lug Lube," but there were no problems with the rods and lugs.  The chrome counterhoops are solid, look to be slightly taller than Ludwig counterhoops, and are drilled accurately.  The Zoomatic strainer is adequate; not a Nickel by any stretch of the imagination, and it feels different (not as smooth) as the Zoomatic on the 1966 Slingerland snare I used to own, but it works - the snares stay on when engaged, the fine-adjustment knob works, and when the snares are released, they are fully disengaged from any contact with the snare head.

The drum came stock with Taiwan-manufactured Remo heads (Ambassador-weight coated batter and clear snare side, respectively); I replaced the batter side with another Remo Ambassador, and the improvement in sound and sensitivity was significant.  20-strand snares are stock items, but I have not replaced them as of yet - they sound adequate for the time being.

TONE

The best way I can describe the sound of this drum is:  a brass drum sound with "a bit of the edge taken off."  (I guess "warm" is the nebulous catch-phrase used most often to describe this sound.)  Don't misunderstand - the drum can cut, but it's not as in-your-face as a steel snare drum would be.  There is a bit of ring to the drum, but nothing excessive, and the drum was very easy to tune, to a variety of tunings.  Cranked up, this drum would function quite well in a reggae band; tuning it down slightly put me in mind of some of BuddyRich's classic metal snare drum sounds; tuning it to more of a mid-range tension yielded a drum that was still crisp, but could move a great deal of air.  There's a lot of "oomph" to this drum, even at only 5.5" deep.

SENSITIVITY

In a word, "outstanding."  At all of the tunings mentioned above, I was able to get an adequate response from the snares at even the softest dynamic levels.  While I don't hit like Tommy Aldridge, I did lay into the drum, and I didn't find it to choke at higher velocities.

CONCLUSION

This drum is definitely going to stay in my collection.  As I noted earlier, it has made my Dynasonic expendable, and it also has made me far less likely to purchase that 6.5X14" used Gretsch snare I've been looking at.  As a reference, this copper snare would not prompt me to sell a Pearl "Steve Ferrone" snare, a "Black Beauty," or a Dunnett "Ti."  (It's good, but it's not that good!)

I'd be very happy using this drum as a primary snare for jazz, funk/R&B, Caribbean, or just about any other style of music I play.  (I don't play really heavy-hitting music, but based on Mister_Acrolite's reviews and comments regarding this drum, I suspect it would work just fine in heavier contexts as well.)  At the regular list price of $129.99, I'd still buy this drum.  At the current sale price of $79.99, it's a no-brainer for someone looking for a good metal snare, but not willing/able to break the bank.  Sorry to sound so much like an advertisement, but this is a really nice drum, at a very affordable price.

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(added 12/08/03)

As a followup to my reviews here of two MusicYo Slingerland snares, I thought I'd mention the following discoveries, spots where I've recognized cost-cutting measures taken by the company.  Nothing horrible, and nothing that IMHO would warrant returning the drum for a refund, but worth noting anyway:

• cranky Zoomatic strainer - a day or two after I got it, I noticed that the strainer on my 12" maple/mahogany pic' was a little difficult to engage - I had to push up on it from the bottom in order to get the lever to move from the "released" to the "engaged" position.  Upon taking it apart, I found that there was no lubricant on any of the moving parts.  This stands in contrast to the Zoomatic strainer on my long-departed 1966 Slingerland snare, which had grease on the moving parts.  A quick shot of spray silicone lubricant solved the problem right away.
  
• little parts - When I took the strainer off of the drum, I noticed that a large nut used to hold the strainer in place on the drum, was only finger-tight.  I also noticed that there was no washer between the nut and the shell.  Additionally, one of the washers in the interior of the Zoomatic strainer had noticeable rust on it.  Something tells me there are two boxes of washers at the MusicYo assembly line:  "stuff people will see," and "stuff people won't see."
  
• Snare cord - the stock cord which came on both the wood and copper drums reviewed in this thread, looked kind of flimsy to me, and sure enough, within 48 hours of taking the drum out of the box, the cord snapped on my CopperYo.  Not a big issue, but if you buy one of these drums, plan on replacing the snare cord before you play a note, just to be safe.
  
• Interior finish on the 5X12 - there is none.  It's sanded and smooth, but there's no wax or oil seal on the wood.  I'm surprised I didn't notice this when I first had the batter head off of the drum - not only are the edges unsealed, but the entire inner ply is as well.  To be fair, my 1966 Slingerland drum set didn't have a sealed inner ply, either.
  

So, I've discovered some of the material reasons MusicYo Slingerland drums can be sold at these prices.  The drums are quite good overall, and IMHO are worth more than their sale prices, but be prepared to deal with some minor issues such as these if you buy a drum from MusicYo.