DRUMMER CAFE

Okay, so I've been sitting on a pile of money for months now. I can afford a nice new kit, and was originally going for Spaun. Then one of you dudes brought up Conaway, and I saw how cheap the things were, and since then, I've been talking with Dave about getting me a kit from him. We've been working out the kinks with my snare drum and such.

Anyway, I was in my local drum shop today chatting with the drummies, and I mentioned the lacquer I was getting. I'm in a fairly well-known hardcore band (as far as hardcore bands go), and the places we play get pretty rowdy. Well, they drum-dudes were laughing pretty hard at the thought of me playing a lacquer kit. They said I'd trash it in no-time flat. Especially on the tour we're booking for next summer.

So I walked out all bummed. I've heard stuff about this before - you know, scratches and stuff. But I thought maybe it was exaggerated. Or something I dunno.

How big of a difference will a lacquer versus a wrap go? Firstofall, I don't even know if Dave DOES wraps (e-mailing him tonight). But I also hear they affect the sound. Is it real noticable? That kinda stinks. But I will probably be throwing these drums around a bit. Bah.

Advice? Information? Tell me anything you know. Thanks.

Bart: Actually, I'm not in as deep as you think I am just quite yet - I haven't ordered anything. I've only been talking to Dave about a kit - I've still yet to decide on one.

I have enough money for a SPaun or similar custom drum kit, but I really just can't see spending all that money on what seems to me to be the same stuff that Dave is selling. I mean, a Keller four-piece for $800!? I could buy TWO of those for the price of ONE Spaun kit.

The problem is... if Dave can't do a wrap (which I'm still not too sure about, I'm awaiting a reply, but I doubt it... he's never mentioned it before)... then I may be forced to go with one of those other guys. And an extra $1000 for a wrap is quite a bit of money. Hehe.

I figured the sound difference would be negligable for my style, anyway, but I wanted to be as informed as possible before blowing my savings on something.

Be realistic about what happens to your drums A) during the course of a gig, and B) in between.

A) If weird stuff can happen to your drums during a gig, like moshers, stage divers, singers who use your bass drums as ash trays or diving platforms, etc, get the drums wrapped. But if nobody actually comes near your drums but you, this isn't an issue. Simply playing your drums very intensely is not going to beat up a lacquer finish. After all, you're hitting the heads, not the shells.

B) If YOU are the guy that packs them and moves them around, you might be okay with lacquer. But if you have roadies, or are often in the scenario where a group of people helps move your drums offstage so that the next act can come onstage, a wrap is a better choice.

It's all a matter of how much control YOU have over what happens to your drums.

I played lacquered drums in a metal band for three years with nary a scratch, BUT I was setting them up and tearing them down myself. When I got into situations where other people set up or tore down my gear, I noticed a LOT more wear and tear.

I've taken a hardcore approach to protecting my drums - I've had two of my "road warrior" kits finished not with conventional drum covering material, but with Formica or Wilsonart - both materials used for covering kitchen counters. Both of those kits took a beating, and looked brand new for the entire time I used them. One of them recently got resold - I got contacted by the guy that bought them from somebody else, and he had heard that I had toured with them. According to him, they're still looking and sounding great, and that kit was built in the late 80's!

Formica and Wilsonart are stiffer and harder to deal with than conventional drum coverings. I've recovered a few kits myself, but when I switched to mica finishes, I let the pros do it for me. Use somebody who is accustomed to working with this kind of material - I had Resurrection Drums build both of my mica-covered kits.

But first look long and hard at how your drums will be treated - you may be worried about nothing. But better safe than sorry!

You'd have to check with some drum shops to get prices - it's been years since I had any drums refinished. I know that Resurrection Drums does mica coverings, but I imagine there are other places that also do it.

Mark's suggestion of getting a stock kit from a major company is not a bad one either. Make your decision a PRACTICAL one - what drums do you need for THIS gig, as opposed to "what is your dream kit?" I wouldn't want some drunken audience member crashing into my hand-finished custom lacquered "dream kit"!

Most of the custom places like Conaway, Phattie, Resurrection, etc can use whatever kind of hardware YOU want, so you can configure any kit you want with whatever hardware you think is most durable.

When I was touring with Pat Travers I had Resurrection (www.rezdrums.com) build me a kit from the ground up, using Keller shells, my favorite lugs, hardware, etc, and covering it with mica - that kit was a total workhorse, and I know their custom drums are not unreasonably priced.

Check around, and see if one of the well-known shops can do that for you. Then compare that price with that of a midline drumkit from one of the big companies, and make your choice from there.

Well, well, well. What a little bit of internet research will yield.

http://www.candccustomdrums.com

These guys are in Kansas City (about 4 hours from me, a trip which I make every couple of months anyway to play shows). The prices seem reasonable, I'm familiar with some of the artists that play them (and like their sound), and they offer lots of sparkles, lots of wraps, and - much to my surprise and excitement - offer "Pionite" finishes.

I don't know much about them yet, but I just e-mailed them. I went to www.pionite.com and it seems to be the same kinda stuff Mr. A was talking about. This is good news!

I'm waiting to get back all these e-mails...

Why don't you just get a cheapo set of exports or stage customs (used if possible, they are everywhere) and leave your laquer kit at home.

That's what I do.

put the extra money in heads and cases...you will be fine...maybe have your cases work for both kits...that is what I also do.

I too have a nifty lacquer set of Maple Customs.  They stay home.  I bought some Gretsch in the sizes I wanted and got them rewrapped.

The Gretsch were specifically bought for gigging.  They look great and sound better, and I worry much less about scratches.

The guy who refinished my drums charged me about $100 per drum on average, but that included reconditioning the bearing edges.