Topic: DW Erskine Freestanding stick bag

[Mark Schlipper]

As a fairly rabid fan of the Yamaha version of this bag, I was excited about the prospect of a new edition, whoever made it.  But I'm looking for more info and pictures than what I'm finding on DW's site.   I did some searching here and found Bart and I raving about the Yammy, but didn't come up with anything on the DW.  Can anyone here with some hands on give me some skinny on it?   How well does the table stand up?  How does the stand attach?  Is it balanced well on the stand?  etc.

Or if I missed a previous thread in my searching, by all means steer me that way and kill this thread.

[amoacristo]

Good question. It looks very similar to the yamaha with the addition of the metal base that raises it off the floor some. Good for dw. Now we need to convince them to make a clickstation.

[Bart Elliott]

	I checked out the new DW Peter Erskine Stand-Alone Stick Bag the other day; here are some of the changes I noticed. Most of the online stores are selling this without the stand. Musician's Friend and Music123 are both offering it for $72.00. Fork's Drum Closet, here in Nashville, was selling the bag with the stand for $99.00.
A nice new feature, some apparatus 'speed bumps' have been added to the outer sides of the stick tray. This will help keep your sticks, mallets, brushes, etc., from rolling off the tray. The front pockets which holds all the sticks, mallets, etc., are about the same as in the two previous Erskine models (ie. Yamaha and Beato). The issue still remains, however, with the way the pockets are stitched. If you have a drumstick with a splinter, it's going to get caught on the fold at the top of each pocket. This has been a pet-peeve of mine for years, and I wish the problem would be addressed. Perhaps some fabric glue could be used to cause the stitching flap to lay flush so nothing could snag it.
The stick bag, as many of you know, now comes with a stand that allows you to mount the standing stick, getting it up off the floor. I think this feature is a real plus. Now you don't have to lean over to get what you need, just turn or reach and it's there! The downside to this is the receiving clamp which makes the stick bag wobble ... IF ... you choose to NOT use the stand. I believe you can adjust the underside panel to keep the bag from wobbling, but it would take some time to adjust and get it just right.
Here's what the bottom panel looks like with the stand in place. This photo shows the top side of the bottom panel. The stand does not slide through the panel any further than what you see, which is good. Not seen is the change to the zipper pouch, which is located on the backside of the stick bag. In the past you were not able to access this pouch when the tray was up. But now the zipper opens the pouch from the side, not the top, so you can get at your music (or whatever is in the pocket) very easily; tray up or down.

I think all the modifications have made this already great bag and even better bag. The stand is a plus, although it is separate; there's no pouch for the stand (yet). The stand could fit inside the stick bag, if you don't have a lot of sticks. I didn't care for the wobble factor when not using the stand, but that is a simple adjustment issue with the bottom panel on the floor.

Highly recommend this bag!

[Mark Schlipper]

Thanks much Bart!

The 'speed bumps' fix my biggest issue with the thing, but I also think that's something I could easily add myself rather than invest, especially if the other fixes/additions aren't necessary for me.   

I'm actually ok with the height of the Yamaha, so I'm not entirely sold on the stand at all, the fact that it adds wobble, though workaroundable, makes it less than ideal even. 

Regardless, thanks again for the insight!  Hopefully I can do a bit of a hands-on myself soon.

[Bart Elliott]

The fact that the stand isn't available online with the bag itself may mean that more people agree with you about this.

When I've need to have the stick bag positioned higher, I just place it on a snare drum case. I'm like you though Mark, the height of the bag on the floor is good enough for me, and I like it to be hidden from the audience's view.

Perhaps as we get older we won't want to lean over to grab those brushes! I have nearly toppled over at times, leaning for something while on the drum throne ... but with my SoundSeat and its non-tripod base, I don't have to worry about that much.

[David Jung]

A nice new feature, some apparatus 'speed bumps' have been added to the outer sides of the stick tray. This will help keep your sticks, mallets, brushes, etc., from rolling off the tray.

Hallelujah.  Mine's still in good shape, but that feature alone is almost worth picking one up. 

And I also don't think I care for the stand thingie.  Seem like they could have added the same speed "bumps" onto the base so it would sit stable when not on the stand...would probably require some relief holes in the outer folding part so things would fold together.  I guess that would just add more cost.

[David Stanoch]

Hey Bart,
As one who loves the concept of this bag and used the Yamaha version until it recently fell apart, I wanted to tell you I found your review to be very helpful. Thanks!
Regarding this part:

"The downside to this is the receiving clamp which makes the stick bag wobble ... IF ... you choose to NOT use the stand. I believe you can adjust the underside panel to keep the bag from wobbling, but it would take some time to adjust and get it just right."

I used my new DW version for the first time on a gig last night & encountered the aforementioned wobble. There wasn't much time to fool with adjusting the bottom but, being mindful of dmjung's excellent idea:

"Seem like they could have added the same speed "bumps" onto the base so it would sit stable when not on the stand..."

I took the cardboard sleeves off a couple pair of Vic Firth sticks I'd selected for the job, tucked a sleeve underneath the bag on each side and "Voila!" - a quick and effective fix. Just wanted to pass it along if it can helpful to anyone else.

I'm used to having the bag on the floor. I keep it next to me, right behind my floor tom. But I'm looking forward to trying the stand soon. With the added height I have visions of knocking it over and watching everything I stuff in there spill all over the stage...Cool!

[David Stanoch]

Thought I'd share this just for fun...

I had a lovely gig tonight where I played with two of my favorite musicians, one of which is bassist Gordon Johnson, whom I've admired since I first heard him in Maynard Ferguson's band back when Peter Erskine was also in the rhythm section. (Gordon also played in Chuck Mangione's band w/Billy Martin (!) & many of you may be more familiar w/his brother Jimmy who plays w/Gadd for James Taylor, and also w/Wackerman or Husband for Allan Holdsworth - what a family!)

Anyway, I've been so busy gigging this week (for a change...) I managed to mix up drums & trap cases tonight & brought the wrong hardware for my Yamaha Hip Gig set (the Manu version).

And...it was the stand for the new PE stick bag that saved my butt as I used it to rig the back end of the BD up to the proper height since I was missing the Yamaha piece that extends the 16" bass drum's height & the BD pedal clips onto!

Duct tape also saved me as I then used that to secure my pedal to the rug in front of the BD. After that, the gig was a joy...

I felt rather proud of myself that I handled my dilemma calmy & cooly. I had two SD stands in the "wrong" trap case so I had no trouble puting up the rack tom "Charlie Watts style" and the tom legs were compatible too so I was lucky.

Funny thing is I still haven't used the stand for the stick bag WITH the bag (it frightens me - see above post) but I sure was glad I had it handy, not to mention the duct tape (electrical tape actually...).

"Necessity is the mother of all invention" - as they say...

[Dave Heim]

Nicely done!  MacGyver would be proud!

[Bart Elliott]

Reminds me of the time I was on an out-of-town gig and had to use drumsticks for Floor Tom legs on my Gretsch; worked perfectly.

[David Stanoch]

Thx Dave!
Bart - wow! Good for you. That's incredible.

Great fun doing the "live chat" w/you fellas, felix, & Nathan this morning!

Got another job w/the Hip Gig tonite...the proper trap case is loaded & double checked.

Now I'll probably grab the wrong cymbal bag!

[Todd Knapp]

Bump of an old topic.

First, I'm glad I'm not the only one who has periodic dementia regarding hardware. Got a call from a friend recently to dep on a gig for him. It was 4:30 and the gig was at 7:30 an hour and a half away. So, I got myself together, showed up on the gig, proudly announced myself as the (professional, confident) dep to the surprised bandleader, then soon realised I hadn't packed my bass drum pedal. (Cue: trumpet with plunger mute. Wah-wah-waaaaaah...)

Anyway, the point of bumping this thread is to ask if anyone has anything new to report regarding the Erskine bag and the use of the stand therewith (is that a word?) I'm interested in picking one up as a secondary option to using a trap table. I much prefer to have things up high than have to lean. So, any new reports?

[Bart Elliott]

Nothing new from me. I already own the two previous Erskine bag offerings. The stand is a cool idea, however I still don't like the way the sits on the floor WITHOUT the stand; it wobbles.

I like to get the bag up off the floor as well, but can do this without the stand. If you use hard shell cases for your drums, like I do, I just sit the stick bag on that and have the height I need. If you get it too high, it's difficult to pull sticks, mallets, etc. out of the sleeves ... because you are lifting them up and out. Also, if I need a table, I just use (once again) the hard cases. They look good on stage because they are dark, although the Erskine bag on a stand would certainly look better I'm sure. It's all hidden from the audience most of the time anyway.

I wish DW would make the Erskine bag without the stand option, and with out the metal receiver for the stand on the bag. I'd buy another one if that was the case. I like versatility ... and the new DW Erskine bag simply doesn't cut it for me when using it without the stand.

[Todd Knapp]

Thanks for the additional info, Bart. I'm still mucking about with the idea of getting one, but haven't decided. I use a trap stand for a lot of theatre/pit type gigs, but I don't always have the space or the inclination to carry one more thing, depending on the gig. Looking for something that could act as a nice secondary option and this seemed like a good idea. What you're saying about the instability sans stand is concerning. I hate stuff like that - i.e. minor design flaws that make for temporary fixes/jigging, etc. Partly from an ease of use standpoint and partly from a theoretical disdain for bad/ill-thought-out engineering. Just irks me...

[Mark Schlipper]

For what it's worth, I wouldn't trust my Erskine bag as a table.  It hasn't been able to keep level for a long time now.   Even if stuff stops rolling off the sides, things still occasionally slide away off the top.   Still love it as a stick bag, but very little goes on top of mine anymore.