Famous Drum Company single ply steam bent shells are built the old fashioned way, by hand, in the tradition of the venerable Slingerland Radio Kings and other historic major drum companies. We don’t claim that single ply steam bent shells are better than plywood, stave or block shells, but it has been proven over time that they have a unique distinctive sound that is full and resonant, with an extremely wide tuning range. These characteristics cannot be achieved with typical plywood shells. If you have ever played a Slingerland, Leedy, Craviotto, Noble & Cooley, Solid, DW or other brand single ply drum then you understand what that sound is. The hand made process is very labor intensive, which is why the shells typically cost much more than plywood shells from mass manufacturers. Watch the videos of the process below.

We sell raw shells to consumers, drum builders, and drum manufacturers. All shells are 100% dry, with no moisture content, thanks to Arizona’s hot and dry environment. Raw shells are sanded to a fine degree inside and out. Raw shells are not badged, but we do usually wood-burn the build date and the builders initials into the interior of the drum in small letters and numbers in an inconspicuous place for warranty and inventory tracking purposes. We also will do any woodwork that is required, including bearing edges, snare beds, drilling holes for hardware, vents, etc., for a very reasonable extra charge. We can also finish shells in stain and clear finishes. We can provide shells without the re-inforcing rings to builders who want to do that themselves.

We also sell completed custom drums to consumers that are labelled with the badge you see above. The first video on this page is of the first Famous Drum Company snare single ply drum.

Shells can be ordered in any size from 8” to 26” in most depths using a large variety of common and exotic wood types. The price list at the bottom of this page is not written in stone because our cost for the wood varies, but this gives average prices.