When I saw that this drum had been listed on DrumSellers, it was so striking and beautiful that I requested one for review.
Read moreReview of Cympad Foam Cymbal Washers
Cympad Optimizers
So the fine folks at Cympad sent an assortment of their cymbal washers for me to review. Cympad washers are made from a cellular foam material and can be used in place of traditional felt washers. The Optimizer washers are pretty close to the same size as any typical felt washers for rides, crashes and hi hats, and effects cymbals. I felt that these would be a good starting place to do an A/B comparison with my felt washers. I used several different types of ride cymbals: My “holy grail” Bosphorus 21” Master Series ride/crash cymbal - extremely thin with a small bell, an old EAK Zildjian K 22” ride that is very low pitched and dark with a big bell , and an older 20” A Zildjian rock ride - pretty heavy and bright with a medium sized bell.
Read moreReview: Cympad Shark Gated Snare Dampener
Cympad Shark
Ding! Ding! Ding! Folks, we have a winner! This one tops my “George’s Picks” list. From Cympad’s Website: “The gated drum damper enhances the attack while keeping the tone of the drum. The Shark’s exclusive hinged design allows the device to float on the playing surface— subtly reducing the volume and resonance by reacting to the intensity of the stroke. Rugged, re-useable, with plastic carrying case included.”
Read moreReview of Lem's Cymbal Felts and Cymbal Sleeves
My opinion: The advantage to using Lem’s Felts is that they last longer, and let your cymbals’ sound sustain longer because they are made with superior materials by a niche manufacturer who cares about quality. The cymbal sleeves are of a more flexible and durable plastic than most, and will not damage your cymbals.
Read moreA&F Nickel-plated Hardware: An interview with Ramy Antoun and NSMD Test-drive
Ramy does not rest on his laurels. Constantly looking to do more and do better, he has recently expanded the A&F line-up to include an array of innovative nickel-plated drum hardware: snare/tom/kick stand, cymbal stand, pedal mount for snare stand, hoop mounted clamp and L-arm, kick-bone, cocktail basket and kick pedal clamp.
Read moreReview and video: No Nuts Cymbal Sleeves, CymRings & SizzleNut
So overall, I would definitely recommend trying out the No Nuts products, especially the Cymbal Sleeves, as they really do make mounting and dismounting cymbals so much easier and quicker. The convenience factor is well worth the money in my mind. I like having alternatives to felt pads so the CymRings are a much better substitute. I don’t use a sizzle cymbal enough to justify the cost. Having a little ‘doodad’ like the SizzleNut that I can stick in my bag and pull out as needed is more practical. Think of it this way, for the price of 1-2 pairs of drumsticks, you could buy a set of Cymbal Sleeves, CymRings, or SizzleNut. Music is about experimentation. Try things out!
Read moreAttack Drum Heads Review
I had a lot of fun playing with both the Royal1 and ProFlex1. I’m not sure if anything has changed, but they seemed so much better than many of the earlier Attack drum heads I had tried a few years ago. These heads were more versatile, open and dynamic than I expected. I can’t personally answer the question about durability but will continue to play them and see how they hold up. I should note that drummer, Rick Meadors, recently posted on drumforum.org about his experience with the Royal1 drum heads stating that, “Attack's coating is darn near indestructible in my experience… I've had that head on that snare for about 8 months now and have played it A LOT! Probably close to two dozen gigs plus a lot of playing at home during the past few months.”
Read moreMike Clark - The Post Bop Drum Book
Legendary jazz-funk drummer Mike Clark presents his latest Hudson Music initiative - ‘The Post-Bop Drum Book’. Numerous topics include be-bop and post-bop drumming, advanced independence, developing the ride beat, phrasing, using the hi-hat as a fourth voice, and triplet variations are explained. Mike provides a totally complete overview of contemporary jazz drumming with performance concepts… Coupled with the impeccably written transcriptions of Towner Galaher… This is a must-have book for all serious drummers.
Read moreNick D’Virgilio to Release New Solo Album Invisible Featuring Members of Dream Theater, King Crimson, Supertramp, Cheap Trick, The Flower Kings & Others!
With the recording process split between the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London (including full string and brass sections) and the world class Sweetwater Studios in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Invisible boasts star turns from luminaries such as guitarists Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big), Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) and Carl Verheyen (Supertramp), bassists Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel) and Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings, Steve Hackett), plus keyboard players Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) and Jem Godfrey (Frost*).
Read moreReview: Evans UV2 drum heads
This will be a short review. Good and short because I really am impressed with these heads. I play at least three nights a week with a big rock and soul band named FreeWorld on Beale Street in Memphis and a good number of well-known drummers sit in on my drums. It’s a pretty hard-hitting gig and the guys that sit in don’t hold back. Though I prefer single ply heads on recording sessions and lighter gigs, I have used all sorts of two ply heads on my Gretsch drums over the years for the louder gigs. The two-ply heads last longer. They also all start denting up immediately and I’ll use each set as long as I can until they just won’t tune up anymore or are looking like the surface of the moon.
Read moreA&F Drums/Sabian “Ankh” Collaboration!
A&F Drum Company, known for their distinctive “modern vintage” drums, has recently teamed up with the Sabian cymbal company to produce a line of exciting new products. Ramy Antoun, Founder and President of A&F, describes this partnership as a blend of “old world craftsmanship, new world sound”. Ramy has long held Sabian in great esteem; a company with a proud history, steeped in tradition and renowned for their dedication, innovation and craftsmanship.
Read moreCD Review - "The Shadow of the Sun" by Joey Stuckey
Click here to order Joey’s music and for free downloads.
When the veteran blues rocker booked his trio into the legendary Sun Studio for a three hour session on an off day from their tour, he had no specific plan except to record a few originals and covers. Letting the legendary spirits in the room (Roy Orbison,Johnny Cash, Elvis, et al), the vintage 50s-60s equipment and the refreshing spontaneity of a “live in the studio” opportunity take over, Stuckey created InTheShadow of the Sun, the most unexpected full length album of his career
Read moreVideo Review: Remo Felt Tone heads
Lucas Aldridge and I finally got our hands on some Felt Tone Heads from Remo and they are the bomb. We put the FiberSkyn on the batter side and the hazy on the front, and used matching regular heads for comparison. Felts have been attached/glued to heads before. The difference here is that the felt is NOT adhered to the head but adhered to the plastic strip which holds it against the head. This plastic strip also continues on around the circumference of the head acting as a very narrow "zero Ring" similar to the Power Stroke heads.
Read moreReview: Remo Classic Fit Drum Heads For Vintage Drums
The Remo Classic Fit Drumheads feature a slightly narrower flesh hoop and step design to address oversized drums made prior to the mid 60s. They are also ideal for older vintage drums that are out of round with thick overlapping drum coverings.
Read moreBook Review: Inner Drumming by George Marsh
The Value of “Inner Drumming”
All drummers need to practice their rudiments and the various styles of music in which they are involved. But there is another crucial aspect of music not covered by those efforts. George Marsh's landmark book, “Inner Drumming” gives you the missing ingredient: internal awareness of your body as you are playing.
Read moreReview: Canopus's new Alphonse Mouzon Signature Snare Drum
“My Signature snare drum series has a fat, deep, crisp and powerful sound that is great for all styles of music : Rock, Jazz, Funk and Fusion and more!”
Read moreBook Review: "Walberg and Auge - The History and Future of America's Most Innovative and Unknown Drum Company" by Jeremy Esposito
Mr. Esposito will be very instrumental in the future of W&A because he now owns the company. A rather new vintage drum enthusiast, having started only recently in 2011, Jeremy bought his first W&A drum set and was hooked. He started researching the history, discovered that the company had dissolved in 1983, and quickly purchased and registered the company name and trademarks, the website domain and started a Facebook Page. Walberg & Auge is now registered as a non-profit for historical and educational purposes.
Read moreVideo Review: SideKick Drums' Skinny Small Drum Set
My personal opinion is that Sidekick has a winner here. A "smaller" drum set with shallower depths in the toms and kick, but with standard diameters that sounds like a standard depth set at lower volume - and with a much smaller footprint for those small stages, street busking, rehearsals, in and out gigs, low volume gigs, etc. where a regular size kit is not required
Read moreReview of Canopus Back Beat 30 Snare Wires
The Canopus Black Brass drum that I tested these 30 strand wires on had the perfect width bed for these wires to lie in and respond correctly. It’s nice to see a drum company that understands how this is supposed to work. It was a pleasure to play this drum and hear that big, rich and snappy snare sound coming from underneath. The snares sounded very full and there was minimal snare buzz from other instruments
Read moreReview and announcement of new Canopus Yaiba snare models and finishes
Canopus has added some new models and colors to the current Yaiba Maple and Birch snare series. Until last month the models were only available with the Yaiba kits I reviewed earlier this year. They are now available as individual drums in the Canopus snare line up. They are not up on the Canopus website yet so this is kind of a sneak peek.
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