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Here's something you don't see very often, Gretsch 16" x 12 " bass drum, restored with mostly original parts, all parts are period correct..
Yes it's the real deal.
Ronnie Owens Drums
Here's something you don't see very often, Gretsch 16" x 12 " bass drum, restored with mostly original parts, all parts are period correct.
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The Goodman Drum Company sent in a very high-end snare drum for review that sounded great on my gig last night (and I’m pretty picky). The instrument’s body is a 14 by 5.5 Quilted Maple stave shell that is 5/8” thick and has a double 45 degree bearing edge. It has wide and deep snare beds similar to the old Slingerland Radio King bed which I personally like because of the responsiveness. The flawless, grade A quilted maple wood has a beautiful hand rubbed clear coat that takes two weeks to apply and has a UV inhibiting agent. The hardware on the drum includes ten polished solid aluminum center lugs with receiving tubes that give it the look of a tube lug drum, die-cast hoops, a Trick throw off, and Pure Sound snare wires. The 3 small unique snare vents in the shell are aligned vertically in one panel of the drum and sit flush with the shell. No cheap hardware on this drum. It appears they using only top shelf parts. The badge is die-cast with a script logo on a glossy oval background trimmed with a silver/chrome-ish border. Very understated tasteful badge.
Sound? This is a full-bodied snare drum sound. At high, medium and low tunings the fundamental note of the shell is very present. It was very easy to tune and the feel of the tension rods turning in the lug threads was very smooth. The resonance and sustain in the head was very pleasing and musical from the edge to about 2/3 the way in to the center at which point the head became progressively drier until it was very controlled at the very nodal point in the center. I like a snare that allows me to hit in the center for a dry, short, snappy sound but with the option of moving away from center to use the natural ring in the head for longer tones. The snare wires respond very well from edge to center and I was able to dial out sympathetic buzz from other drums with the Trick throw off . The snares sounded great at tight, medium and loose settings. I think this can be attributed to the superb bearing edges snare beds as well as the superior Trick throw off and Puresound snare wires. I’ve noticed that some snare drums with die-cast hoops can be very one-dimensional; too much fundamental and not enough overtones or splash, all crack and no tone. Not with this drum. The die-cast hoop did not “choke” the drum. I usually prefer a triple flanged hoop because I find that die-cast hoops don’t give me enough tone and splash. Not so with this drum. It had a lot of what I call nice “gonk” tone in the sound (think Bill Bruford), which I find is usually missing in many drums with die-cast hoops. I also noticed that the difference between a regular loud hit and a rim shot was not that different in volume, but it was different in tone, which was nice. I play a lot of rim shots on backbeats but did not feel the need to with this drum. Most drums have a much seemingly louder report with a rim shot but the wide range of dynamics of the head hits on this drum with regular hits speaks to the superior response of this drum’s design.
Performance; I took this drum on a three-hour gig with an Allman Brothers tribute band. It was a very loud gig in a small club with another drummer right next to me. I had no problem hearing this drum even though there was no monitor and I had a hard time hearing the little 18” bass drum I was using. I didn’t feel the need to hit rim shots to hear the drum. The tuning held up well. No de-tuning of the tension rods.
Cons? Nothing. A+
The Goodman Drum Company is a three-year-old boutique company run by Chris Goodman Jr. and Sr., who also make other wood products. They make their drums out of rare, re-claimed, exotic and high-end tonal woods. The moisture content of the shell is very controlled at 6 to 8 percent until the final clear coating step. The drums are trued on granite and it is obvious that they are very concerned with producing a flawless instrument with much attention to detail. The Goodman's have plans for expansion in the near future. Their first 13” snare will be introduced in a few months. Lugs, hoops and tension rods will be made in-house in 2016 and their first drum kit will debut in 2016. Their goal is to go national with distribution in 2017. While their website is under construction you can reach them on Facebook.
Joyful Noise Drum Company is proud to announce the appointment of Todd Trent as their Chief Operating Officer. Todd is excited to bring over 3 decades of percussion industry experience to Joyful Noise. Having been in music retail, artist relations with Ludwig Drums, wholesale / OEM sales and marketing with Taye Drums as well as pro touring management, Todd is well suited to propel Joyful Noise. He has been a fan of the product, their mission and leadership team since the beginning of the company and now feels the time is right to add his abilities to such an outstanding company.
My friend Rob Kampa has been a busy boy. Rob, of MagStar Drums fame, is one of the first and best of this generation’s custom drum builders. He moved to Nashville a while back and has been doing all the drum building and custom work for Andy Foote’s Drum Supply House for quite a few years. Rob and his wife Maggie have recently become the proud new owners of WorldMax USA, leading parts supplier to the DIY and custom drum building industry and makers of the infamous Black Dawg line of brass snare drums. I was wondering for a couple of years who previous owner Walt Johnson was going to hand the baton off to when he retired, and I can’t think of more suitable owners than the Kampas. If that weren’t enough to keep his day full, he is now also building drums for the resurrected Walberg and Auge Drum company. Jeremy Esposito is the other name in the W&A venture and has set it up as a non profit company. Much luck , Rob. You are now a cornerstone of the drum smith community. We need to do an article on you and the three drum companies you work with.
Not So Modern Drummer will have a booth at the Chicago Drum Show in May. I won’t personally be there because I have some performances I can’t get out, of but our Production Manager Chris Speich will be there along with Aaron Mlasko of Mlasko Drums here in Nashville. Please come by out booth to say hello to Chris, maybe talk about some advertising in NSMD, and to check out Aaron’s cool drums.
Matt Crouse interviewed me recently for his very cool podcast "Working Drummer". It's a conversation about what it is like to be a lifelong working drummer, my history and experiences, and Matt's take on things too. He is very good at this and I'm so glad he included me. Matt is an old friend. We met twenty years ago when we were both working at Fork's Drum Closet. http://www.workingdrummer.net/2015/04/15/georgelawrence/
I have resurrected the Famous Drums brand with a new work horse Black Beauty brass model featuring a Dunnett throw off. It has a low price of $385 and you can check it out at our Reverb.com storehttp://rvrb.io/2015-black-beauty-70g
The Snare Drum Olympics will be held this year. The judging will be in November and results will be published in the December Issue. If you want to enter a drum or two or three in this year’s contest and publicity event please sign up on our mailing list at www.snaredrumolympics.com and review the application and procedures. Since the Nashville Drum Show is not being held this year, we will have a separate public event for the public judging and debut.
There are many great articles in this issue including a healthy number of reader submissions and appraisal requests, so get our your iPad or your telephone or your Dick Tracy watch and read away. –George Lawrence
PS - Don't forget to check out all the new products in our new store: https://reverb.com/shop/georges-drum-shop
Canopus sent three unusual snare drums from their Neo Vintage series for me to review this month: I’m including their specs and descriptions as well.
Shell : 5ply Maple + Poplar 9mm Finish : Superior Maple Lacquer Size : 6.5 x 14 Top Hoop : 12 tension round edge hoop Botom Hoop : 6 tension round edge hoop Snare Wire : Non-plated Canopus vintage wire (CPSL-14DR) Lug : Japanese sword separate lug
MSRP : $1530.95 MAP : $918.57
From Canopus’ literature:
"NEO VINTAGE M4 is based upon the technology and specifications of some outstanding drum designs from the 1970s. Its unique design features 12 tension rods on top and 6 on the bottom. A 5 ply maple and thicker poplar shell construction, and Canopus' precision bearing edge shaping, combine to create a characteristically "mellow and dry" vintage sound. With these specifications - providing a blend of tight attack and a comfortable, loose reverberation, it is a totally unique instrument. Certainly, this conspicuous sound will be highly prized and sought-after by a great many drummers."
Reviewer:
I found this to be the most intriguing of the three drums. I started out with medium tuning. Great sound and throatiness in that range, but the low tone of the poplar and maple shell begged to be tuned down. So I loosened the twelve top tension rods considerably and found the sweet spot on this drum. It makes a great “fat back” drum. The resonance of the drum at the low tuning has just the right amount of “gonk” in it. This would make a great recording drum for those who like to tune low and splashy. I also tried it at a tight tuning, not expecting much from the poplar in the shell but was surprised at how nice and snappy it sounded. Very articulate. I especially like the Slingerland type stick saver hoops. Something about those hoops makes a drum sound “rounder”. It’s the perfect compromise between a softer triple flange hoop and a stiffer die cast hoop. The 12/6 ratio of top to bottom lugs is cool. With the stiffer stick saver hoops, the 8 lugs are not needed on the bottom head, but I would like to hear one of these with 8 lugs on the snare side. The lacquer finish on the maple outer ply is flawless. The Japanese Sword lugs are the coolest thing. Why did Sonor ever let that style go?
Shell : Maple＆Birch Hybrid 8ply Finish : White Satin Wrap (Inner Ply Black Oil Finish) Size : 6.5 x 14 Hoop : Die-Cast BlackNickel Plated Snare Wire : Non-plated Canopus vintage wire (CPSL-14DR) Lug : Solid Brass Tube Lug Black Nickel Plated w/ Inner Muffler w/ Tension Adjustable Butt
MSRP : $1359.36 MAP : $815.62
From Canopus’ literature:
“In order to suit the eclectic playing style of drummer, Yoshihito Eto, his signature snare drum needed the capacity to shine in a wide variety of musical situations - from Jazz to Pop and Hard rock. It needed to be a true "all-rounder", but at the same time it needed to reflect Eto’s playing personality. This was a major challenge - because it is often observed that an "all-rounder" snare drum seems to lose a certain individual character in order to function in all musical situations. Canopus produced many prototypes of this model - in search of the perfect combination of sensitivity, power, "clean" tone, and "complex" sound. We have met the challenge and realised this ideal sound. This drum features a hybrid shell - a perfect blend of maple and birch. The maple provides clear, clean projection and birch adds complexity and character to the sound.
To fully realise the potential of this hybrid sound, we have achieved a perfect balance of several elements - we have utilised Canopus' precise edge shaping, snare tension adjustments at both strainer and butt-end - to control the snare wire more efficiently, and an internal muffler which allows the tone to be controlled and varied at any time - even mid-song! The potential of this snare drum is infinite - all elements of the sound can be directly changed and controlled by the player. This is a remarkable instrument, of which the Canopus company is justly proud.”
Reviewer:
Beautiful drum with great color scheme: white satin flame wrap and black hardware. Very clean sounding. The die cast hoops give it a stout voice, but does not dry the head up completely like I’ve experienced on other snares. The snare response is very nice at tight, medium and loose tensions. The tension knob adjustment on the butt end is a nice feature. I especially liked the internal muffler. I‘m not a fan of muffling but on this drum the muting was effective without choking the head. It would make an all around workhorse drum that would be at home in many music genres.
Shell : Phenol Fiber Finish : Deep Ocean Wrap Size : 5.5 x 14 Hoop : Steel 2.3mm Snare Wire : Plated Canopus vintage wire (CPSL-14NP) Lug : Solid Tube Chrome Lug
MSRP : $946.67 MAP : 568.00
From Canopus’ literature:
“With these unique drums Canopus has brought back the drum sound that was immensely popular from the mid 1960's through to their peak in the 1980's. Since that time fiber drums have become increasingly difficult to find. Fiber material has particularly unique sonic qualities when compared to wood or metal shells.
Canopus' process is to layer "craft paper" with phenol resin and apply a heat treatment (known as annealing) to the shell. This allows us to considerably harden the surface layers of the shell to get the best sound as a drum shell and extract the optimal sound. The combination of ideal shell hardness and thickness, combined with the perfect bearing edge, has allowed us to recreate the vintage fiber sound - Neo Vintage M3.”
Reviewer:
Warm, and deep. Not at all what I expected from this unusual type of shell. Very meaty and throaty tone. Easy to tune. Snare response is great. The tube lugs keep tension off the shell and add to the resonance of the drum. I would love to have this drum in my arsenal.
Heads up! Be on the look out for an email from DRUM! magazine and NSMD about winning a $50 Visa gift card for taking a survey about your playing and the drum gear you use. We'd appreciate it if you would take the time to fill out their survey.
Lots of news this month:
The Nashville Drum Show will not be produced by Not So Modern Drummer this year. Even though the show has grown every year and even made a small profit last year, from this point it would cost too much in time, energy and resources for my two man staff to handle growing it to the size it needs to be. Also, my personal pursuits in music will be taking up more of my time this year and I simply won’t have the time to do it properly. I am offering production of the drum show to any interested individual or company, with my assistance and resources. Please contact me if you are interested. The 2015 Snare Drum Olympics will still take place and information will be available shortly.
Chris Speich and Aaron Mlasko will be hosting the Not So Modern Drummer booth at the Chicago Drum Show in May. Aaron is the owner and builder of Mlasko Drums and will be displaying some of his immaculate drums at our booth. Please check out his ad in this newsletter and the Custom Drum of the Month.
NSMD’s gear and back issue sales are being switched to the Reverb Marketplace and the store name is being changed to George’s Drum Shop. https://reverb.com/shop/georges-drum-shop Reverb is rapidly surpassing Ebay as THE venue for music instrument and gear sales so we are going to set up shop there. Just to clarify, George’s Drum Shop is not a brick and mortar shop; no showroom, just online sales that are personally handled by me. I am still a staunch supporter of supporting your local drum shop. Fork’s Drum Shop here in Nashville is where I spend my money.
Many new products have been added to the shop and more are on the way. Recently added were Ronn Dunnett’s great throw offs and other parts. I will also be adding all the Snare Drum Olympics drums that are for sale. If you are interested in having your products represented and sold by George’s Drum Shop please contact me, george@notsomoderndrummer.com or george@georgesdrumshop.com.
As usual we have some great articles and columns from our regular writers. Please check them out and leave any comments that come to mind. And remember, “the drummer with the prettiest drums gets the gig!" :o)
"Mlasko American Classic Drums are made in Nashville, Tennessee for drummers who can appreciate refined classic drum design without the limitations of vintage instruments. Owner, Aaron Mlasko has been building drums since 1994. He’s also worked as an in-demand touring and studio drum tech for folks like Matt Chamberlain, Matt Cameron, Alan White, Mario Calire and many others."
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Ah, cold, cold, cold, February! You make us want to stay inside and obsess over our vintage drums! Not much to report from the Eastern front but these few tidbits-
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Well, let’s see. What’s new? The year! It’s a new year! All my vintage drums are now more “vintagey”.
The 2015 Nashville Drum Show is still a go for late September though I have not set an exact date yet. I want to move it to a new and better location this year and am working toward that end. Stay tuned.
There is a special deal on the paper back issues still in print– half price! $49 compared to the regular price of $99. That’s 29 issues dating from ’98 through 2012– all the paper back issues left in stock – for half price through February 15. Shipping is $11. That comes out to around $2 an issue!
(Click here to order)
Many of our readers have services and products that they need to spread the word about. Not So Modern Drummer is an excellent venue for advertising your self and your goods for sale on our website, in our monthly newsletter and in our email blasts to our 30,000 subscribers and our social media channels. We have special low rates for teachers, authors, vintage drum and parts sellers, and custom drum builders. We are currently offering a very popular heavily discounted package that includes ads on our site, in our newsletter and includes up to four product reviews. Please contact me about those special rates – george@notsomoderndrummer.com.
My condolences to the families, friends and fans of the staff workers of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine that were killed in Paris by militant religious and political extremists. All of us who understand freedom and enjoy the quality of life it affords us must condemn the actions of those cowards who killed in the name of God. Those of us in the journalism business have learned that freedom of the press and freedom of speech is more sacred than any religious or political ideology. Anyone who thinks that his god is commanding him to hate or kill is deluded and lying to himself and everyone else. We must strive for peace through education about freedom through the eradication of religious prejudice, and through the preaching of tolerance and the difference between faith and facts. We must also protect freedom of speech by standing up to those who think they can use fear and terror to suppress it.
George's Signature
(330) 338-6035 george@notsomoderndrummer.com
I’ve known about Canopus’s high quality drums for a long time, having played one of their unique Zelkova wood one piece barrel shaped snare drums in my drum shop in the 2000s, and sold their accessories. I heard my first Canopus drum set at a NAMM show around 2006. The very small bass drum on that kit sounded huge and attracted a lot of attention. I had high expectations of these Yaiba drums before they even came out of the box. The Yaiba line has been around for three or four years and this is their new revised kit – revised for lower price but not lower quality. Both sets list for $1500 which is quite a price drop from the original Yaiba kits. Canopus’s drums and sets have never been cheap because they don’t make any cheap drums. This new Yaiba set is their first set that I think puts their sets within reach of the amateur or working drummer who wants to afford a very high quality drum set at a mid-line price. To achieve this price point on an already existing line, Canopus says that they adopted a different approach to the shell construction, heads and hardware from the original Yaiba kits. They also switched from nitrocellulose lacquer to a standard type of lacquer that reduced the time of the drying process and shortened their overall production time and cost. The new models also come in many color choices - Yaiba gray sparkle lacquer, dark red sparkle lacquer, ebony lacquer, and matte white lacquer. The word Yaiba means “Japanese Sword” by the way.
The Groove Kit sizes are very standard five piece sizes ; 18x 22 bass, 8x10 and 8x 12 toms, 16x16 floor tom, and a 6.5 x 14 snare drum. The shells of the Groove Kit are birch and have a nice punchy attack with a healthy underlying low end. This kit is aimed at the rock, funk, pop, fusion and modern country player who needs a kit that can deliver substantial volume with great tone.
My impressions upon inspecting them:
Snare:
Toms:
Bass Drum:
Hardware and Appointments:
Performance:
The Yaiba Groove can be summed up in one concise phrase – this is a very, very, very, very nice sounding and versatile drum set. This is a high level pro kit at a mid-line price. I would recommend this kit to anyone who is looking to step up to a nice five piece work horse kit with a finish that looks expensive.
Yaiba Bop
The Yaiba Bop set sizes are traditional as well – 14 x 18 bass, 8 x 12 and 14 x 14 toms, and a 5.5 x 14 snare. The shells are maple and have the warm and pleasing sound that maple is known for. This kit is aimed at the jazz or small group player, but the bass drum can be tuned quite low and is more full sounding than the average 18” bass drum. It could be substituted for a 20” bass drum easily.
My impressions upon inspecting them:
Snare:
Toms:
Bass Drum:
Appointments and Features:
Performance:
The Yaiba Bop set has a great sonority. When we play a small drum set tuned open with no muffling, we want the drums to blend pleasantly in a chord. The Yaiba Bop set, if tuned correctly, achieves this. I tried the toms and bass at very high, medium and low tunings. A very pleasing and sustaining blend was present at all tunings. The dynamic range is wide. No choking out at high volume and nice whispering tones w pianissimo strokes. Definitely a beautiful sounding jazz set that can double as a small setting pop or funk set.
My overall impression and rating of the Yaiba line is a solid ten out of ten. From a construction, features, performance, and visual standpoint, Canopus has delivered a superior top shelf professional instrument in two configurations at a price that is attractive.
Thanks to all of you who attended and/or exhibited at the Nashville Drum Show in September. For those of you who missed it we have a great pictorial article with photos from Rick Malkin and Bob Campbell. The show was a great success. There were three times as many exhibitor and vendor booths as the prior show and double the attendance. We hit a tipping point with the show this year and I think we may have to move to a hotel/convention center next year. Also, the drum industry gave a lot of credence to the event this year with many unveilings of new products including Gretsch’s new made in the USA Broadkaster kit that was introduced by Fred Gretsch and the guy who builds the Gretsch drums, Paul Cooper. Mothertone/Sleishman’s inverted bass drum set was demonstrated by Roy Wooten along with the Wooten Brothers Band.
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This is a very old but never played/museum quality snare drum. From what I've dug up on my own, it's from 1909-1915. It's a metal Conn drum with wood hoops and has twin snares, one underneath the batter head and the other is on the resonant head. It still has the original heads on it and it was given to me by Bob Grauso of the Fibes drum company. He told me it was quite valuable and wanted me to have it. He also gave me other rare things before his passing that I wouldn't part with, but this particular drum he said was something I could sell. I've only found one sale of this drum and if I remember correctly, it only fetched around $250.00. I would think that this drum would be worth considerably more, but I could be wrong.
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The Nashville Drum Show is THIS WEEKEND!
We're busy making the final preparations... here's what's going on:
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The Nashville Drum Show is just around the corner, September 20 & 21. Six weeks away! It’s not too late to rent an exhibitor booth or enter your snare drum into the Olympics. All of the information is available atwww.nashvilledrumshow.com.
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Who’s exhibiting at the show? Look at the list at the bottom of this post. The show is triple the size it was in 2012! The hall is really close to being full. We have 150 booths, new exhibitors are signing up daily, and there is always a last minute rush - so if want a booth you need to act now! This isn’t a sales pitch, just a heads up. We ran out of corner booths already, so we created some new ones – and we also have outside “demo” booths. Anyone can rent a booth as long as it’s music related.
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Facebook Drum Groups
Wondering where the vintage and custom drummers hang out now? FaceBook! There are some great facebook drum groups online. I subscribe to about 200 of them ranging from vintage drum type groups to drummers from certain cities. Some have thousands of members. These have not taken the place of drum forums but there are more Facebook groups on line than forum sites now. Just type in your interest, or just type in drummers into the Facebook search box and all sorts of groups will come up. Nashville Drummers is a closed group for working drummers in Nashville. It has 950 members that I am very involved with. There is another sister open group called Drummers of Nashville that anyone can join. There are similar groups in most cities and countries. Vintage and Custom Drums is an open group that NSMD started and administers. Our regular FB page is Not So Modern Drummer which has a lot of vintage content as well; swing by Nashville Drum Show for our official Facebook page and info center. I posted today on the Rogers Drums group in reply to Harry Cangany’s request to start a database of Rogers Dynasonic snare drum serial numbers, owners, anomalies, etc. Here is another group, Custom Drum Builders where I just put in my two cents about bearing edge sound characteristics. Bryan Herrman has a new group called Vintage Drummers that is really picking up steam. So that’s the real world stuff that’s happening on Facebook. Not on Facebook yet? Then you are an old fuddy duddy who probably waited years to get a cel phone and texting. Jump in, the water’s fine.
Do you know of others that we missed? We're sure there's more. Let us know and we'll start a directory here on the NSMD website.
“I didn’t know you did that!”
A friend of mine who subscribes to our monthly newsletter emailed me the other day and asked if I knew where to go for an “official” appraisal of his drum gear for his insurance company. When I told him that I write such appraisals regularly he was surprised to know that I did. A lot of what I and Not So Modern Drummer do isn't listed in bold letters on the front of the newsletter or the website but, yes, we do instrument appraisals, brokering of vintage and modern instruments, repair and drum building, sales of drum building tools and parts, marketing services like videos, email blasts websites and branding, distribution for percussion products... AND we publish specialty books about drums.
Drum Show Update
100 of 157 booths have been sold. The show will probably sell out over the next four months, so act now if you want to exhibit. We’ve signed on Bun E. Carlos and Rich Redmond for performance/clinic. The infamous drum lines from Nashville high schools will compete in a drum line battle. Also we have signed up many famous Nashville Drummers for the “Nashville Studio and Touring Drummers In The Round.” You can buy advance tickets at a discount AND qualify for the exclusive raffle prize for advance ticket buyers only.
2014 Nashville Drum Show and Snare Drum Olympics, Sept. 20 & 21, at the Nashville Expo Center. www.nashvilledrumshow.com
George's Signature
(330) 338-6035 george@notsomoderndrummer.com
“Sweet dreams are made of this. Who am I do disagree? I traveled the world and the seven seas. Everybody is looking for something.”-The Eurythmics
What is it about vintage and custom drums that consumes us so? Tony Williams said, “I play because I must.” It’s the same with us drum addicts. We musicians are sensual people and the drums appeal to so many senses – They are art to our eyes, sound and music to our ears, a physical pleasure to touch, and the most addicted of us of even get off on the smell of the interior of a drum or the scents of the polishes and cleaners that we use to restore them. I love writing about them and I love talking to other drummers about the drums and about themselves. It is a very worthwhile pastime.
So, everybody is looking for something. I’m looking for an 18” x 14” Gretsch bass drum in rosewood finish; any Jasper shell model between the sixties round badges and the nineties. I’m also looking for any scrap pieces of purple peacock satin flame wrap.
Chris and I launched the new version of Not So Modern Drummer just about six months ago now. We hope that you've enjoyed the ride so far - and have found what you've been looking for on the pages of our publication. Our ears are open - comments, suggestions... let us know! We'll be at the Chicago Drum Show next weekend - please stop by our booth and say hi.
OK - enough talking - on to the May articles!
George's Signature
(330) 338-6035 george@notsomoderndrummer.com
Upcoming Drum Shows
The Connecticut Drum Show is run by my good friend Rick Smith. He always has a great show with over 30 dealers and lots of consignments. This year’s show is Sunday, April 27, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Sphinx Shriners Center, 3066 Berlin Turnpike, Newington, CT, 06111. Admission is $15, under 12 and active military free. To contact about info email Rick at ctdrumshow@aol.com, or visit his website at www.ctdrumshow.com. Please support Rick’s show and thanks for advertising with us, Rick!
Not So Modern Drummer will be at the Chicago Drum Show on May 17 & 18, and we are bringing the Chicago Drum Company custom snare drum that we're raffling at the Nashville Drum Show. Come see us, and the drum, at Booth 81.
The Nashville Drum Show is September 20 & 21. This is our big drum show – 160 exhibit booths and hundreds of attendees. New performance series this year too! Buy an advance or VIP ticket and Win This Drum - be entered into the raffle to win the Chicago Drum Company custom snare drum.
The Snare Drum Olympics. No, we don’t throw them like the discus or sweep in front of them like curling stones. We set ‘em up, play ‘em, judge ‘em, record ‘em, video ‘em, publicize ‘em and drool over ‘em!
Info about all the above can be found at NashvilleDrumShow.com.
We have some new writers this month. Roger Locke is a Camco expert and will be writing a regular column about what he and many other drummers think are the best sounding drums ever made. Paul Kneipp contributed an in depth feature article about the history of the Australian Drouyn Drum company. Chicago drummer Jason Batchko contributed a great article about a great thrift store find he made; a 1923 Conn engraved gold plated snare drum that belonged to Frank Biggs, a working Chicago jazz drummer and noted songwriter.
Check out some of the rare birds below that were posted in our free classifieds. Remember, our service is 100% FREE to both seller and buyer. Bookmark our site, as there have been some incredible deals already.
Circa 1976 Slingerland Chicago Radio King Model Ludwig Top Hat and Cane Swing Sensation Drum Set, 1941 Adrian Kirchler copper and brass snare 6.5 x 14
George's Signature
(330) 338-6035 george@notsomoderndrummer.com
Hi!
There is a new, free classified ads section on the website that I am excited about. When NSMD first started, it was a free classified ads paper for drummers to buy/sell/trade vintage, used, and custom drums. It was the Ebay of its day for used and vintage drum trading nationally and internationally. I don’t know about you, but I am tired of Ebay’s constantly increasing fees, limitations and restrictions; you don’t know the name of the person you are dealing with, you can’t take checks or money orders through Ebay anymore, they charge you multiple fees for posting, final value and PayPal, (you are forced to use Paypal which Ebay owns), and there is no recourse to negative feedback, etc. etc. Ebay has become “the man.” Craigslist is not much better because you can’t list in multiple cities, and you have buyers you don’t know coming to your house. And they both use anonymous email addresses.
The new NSMD Free Classifieds will address those issues. First, it’s free- YAY! Second, we are requiring all buyers and sellers to use their real names or business names and contact info. Third, we stay out of the middle and all communication is between the buyer and seller. The main advantage to listing your gear for sale here is that it is the most targeted audience for the drum market. 30,000 drummers, all drum addicts to some degree. It will be a trusted drum community market.
The Nashville Drum Show next September 20-21 is really shaping up. If you are considering renting a booth you need to act now while space is available. Registration forms are on the website now. We have already booked returning exhibitors and many new exhibitors. Space will run out at some point so contact us. We had announced in January that the show moving to a new facility but we ran into some logistics obstacles there, so we decided to remain at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds Expo Center. The show will be much bigger this year. We just decided this past week to book a second adjacent hall – so we have one 21,000 square ft hall for exhibitors and one 10,500 square ft. hall for performances, events and clinics. There will also be two outside playing areas where vendors and attendees can set up their gear for loud playing. Fork’s Drum Closet is returning this year and will be the official sales dealer booth for most of the major manufacturers. You can get all show information and buy discounted advance tickets at www.nashvilledrumshow.com
Introducing a new monthly columnist– veteran drum collector Bob Campbell is writing “Every Drum Tells a Story.” The first installment is about my personal Not So Modern Drum Company Black Beauty that I had John Aldridge engrave. I sold it to Bob recently and it has an interesting story.
How am I doing? I need your feedback. Since I switched it from the quarterly print magazine to a monthly email newsletter, Not So Modern Drummer has undergone a lot of changes since 2012. It grew from less than 2,000 subscribers to over 30,000! I’d like to hear from you if you have any suggestions, criticisms, complaints about the content. I get a lot of nice emails from readers that are very complimentary but I need to hear the other side too. Are the articles to your liking? Are the newsletter and the website where the articles sit easy to navigate? Does my production manager need a raise? (sorry, George, I couldn't help it...) Is your steak cooked to your satisfaction? Please let me know how you feel about Not So Modern Drummer. I read your emails, I really do. And if you call, you’ll get the owner – me!
Thank You. Now go practice.
George's Signature
(330) 338-6035 george@notsomoderndrummer.com
Drum Shows! February 16 is the date of Joe Gilday’s Delaware Drum Show. If you are in the mid-Atlantic be sure to go. This is an established drum show and is well attended. Not So Modern Drummer is sponsoring one of the door prizes – a collection of thirty back issues of the print copies.
Don’t forget our Nashville Drum Show in September! We just finalized some details and registration for exhibitors is open! Go to NashvilleDrumShow.com for booth information. Attendees will be able to buy discounted advance tickets at the show’s website in the near future. We have added some new features this year; an all star performance by famous Nashville drummers, a drum set solo competition with great prizes for kids and adults, and a world famous clinician (stay tuned).
Snare Drum Olympics! The Snare Drum Olympics contest is underway and the new Snare Drum Olympics site will be up soon. You can call and contact me for details until then. Anyone who builds drums can enter their instruments into the contest and get a great deal of publicity. From major manufacturers to first time builders , the Snare Drum Olympics is a great way to showcase your drums.
A big salute to Bruno Mars for opening the Super Bowl half time show with a drum solo. Outstanding! The numbers say that the half time show had the highest number of tv viewers of all time. Are we gonna see a whole new generations of kids inspired to play like Ringo inspired some of us Baby Boomers? I hope so.
George's Signature
(330) 338-6035 george@notsomoderndrummer.com
