Review: Canopus Yaiba Bop & Yaiba Groove Kits

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:

• big fat and rich sound with lots of snap and high end cut
• nice deep snare beds
• canopus vintage snare wires sound great,
• bearing edges great – tuned right up, very rich fat sound, great snare response from very edge to center
• snare throw off is  a Canopus proprietary p85 type that works great and has “Canopus” molded into the side of it, a nice touch
• the snare drum sounded great at all snare wire  tensions; loose, medium , and did not choke out when tightened heavily
• the double lug design on the snare is very attractive and clever

 Toms:

• Very full sounding with lots of distinct cut
• Easy to find the sweet spot when tuning
• RIMS type holders on the rack toms
• Tom mount? The only negative about the whole kit for me - no tom holder on the bass drum or double tom stand. I realize there are a lot of drummers who mount their toms on stands, but a holder on the bass drum for two rack toms is the norm. No mount puts the consumer and dealer in the position of having to have one installed or providing a holder of some kind.

 Bass Drum:

• Very deep and powerful, punchy
• Nice adjustable ratchet spurs
• The die cast claws have rubber gaskets that make them line up with the lugs easily and to keep them from gouging the wood hoop, which is finished in the same lacquer finish on the outside

 Hardware and Appointments:

• No generic hardware on the drums. All proprietary made specifically for or by Canopus
• Nice sculpted badge. The logo on the bass drum is very classy
• Came stock with Remo UT clear ambassador heads on toms,  Nice Power Stroke III heads on the bass. Coated anbassador on the snare
• Beautiful finish. Great looking gun metal glitter type finish called Yaiba Gray. “Very Sparkly” as Rain Man would say
• Canopus’s “Bolt Tight” leather washers included on each tension rod on all drums. Two leather washers with a metal washer in between keeps the tension rod from loosening and also isolates the hoop and bringing out the low end of the shell – they work

 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:

• One word; snappy! Most plywood snares sound boxy to me, but this one had a nice bright attack with lots of body and no midrange boxiness.
• Snare response is exceptional from the edge of the head to the middle. Snare wire tension sounded great at loose, medium and tight settings.
• Tuning it was easy

 Toms:

• Warm and big. Nice round notes at high and low tunings.
• Plenty of attack and lots of sustains. Nice blend between the two.
• Single bass drum mount for the rack tom with ball and socket arm.  Yay! Thank you very much.
• Rims type suspension mount for the mounted tom.

Bass Drum:

• This is the biggest reason to buy this drum set. Canopus’s 18” bass drums are known for their big, deep sound. I don’t know what they are doing to achieve this, but they are in a class by themselves.
• Fitted with ratchet spurs and with matching paint on the hoops.

Appointments and Features:

• I already mentioned the bass mounted tom holder.
• The red glitter paint finish on this kit is stunning. They call it Dark Red Sparkle. Very classy. Nobody would kick this finish out of bed.
• The workmanship on all the hardware and the chrome plating is top notch. There are no compromises in the construction and machining of this instrument.
• The heads on this set are all Remo Ambassador coated medium weight heads.

 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.

Eddie Knight

I went to visit Eddie Knight at his Drum Studio in South Bend.  I called him to ask if he had an email address because Mike Kaskell in England asked me.  A Camco set with an “Eddie Knight” sticker was in England.

No, Eddie doesn’t have an email address.  He did tell me he had a leather bound catalog cover that had belonged to U.G. Leedy.  That’s like telling me he had George Washington’s uniform or Abe Lincoln’s hat.  “I’ll be there”.

South Bend is over two hours from me and it took me a few months to come up with a second reason to get to that part of my state.

Eddie and I made an appointment and I went to his studio, up 23 steps from ground level and I walked into “Oz”.

Because I am old enough to remember great old drum stores, I am familiar with the sights of old Camcos laying around and snare drums sitting on the floor and stuff just everywhere.  This was no chrome and glass and steel modern designed music store.  This was no dainty well dusted showroom.  This was not a Madison Avenue inspired anything.   This was a dyed in the wool drum studio just like they used to be.  I just wanted to breathe the air and get high on 50 years of everything.

There were more autographed pictures than I could count – stars on sets, old students on sets, black and white shots, vivid color, faded color, and old advertising pieces.  My running statement was that I was on sensory overload.

Yes, I saw great drums, but for this piece, I will stay on topic.  Eddie pulled out four leather bound Leedy catalogs – F & G.   So we talked, prior to World War I.

Two of the catalogs had the gold embossed name of “U.G. Leedy” (the much revered president), one had the name “Alfred Kuerst”.  Al, as he was known, was the VP of Leedy, really the second in command.  Before George Way got there, Al was the guy quoted in trade magazines.  He was also very popular because he paid each employee his/her wages in cash every week.   The fourth catalog read “order clerk.”

So, these were the books taken to music stores and trade shows.   The covers are permanent – the catalogs do not slip and out.   This is what I came to see and they were just the start!

Somehow George Way got these special catalogs and his widow, Elsie, gave everything to Eddie over 40 years ago.  Eddie had been a protégé of George, and George called him “Be-Bop”.

Well, Be-Bop has some other catalog treasures B and C and other Leedy catalogs.  And every one I saw looked brand new.  Leedy’s first catalog was not branded with a letter.  It has the Cyclorama address in it, so that makes it before 1903.  Therefore “B” has to have been published no sooner than 1904.   And it looks new - uncreased, no spots, no loose pages, no cuts.  Damn!

Eddie has boxes of his catalogs with many of them in plastic.  We need an archivist, please!

I had a great albeit brief visit with Eddie who has taught drummers for 50 years.  I’d like to go back, shoot the breeze and breathe the air.

His catalog collection is superb and while it was U.G. Leedy that got me there, it was Eddie Knight who kept me in riveted attention.

I never would have guessed we have a rival to the Library of Congress in downtown South Bend, Indiana.

Premier Super Ace Snare Drum

Prior to the popular Premier Royal Ace snare drum of the 1960’s, Premier had some other classic snare drums that worked with an internal parallel snare mechanism.

Premier launched the Ace snare drum in the 30’s, which progressed through various design changes over the decades until becoming the Royal Ace in the 1960s. Prior to its final incarnation, In 1958 Premier launched the ‘Super Ace’ in their 1958 catalog as ‘Premiers greatest achievement’. With its exclusive parallel snare mechanism, it boasted perfect response with heads and snare wires at any tension, with absolutely no snare buzz when the wires were thrown off.

The shell had a lever midway, which gave the player control of the internal snare mechanism. Moving the lever up or down effectively switched the snares on or off (via a bar positioned horizontally through the shell, with the butt ends attached). The design of the lever and the butt ends are very art deco, chromium plated to the highest standard, as expected on all vintage Premier. Their chrome really was second to none. The drum featured flush braced lugs, slot tension rods and die cast hoops (with shallower rims than previous drums to ‘allow for faster playing’).

The wooden shelled Super Aces came in several sizes, the standard being 5.5 and 6.5, but with a 4” model available as well as 8”. I’ve never seen an 8” model, but would love to hear one. (If anyone has one, please send some pictures). Their sound was very much like the Royal Ace that I’ve discussed in previous issues; warm with a nice ring from the die cast hoops and a real sensitivity, with the added ability to give a strong backbeat without losing tone. The drums were available in a good selection of colours and finishes; Marine pearl, black pearl, silver, gold, aquamarine & red sparkle, white & black duroplastic.

The drum was also available in a metal shell at both 6.5 and 12”. These were the Concert Ace’s, initially designed for orchestral and symphony work, but quickly becoming one of the most sought after snare drums in the USA in their time. I haven’t seen or played a 12”, which is described in the catalogues as capable of ‘every degree of volume from a whisper to a tremendous roar’. I recently had a 6.5” Concert Ace in the shop; with its chrome over brass shell and die cast hoops, this drum could give any of the other big names 6.5” COB’s a run for their money in my opinion. Its new owner is Matt Helders of the band Arctic Monkeys.

The snare wires on these drums were a single 20 strand wire which hooked onto a bar inside each butt end; some of the earlier models had a slightly different set of wires which screwed directly into the base of the snare butts. (See pictures). These wires are getting hard to come by, but there are people who can build replica sets or repair and modify older wires. Email me if you need some made.

A classic snare drum that went on to become the Royal Ace (which I’ve discussed previously), Premier’s flagship snare drum of the 1960’s. Expect to pay around $400  for a drum in good working condition with original wires.

Why does custom take so darned long?

One thing that’s common with today’s consumers is that when they want something, they want it now. I blame technology – buy an item on-line and it’ll usually be pulled from stock, packaged up, and started in the shipping process within hours. That new norm has changed our expectations enormously.

The same thing holds true when you’re buying drums.  Buy from a brick-and-mortar store and you take them home with you. Buy on-line and you have them within a few days. If they’re not in stock, the retailer can usually special order from the manufacturer and get them to you in a few days or a few weeks.

But order something from a custom builder and it can seem like someone slams on the brakes. Suddenly you’re talking about anywhere from several weeks to several months, and you feel like the kid in the back seat of the car – are we there yet, are we there yet?

Frustrating, for sure. But knowing what to expect and how to participate in the process can help a lot.

Understand that drum building is not an industry of enormous factories and many thousands of workers.  It’s mostly a community of very small shops and tiny staffs. Even many of the well-known builders are much smaller operations than you’d think. That means that if someone’s out sick or there’s a personnel change, it can affect the production schedule. Major weather problems can affect the production schedule. Specialized tools and their maintenance can affect the production schedule. Material shortages or subcontractor delays can affect the production schedule.

So, really, why does it take so long? Most of those how-it’s-done videos seem to have the drum finished in a matter of hours, if not minutes. Maybe, you wonder, the builder isn’t organized, or doesn’t want to work hard, or isn’t a stable business, or just doesn’t care.  But, overall, the reality is that the custom build is a very different process from mass production.

Bear in mind that with mass production there are routine materials, sizes, components, and processes – a lot gets done with programmed machinery, templates, and assembly-line setups. But when you’re talking about custom, made-to-order work, it’s difficult to standardize production because of the frequent need to modify setups and processes.

For example, mass production of wood shells usually involves only a few species to choose from. But if you decide you want something different, a custom builder is going to have to source raw materials especially for your order. Specific dimensional requirements (and appearance, for anything that’s not covered by wrap, paint, or veneer) mean it’s not just a matter of popping out to the nearest home improvement center.

And actually making a shell can be a long process as well. If you want something that’s bent, glued, or molded, the material has to be shaped, sized, and fine-tuned to be within specifications. If it’s solid wood, it may need to stabilize for days at a time, or have moisture content slowly altered at certain stages. Occasionally, there can even be a failure – imperfections or weak spots inside the material that didn’t show on the outside, stresses during the process that damage the material, or sections that aren’t stable until fully assembled.

Your order might require special wraps, designs, artwork, etc., that can take time – sometimes a little, sometimes a lot – or specialized hardware that has to be fabricated. Even with mass-produced, relatively standard parts there’s always the possibility of a back order or limited availability. And pulling together all the materials and components for your project could involve a fair amount of shipping time in addition to fabrication time.

Then you may want special fittings, such as reinforcement rings, inlays, decorations, and so forth. Some of these take only an hour or so to install, others can take days to complete. And any custom parts usually mean there’s custom layout and drilling involved as well. Simple wraps can be installed quickly, but some finishes involve mixed materials, custom-blended tints, multiple applications, or lengthy curing times.

So it’s sounding like there are no reasonable limits on how long a custom order can take, right? Well, there are a few things you can do to help this process along and make it more comfortable and enjoyable for you. After all, it’s not just the builder’s project; it’s yours, too.

• You probably asked at the beginning for a rough estimate of how long an order would take. But once all of the final specs are agreed on, ask whether anything has altered that projection.
• If the adjusted timeline sounds longer than you’re comfortable with, check to see if any changes in the design might speed up the process.
• Once things are underway, don’t hesitate to ask for updates on progress (within reason, of course). Sometimes a normally slight delay turns out to be longer than expected, and you’re entitled to know what’s going on. If there’s a roadblock, the builder should be willing to tell you what it is and what solutions he’s pursuing. (And, yes, there are such things as unreasonable or avoidable delays that you shouldn’t have to accept.)
• Lastly, do your part to keep things in motion: respond to questions, raise concerns, don’t keep rethinking your plan once it’s underway, ask for information when you need it. A custom drum project should be a collaborative partnership between artist and artisan – and that’s an approach that can give you a great experience as well as a fine instrument.

William Kent (1915-2014)

William Kent, co-founder of the Kent Drum Company, passed away in his Buffalo, New York area home on December 11, 2014. William turned 99 years old last month and passed after a very short illness.

In 1947 William and Ed Kent opened the Kent Drum Company in Kenmore, NY with a focus to create student-level kits, encouraging music making at all economic levels. The company also offered professional-level drum sets, snare drums and percussion accessories. William was always proud of a common story told throughout the industry - "A Christmas morning surprise, in 1964 or 1965... for the young Ringo want-to-be, a new Kent Drum set under the tree!" The company closed in 1977, allowing William and Ed to retire. Drum Paradise, their retail shop next to the factory, closed the following year.

William Kent's 2013 NAMM Oral History interview: https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/william-kent

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Text courtesy of Dan Del Fiorentino, NAMM Music Historian.

2014 Snare Drum Olympics Results

The results of the 2014 Snare Drum Olympics are posted at www.snaredrumolympics.com along with corresponding videos, info and click-to-buy links for select snare drums entered in the event.

The Snare Drum Olympics event was started by Not So Modern Drummer founder John Aldridge in 1998 as “basically an excuse to get a bunch of really cool drums into one room at the same time.” It has evolved into an international showcase for some of the best snare drums in the world. It is a huge publicity event that has been heavily promoted by the drum manufacturers, the major drum magazines, and online drum sites and forums. YouTube. Facebook, Twitter and other social media have added another big layer of publicity over the past couple of years. The new SnareDrumOlympics.com website was recently launched this year. Each drum has its own page with videos, info and an optional click-to-buy link.

The 2014 judges were Jim Riley, drummer for Rascal Flatts, Ben Sesar, drummer for Brad Paisley, Keio Stroud drummer for Big and Rich, Beth Gottlieb, percussionist  for the Gary Sinise and Lt. Dan Band, and Scott Radock, pro NYC drummer. The judging was held at Jim Riley’s Drum Dojo in Nashville TN on October 16.

The snare drums were categorized by shell composition and judged in two events; objective/blind and subjective/hands on. The results are reported as the top three scores in each shell category in each event, as the top three accumulative scores of the two events, and as the top three scores of all the drums. Also reported are the results from the public judging at the 2014 Nashville Drum Show this past September.

Brands participating this year were:

David Lee Drums Chicago Drum Infinity Drumworks DTS Custom Snare Drums Taye Drums Hayward Custom Drums Hogchain Custom Drums Klemm Drums Rasch Drums Guru Drums Holloman Custom Drums Artisan Drum Works Swindoll Custom Drums Goodman Drum Company Castle Drum Company Laudo Drums Outlaw Drums Gretsch Drums Pearl Drums Eccentric Systems Drums Bello Drums Furcinitti Custom Drums RotodruM

For more information, visit www.snaredrumolympics.com.  

Morsefest in Nashville with Mike Portnoy

The iconic progressive rock front-man, keyboardist and songwriter Neal Morse will host a two-day music festival in his hometown of Nashville, TN on November 14-15 2014. Morse is best known for his mid-90's group "Spock's Beard" as well as his formation of the supergroup "Transatlantic" with former Dream Theater co-founder Mike Portnoy, Flower Kings' Roine Stolt and Marillion's Pete Trewavas.

Special guests, including Mike Portnoy and Randy George, will be joining Neal on the 14th and 15th in performances of the entire "One" and "Testimony 1" albums by Morse. From Radiant Records:

"Hear the music in the very place it was inspired! This weekend will be full of legendary status events such as an exclusive, free 'inner circle only' acoustic set, a VIP Meet and Greet with Neal and special guests, and a game of 'Name that Tune' - PROG style with Mike Portnoy. This is sure to be a once in a lifetime event that you do not want to miss! Make your travel plans to Nashville now!"

Tickets start at $60, $30 for students. More information can be found at: http://www.radiantrecords.com/products/500-morsefest-november-14-15-2014.aspx

WHEN:

November 14 - 15, 2014 Friday & Saturday shows: 7:30pm (Doors at 6:00 pm), Worship Service: Saturday 10:00 am (Doors at 9:00 am) IC Acoustic Set: Saturday 1:00pm (Doors at 12.00 pm), VIP session:  Friday and Saturday 3:00pm (Doors at 2:30 pm)

WHERE:

New Life Fellowship 8655 Tennessee 25 Cross Plains, TN 37049