The July 2021 issue of Not So Modern Drummer has been delayed for a few days. We normally send it via email on the last day of each month but ran into a last minute issue with our subscriber email list. It needs to be cleaned to be in compliance with spam regulations, or else be barred from sending bulk email. This usually takes 24 to 48 hours so look for it within the first week of August. Sorry for the delay.
Read moreFrom publisher/editor George Lawrence
Bill Ludwig III and George Lawrence at the 30th annual Chicago Drum Show, 2021
Tidbits and morsels from that rascal sage, prophet and soothsayer, George Lawrence
Read moreWin This Drum!
See, play, and win the new Famous Drum Company “Celebrity” single ply snare drum at the Chicago Drum Show.
Read moreSticky Wicket - Ludwig & Ludwig 1920s New Orleans drum set
Ludwig & Ludwig 1920s New Orleans Drum Kit - Sticky WicketHere is our latest video featuring our favourite vintage drum expert Sticky Wicket and his 20s Ludw...
Sticky Wicket rides again!
Read moreTootin' my own horn - recent recording and video by the FreeWorld Band and our Memphis friends
Me on drums and a whole lot of other folks of different stripes showing how the melting pot in Memphis gets along - through music.
Read moreFrom the Editor
Monthly musings
Read moreGeorge's Picks - NoNuts Cymbal Mounting System
This month, I’m featuring a fairly new item on the market: No Nuts Cymbal Mounting System which consists of two components; the Cymbal Sleeve and the CymRing:
Read moreSteve Gadd Band Live! Nov. 7th
From editor George Lawrence
Welcome to new DrumSellers.com retailer and manufacturers - Explorer’s Percussion, Siers Practice Pad for Brushes, and No Nuts Cymbal Sleeves/Sizzle Nuts/Cymrings. Welcome to new writer, Jim Pettit of Memphis Drum Shop.
Read moreThe History of Famous Drum Company
It all started at George’s Drum Shop, my retail store in Jackson Mississippi from 1985 - 1987. Joe Partridge was my right hand man there, doing minor repair and refurbishing jobs like taking the old wrap off of drums and re-wrapping them (actually burning the wrap off of the old volatile pre-OSHA drums - the more sadistic customers wanted to be called when we did that so they could come watch!) Joe would also drill holes to put new hardware on some of the customers’ drums. We didn’t actually build any drums at that store, per se, just sold typical name brand drums and repaired then. Joe and I would start building drums separately in the years after that first shop .closed. But, I had some foil stickers made that looked like drum badges with the name of the store and a cool looking drum. So that was as far as we got with the drum building in those first years - badges!
Read moreFamous Steam Bent Single Ply Shells and Builds
These steam bent single ply shells are built by Evan Thomas. They are used in our LaScala and other models. They are also for sale to drum builders as raw shells with or without drilling and cutting of edges, hardware holes and snare beds. They are built in the one ply tradition of Slingerland Radio Kings and other modern high end one ply brands like Craviotto, Noble & Cooley, etc. We keep a good supply of curly maple shells. Many other woods can be used. Call us for available woods.
Read moreStudy drums with George Lawrence
I teach at at Memphis Drum Shop and at my home in East Memphis. Lessons cost $30 per half hour, and $60 per hour. Grade school and college students usually take half hour lessons. Pros and working drummers usually take hour lessons. I teach remotely via skype, zoom, face time, etc.
Read moreThe definition of "vintage drum"
Vintage, classic and antique cars are classified by the states and by insurance companies. There are monetary and legal ramifications of a car's age; insurance rates, allowed usage, registration fees, etc. And, of course, resale value. Much of vintage drums' classification comes from the world of cars and antique furniture and art, not grapes or wine.
Read moreTips on how to pack and ship drums and cymbals
Do not!!! take your drums to a “UPS” STORE ” and let them pack and ship them unless you and your customer are aware of the high prices. They are not owned by UPS. They are just pick up points and make their money by doing the packing work you don’t want to do.
Read moreMystery Drum: 1950s Pearl Canister Throne
Tried to Sell it, but i dont think anyone believes its Real ???....When i get confirmation from PEARL Headquarters, I'm hoping people believe its real !!. I bought it out of Delaware Ontario/Canada, with a load of antique/vintage drums/hardware/cymbals/accessories from the estate of an OLD Drummer !!..........Ken”
Read moreHow I Will Honor Neil Peart
My tribute to Neil Peart
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 moreRemoving rust from a 1954-55 Slingerland Radio King set
I recently acquired this 1948 Radio King set from someone who rescued it from a neighbor who was going to “throw it out”. It’s in pretty darn good shape. I’ll update my clean up and restoration of this kit as I go along. The first thing I want to tell you about is a great new rust remover that works better than any other substance that I’ve used, and I’ve used all of them; Naval jelly, coca cola, vinegar, ketchup - all sorts of household and commercial products. This one is the easiest and most effective by far. It’s called Metal Rescue by Workshop Hero.
Read moreHudson Music publishes new book - Buddy Rich: One of a Kind - by Pelle Berglund
The biggest public misperception of Buddy Rich over the years has come from the infamous Bus Tapes; recordings of Rich cussing out his band that the internet has allowed to fester. Yeah, that happened, but that was only .001% of what Buddy was and did. Imagine there being a recording or video of your worst behavior moment that never goes away. Is that all there is to you? No. This book fills in the other 99.99% with first hand accounts of his humor, generosity, struggles and humanity.
Read moreNPR Highlights Jazz, Coltrane, and Gretsch Great Elvin Jones
On this past September 10th, National Public Radio’s Morning Edition program ran an intriguing feature titled: Not All “Lost” Jazz Albums Are Created Equal. It focused on several albums, either recently or about to be released, that contain previously unreleased material by iconic jazz artists like John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Stan Getz. One of those albums was Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album, which featured material from 1963 recording sessions and reference tapes, and was released in 2018. Another is Blue World, set to be released on Impulse! Records on September 27. It features Coltrane recordings from 1964.
Read more