DrumSellers.com is starting to attract drum builders who find it a great place to sell their wares. This month we focus on a maker of very unusual drums and percussion instruments, Ken Lovelett, an accomplished percussionist who is spending a lot of time these days inventing new kinds of percussion instruments.
Read moreUnsung Heroes - Ronnie Tutt
If you know of Ronnie, you probably know him as Elvis Presley’s drummer from 1969 to 1977. In my personal opinion,
Read more1966 Gretsch Round Badge 20/12/14 in Silver Satin Flame
There was a time many years ago when a 3-piece combo kit or “outfit” was all a jobbing drummer needed. There was no room for any “floor tom” in a cab. And certainly not on any subway train. So when the opportunity arises to purchase a set in the bass drum, tom tom, snare drum format: do we think one can find a matching floor tom to make our 4 piece kit dream normalcy come true?
Read moreDrummers Tune-Up 2020, a free health and wellness program starting 1/5/20
Playing Drums is physically demanding and can take its toll on your body over time. Sticks, heads and parts can be easily replaced. Unfortunately your body requires much more preventive measures. As drummers we spend a great deal of time and money on our gear but spend little on preventive care - many times playing through the pain or dysfunction. The “Drummer’s Tune Up 2020” program is a FREE 6-week drummer-specific health & wellness program starting in January 2020.
Read moreNo Bad Drum Heads
There are today a lot of companies making drum heads, ranging from the global standards -- Remo, Evans, etc. -- to boutique makers such as Earthtone and Kentville. And of course, every maker offers a variety of styles, sometimes to the point of our total bewilderment.
Read moreWFL Deluxe Marble Outfit
….One such finish was called DeLuxe Marble and it was a short-lived finish that was painted on the shells to look like faux marble. The finish first appeared in the 1941 catalog and it lasted through WWII. Because a 10% metals law was put into effect during WWII limiting the use of metals on products, WFL was forced to design a drum made mostly of wood. That means that there were very few sets made in DeLuxe Marble that featured all-metal lugs and hardware made pre- WWII.
Read moreSongs ala King: Drumming for the legendary Peggy King
There are a lot of lessons to be learned from something like this, the least being the miraculous power of music to heal, to inspire, and to bring joy, to say nothing of forcing all of us to ask just what miracles go on in a 90-year-old, show business human mind (when she forgot a lyric or two, she made up her own, and “her own” words were just perfect).
Read more1970s Slingerland Pop Outfit
I have just purchased this 1970s Slingerland Pop Outfit in recent days. The toms are standard sizes 12, 13, 16 and as you can see, single headed. The rockers in the 70s were removing the bottom heads to get a dry funky sound from their drums. Most of the drum companies decided to just make the drums with top heads only to basically get that sound the pop drummers wanted.
Read moreRare 1930s Leedy Broadway Standard in Abalone Pearl finish
The finish was Abalone Pearl! And, the Drum that this beautiful finish is attached to is a 1930s Leedy 5x14 Broadway Standard Model. I have actually only seen this finish on a Slingerland 1930s Radio King snare drum and a miscellaneous vintage bass drum. What a beautiful, stunning and striking finish this is. The Abalone Pearl has a three dimensional vibe that really illuminates with the change of natural lighting. The array of beautiful colors is what makes this finish pop. Apparently, there are only a handful of drums with this rare finish that exist. Also, I have not seen another Leedy snare drum equipped with the Abalone Pearl finish.
Read more1942- SLINGERLAND 5" x 14 “ROOT BEER SWIRL” (UN-CATALOGUED FINISH) RADIO KING MODEL
I used the term “Root Beer Swirl” for lack of a better name. The only Slingerland finish that is remotely similar is Black Diamond Pearl (1928-1995) but aside from any possibility of a harsh fading the actual finish patterns are still vastly different. So the questions remain...an un-catalogued finish or a special order with an un-catalogued finish?
Sometimes a good sense of humor keeps things in perspective so I’ll use two quotes from my good friends Harry Cangany and John Aldridge. Harry: “Mike, you have such beautiful drums, but every now and then you show us something that is just butt ugly. That looks like some plastic just melted together and they used all of it.” John: “Mike, that drum is uglier than home-made soap.”
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 moreFrom The Editor
Words of wisdom from that rascal sage, George Lawrence
Read morePaul Wertico: The Sound Painter
In the international press, Paul has been called “an inspired madman,” and “a restless innovator.” The same could be said of painter Jackson Pollock. There is a direct rhythmic connection between what Paul composes on the drums and what Pollock visually composed on canvas. Each deliberately using an organized rhythmic pattern while communicating their inconsistencies, anomalies and imperfections. Both speaking different languages of which only they can understand and interpret. Critics may never be able to fully describe the true motivations and complete originality of Paul Wertico and Jackson Pollock since both were creating in the moment.
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