Having Fun Building custom drums for recording etc..

RoundBadge · 17th January 2005

I just built this kit ..I can't wait to record the suckers .3 more sets are on the way

RoundBadge · 17th January 2005

**toolskid** · 17th January 2005

wow - nice tubs.

Maybe slightly OT but I've made some really weird kits b4, like one made entirely from cymbals, others with really treated small toms for kicks and, huge hihats, water cooler bottles in trash cans for kicks and aluminium foil for hats, inverted heads on snare and toms, towels over the snares..etc.etc.
Anyone got any interesting nutty kits they made for recording?

RoundBadge · 17th January 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by toolskid
wow - nice tubs.

Maybe slightly OT but I've made some really weird kits b4, like one made entirely from cymbals, others with really treated small toms for kicks and, huge hihats, water cooler bottles in trash cans for kicks and aluminium foil for hats, inverted heads on snare and toms, towels over the snares..etc.etc.
Anyone got any interesting nutty kits they made for recording?

Yes thats always fun ..Sometimes when I'm bored ,I just mike the room stereo and play whatevers laying around ...walls chairs,peoples heads.. bathtub ...the cat ..whatever!! ..It's fun

drmmrboy · 18th January 2005

Nice!
What are the sizes?
Hard to tell from the pics, but my guess would be...
12, 14, toms... Maybe 20 kick?
Also, what make are the shells?

Andrew

mitgong · 18th January 2005

Come on over!!

Looks nice. Have you tried the new Keller "vintage" shells?

RoundBadge · 18th January 2005

Thanks guys...the shells are the new keller VSS series.it's basically a process involving harder glue.
I've got some of the vintage mahoganys on order from my distributor in LA. sizes are indeed 12,14,20x17. so far they sound great.loud,warm/ focused with loads O' sustian I compared them to a vintage ludwig,gretsch and new dw kits-I'm very happy! .I'm gonna tweak and experiment with various bearing edge types-dual 45 degree, 45 degree/roundover 30/roundover[ala gretsch] 60 degree /roundover [bass drums ala porkpie] etc this week !

pitman · 25th January 2005

Studio and drums look great!
Congrats!

What are you using for snare drum(s)?
Have you tried the Brady stuff?

RoundBadge · 25th January 2005

Thanks pitman! snares: ...Craviotto,brady,dunnett,gretsch,ludwig,drum paradise, drum doctors etc..

RoundBadge · 26th January 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by drmmrboy
Nice!
What are the sizes?
Hard to tell from the pics, but my guess would be...
12, 14, toms... Maybe 20 kick?
Also, what make are the shells?

Andrew

Yes 12,14 17x20 The new Keller "VSS" shells

pitman · 26th January 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by RoundBadge
Thanks pitman! snares: ...Craviotto,brady,dunnett,gretsch,ludwig,drum paradise, drum doctors etc..

How does the Craviotto stack up next to the Brady?
I've played a Brady and thought it was outstanding.
I'm not familar with Dunnet.

Berolzheimer · 26th January 2005

Very pretty, Roundbadge. What do you have to do when you build a kit from pre-made shells? Do you form the edges, or are they shaped already? You buy the hardware etc & put it together?

I never thought about this as an option but I think I could manage it, is it economical?

Thanks
-Paul B

Jamz · 26th January 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by Berolzheimer
Very pretty, Roundbadge. What do you have to do when you build a kit from pre-made shells? Do you form the edges, or are they shaped already? You buy the hardware etc & put it together?

I never thought about this as an option but I think I could manage it, is it economical?
Thanks
-Paul B

http://www.smddrums.com/

RoundBadge · 26th January 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by Berolzheimer
Very pretty, Roundbadge. What do you have to do when you build a kit from pre-made shells? Do you form the edges, or are they shaped already? You buy the hardware etc & put it together?

I never thought about this as an option but I think I could manage it, is it economical?

Thanks
-Paul B

Jamz has got it goin on! check his site and go here too: http://www.ghostnote.net/ everything you need to know is right there.Yes,It's economical ,If a guy like me with little drumbuilding experience can do it ,I'm sure you could too!I did the edges[took some practice] and finished/drilled the raw shells.

Berolzheimer · 26th January 2005

Thanks guys, those are great links.
Looks like fun. Of course the last thing I need right now is to take on another big project....

brendondp · 26th January 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by pitman
How does the Craviotto stack up next to the Brady?
I've played a Brady and thought it was outstanding.
I'm not familar with Dunnet.

Ronn Dunnett is a Canadian making, IMHO, some of the finest snare drums on the planet, along with fellow Canadian Pete Stanbridge.

Check out the Dunnett site here.

You can check out the Stanbridge site here.

Cheers,

bdp

Sherekhan · 10th February 2006

RoundBadge,

Any chance you can report on the results of your experiments?

I'm thinking of building my own kit and am still navigating through all the variables. I'm not particularly handy, but I'm thinking if I get pre-drilled shells with pre-cut bearing edges it'll be pretty tough to screw it up.

I want to build something that records well (in a pop/rock context) and is versatile. If I had to pick a spot on the vintage/modern sound spectrum I would go for vintage, but I'm wondering if a certain combination of shells, bearing edges, and perhaps hardware can widen the the range of the kit. It doesn't have to sound-shift from Ringo's kit to Travis Baker's, but I'd like to end up with something that responds well to tunning and is able to go from a vintage-ish to a mdern-ish vibe.

So, I'm wondering what results you achieved with different combination of woods and bearing edges. In particular I'd be interested in your findings re: versatility, tone (compared to your vintage/modern kits), and usefulness in recording situations.

Thanks!!!

P.S. Long time lurker; first post. So, a big

to everyone.

ramjet · 16th February 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoundBadge

hey dude

that is one aweet kit you got there

i frequent what is now drumshed and yeah that place is way cool

i will not be buying a kit for my studio i will be building as well

how did you go with the bearing edges

anything to report

cheers ramjet

artbeat77 · 16th February 2006

Quote:

Anyone got any interesting nutty kits they made for recording?

Wedding ring and fist on the rims/shells sounds funky when sent through the right filter/oscillator.

It's also fun to get a long piece of scotch tape, put coins on it (sticky side, duh), and lay that on a cymbal for interesting sizzle/rivet-type sounds.

RoundBadge · 16th February 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by ramjet

hey dude

that is one aweet kit you got there

i frequent what is now drumshed and yeah that place is way cool

i will not be buying a kit for my studio i will be building as well

how did you go with the bearing edges

anything to report

cheers ramjet

Thanks!

I've been using the keller vss maple[attack punch], vintage[attack,warm],mohogany [round ,warm]shells
It's very time consuming but rewarding..
I bought my own routing table from Rockler over in Pasadena
I also made an edge checker with some 1/2 inch tinted plate glass.
a large round tabletop from home depot with snd paper contact glued works for making the shells perfectly flat before routing..
a nice big drill press from sears helps too
I experiment with the edges..sometimes a 12" shallow tom wants a real sharp 45 degree edge,then maybe an 18 inch floor wants something a bit rounder..
sometimes a really thin 5 ply shell with no vents gives the drum more resonance..sometimes they'll choke without em'..
It's all about trying different things..and I've fukked a couple up too,,,part of the process.
i can fine tune a kit any way I like..
And yes, they record REALLY well!

max cooper · 18th February 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by pitman

What are you using for snare drum(s)?
Have you tried the Brady stuff?

I played in a band with a guy who used Brady drums.

One thing I remember clearly was that the first time he went for a tom fill, I nearly crapped my pants! Super stinkin' loud + tone!

(I'd go into subtleties a bit more if I weren't a lowly guitar player.

)

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoundBadge

I just built this kit ..I can't wait to record the suckers .3 more sets are on the way

Roundbadge: you have to tell me what kind of coffee you drink.

RoundBadge · 18th February 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by max cooper

Roundbadge: you have to tell me what kind of coffee you drink.

It used to be jet fuel!
Funny you should mention that Max...
My doctor made me cut way back on the caffiene a few months ago..
Diet Rock Star and Red Bull included!

ramjet · 23rd February 2006

just out of interest do you frequent drumshed

cheers

RoundBadge · 23rd February 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by ramjet

just out of interest do you frequent drumshed

cheers

Yes ,but not much lately..so fukkin busy with other things.
i learned everything from ghostnote.com..
there was a dispute between the ghostnote founders and a guy split off and started drumshed last year..
hey,the more sites, the merrier!

17th January 2005	#1
RoundBadge Lives for gear Joined: May 2004 Location: Los Angeles ,Ca. Posts: 8,853 Thread Starter	Having Fun Building custom drums for recording etc.. I just built this kit ..I can't wait to record the suckers .3 more sets are on the way Attached Thumbnails

17th January 2005	#2
RoundBadge Lives for gear Joined: May 2004 Location: Los Angeles ,Ca. Posts: 8,853 Thread Starter	Attached Thumbnails

17th January 2005	#3
toolskid Moderator Joined: Jan 2004 Location: london Posts: 2,786	wow - nice tubs. Maybe slightly OT but I've made some really weird kits b4, like one made entirely from cymbals, others with really treated small toms for kicks and, huge hihats, water cooler bottles in trash cans for kicks and aluminium foil for hats, inverted heads on snare and toms, towels over the snares..etc.etc. Anyone got any interesting nutty kits they made for recording? __________________ Emre Ramazanoglu http://www.emremusic.com the wise man can pick up a grain of sand and envision the whole universe. The fool, however, will just lie down on some seaweed and roll around until he's completely draped in it. Then he'll stand up and go "Hey, I'm vine man"

26th January 2005	#12
Berolzheimer Lives for gear Joined: Dec 2002 Location: El Lay Posts: 2,209	Very pretty, Roundbadge. What do you have to do when you build a kit from pre-made shells? Do you form the edges, or are they shaped already? You buy the hardware etc & put it together? I never thought about this as an option but I think I could manage it, is it economical? Thanks -Paul B __________________ Purveyor of fine sounds since 1961. My very incomplete IMDB list: My very incomplete IMDB list I'm all ears.

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18th January 2005	#5
drmmrboy Lives for gear Joined: Aug 2004 Location: Philadelphia PA Posts: 2,780	Nice! What are the sizes? Hard to tell from the pics, but my guess would be... 12, 14, toms... Maybe 20 kick? Also, what make are the shells? Andrew

18th January 2005	#6
mitgong Gear addict Joined: Oct 2002 Location: ITHACA, NY Posts: 394	Come on over!! Looks nice. Have you tried the new Keller "vintage" shells?

25th January 2005	#8
pitman Gear nut Joined: Oct 2004 Posts: 77	Studio and drums look great! Congrats! What are you using for snare drum(s)? Have you tried the Brady stuff?

10th February 2006	#17
Sherekhan Gear interested Joined: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Posts: 16	RoundBadge, Any chance you can report on the results of your experiments? I'm thinking of building my own kit and am still navigating through all the variables. I'm not particularly handy, but I'm thinking if I get pre-drilled shells with pre-cut bearing edges it'll be pretty tough to screw it up. I want to build something that records well (in a pop/rock context) and is versatile. If I had to pick a spot on the vintage/modern sound spectrum I would go for vintage, but I'm wondering if a certain combination of shells, bearing edges, and perhaps hardware can widen the the range of the kit. It doesn't have to sound-shift from Ringo's kit to Travis Baker's, but I'd like to end up with something that responds well to tunning and is able to go from a vintage-ish to a mdern-ish vibe. So, I'm wondering what results you achieved with different combination of woods and bearing edges. In particular I'd be interested in your findings re: versatility, tone (compared to your vintage/modern kits), and usefulness in recording situations. Thanks!!! P.S. Long time lurker; first post. So, a big to everyone.

23rd February 2006	#23
ramjet Gear addict Joined: Aug 2005 Location: ayr, north queensland, australia Posts: 401	just out of interest do you frequent drumshed cheers

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