A SOUND OF ITS OWN

I'm not sure if Steve Gadd said it first, but I agree that each instrument in a drum set should have a voice of its own, despite being part of one kit.  My 12"x9" rack tom made its way to a recording released last month, and it sounded really nice. The tuning were spot on. But the more I played it, the more it sounded too close to my 14"x10" floor snom in pitch and timbre. This made me consider selling it and just settling on a snare/floor/kick combination. 

A week later, I saw an ad for a mint-condition Pearl Decade Maple 10"x7" in Gloss Deep Red Burst. Was this the solution to my dilemma? I've always had a soft spot for 10s, but never owned one. So this was my chance. I struck a deal with the seller to trade my old 12" for his much newer 10", and I'd add cash. It took a day before the seller accepted the trade, and things moved quickly after.  Shipping took three days because he was in Pampanga. After carefully peeling off several layers of bubble wrap, the perfunctory anti-viral alcohol rub taking care not to ruin the wood finish, and an overnight quarantine, I took it up to the drum room, replaced the batter head with a used Ambassador, and tuned it one full turn just above wrinkle. It has a very happy, excitable character, an interesting contrast to the throaty Midtown kick, laid back snom, and the poppy Omar Hakim snare. In addition to needing some time to figure out how to use it musically, I'm also thinking of what new heads will give it an even more unique voice and feel to the stick. All my snares have coated heads, and my floor snom and kick have Fiberskyns. Hmmmmmmm. Could clear heads make it different? How about Pinstripes? I'll probably end up getting both during my fortnightly shopping run. 

Whichever head/tuning combination I eventually choose, my bop kit is now a bonafide frankenkit. Each drum has a unique color/finish, sound, and feel. 

P.S.1 July 2022 -  I eventually settled on Ambassador coated batter and Ambassador clear reso. It sings even with a drum mute on top.  

Midtown poplar kick drum 16” x 14” Black Gold Sparkle

Competition mahogany marching snare (CMS-1410) 14” x 10” Chrome

Decade Maple tom 10” x 7” Gloss Deep Red Burst

Omar Hakim African Mahogany Signature Snare (OH1350) 13” x 5” Natural Mahogany

A CHANGE OF DIRECTION

It was the deal of the century. Late 1980s Yamaha Recording Custom shells (12/13/16/22) in piano black, 14"x6" Recording Custom steel snare, A. Zildjian 20" medium ride, 18" medium-thin crash, and 14" New Beats, in good condition, for just 30k pesos! I was so close to snagging the deal when the wife of the seller suddenly asked not to go through with it, claiming the kit was bought for their children and should not have been offered for sale in the first place. The seller got back to me, saying he needed the money badly for his business, and that it was his decision to make. But I didn't want to get between spouses, so I brokenheartedly called the whole thing off. 

The consuelo de bobo of this failed transaction was that it got me thinking. Why should I get another kit with similar dimensions, since I have don't have the space for another one unless I dispose of my existing one, which I am reluctant to do for sentimental reasons. So after mourning the failed deal, I saw a 16" Pearl Midtown bass drum with case in the FB Marketplace. I thought, why not put together something completely different, like a bop frankenkit? What the hell is that you may ask. OK, there are 2 parts to that. A bop kit has everything an ordinary kit has, but features a small bass drum. This is because New York jazz musicians who played bop music in small clubs had to carry their entire kit on the subway by themselves, to gigs in small clubs with a very tight stage. Since the bass drum was the biggest component of the kit, they opted for smaller ones, from 16" to 18" in diameter. On the other hand, a frankenkit it made up of mismatched components, either with different colors, or finishes, or brands, hence the similarity to Frankenstein. If I got the Midtown bass, I already had a choice of snares from my collection, my recently acquired 14" snom, and could get the 12" rack tom from my old kit. But a few days after I got the Midtown, I saw a nice 12" tom on sale for next to nothing. So I got that too. Unintentionally, all the drums are once again made by, you guessed it, Pearl. Whatever. 

So my bop frankenkit has the following, a 16" x 14" Midtown kick, a 14" x 10" CMS-1410 “Competition” mahogany marching snare as a snom, and a 12" x 9" Ranger II rack tom. I installed new-old-stock Remo Fiberskyn heads that I got years ago in the Salonga's Cubao closeout sale. It took a whole day to dial in the sound of kick drum. I tried all sorts of head and muffling combinations, and finally settled on Fiberskyns, with no muffling, and at medium tuning. 

Now I have two kits occupying only the space of one and a half. A classic 12/16/22 that will stay at home, and the bop 12/14/16 that can go on gigs .... after the pandemic. 

Midtown poplar kick drum 16” x 14” Black Gold Sparkle

Competition mahogany marching snare (CMS-1410) 14” x 10” Chrome

Ranger II Poplar tom 12” x 9” Chrome

Omar Hakim African Mahogany Signature Snare (OH1350) 13” x 5” Natural Mahogany

A TALE OF TWO SIXTEENS

I find it strange that none of my collection of "Turkish" type cymbals was actually made in Turkey. I've heard some nice Istanbul Mehmet cymbals at Lazer, but except for a 22" Legend Ride which I couldn't afford, none of them are that different from my old A Zildjians. There are usually Bosphorous cymbals in the FB Marketplace, but are priced rather high. And Istanbul Agops are very rare here because they have no local distributor. 

One of my all-time favorite cymbals was my 1978 A Zildjian 16" thin crash, affectionately called "steve god" by drummer friends because it had been autographed by THE Steve Gadd. Unfortunately, the sound has has deteriorated considerably due to mishaps and a period of extremely hard playing. (Its complete history is in an earlier post)  I thought of "retiring" it, but I have no other cymbal in that size and range. And if I did get another 16", I wouldn't want a replacement, but something with its own unique voice.  

So last week when I saw a Turkish (yes, that's the brand name) 16" thin crash, I became intrigued. It was made in Turkey, check. It was a 16" thin crash, check. Potentially darker sounding, check. No issues, check. Priced right, CHECK! And the seller actually bought it in a store next to the factory in Istanbul. The only problem was it would be coming from Cavite. But I figured it was a Sunday, so there would be less traffic. And it was small enough to fit in a motorcycle, so shipping would be cheap. It took a couple of hours to get here, and was given a soap and water bath as soon as it arrived. It weighs 921 grams, has a funky complex wash, and a nice smooth sustain. It's not particularly "dark" sounding, but is distinct enough from my A Zildjian 18" thin crash which it will usually partner. Buying a cymbal without hearing it first is a risk. Thankfully this risk paid off. 

Steve god can finally rest from crash duties. He's earned it. But he will come out occasionally to serve as an alternative hihat top together with a Stagg SH China bottom.

ANOTHER PEARL?

I've acquired a lot of snares these past few years. The one thing I lacked was a real, honest to goodness fat snare. So when I saw this in the Facebook Marketplace, I was immediately drawn to it. The dimensions were perfect for what has become popular in the past few years, the hybrid fat snare / floor tom. Web searches suggested this is a 1990s 14”x10” Pearl CMS 1410 "Competitor" Mahogany Marching Snare.  

The seller was in Pampanga, and the drum had to shipped by cargo. But he was enthusiastic and easy to deal with. So after a failed, then a subsequently delayed attempt to transfer payment online, things were ironed out and the drum arrived two days later. After required alcohol disinfection, I wiped down the hoops, installed new Evans Hydraulic batters and Remo Ambassador Snare heads, and cleaned and lubricated all the tension rods. It now sits between the kick drum and the 16" floor tom. I'm still dialing in the perfect tuning, but it's already pretty close to what I want. 

You might be wondering if I'm a Pearl endorser, as all my drums are made by them. I swear it isn't intentional. It just ended up that way by chance. Whatever, since everyone is still stuck here working at home because of Covid 19, I won't be able to play out with this big boy. But until I get some time alone her at home, it will be interesting discovering how sensitive it will be at low volumes.