Drum related post

Got me thinking about drums.
I hope someday to buy a set of Keller shells and do my own finish, make a drilling jig for the hardware and build out my custom killer set. I recently sold off my 7 piece Yamaha Custom black lacquer Maples with a dozen Zildj cym's. I miss it. I think I need to work on my dying skiils so I can do a cool sunburst type coloring like on a strat when I build my own.
http://www.kelleratthecore.com/vintage_maple.html

On 3/22/10 11:59 AM, SonomaProducts.com wrote:
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If I ever go with Keller, it will be the vintage mahogany shells. All those Keller maple shells sound the same, but I've great things about the mahogany.
I've been making my own snare shells for snares, from staves. I think you'd be surprised at how easy they are for a woodworker.
I'm staring on some solid wood hoops. Some day, I'll end up getting a machinist's lathe and turning my own lugs.

On 03/22/2010 01:22 PM, -MIKE- wrote:
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My mid-eighties Gretsch kit (which has the coveted maple shells made by the now-defunct Jasper company, and for which Keller now has a nearly identical replacement) has a complete complement of rack toms (8x8, 10x8, 12x10, 13x11, 14x12, 15x13; I haven't used them all at the same time in years) and one 16x16 floor tom. I really like running a 10&12 rack and 14&16 floor tom configuration, but I don't have a proper 14x14 floor tom (which I LOVE but are IMPOSSIBLE to find) and neither the 14x12 or 15x13 rack toms are doing it for me. For quite some time now I've been seriously toying with the idea of getting a 14x14 shell from Keller to make a complementary floor tom for that kit, but I've yet to take the plunge. I'd be looking at trying to match the "walnut" color on those shells and the smooth lacquer finish that Gretsch is famous for; methinks it will be a bit of a challenge in more ways than one.
BTW, you can see the kit in question here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/sets/72157603970680808 /
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Yes, I have two examples of stave shell snares that I've made on my Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/sets/72157603974228673 / http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/sets/72157604599305593 /
I'm currently building a second kit that I can keep at home to practice on (I've only just had that one Gretsch kit for the past 25 years or so). I'm making it out of Black Walnut (not really my first choice, but I have a bunch of it that I don't know what to do with) using stave shell construction. Starting with a 20x15 kick that's all glued together and just about ready to go on the router-based turning jigs; the first jig cuts the outer surface down to a perfect cylinder, and the second jig trims the inner surface to the correct thickness with respect to the outer.
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I heard that! Most of the lugs available from today's drum building supply houses are absolute crap. I'll probably spend the next few months on eBay trying to snag enough vintage Gretsch lugs to finally put the kit together...

On 3/22/10 4:23 PM, Steve Turner wrote:
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Not only do I want pictures, but I may have to make a trip to TX to check out that rig. :-)

On 3/22/2010 4:50 PM, -MIKE- wrote:
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Which rig, the turning jigs or the finished kit? :-)
Start drivin', man! If anything ever brings you to Austin you're certainly welcome to stop by. In the meantime I'll see what I can do about getting some pictures taken to document the process...

Really beautiful kit and very well cared for.
Yes, big rack toms are the hardest piece to get a good tone. They are often sour. Over the years I've had maybe 6 or 7 big kits, 7,8, 10 and even one 12 piece monster. I am real good at finding deals and pretty good at selling them again when I don't have space, etc. I think every kit has had at least one sour big rack tom. I've had varying success trying different types of heads, etc and I can usually flatten out the bad overtones. They always record well, just sound sour from the drummers seat.
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