Members Sytubs Posted April 9, 2008 Members Share Posted April 9, 2008 As I have stated in the past, I tire quickly of arguing with teens. I like discussing drums with adults because they have been there, done that and can relate *experiance*. I took a couple weeks off and went to Seattle. I needed to do something useful, and I did. I got to roadie/drum tech for bluesattitude drummer smoke n drums. He had his magnificent screaming yellow tempus kit. Here is part 1: The man: I had the pleasure of meeting Smoke n drums. His is not only knowledgeable about drums, but passionate and a very musical drummer with great taste in "toys." He has been there, done that and more. He is a down to earth sage and mentor. The toys: *TWO* DW kits. One totally stunning violet-burl maple finish with gold hardware Mapex Orion. Some custom stuff, like clear acrylic octabans (ego lugs) and a custom Phattie sub kick . One screaming yellow fiberglass and carbon fiber monster. An almost endless stack of awesome snare drums. The shells were razor thin, at only 3 mm. More bronze pies than you can shake a stick at, mostly Saluda. The gig: A medium sized club. I decided to help out as roadie/drum tech. I was careful not to overstep my boundaries, after all, it was his baby, and he had a routine...I was just visiting. As we dragged out his drums, we got looks from the dinner crowd. It was either my @**, or the brilliant yellow drums that drew their gaze. I am hoping it was the latter. Blues Attitude You want to be in a band this good. These guys were polished musicians that knew how to groove and sing. They did originals from their cd, and some blues/swing staples. This included doses of Stevie Ray Vaughn, Stray Cats, Wilson Pickett and original tunes from their CD that were crowd pleasing classics. The crowd was clearly motivated to dance to every tune. The vocals were rich, and the playing was locked in. These guys were pros, and brought the groove. Swing was in the air all night. These guys referred to Smokes kit as "the bumblebee" but it clearly captivated the crowd like no black shelled kit ever could. The sound of the Yellow Monster. I speak the truth here. I have been attending concerts since 1975. These drums were the best sounding unmiked kit I have ever heard. Why? The kit had a round, resonant sound that some people can't attain with a sound man. The best DW or Sonor wood kits I have heard might rate 9/10 compared to these. These drums had just barely been outfitted with Evans G2 clears and a strategic dab of moon gel on the larger toms. The drums *sang* with an unadulterated clean voice that I have not heard outside of a well done studio recording. Forget cutting through the music with loose-tuning and thud. Forget click. These had a round tonality that cut through the music. The shells were tuned fairly tight, but because they are so thin...they resonate like mad. That means FAT midrange, FAT low end and clean projection. Since the band was comprised of mature and talented musicians, this wasn't about competing with Marshall stacks cranked to 11. This was about coequal blending. The cymbals (especially the hi-hat chick) and Smoke wood hoop knocker (for rimshots)cut through the mix with clarity and definition. There was a clean, pure "thock" that was much richer than just a metallic click off a die cast or stick saver metal hoop. I was able to work my way around the venue to get perspectives from all parts of the club. I'd have liked a video camera, especially for the overhead left view of the band. Tony Williams would stand up and cheer. Brilliant yellow shells, black hardware...and something that is hard to photograph: multichromatic glitter. This stuff is impregnated into the shells, and shows up under lighting. These drums aren't just yellow, they are yellow on fire under lights! Not only was this kit like a "rainbow in the dark" but I can say that it cut better than Tony's yellow Gretsch kit ever did. No kidding. Smokes ride cymbal work projected a glassy ping throughout the room. The 12" fiberglass snare was to-die-for crisp. Clear g2's were the best choice here...by a long shot. No single ply heads could have this effect. Miscellaneous ramblings: Smoke and I hit some drum shops. I was able to gather a Gibraltar rack and accessories for my kit that was $250 for normally $800 worth of stuff. This next part gave me the chills...the good kind. We got to see a display of "masters" kits like Buddy Rich's Fibes kit, Elvin Jones's kit, Tre fool's burned up POS, Bun E Carlo's Budokan Ludwig, Steve Smiths orange "escape" Sonor kit and Carmine Appice's 70's rock kit. The vibe you got from being in the room with such iconic kits was surreal, and humbling. Don Bennett wants obscene sums of money for these kits. Elvin Jones "Rhythm machine" Gretsch was priced at $24,000+. I did try some kits and snares that impressed me. Mapex saturn, Tama birch/bubinga, Trick rpm, Dunnett and so on. I love the new sabian alu-bell (aluminum bell). It was a hell of a weekend. Not only did I benefit from finding cool drum gear, but I got to play roadie, drum tech and witness superb musicians making women shake their butts in front of me all night. The yellow monster was unforgettably great sounding, and Smoke showed chops and dynamics that all drummers should have. That, my friends is MUSIC. It was an inspirational learning experience. I urge you reading this to learn a double kick shuffle, not just linear speed beats. Articulation impresses the women the most. Pics in Part II. Yellow monster, my kit before and after. (New rack, smoke stack cymbals etc.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jarick Posted April 9, 2008 Members Share Posted April 9, 2008 Smoke is a great guy, knowledgeable about building and of course a fellow Saluda user Get some good pics of your kit back up! It rocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members towndog Posted April 9, 2008 Members Share Posted April 9, 2008 I have owned a dozen or so high end kits (including DW) over the last 20 years and my Tempus CF kit is the best sounding one I've ever owned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sytubs Posted April 9, 2008 Author Members Share Posted April 9, 2008 I have owned a dozen or so high end kits (including DW) over the last 20 years and my Tempus CF kit is the best sounding one I've ever owned. I agree, and I like the fiberglass just as well, both (IMO) go beyond what wood can do. I just talked with the folks at Impact percussion. They are spooling up with new hardware, and possibly a cross-laminate (thin) fiberglass shelled kit. the cost? roughly 1/2 of a tempus kit. 4-6 weeks to produce. The downside? At this point the finishes are only a wrap. Because the sound is so good, and the price reasonable, I am considering a kit from them in summer, in a glass glitter. 13x7 snare, 8/10/12/14/16 toms 22x17" kick. (plus a couple acrylic octabans) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jarick Posted April 9, 2008 Members Share Posted April 9, 2008 Any difference in sound between fiberglass and carbon fiber? Only thing I know is that fiberglass is a bad word in hockey sticks, graphite is a good word Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sytubs Posted April 9, 2008 Author Members Share Posted April 9, 2008 Any difference in sound between fiberglass and carbon fiber? Only thing I know is that fiberglass is a bad word in hockey sticks, graphite is a good word I've had both. If we are comparing tempus to tempus: The fiberglass has more of a balanced sound, a bit more cut on top. Carbon fiber is a bit drier and darker. Both have awesome resonance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members theDan Posted April 9, 2008 Members Share Posted April 9, 2008 I live near Don Bennett's that's my main drum shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sytubs Posted April 9, 2008 Author Members Share Posted April 9, 2008 I will add that Don's place had a very courteous, knowledgeable and helpful staff. They were the total opposite of what we get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members theDan Posted April 9, 2008 Members Share Posted April 9, 2008 Yeah they're very personal too. I think Five Star Drum Shops have really got something good going for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sytubs Posted April 10, 2008 Author Members Share Posted April 10, 2008 Ok, again: the rack has about $700-$800 worth of stuff, my cost was $250. Next to the splash is a 10" china over a 10" splash, called a "Smoke stack". I got these from Smoke n drums. My kit is much more linear and cleaner with a rack. Not to mention the drums stay in place thanks to Tama arms. Yes, the Gibraltar pedals work better for me than *any* chain drive pedal. They are solid as a tank...period. Drivers seat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bitter Dawn Posted April 10, 2008 Members Share Posted April 10, 2008 I gather it's a new thing to start making kits out of fiberglass and carbon fiber. Sounds kind of blasphemous, like how car manufactors switched from using metal to fiberglass and polyurethane...do they make kits out of polyurethane as of yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sytubs Posted April 10, 2008 Author Members Share Posted April 10, 2008 I gather it's a new thing to start making kits out of fiberglass and carbon fiber. Sounds kind of blasphemous, like how car manufactors switched from using metal to fiberglass and polyurethane...do they make kits out of polyurethane as of yet? Umm.. Buddy Rich had a fibes kit made of fiberglass (I saw it at Don Bennetts this week)...they started doing this in the 60's. Acrylics started in the early 70's, Carbon fiber started in the 90's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zildjian@consol Posted April 10, 2008 Members Share Posted April 10, 2008 Ok, again: the rack has about $700-$800 worth of stuff, my cost was $250. Next to the splash is a 10" china over a 10" splash, called a "Smoke stack". I got these from Smoke n drums. My kit is much more linear and cleaner with a rack. Not to mention the drums stay in place thanks to Tama arms. Yes, the Gibraltar pedals work better for me than *any* chain drive pedal. They are solid as a tank...period. Drivers seat Mr Sytubs that is one smoking kit---very nice:thu: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jarick Posted April 10, 2008 Members Share Posted April 10, 2008 Ok, again: the rack has about $700-$800 worth of stuff, my cost was $250. Next to the splash is a 10" china over a 10" splash, called a "Smoke stack". I got these from Smoke n drums. My kit is much more linear and cleaner with a rack. Not to mention the drums stay in place thanks to Tama arms. Yes, the Gibraltar pedals work better for me than *any* chain drive pedal. They are solid as a tank...period. Drivers seat Sweeeet.....hey what are the specs on the plies again? I can never remember...and is it just tung or poly over tung? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sytubs Posted April 10, 2008 Author Members Share Posted April 10, 2008 Sweeeet.....hey what are the specs on the plies again? I can never remember...and is it just tung or poly over tung? Toms: 5.4mm FT/Kick: 6.7mm Poly over tung Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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