Recently, I became interested in having a cocktail drum set because they are easy to transport and don't take up much room. The guitarist in my band has been talking about a percussion set up he saw at a concert that was actually a cocktail set, but he was having trouble describing it.
I started looking around for one and found that there aren't a lot of manufacturers making them anymore. No surprise, they are an artifact of an earlier time. Yamaha has a beauty called Club Jordan. It has a beauty of a price too. $2000+! Not going there. I looked on eBay and saw some basic sets for around $250+shipping. Now that's more like it, but it was hard to tell what the quality was. This set will get used and I don't want something that will fall apart easily.
Looking around the internet, I found http://www.cocktaildrum.com/. This site has everything you ever wanted to know and more about these kind of drums. I read the construction section and got a little inspired to try building one myself. I have intermediate woodworking skills and the right tools, so it is a possibility.
What really cinched it for me was this: I went to a local music store that I like (not one of the chains) and asked if they had any or ever got any CDS in. The kid behind the counter had no clue what I was talking about. On the way out my build or buy decision was made.
Over the weekend I bought a 16 X 16 shell and a 10 X 16 shell on eBay. They weren't too expensive (except for shipping). I also bought a bass drum pedal that I will convert to a reverse pedal so it will hit the bass drum up from underneath. I intend to join the two shells to make one that is 26 inches deep. I already have two smaller toms that I can use along with the ones I bought. I will make one a snare. Also I can borrow cymbals from my main set and I have some spare cymbal stands I can use to mount them.
Next time I'll include some pictures of the parts and pieces when I get them all together. I'll probably start making the snare this week while I'm waiting for the shells and pedal.
No comments:
Post a Comment