Building my first snare drum and I guess I am finding out I have many???

[Mark Counts]

I have a 6" X 14 GMS single ply snare that I love! Ryan Payne that works at The Drum Center of Indianapolis built the maple shell. That is the best made & sounding single ply shell I have seen or heard bar none. Ryan will build you what you want & his prices arent to bad.
I got the snare with GMS made in their shop tube lugs & their made in house strainer for just over $700.00. See what Slingerland gets for a Radio King
                                                       Dave Huffman

Sounds like you are very happy with what you bought.  Yea, my builder let me pick out the hardware I wanted.  I don't think his prices are quiet that high.  I have seen some of his other work though and I am already thinking about a Tiger Maple Piccolo Snare next but I have some catching up to do money wise first.  The proof is in what it sounds like and I may need to work with it a bit to get what I want.  Only time will tell?  I am planning to try to make it my go to snare. It will make number 4 here not counting the few other ones I have sold. Glad to here that you are satisfied with your purchase.   It is alway encourging to here of someones success story.
                                Nutty

[felix]

That is the best made & sounding single ply shell I have seen or heard bar none.

That tree must have been grown in the enchanted forest and cared for it's whole life by a/the sacred pygmi tree growing clan- dedicated to growing trees for the best sounding snare drums.  Pygmis and elfs make the best sounding snare drums.  Everyone knows that here.

Steam bent birch is going to sound great Nutty.  Wood hoops?  Wow.  That is going to be a killer drum.

Where the heck is James?   :'(  Probably at that other forum.

[Mark Counts]

That tree must have been grown in the enchanted forest and cared for it's whole life by a/the sacred pygmi tree growing clan- dedicated to growing trees for the best sounding snare drums.  Pygmis and elfs make the best sounding snare drums.  Everyone knows that here.

Steam bent birch is going to sound great Nutty.  Wood hoops?  Wow.  That is going to be a killer drum.

Where the heck is James?   :'(  Probably at that other forum.

I think we should send him a PM and make sure he is OK?
                           Nutty

[James Walker]

I think we should send him a PM and make sure he is OK?
                           Nutty

Hi, guys,

Thanks for the concern, everyone.  Everything's cool - I'm just laying low these days, without much to say.

JW

[Louis Russell]

without much to say.

OK, you can't fool me!  Where is the "Real"James?   ;D

I am glad you are ok!

[felix]

Oh okay.  I know how that feels.  I'm getting ready to lay low myself I think.

Hey, did Nutty tell you about his snare drum?  It's HAWT.

[Mark Counts]

That tree must have been grown in the enchanted forest and cared for it's whole life by a/the sacred pygmi tree growing clan- dedicated to growing trees for the best sounding snare drums.  Pygmis and elfs make the best sounding snare drums.  Everyone knows that here.

Steam bent birch is going to sound great Nutty.  Wood hoops?  Wow.  That is going to be a killer drum.

Where the heck is James?   :'(  Probably at that other forum.

Very interesting Felix.  The Pigmi's and the Elfs in the enchanted forest for sure dude.
I love this story, he he he!!
I am sorry but only birch rings and shells.  The rims (hoops) are metal.
I am to much into rim shots to go with wood on the rims.  I think we are speaking the
same language?   I got home tonight and my wife told me there was a big box delivered.  My heart started to race. I saw the box and it was the right size.  Problem is, I have three orders coming.  One from Tama, one From Witt percussion and one from Interstate Muisc.  This one was from Tama.  My Iron Cobra Power Glide DB Pedal.  Still excited ;D!!! Ian Witt told me I will have the snare on the 30th or the 31st 8). Can't wait.
                                      Nutty

[Mark Counts]

Hi, guys,

Thanks for the concern, everyone.  Everything's cool - I'm just laying low these days, without much to say.

JW

Glad to know you are OK James. Missed reading your post lately.
                         Nutty

[NY Frank]

Hi, guys,

Thanks for the concern, everyone.  Everything's cool - I'm just laying low these days, without much to say.

JW

Good to hear.  Build any more amazing kits lately?

[Mark Counts]

Hi Folks,
OK, I am happy, the Drum is finally finished.  I got it today and tuned it for about 10 min. and it is the best I have ever played in my life.  What a tone(Body monster).
Man, I am glad the Cafe is back up ;D!!!
Here is a few of just the shell.
http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/5987/flame001uv0.jpg
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/2039/flame002jm9.jpg
And here is the finished product ;):



All in all, I am very satisfied with Ian Witt's quality and I can honestly say that his
drum shells not only look gorgeous but sound like nothing I have ever played ;D.
                                           Nutty

[yankeeboy13]

Nice! Have a blast with it...glad it was worth the wait.

[Mark Counts]

Nice! Have a blast with it...glad it was worth the wait.

Thanks yankeeboy13,
Actually, I have been playing with it all day.  It came with a Remo Coated Ambassador
on it even after I requested a Remo Fiberskyn 3 FA.  I was so happy to finally get the drum that I just tuned it up in about 10 min. and started playing it.  I Loved it!!
I had a Remo Fiberskyn 3 FA, brand new in a box and tried it.  I learned something today.
Remo Fiberskyn3's and EarthTones are for drums you are trying to get Tone out of.
If the drum already has tone you don't need those heads.  I compared my Tama Star Classic multi ply Birch 6 X14 to this WP Custom single Ply Steam Bent Birch 6 X 14 and the differences are:
The Steam bent drum is much lighter.  More tone more body, Not as much Crack(doesn't tare your ears off) and really not the volume(MODIFY: I was wrong, all the volume you want).  Very nice.  I put the Ambassador back on it.  This drum is very sensitive, you can Play soft or loud with just as good tone. The Fiberskyn 3 was to much, it doesn't need more tone. This drum has more tone than any drum I have played. The coated Remo Ambassador is the head
I am still playing with & it sounds very nice.  Very little muffling needed.  The Pure sound snare is very nice too. I am going to record with it tomorrow.  This will tell me even more.
                         Nutty

[felix]

I like the birch grain.  That's really a nice piece with some cool figuring.

You ought to try some die cast hoops on it for grins also- maybe swap them out with the triple flange hoops when you want to change sounds.

It looks like it has noble and cooley hardware on it.  Nice.

[Mark Counts]

I like the birch grain.  That's really a nice piece with some cool figuring.

You ought to try some die cast hoops on it for grins also- maybe swap them out with the triple flange hoops when you want to change sounds.

It looks like it has noble and cooley hardware on it.  Nice.

Hey Felix,
Can you explain what the difference is normally, in the Die Cast Hoop and the Triple Flange?
I maight really buy several different types if there is that big of a difference in sound of Hoops.
You were talking about the Noble and Cooley hardware. I am not exactly sure what the hoops are or the spindles but the strainer is what they are using on the Taye drums, also called a stealth strainer. I really also like the 20 strand Pure Sound wires. I will try to find out more about the hardware.  I think it is what WP uses on all there Delux models. Thank you for the complements.  I think she is pretty too.
                   Nutty

[Mark Counts]

OOOHHH Sh#$%^, I can't believe what it sounds like recorded.  I am going to find a way to put some of it on UTUBE and display it.  We were paying very close attention to 2 songs today. Let me see what I can do to let you hear what it sounds like.  There are about 6 songs live that would work ;).
                               Nutty

[Mark Counts]

I talked to Ian Witt, my drum builder at http://www.wittpercussion.com/, this morning.  There were some details about my new snare that I was supposed to keep a secrete until he did a show with a drum just like mine in Toronto Canada at the end of this month.  The company that he was going to do some kind of joint venture with and the show fell through so he told me I could tell all about it now ;D.

The Drum was truly inspired by something I read with Chris Whitten.  If I can find the whole artical I will provide the link to it. MODIFY:Here it is, http://www.majormusic.com.au/products/ew_dfh_custom_vintage.php. You will have to scroll down a bit to find all the info.

The drum is very Close to Noble and Cooley hardware.  The shell is Single Ply, Steam bent Lake Superior Flame Birch. Timeless Timbers ;).  The shell thickness is exactly this.  All of Ian's shell's are made to replicate the Vintage 30's and 40's Slingerland Radio King shells. The snare drum is very light compared to my 6 X 14 StarClassic birch snare.  The sound of this shell is like nothing I have played.  In talking to Ian this morning about drum heads and the Ambassador that is on it was very close to what Chris Said about them.  He said that if you are doing Studio work, he recommends the Ambassador for the best sound, But replace it after each session.  If you are going to be playing a lot of gigs go to an Evans head, they will last longer. If you don't know anything about Lake Superior Timeless Timber Wood. Check this artical out.  By the way,  Ian can still get this wood. He said he has a few regular Timeless Timber Birch pieces ready to bend right now.  He can also get other types of wood that are Timeless Timber. I have been really waiting to tell this, now I have :D.
I can honestly say that this snare was worth every penny I paid for it.  The workmanship, the sound and the looks.  Thank you James Walker for letting me know about Mr. Witt's reputation. If you contact Ian, please let him know that you heard it from Mark Counts.

More info on Timeless Timber

Recovered from the depths of the Great Lakes Region and other US and Canadian waterways Timeless Timber is virgin old-growth timber 300 - 1200 years old. Grown under a thick canopy of evergreen trees and competing for limited nutrients and sunlight in overgrown forests, virgin hardwood species matured very slowly, accumulating up to 40 to 50 rings per inch. Today's second growth rapidly maturing trees average only 5 to 10 rings per inch. These environmental factors resulted in the development of a finely grained, highly figured hardwood of exceptional quality and beauty.


In the 1800's logging mills dotted the shorelines of lakes and rivers that were adjacent to the majestic forests of North America. Thousands of rugged lumberjacks felled millions of virgin trees that were previously untouched by man. These logs were tied into rafts and floated to the lumber mills for processing. Most of the lumber was used for building the great cities of the Industrial Revolution, except the logs that were lost before reaching their destination. These logs also known as 'sinkers', became waterlogged in transit and in their subsequent holding ponds and settled to the bottom. Forgotten, these sunken timbers have remained at the bottoms of lakes and rivers for over a century, untouched and perfectly preserved in the icy cold waters of the North. It wasn't until the 1990's when Timeless Timber discovered these lost 'sinkers' and devised methods for the recovery and state-of-the-art kiln drying of these irreplaceable woods.

Extensive research into log mark records by Timeless Timber staff bridges the past with the present. Some Timeless Timber logs have marks showing the logging company's name, from that we try to determine the sawmill and the year the log was cut down and in transit. Today, only two million board feet of recovered submerged lumber is available each year, although new domestic and international caches are continually being discovered.



Some of the ever changing species of Timeless Timber are flamed red birch, hard maple, tidewater, red cypress, beech, ash, white pine, red pine, ponderosa pine, red oak, western larch and aspen, with more species being discovered as recovers continues. The allure that Timeless Timber wood provides is beyond compare. Whether you are an architect, fine home builder, furniture maker or rare woods purist Timeless Timber will give your next project exceptional beauty, strength and a captivating story that dates back to the days of Columbus's discovery of America.

                                  Nutty

[felix]

So you still like the drum I take it  ;)

[Chris Whitten]

That Timeless Timber makes a beautiful sounding instrument.  :)

He said that if you are doing Studio work, he recommends the Ambassador for the best sound, But replace it after each session.  If you are going to be playing a lot of gigs go to an Evans head, they will last longer.

Is that right?
I can't imagine saying exactly that.

I prefer a single-ply, coated head for recording. The Remo Ambassador is an excellent example, but most companies make something similar.
I generally use Evans for both studio and live. I don't remember saying I only use Evans live because 'they last longer'  ???

[Mark Counts]

That Timeless Timber makes a beautiful sounding instrument.  :)

Is that right?
I can't imagine saying exactly that.

I prefer a single-ply, coated head for recording. The Remo Ambassador is an excellent example, but most companies make something similar.
I generally use Evans for both studio and live. I don't remember saying I only use Evans live because 'they last longer'  ???

You didn't say that. Ian Witt did. You said, If you were using and Ambassador for doing studio work you would change the Ambassador every recording session. But for your gigs you have left it on for a period of time. We were talking about how fast the coating wears off. You said something like, if you aren't doing much work with brushes the coating doesn't really matter ;).                                  
                                             Nutty

[Chris Whitten]

Okey Dokey.  :)