Tama Techstar TS 305

Ludwig 26x14 marcher becomes a kick drum

Boy, I've been a bad blogger, that's my story......and I'm sticking with it. So here's the deal. A Ludwig 26x14 marching drum, soon to be converted into a kick. All hardware removed. White cortex removed from shell. I need to buy or borrow a gromet removal tool. Then we'll get into color matching/staining the shell. This is gonna be a hoot.                                   

Cymbals not in a Tony Williams Tribute position

Yes, the "vertical adjusters" work.

Rogers in the living room for christmas

Got the idea to actually set up a kit "downstairs" for the holidays. It was a coin toss, actually. Carry the drums "upstairs", to the drum room...or carry the hardware "downstairs", to where the drums were. Downhill won. The project could not have turned out any better. With my nephew playing the kit some 25+ feet from me, the sound totally hit the mark. Perfect. Just the vibe I was striving for.

I Couldn't Even Go 1 Year Without A Big Kick Drum

Shut down my studio little over a year ago. Sold/traded off MOST of my acoustic drums. Including my Ludwig 26x14. Then I built my drum room. Then I started my Rogers project. And now. Another 26x14 Ludwig. So, fresh, out of the box. What will become part of "6 drums for all occasions".  Stay tuned.        

Add a 12" Rack Tom to the Set

So, another drum joins the team. After much thought and debate....would you believe a coin toss perhaps....the 12" rack tom won out over the 13". I don't have enough GOOD tom lugs to do both. More eBay purchases, no doubt. Anyhow, to match the floor tom, I went with the Slingerland stick saver hoop batter side and a Rogers hoop reso.      

Rogers XP-8 kickdrum on line

Drum #2 up and running. XP-8 shell, memriloc spurs, springless beavertail lugs, 22x14. Remo  Powerstroke 3 batter, Remo ebony Ambassador reso. I removed the "support tube" that runs top to bottom (inside the shell) and just put a standard memriloc tom mount dead center, to cover the holes. Sound is nothing short of spectacular.  And the look is exactly what I wanted. 28 year old drums, that, if anything, look 40. Thought I'd also post pictures of my 2 work spaces. Indoors, the living room coffee table, and outdoors, the front porch small round table.               

Paiste ColorSound 5 Red hi-hat/ride cymbal combo

Alright. Since folks have found out about my matched ColorSounds, I have been inundated with requests for pictures. OK...maybe not inundated! Would you believe 2 requests? Anyhow. Without further ado.....        

Rogerland 16" Floor Tom

So, the Ludwig legs are back to the Luddie 18", my memri-loc legs and mounts, sold on eBay. And the earlier style "knobbie"  mounts and round legs, won off eBay, installed. So now, it's mostly a Rogers drum, except for the Slingerland stick saver hoop.           

Rogwigland 16" floor tom

Back from a long MIA absence. So what we have here is a Rogers XP-8 shell, with Rogers lugs, Ludwig leg mounts, Slingerland stick saver top hoop, Rogers bottom hoop. Legs? Anyone's guess. Came out looking pretty much the way I wanted it to. At 28 years old (approx. guess), I wanted it to look at least that old, or older....not brand spanking new. So when the whole set comes together, it'll look like a drummer dog's working mans set, woof woof!!! The memriloc legs I got off eBay were not to my satisfaction, so I switched 'em out and soon they will be for sale on eBay again.

Usual suspect line-up

We have this weather thing...called June gloom. Came a bit early. Like most of the month of May. Perfect weather to not stain and paint in. Anyhow, I finally got a "warm weather" break. So the shells got their interiors finished. At least the floor tom and kick drum. Started with cleaning and sanding. Then 2 coats of Minwax Pre-stain wood conditioner. 3 coats of Minwax Rosewood stain. And for the finish, 4 coats of Minwax Polycrylic semi gloss spray. The exterior will get Howard Feed-N-Wax. Bees wax and orange oil, is the mix.