updates •› reviews •› testimonials •›
11/01/2007
A delicious audio piece featuring our drums by JP3 of Sophia, Bulgaria. The track's title is "fancy"
See more about the band on JP3' myspace.
Dave King at the Boulder Theater this past May rockin' the 4 piece hickory kit. King is currently touring with a 5.5" hickory snare with wood rims and TopHat LugsŪ.
See more about the band on the Bad Plus' site.
First update of the new year. Our field reporters have uncovered a piece of info relating to the theory behind our construction technique. This fascinating little java app from FSU demonstrates the reason for having the grain in your wood moving up and down. But don't take my work for it, go check it out.
12/16/2005New Things to see and more. We have added an update to our “extras” page to include some fantastic new products. These include our hoops and inlays as well as our custom lugs. So feel free to search about.
11/10/2005Welcome to Head Drums.com version 2.0! We are pleased to announce the launch of our new look and are proud to have had Cognizant Designs put the site together for us. This much needed update comes at the fulcrum of our rise to fame get ready for a few new reviews this year and a few new products listed on the site.
Any new items here on the site will have hot links in the body text of our announcements so you can view the material on your own.
updates •› reviews •› testimonials •›
Here are the published reviews of our products from different magazines. All of these reproductions are used by permission:
“Head Drums is offering a new
product called Lugtight. It’s a lubricating thread compound that
sets up soft, so that the parts remain moveable after they are treated.
By filling the gaps in the threads, Lugtight prevents tension rods from
moving while a drum is played, so that it stays in tune. This is said
to eliminate the need for any external “tune-locking” devices.”
originally printed in
Modern Drummer Magazine, May 2004
head drums tulipwood snare
“Head Custom Drums offers a
5 1/2x14 Tulipwood snare drum, with vintage tube lugs and 2.3-mm hoops.
Tulipwood is a member of the rosewood family and has nearly identical
tonal quality to the Brazilian rosewood that is highly prized in the
manufacture of acoustic guitars. It’s a tropical hardwood only
available in small boards, due to the fact that the trees are typically
small. The Tulipwood snare is said to produce “a very bright sound
across a wide tuning range, with a rich midrange fullness.”
Head Drums’ stave-shell construction process uses small boards
cut to very precise tolerances in order to create a solid wood shell
that resonates and sustains better than standard plywood shells do.
Sixteen varieties of wood are currently available, each selected for
its unique musical and visual qualities. Head Drums will offer a limited
production of Tulipwood (along with Brazilian Rosewood and Ebony) snares
with a variety of options available, starting at $800.”
originally printed in
Modern Drummer Magazine, September 2003
Comin’ Out Of The Woodwork Head Drums
“Head Drums specializes in stave-construction
shells made of unique woods—some of which have not previously
been used for drum construction. These include hardwoods like bird's-eye
maple, wenge, hickory, purpleheart, African rosewood, red African padouk,
zebrawood, and Gabon ebony (said to be the darkest, densest wood on
the planet). The ebony drum has a low fundamental due to the shell size,
but has very complex overtones due to the unique voice of the wood.
It is finished only in paste wax with black chrome hardware.
Head also makes drums in softwoods, including Colorado spruce, heart
birch, Philippine mahogany, and douglas fir. These drums are said to
be extraordinarily sensitive, with warm, woody fundamentals. Australian
lacewood is also used, creating shells with little “sequin-like”
flakes that almost resemble snakeskin. The wood is very low-density
and produces a warm sound and an extremely low fundamental tone. Prices
fall into the $450-$650 range, except for specific models requiring
more expensive woods (like the ebony drum, at $900).”
originally printed in
Modern Drummer Magazine, April 2003
updates •› reviews •› testimonials •›
Here are some quotes from players and builders about their experience with Head Drums:
“I have played drums for 15 years
and I have built drums now for over 4 years. Head Drums provides me with
stave wood shells. We use these shells to make our high-end snare drums.
These are the best snare drums I have ever heard.”
Jason M Anderson ‹•› Creation Drum
Company
“Like many drummers, I have
an arsenal of different snare drums that I use for different applications.
But the one I find myself turning to more than any other features an
oak shell crafted by Steve Meyer. It has a round, woody tone that is
my favorite among my various wood-shell models, and yet it can also
produce a crack that rivals my thick-shelled metal drums. If I could
only have one snare drum, this is it.”
Eddie Eicher ‹•› independant artist
“I have to say that I didn't
realize how much I really like that drum until I had to go back to playing
my Sonor snare all this week-it's like going from driving a Ferrari
back to a Civic.”
Karl Friday ‹•› drum teacher GA