Selecting & Buying Other Equipment
On this page you will find
Drum Heads
Drum Sticks
Cases
General Spares
There are so many options that this page can only 'skim the
surface'.
However, hopefully it will provide you with a good start.
There are literally thousands of different combinations of size and weight for drum heads, made by a number of manufacturers with excellent quality control. The following general rules should help you to decide where to start.
You can choose any of the top manufacturers and be
assured of an excellent product. Try using the links to these
sites below to find out more.
Check-out the Drum Head Manufacturers
page for more information and expert help.
There are a large number of companies
manufacturing a wide range of sticks in different sizes, weights,
materials and with different tip materials.
The sticks should:
a. Have a good balance
b. Be perfectly straight
c. Be comfortable to hold (different sizes of sticks are more or
less comfortable depending on the size of your hands)
d. be heavy enough to suit your style of playing, but not too
heavy to strain your wrists.
Most drummers select a range of different sized
drum sticks to suit different playing situations.
Sticks with nylon tips give a brighter sound from the drums and
cymbals (and whatever they hit!). Wood tip sticks tend to give
an overall 'warmer' sound. Stick tips (or 'beads') come in a
wide range of sizes and shapes. Generally, the smaller tips
produce a light, 'tighter' and more 'focussed' sound. Larger
tips tend to produce a fuller sound. It really is a matter of
experimenting and then selecting the sticks that suit you
best.
Try 'alternative' types of sticks such as brushes, mallets or
beaters and 'multi-rod' type sticks for a variety of different
sounds and textures.
Wire brushes produce a 'softer' sound (and bend/distort more
easily!) whilst their nylon equivalents sound slightly 'coarser'
and are harder wearing. Retractable brushes afford some
protection to the brush part, but wire brushes are notorious for
jamming and bending if the handle is twisted by accident as the
brushes are retracted.
Multi-rod sticks comprise a number of thin dowels strapped
together. When the drum or cymbal is stuck, the rods produce a
softer response than a stick, but with an accompanying 'click'
(caused by the rods striking against each other). Weights of
stick depend upon the thickness of the dowels. The thicker the
dowels, the heavier the stick, the greater the response from the
drum or cymbal and harder the sound.
Mallets and beaters are available with tips or heads in different
grades of 'hardness'. Softer heads produce a more mellow sound,
but may take more effort to get heavier cymbals 'moving'
especially when building to a crescendo. They produce a very
mellow sound on the drums, producing an almost 'tympani' like
effect when used on toms.
Waywood Music supplies the Vic Firth
(including the NOVA) range of drumsticks and mallets at greatly reduced
prices. Contact Us for details.
Check-out the Drum Stick Manufacturers
page for more information and expert help.
The main requirement of cases for the travelling
drummer or percussionist is that they are light AND give maximum
protection against impacts from falling objects or against being
dropped.
They should also give protection against the keyboard
or guitar amp which can so often be stacked on top of them late
at night after a hard gig.
There are four main options available:
1. Don't case anything!
2. Fibre or plastic hard cases
3. Soft bag/flexible cases
4. Professionally-made flight cases
NO CASES: This
option is sadly too common. The effects are spectacular; dents,
gouges and scratches appear very quickly. It is also guaranteed
to get you a really low return if ever you try to sell them on
(if anyone will buy them). As you may have gathered, this
approach does NOT come highly recommended! Also AVOID the
temptation to pack your drums one inside the other (if you are
using single-headed drums). They don't like it!
FIBRE OR PLASTIC HARD CASES:
Perhaps the most widely used cases. Made from compressed
board, fibre or plastic materials they come in a wide
range of shapes, sizes and colours to fit most items you need to carry about with you. They are light
and give
excellent protection against direct impact. Few come ready-lined so it's always a good idea to
line them with some sort of foam or fleecy
material to give extra protection, especially in the
event of impact. Prices vary but they are not that expensive for
the protection you get.
SOFT CASES are gaining in
popularity, especially with the advent of very strong synthetic
fabrics. They also tend to be well padded and lined, so giving
good protection and helping to keep your equipment looking good.
They are ideal for the travelling drummer, BUT because they are
softer and more flexible, greater CARE must be taken when packing
your drums. This is fine if you monitor the process yourself,
but not so good if the guitarists are helping! Soft cases are
available in a huge range of shapes and sizes to fit most
things.
PROFESSIONALLY-MADE FLIGHT CASES:
These are rigid and give maximum protection for the serious or
much-travelled drummer. However, being based on a
metal-reinforced or glass-fibre construction, they are heavier
than the other two options. They are also considerably more
expensive.
SECOND-HAND CASES are often
available and worth the investment. Always look for damage (they
are likely to have taken some abuse) and check that it is not
likely to compromise their function. Pay special attention to
the handle(s) to make sure your prized possession does not
suddenly fall under the wheels of a passing lorry as the handle
comes away from the body!).
Check-out the Case Manufacturers page
for more information and expert help.
It is ALWAYS a good idea to keep a small
'emergency spares' kit for those times we all dread i.e., when
something goes wrong or doesn't work.
More recently, some manufacturers have started selling spares
kits for cymbals or drums.
The following is a suggested list which will be useful to carry
with you to help ensure that you get through the gig. Ensure
that all items are properly stored so that they are protected,
can be accessed quickly and actually WORK when they are used.
FOR DRUMS:
FOR CYMBALS:
GENERAL ITEMS:
As always, you may like to Contact Us with specific
Questions.
Alternatively, you may like to contact the Manufacturers directly, or the Music Press to access reviews and 'road tests' of
the equipment you're looking for.
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