DRUM SCENE '84 WHAT'S NEW & WHY

DRUM SCENE '84 WHAT'S NEW & WHY

FEATURES

Michael Shore

by

It's obvious by the course manufacturers are taking that electronic drums will play a biggerthan-ever role as part of the player's equipment arsenal. Accordingly, we are devoting more space than ever before to electronics. Future issues of CREEM will keep you in touch with the continuing changes in percussion, but for the moment, here 'tis.

PEARL DRUM

Pearl is making 'free-floating system' snare drums, a revolutionary 'lug-less' drum in which the shell is held fast between two rims by special sleeveless lugs. This means that no lug-sleeves are drilled into the shell, leaving it free to resonate more clearly, which greatly enhances dynamics, response and projection. Just as intriguing is the fact that Free-Floating snares are available in four different shell materials you can take on tour with you, as they're all easily interchangeable: maple (in 5", 6V2", and 8" 'heavy metal' depths), steel (5" and 6V2" depths), copper (5" and 6V2" depths), and brass (5", 6V2", and a new 3V2" deep 'piccolo' snare depth). Frankie Banali of Quiet Riot is a recent convert to the Free-Floating System snare.

Here's the run-down on Pearl's series of drum kits:

The new GLX-9500 and GLX-9300 'SuperPro' kits are Pearl's top-of-the-line models, competing with Yamaha's Recording series, Tama's Artstar and the like. They feature 8-ply maple shells and Pearl's magnificent highly polished lacquer finishes (black piano, wine red, natural and walnut). The 9500 series drums feature 'Deep Force' power shells with an extra 2" of depth; the 9300 series has conventionally sized drums. The Super-Pro series also features two new Pearl innovations: the TH-95 'independent suspension system/total angle adjustment' tom holder,and the 'Super Gripper' lug system, a fascinating and potentially revolutionary idea—with a springless (and hence noiseand rattle-free) lug sleeve that uses special EVA nylon tubing to grip the lug, a specially designed brass cylinder at the end of the lug that is gripped by the nylon tubing to ensure no back-off on the heads once tuned (an automatic lug-locking idea—nice), and a lug sleeve that flips open (sort of the way suitcase fasteners do) for amazingly quick and easy lug removal, which means changing heads is now a snap (literally!).

The MX (maple with standard covering finish) and MLX (maple with high-gloss lacquered finish) have the same 8-ply maple shells as the GLX kits, but come without the hardware innovations. And whereas the GLX kits come standard with a gorgeous 6V2" deep brass snare, the MX and MLX kits come standard with Pearl's revolutionary 'Free-Floating System' steel-shell snares in 6V2 " depths. As in the GLX series, there are extra-deep 'Deep Force' shells (MLX or MX 8500 series) or standard-sized shells (8300 series).

The DLX and DX kits (again, 7500 for deep shells, 7300 for standard shells) have 7-ply shells, with three plies of mahogany between two plies Linda Matlow/Pix Int'l each of super-lamin wood and birch; since the birch is on the inside resonating surface, these are effectively birch-shelled drums.

All of the above kits come standard with Pearl's new triple-flanged steel 'Super Hoops,' said to provide greater projection, durability, and more even and reliable tuning.

Finally, there are Pearl's 'Export' budget lines, among the best drum deals around. The standardsize and finish EX shells are 9-ply mahogany; the slightly higher priced ELX shells (lacquer finish, two extra inches deep) are six plies of mahogany between two plies of birch.

LUDWIG

Up until several years ago, Ludwig made stainless steel shells and Aerolite fiberglass seethrough shells. These days, though, they stick to what they do best: 6-ply rock maple, carefully formed with select, cross-grained veneers. Their chrome snare drums are drawn in single dies from solid squares of metal, and are seamless one-piece classics. Ludwigs are available in a wide range of single-headed or double-headed standard and power-drum sizes. The concert toms relate to another Ludwig innovation, the first drum sets with complete sets of melodic concert toms—the Quadra-Plus (four concert toms, 13" through 16", plus floor tom, bass and snare) and the OctaPlus (add 6", 8", 19" and 12" concert toms). Both are still available, and still as excellent as ever.

Newest addition to the Ludwig lineup is the 75th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee kit, with power toms and 6V2" snare—and finishing details that include American eagle emblem on the toms and bass drum front skin, the classic old-style 'keystone' Ludwig imprint on the air-holes and the old-style Ludwig script logo on the bass drum's front head. This is not only an excellent drum kit—it's sure to become a collector's item.

But for all that time-tested quality, you have to pay. Most Ludwig kits are quite expensive; the only cheap ones are the budget-priced S/L series—which is only slightly lower in quality than their top-of-the-line merchandise and is still priced higher than most comparable budget sets—and the Phaser series, which is really an intermediatepriced set. The Phaser and S/L series come in near the low end of the mid-price spectrum. They're basic four-and five-piecers with standardsize drums, or smaller jazz-sized bass and toms, and with fine single-braced hardware. Moving up a bit, Ludwig's highest-priced mid-range kit. The Big Beat, we get a classic five-piece with Ludwig's 6-ply maple shells, featuring a 22" bass drum, 12" x 8" and 13" X 9" toms, 16" x 16" floor tom, 14" x 5" chrome snare, and a more complete set of sturdier hardware.

PREMIER

Premier's Resonator drums are available in standard or power-drum sizes and all are doubleheaded. Resonator drums, like the Soundware shells, have superb laminated birch construction—but Premier then builds an added, extra-thin birch shell inside of the main drum shell. There's a very thin air-chamber between the two shejls acting as a tone chamber to amplify the drum's projection. Adding even further to the resonance is the fact that all the shell's lugs and mounting hardware are drilled into the outer shell; the inner shell is free to vibrate without hindrance. Ultimately, Resonator drums actually sound bigger than their size because of the tone chamber. They have a very unique and powerful 'fat' sort of sound that's both heavy and yet, at the same time, nearly as bright as a timbale. These are really amazing drums. A good way to check out their sound on record is to listen to onetime Premier endorser Phil Collins with Genesis on The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway.

Premier didn't stop with the Resonators, even though they were already probably the biggestsounding standard-sized drums on the market. They went and made Resonators in power-drum sizes, so nowyou can blow the roof right off the house. In fact, the latest addition to Premier's kit lineup is the Black Shadow series, which are power-tom Resonator outfits finished in a gorgeous deep black stain. The basic Shadow 5 kit had a 22" x 16" bass drum, 12" x 14" and 13" x 11" power toms, a 16" x 16"floortom and a 14" x 8" wood Resonator snare you have to hear to believe. The Shadow 8 and 9 add extra toms, the 9 also sporting a second bass drum. Hardware of course is top-notch all the way, including the Premier PD252 bass drum pedal, one of the best on the market. Price? If you have to ask...

Premier makes some of the most beautiful— and most expensive—drums in the world. They are the Royal II 5804 and 5805 sets: both are fivepiecers, with a 22" x 14" bass drum, 5" x 14" chrome snare, 12" x 8" single-braced hardware, while the 5805 costs a bit more because of its very sturdy double-braced Tristar stands.

ROGERS

Long a respected name in the drum business, Rogers has always been right up there with Ludwig, Gretsch and Slingerland among American companies. Such a reputation usually means pretty costly merchandise, but last year Rogers introduced some budget-line kits of their own. The R-340 is the lowest-priced, and its five standardsized pieces are available only in a white-glos;s finish and with single-braced stands. The R-360 is also a standard-size five-piece in a choice of white or black finish, with 9-ply mahogany shells, somewhat sturdier hardware complete with nylon bushings at the height-adjustment joints and a 10-lug steel snare drum.

Rogers's mid-line kits start with the Heritage 5, a five-piecer that's billed in the catalog as a jazz kit, but has such an unusual array of drum sizes it's worth checking out by any kind of drummer. There's an 18 " x 16" bass drum, 5" x 14" chrome snare of the Dyna-Sonic brass-shell variety, with a classic 14" x 14" floor tom, you get two unusual toms with smaller head diameters but deeper shells—10" x 10" and 12" xl2".

Next is The Beat, a five-piece kit with a cheaper Super Ten chrome snare, but with 22" bass drum and power toms sized 12" x 12", 14" x 14", and a 18" x 16" floor tom. You also get one boom cymbal stand here instead of two standard cymbal stands.

The Londoner 5 is all standard-sized drums in a five-piece configuration with wide-bottomed hardware. The Super Londoner 5 is also a fivepiece kit, but with larger sized drums: a 24" bass drum, 6V2" snare, 13" and 14" toms, and 18" floor tom. And here the hardware is all doublebraced.

Finally, the XL Londoner 5 is a five-piece with a 22" x 18" power drum, 12" x 12" and 13" x 13" power toms, 16" x 16" floor tom and a humongous 14" x 8" maple snare drum; the hardware is all super-duty double-braced, and, like all Rogers stands, features their innovative 'Memri-loc' system to make set-ups a breeze.

At the top of our price-range is the Rogers R-380, a five-piece kit available in black, white or woodgrain finishes, with 9-ply mahogany shells and superb double-braced stands. As with the other kits, you get 22" x 14" bass drum, 5" x 14"metal snare, 12" x 8" and 13" x 9" toms, and 16" x 16" floor tom.

TAMA

Many of Tama's 6-ply Superstar and 9-ply Imperial Star kits, depending on the number and size of drums you want, are higher priced. And well they should be: if nothing else, Tama makes some of the sturdiest, most road-worthy drums and hardware around.

But now they've gone beyond that and answered Sonor's Lites with their own state-ofthe-art concept. Fittingly called the Artstar series, they too have shells only six millimeters thick, but here they're made of a layer of birch laminated between two plies of high-density South American Cordia wood. The shells are then equipped with 'Mighty Lugs,' which have no springs or moving parts to rattle around or add unwanted resonance. And, the Artstars are available only in extra-deep power shell sizes. If you can afford 'em, you'll be using them along Simon Phillips, the ambidextrous marvel who's played with Jeff Beck and who is one of the most respected drummers in the world today. He swears by his Tama Artstars.

Starting with the top of Tama's estimable midprice lines, there's the Superstar series, their second-best kit. Superstar shells are made of 6-ply birch, (birch being popular choice as the best wood for drum shells). Their hardware is the doublebraced Titan line, and hardware doesn't come much harder for wear. The Tama Superstar 9700 kit gives you a 22" x 14" bass drum, a 5" x 14" chrome snare, 12" x 8" and 13" x 9"toms, and a 16" x 16" floor tom, plus a bass drum pedal, hi-hat stand (with deluxe adjustable spring action yet), and two cymbal stands plus snare stand. Still in the Superstar line, there's the 9900 kit, which is a five-piecer with power-drums.

Next down the line is Tama's Imperial Star series with 9-ply shells of selected straight-grain woods that are heavily laminated at high-pressure (which adds a lot to their brightness and projection) and then coated with ZolaCoat sealant which makes them ultra-weather-proof. The Imperial Star 8400 is a basic standard-sized five-piecer, complete with that superb Titan double-braced hardware. Add another floor tom (18" x 16") and you have the 8401. The five-piece power drum version, the 8900, also comes in well under the lower price mark.

The Swingstar SS505, a standard five-piece set, features 9-ply wood shells and some of the strongest single-braced hardware we've seen. For a few dollars more you can get a 6V2 " chrome snare instead of the standard 5V2 ". At just a little over that is the Royalstar RS695, another fivepiecer but with 'X-Tras' toms and bass—Tama's version of power shells, with 12" x 11" and 13" x 12" toms, 22" x 16" bass and 6V2" chrome snare standard. Yo!

GRETSCH

At Gretsch you can go from a basic five-piece kit with larger sized tom toms (i.e. 13" x 9" and 14" x 10", rather than 12" x 8" and 13" x 9), all the way up to the amazing Zenith, with 13—count 'em, 13—tom toms, two floor toms, two bass drums and, would you believe, two snare drums—one 14" x 6" and one 14" x 8". There's also a full range of single-headed conventional toms, single-headed power toms, and double-headed power toms, plus power bass drums and of course that extra-deep 8" snare.

You can get any number of Gretsch outfits, from basic to extravagant at mid-line prices—but, in most cases, that's without snare drum or hardware. Still, if you must have those 6-ply staggeredjoint maple shells, and a lot of drummers must, check 'em out. There are also some truly complete kits in this range. The four-piece 'Jazz' series includes an 18" bass drum, 12" x 8" and 14" x 14" toms or, for more money, a 22" bass, 13" x 9" and 16" x 16 " toms with 5 " x 14" snare standard. The complete five-piece 'Grand Prix' kit with 22" X 14" bass drum, 5" x 14" chrome snare, and 12" x 8", 13" x 9" and 16" x 16" toms, comes in at just under the top midrange cut-off. Hey—you get what you pay for, and here you're paying for top quality.

Gretsch, perhaps in honor of the 100th anniversary they celebrated last year, have gone right out of their minds with a deal so amazing it's just perfect. We're raving about the very affordable Blackhawk P-560 kit, a power-drum five-piecer with 22" x 16" bass drum, 61/2" X 14" 10-lug chrome snare, 12" x 10" and 13" x 11 "toms, 16" X 16" floor tom and full hardware.

SLINGERLAND

Slingerland is another very experienced, highly respected American drum maker, and their topof-the-line stuff stands up to anyone's. Mainly we're talking about the many and varied Magnum kits, with either standard-sized or 'Mega-Tom' power drums, with 5-ply maple shells. Slingerland also makes two different kinds of single-headed concert toms: 'standard cut,' which are conventional concert toms with the added cosmetic and structural benefit or rims (though no lugs) fixed on the bottoms as well; and 'cutaways,' wherein the front part of the shell had an arch-shaped cutaway, allowing stronger forward projection.

Slingerland's top-of-the-line is the Magnum series of kits, which feature highly resonant 5-ply maple shells. There's a wide variety of outfits with standard-sized toms, concert toms, or powerdrum 'Mega-Toms.' The XM-5 is a basic fivepiece kit complete with double-braced hardware that's as strong as you're likely to need; replace the regular cymbal stands with boom-stands and you have the XM51. The XM51 is another fivepiece with even stronger hardware. And for a little more, the XM52 gives you a power bass drum and a super-loud 7" deep snare drum.

All of these kits are available with the May EA miking system which mounts a Shure 57 inside the drum. The higher-pitched Spirit series ranges from five-piece outfits to seven-piece and ninepiece sets with added concert toms. Throughout, conventional or power drums are available.

Finally, for the Pittsburgh Steeler fans out there, Slingerland's 'Black Gold' kit—a limited edition set designed by Carmine Appice, with gorgeous black-chrome power drums, brass-plated hardware and a brass snare—gives you 22" x 14" bass drum, 5" x 14" snare, 12" x 12"and 13" x 13" Mega-Toms, two 16" x 16" floor toms, two boom cymbal stands, a bass pedal and two hi-hat stands. To complete the stunning visual picture these kits also come with black drum heads. Phew!

DRUMMER'S PROFILE

SLIM JIM PHANTOM of the STRAY CATS

At the relatively tender age of 25, Slim Jim Phantom is sitting on fop of the world: he drums for the Stray Cats, one of the most popular rock bands in the world; be was recently married to blonde beauty movie star Britt Ekland; and he doesn't even have to spend any undue time away from the missus because with the Stray Cats, Slim Jim's kit consists of only three pieces—bass drum, snare drum, and cymbal.

So you could be forgiven if you think Slim Jim's got it...well, easy. But that's not totally the case. For one thing, Slim Jim plays his three pieces standing up—he's never resorted to sitting on a drum throne with the Stray Cats; and for another, rockabilly drumming is vastly different in feel and technique from ,straight-ahead rock drumming. It's not as easy to play, nor to play properly, as it might seem—especially if you've grown up on rock bashing. Let Slim Jim Phantom himself (born James McDonnell) tell it:

'1 guess I'm like everyone else my age: 1 heard the Beatles and everything else happening in the mid-'60s, and that was it. I guess drums were the first thing that came to me. By the time 1 was eight, I'd bugged my parents so much by beating on everything and anything l could that they got me my first kit—a four-piece Gretsch. Since then I've always used Gretsch drums, and 1 still do. They're solid and reliable and they sound good—what more do you need?

'Through my teens, 1 always played in rock and blues bands. But before that. 1 took some lessons, learned how to read music a little, and studied drums with Mousey Alexander, a fantastic big band swing drummer who used to play with Benny Goodman. That came in really handy with the Stray Cats, because rockabilly drumming isn't just a hard 4/4 whack like most rock drumming—it's a lot closer to jaz2 and bebop and swing drumming, a lot of fast snare and cymbal work on top of the bass drum beat. It's not necessarily more fancy or anything, it's just a different approach.

'Anyway, when we started the Stray Cats, that jazz training came in really handy, and so did my experience in blues bands. Blues involves a lot more swing-oriented rhythms, and a lot of shuffles, and rockabilly drumming is really based on shuffles. Shuffles have gone out of most rock music lately, so 1 wonder how many rock drummers really could play rockabilly shuffles? Anyway, with me it all turned out to be connected and it all worked out: the jazz lessons helped me play blues music better, and the jazz lessons and the blues experience helped me with the Stray Cats.'

And what about playing standing up? How many other rock drummers could do that? .

'Well,' laughs Jim, 'in my case I can get away with it because our music doesn't need any more than the basic timekeeping elements, and l can still do all the fills I want and we need with that. Whereas I could not do that in a band like, say, Rush, or something where you had one of these massive kits. Playing standing up took as long to get used to as playing with a rockabilly feel. At first, I fell over a lot! Eventually, 1 learned it was a matter of balance. I'm a leftie, so what 1 do is keep most of my weight on my right foot, so I can use the left foot on the bass drum whenever and however I want. That's really all there is to it—there's no special way of bending my knees, or any special way of angling my foot on the bass pedal, although those things might work for other drummers if they want to try playing on their feet. 1 mean, I decided to play this way just because we thought it would be cooler onstage to do it that way. more fun. And it helps me to get into the music, actually, in a more physical way. The next step'll have to be a portable kit, so 1 canrun around as much as Brian Setzer does with his guitar!'

As he said before, Jim's a lifelong Gretsch man. Currently, he uses a 24" bass drum, a 14" by 6" wood snare, and an 18" Paiste 2002 Power Ride cymbal. 'Gretsch made me some neat custom kits,' says Jinri, 'in pink and leopard-skin and all sorts of wild stuff like that. As for Paiste, I endorse them too, because I like their sound and they cut through really clean. The Power Ride is a perfect cymbal for me, because most of my cymbal work is ride patterns for timekeeping, and the Power Ride has a beautiful ping with nice body under it, it doesn't sound too mushy and it doesn't sound too dainty either. And because it's a little thinner than most ride cymbals, I can crash on it when I have to.' His hardware is all Gretsch as well, and he's got a specially designed miking system with tiny 'country club' mikes and their wires installed in his cymbal stand and snare drum, and a Shure mike in his bass drum, with all the wires running through the hardware and into one junction box. 'It makes set-ups and tear-downs unbelievably simple,' says Jim, 'and to the au-, dience, it looks like I have just a kit and no mikes, 'cause the mikes are invisible.'

Slim Jim shuffles along on Duraline heads, 'the woven ones that look like burlap bags, because they sound good and they last— I used to break heads all the time.' His sticks are his own name model custom-made by Foote in England, 'along the lines of a Regal Tip Rock, with a nylon tip, though I almost always play the snare with the butt end of the stick.' He uses matched grip most of the time, switching to traditional grip 'for ballads and things where 1 don't need so much power.'

As far as favorites and influences go, Jim says 'Ringo and Charlie Watts have always been,my all-time favorites. For rockabilly drummers, my favorite is Dickie Harold, who played with Gene Vincent's original Blue Caps, and of course there was D.J. Fontana with Elvis. Nowadays, l have loads of favorites: Steve Gadd, Jeff Porcaro, Bernard Purdie, all those L.A. session cats, man are they tasty! And Simon Phillips. He blows me away.,

'Listening to records and watching drummers is a great way to start learning drums,' says Jim, 'and I did that like everyone else does. But I'm so glad I took those lessons. It's not that any particular paradiddle always comes in handy, it's never that specific—but I'm always making use of something that I wouldn't have known without lessons and proper practice of rudiments. So 1 guess I have to recommend drum lessons to anyone out there.' ■

In terms of other advice for young drummers, Slim Jim Phantom laughs: 'Practice1, Practice, practice, practice till your hands bleed. Then practice some more. That's what I did and still do, l try to do at least an hour of rudiments every day if I can. Mainly, my advice it to stick with it. It can get very hard and discouraging in the music business at times. 1 mean, I know what I'm talking about. The Stray Cats had to go to England to make it, and then we came back home and showed everyone who thought we couldn't do it that we could do it. I'm living proof that perseverance pays off.' ;§|j

As one of America's leading percussion manufacturers, Slingerland makes a wide range of equipment. Fortunately for you, the up-andcoming drummer who's not rich yet, that also includes some serious, quality merchandise at surprisingly low prices. Starting at the bottom, Slingerland's Odyssey kit is basically a Remo PTS unit with added tension lugs for more tuning flexibility.

Next up is the Slingerland Artist series of kits, with 3-ply maple shells and light-duty, singlebraced hardware. The Artist J-4 is a four-piece kit with smallish standard-sized drums (20" bass, 5"snare, 12" x 8"tom, 14" x 14"floortom). The J-5 adds a 13" x 9" tom and substitutes a 16" x 16" and 22" x 14" bass tom.

At the top of this range there's the Spirit 1000, also with 3-ply maple shells, and with sturdier lugs and hardware.

YAMAHA

Yamaha kits come in four series: Recording and Recording Custom (the Custom's difference is its 'lustrous piano finish'), with 6-ply all-birch shells; the Tour Series, with 7-ply birch and mahogany shells; and the Stage Series, with 9-ply mahogany shells. The Recording and Recording Custom series are the most expensive; the Stage is the lowest-priced. Some of the Tour and Stage kits are actually quite reasonably priced, considering their superior quality.

Right at the top of the Yamaha line is the Recording Custom R794, with two 24" bass drums, eight double-headed toms and a 7" deep snare. And yes, their finish really does look like a piano's, deep, rich and lustrous ebony. The Recording Series R694 features 6 single-headed concert toms, 16" and 18" floor toms, 24" bass drum and a 6V2" snare.

Several months ago, Yamaha finally introduced its own 'Power Series' of deeper toms and bass drums, all offered in all four drum lines. The 14" x 8" power snare is available only in the Recording Custom Series, however.

Finally, with every Yamaha kit, you get Yamaha hardware. And it is good. It's also coded in systems: the Nine Series is top-of-the-line, heavy duty, double-braced; the Seven Series is single-braced but still heavy duty, and the Five Series is single-braced and lighter duty, perfectly fine for any budget-minded drummer.

Yamaha's superb drum kits come in four varieties: the top-of-the-line Recording series, super-top-of-the-line Recording Custom, mid-line Tour series, and the lowest-priced Stage series. There is one Recording Series kit priced at the mid-line level: the RE490, essentially a jazz kit with a 20" bass drum, 12" x 8" a'nd 14" x 14" toms, and a 5V2" chrome snare, 12" X 8" and 13" x 9" toms, and 16" x 16" and 18" x 16" floor toms. The R172 is a five-piece version for several hundred dollars less (take away the 18" floor tom). And the T470 is the four-piece jazz version with a smaller-sized bass drum (20") and toms (12" x 14").

CB-700

Distributed by Haitian, CB-700 drums are designed in consultation with noted percussionist Fred Hoey. Hoey must know what he's doing, because these are excellent quality drums at remarkably popular prices. All the shells, except the chrome snares, are made of 9-ply wood— they're strong, durable and sound just fine. Their starter is the STD-4 with a 20" x 14" bass drum, 5x/2" and 4" chrome snare, 12" x 8" tom, and 14" X 14" floor tom. Add a 13" x 9"tomand you've got the STD-5C. The STD-522 substitutes a 22" bass drum and 16" X 16" floor tom.

If you want a bit more power, as in bigger toms, try the CB-700 DL-5, with 22" bass, 5V2" chrome snare, 13" x 9" and 14" x 10" toms and 16" x 16" floor tom. These all include some external hardware, such as bass drum pedal, cymbal stands, snare stand and hi-hat pedal. Of course, the higher you go in price, the more hardware comes with the kit.

The ML-5 is like the DL-5, only a 6V2" deep chrome snare for added oomph; the ML-5W is the same kit in special wine or walnut-stained wood-grain finish. The ML-6 is the same as the ML-5, but with a 24" bass drum. Just a shade over that mark, there's the MRT-15, with 22" bass drum, 5V2" chrome snare, 16" x 16" floor tom, and 12" and 14" Rototoms—a neat idea. And the DL-57 has the same basic snare, bass and floor tom with four melodic single-headed concert toms, sizes 10", 12", 13" and 14".

With their cost-conscious approach to making quality drums, CB-700 has plenty to offer in the mid-range level. The ML-7Q0 has a 24" bass drum, 6V2" chrqme snare and a full complement of melodic double-headed toms sized 10" x 6V2", 12" x 8", 13" x 9", and 14" x 10"—plus a hefty 18" X 16" floor tom.

Only slightly higher in price is the DC-9, basically the same kit as the ML-700 but with additional 15" X 12" and 16" x 14" double-headed toms, and a 5V2 " chrome snare instead of the 6V2 " and 22" rather than 24" bass drum. For only a bit more than that, you can get the 6V2" chrome snare back for the MC-9 outfit. The DL-9, finally, has a 24" bass drum, a 5V2" chrome snare, and adds another 8" x 5Vi" melodic doubleheaded tom to the above arrays.

REMO

Remo are most famous as the world's leading makers of drum heads. Most recently, they revolutionized the drum and percussion world with the distinctive and extremely versatile Rototom. More recently than that, Remo revolutionized the world of low-priced starter sets with their PTS series.

PTS stands for Pre-Tuned System. It all started when Remo developed a way to shrink rather than stretch drum head film under controlled conditions. The results were heads pre-tuned to a specific pitch and tension. Remo didn't stop there. If the head was already pre-tensioned, they reasoned with commendable logic, why not fit it onto a drum that could be made more simply, and more cheaply? They did it: the PTS head snaps onto the shell, rather than needing six or eight or ten lug-screws to be tensioned on at a time. Retaining clips hold the head firmly in place. Since tuning lugs aren't needed, neither are lug sleeves—therefore there's less hardware on the shell itself, allowing it to vibrate more freely (remember the thick-ply vs. thin-ply debate we discussed earlier?). The PTS drum shells themselves are not made from multiple plies of wood, but rather from high-density laminated wood tubing, resin-coated for durability. They're very strong and lighter in weight than conventional wood shells, which comes in handy when you're traveling with the kit.

The PTS heads are Ambassador Coatedweighted film, your basic industry standard, and come pre-tuned in three tonal variations—bright, mellow and dark. Bright is recommended for rock playing. Each head comes mounted in a chrometrimmed metal retaining hoop that doubles as the drum's counterhoop. The kits come with either 22" or 18" bass drum—22" is of course better for rock—and with single or double headed toms, in either three-piece configurations (bass, snare, small tom), four-piece (bass, snare, tom, floor tom), or five-piece (bass, snare, two toms, floor tom). The 22 " bass drum sets feature standardsized toms: 12" x 8", 13" x 9", and a 16" x 14" floor tom. The 18" bass drum kits have slightly smaller toms: 10" x 7", 12" x 8", and 14" x 12" floor toms. There's also a Junior Pro kit, for the little guy who's drumming before he even toddles off to school with 12" x 4" snare, 10" x 6" tom, 12" x 10" floor tom, and 16" x 10" bass drum.

COSMIC PERCUSSION

Marketed by Latin Percussion, the kings of timbales and cowbells, Cosmic is the new drumset division undertaken by L.P. a few years back. Again, all shells are of 9-ply construction, with stronger double-braced hardware. You can go up to seven pieces, which includes some additional concert toms, and still be paying a very reasonable price.

Since Cosmic drums are basically well-made lower-priced kits, their only real high-priced item at the top-of-the-line Ascend nine-piece kit, with six double-headed melodic toms ranging from 8" to 15" diameter, 16" x 16" floor tom, a 22" bass drum and bxh" chrome snare. It comes complete with 9-ply shells and a full complement of heavy-duty, double-braced hardware including boom cymbal stands.

Latin Percussion's drum-kit subsidiary has lots to offer in the moderate price range, too. Their mid-level Supreme series, as mentioned earlier, has a fine seven-piece kit with extra toms. The Supreme nine-piece gives you a full range of six toms, all double-headed with 9-ply shells, sizes 8" x 5V2", 10" x 6V2", 12" x 8", 13" x 9", 14" x 10", and 15" x 12", plus a 22" bass drum, 16" x 16" floor toms, and5%" x 14" 10-lug chrome snare.

SONOR

Sonor 'Lites' are a new generation of ultra-thin shells. They are made of select Scandinavian birch wood, which is also used in aircraft production because it's very stable yet has very little actual weight—hence the name Lites. Sonor is now able to make one 9-ply thick shell that only measures a silly six millimeters in thickness. Their sound is very warm, rich and bright. Because of the unique sound of the ultra-thin shells, unique sizes were made as well: for instance, 12" x 10" and 13" x 11" toms, and 15" x 14" and 17" x 16" floor toms. Snares are 7V4" deep. Lites are available in two splendrous finishes: genuine rosewood and natural birch. The birch is really something to see: with its blond color and unique grain, it almost looks like cork. And the bass drums come with matching wood rims. The Lite snares are all wood-shelled. In their other lines, Sonor makes snares of ferro-manganese steel, rosewood, bubinga or ebony in a wide variety of sizes from a 3V|f deep piccolo snare to a big 8" deep job. Marketed by Charles Alden Music of Massachusetts, these are very serious, very beautiful and very musical drums. There's amazing attention to detail in all Sonor drums—even down to their patented, innovative 'floating head' system where the bearing edge of the drum shell is carefully shaped and sanded to allow minimum contact with the drum head itself, thus enabling a true resonance and projection.

Sonors come in three varieties, all of them made of selected beech wood, which along with birch is considered the finest wood for making a drum shell. The Signature Series has 12 plies, and comes in either 'heavy' or 'light' shell weights, 'heavy' being made of thicker plies, 'light' of thinner plies. The former gives a deeper, more mellow and dry sound, the latter a brighter, higher-pitched sound. They're available in two magnificent natural wood finishes—African Bubinga and Indonesian Makasser Ebony.

The Phonic Series has 9-ply beech wood shells, and is available in standard sizes with the Phonic Plus range of extra-deep power drums. Phonic Plus drums are available in red mahogany or white gloss finishes, Phonic in a wider variety including beautiful natural rosewood.

STATUS CYMBALS

BEFORE THE CRASH

ZILDJIAN

There are several Zildjian lines: The A. Zildjian series is top-of-the-line for any kind of music, but especially recommended for rock because they really are built to last and project. There are all sorts of A. Zildjians available, including nine types of ride cymbals alone: the classic all-purpose medium ride (16" through 24" sizes); the classic dual-purpose crash-ride (16" through 22" sizes); the special designed Rock Ride (20" and 22"), with extra-large bell and extra-flat taper for a deep, dark 'ping,' which is a heavy ride design for an ultra-clean 'ping,' and not for any kind of crashing; the Mini-Cut Ride, similar to the 'ping' but with an extra-small bell that cuts down on overtone buildup for even clearer definition; the super-controlled Flat Top Ride (18" to 22") and, finally, a real off-beat number called the Earth Ride.

The Earth Ride is a very heavy ride cymbal with an extremely large bell, that has not been lathed or finished—so it literally has a 'flat' surface, without the tonal grooves that lathing cuts into every cymbal, and with a nice 'dirty' surface. It gives a very strong and quite unique ping-pang sort of ride sound, a cross between a Chinese Cymbal and a heavy ride.

The A. Zildjian line also has a variety of crashes: the basic Thin Crash (13" to 20"); the Medium Thin Crash (16" to 22") with slightly higher pitch and longer sustain; the Medium Crash (16" to 20"), even higher pitched and with greater sustain and added cutting power, and the Rock Crash (16" to 19"), Zildjian's strongest crash with medium weight, extra-large bell and a special taper to make it really project.

Then there's the A. Zildjian splash cymbal, size 8", 10" or 12"—a little guy that cuts through brilliantly with a super-flat attack and decay owing to its extreme thinness. Splashes are also ideal for 'choking': a sort of sonic freeze-frame where you smash the cymbal and then 'choke' it with your other hand.

A. Zildjian medium-weight New Beat Hi-Hats have been industry standards for years and come in 13" through 16" sizes. The Rock hi-hats are heavier and have a 'chick' sound that cuts through stronger (14" and 15"). Light hi-hats (13" through 16") are thinner, with a lower pitch and a slightly softer volume, which is nice for subdued small-band playing. The Quick-Beat hi-hats (14" and 15") are very unusual: a medium-heavy topy cymbal and a flat, bell-less bottom cymbal with four air-holes cut in it to prevent air-lock.

A. Zildjian 'specialty' cymbals include the Swish (in sizes 14" to 22"), often played with rivets installed for that wooshy sustain of its gonglike sound; the heavier Swish Knocker (22" only); and the good old Sizzle, a medium thin cymbal with 6 or 8 rivets installed for that classic bebop buzzing ride sound. The A. Zildjian China Boy cymbals have upturned edges and squared-off bells, but they also come in two varieties: lowpitched and high, depending on how they're tapered. They're available in 16" through 22" sizes.

Zildjian has long made a second line, the K. Zildjian series. For convenience, the two main lines are commonly known as 'A's' and 'K's.' K's have generally been used more for jazz and other such softer, more delicate musics. They have a distinctively darker tonal quality than the A's and are drier and more precise, owing to a great degree of careful hand-hammering in their manufacturing process.

A year ago, Zildjian brought out their new Amir lower-priced cymbals. 'Amir' means 'Prince' in Arabic, by the way. These are non-cast cymbals, for a crisp, high-definition sound. Because they are non-cast and, hence, don't go through quite the involved production process of A's and K's, Zildjian is able to price them more affordably.

Finally, we come to Zildjian's newest Impulse line, designed for quick attack and decay with ultra-precise stick articulation to make the cymbal really cut through.

PAISTE

Paiste has several cymbal lines, but the 2002s are still pretty much their standard-issue for rock playing, highlighting the characteristic bright, splashy tone, quick attack and decay Paiste has become known for. There are Crashes (13" to 24") in one thin weight; Mediums, or crash-rides (13" to 24"); Rides (13" to 24"), also in a single, more-or-less medium ride weight; Sound Edge hi-hats (13", 15"-for those drummers who complain that the Sound Edge just doesn't chick like a conventional hi-hat), and heavy weight hi-hats with traditional flat edges (also 13" to 15"). There's an 8" bell cymbal, an 11" splash, a 20" Heavy Ride, Flat Rides sized evenly from 16" to 20", and square-belled China Types sized evenly from 18" to 24".

Recently, Paiste introduced some new cymbals to its 2002 line, designed for extra cutting power with banks of amps. The new Heavy Crash is not unlike a Marching Cymbal or a Zildjian, with a higher pitch and longer decay as well as extra power (16", 18" and 20"): the new 12" splash does the same thing for the little guy of the cymbal world, and the 20" or 22" Power Ride, a medium-heavy ride with a larger bell, is much like Zildjian's Rock Ride.

Paiste's Formula 602 series has an almost infinite range of cymbals, from Paperthin Crashes (sort of like giant-sized splash cymbals) to Thin Crashes, through Mediums and on to Medium Rides, Heavy Rides and China Types with conventional round bells for a gong-ier spread than the square-belled 2002 Chinas. There's the same 8" bell cymbal as with the 2002 line—it produces triangle-ride sound—as well as the 11" splash, and medium, heavy or Sound Edge hi-hats in 13" •to 15" sizes. The 602 Flat Rides come in thin or medium weights.

Along with a series of 'heavy crashes' in the 2002 and budget 505 lines, Paiste's newest innovation is the Novo, or 'Inverted,' China Type cymbal, so far available only in the 2002 series in 18", 20" and 22" sizes. This is a Chinese cymbal with a conventional round bell, but with its shoulders and edge upturned as if it were the inverted China Type.

A few years back Paiste unveiled the 'Sound Creation' line, a series of more-or-less specialty cymbals. They're made from the more delicate 602 alloy but are stronger than regular 602s because of extra hammering, so if you have to have that 602 sound but need the strength of a 202, this may be the way to go. There are Dark Rides and Dark Crashes, with tiny indentations in their surface to remove crucial overtones for a drier sound not unlike a K. Zildjian; there's a Mellow Ride, like Zildjian's Light Ride or Mini-Cut; the medium-heavy Bright Ride; the fast, highpitched Bright Medium; the Dark China Types (which have a conventional round bell that's a mini-cup, so the overtone spread is more controlled than with a standard 602 China but not quite as much as a squared-belled 2002) and Dark hihats, with or without Sound Edges.

Paiste 2002, Formula 602 and Sound Creation lines are very high-priced. Somewhat more reasonable in price for the hard rock drummer are the Rude cymbals. Paiste Rudes were unveilec^ a couple of years ago: unlathed cymbals with an unfinished look—a multi-colored surface dotted with depressions that reflect light prismatically— designed specifically to cut through banks of amps. That they do—but the trade-off is that at lower volume levels, their monstrous power can get to be too much. Played hard, Rudes are so lively and powerful they could fuel an army. But played lightly, they respond as well as any other cymbal. For loud rock music they are one of the best, but they can be used carefully for other kinds of music, too.

CAMBER /AVANTI

Camber cymbals were introduced several years ago as great student cymbals. The strides forward that Camber has made with the new Camber II line, over the past 2 years, are truly remarkable.

Camber II introduced more than 20 different sound colors to its Nickel-Silver series, giving the drummer a wide spectrum of tone and color to develop his creative playing. Now the percussionist can choose from splash to crash—including hi-hats and ride—with various styles of each. The size ranges are 12", 14", 16", 18", 20" and 22". This new collection expands Camber II, giving a truly significant profile to this line.

There are three basic Camber II sound colorations: the Brass line, which is the least expensive, and continues to excel; the Nickel-Silver, with explosive and precise sound, and not significantly more expensive than the Brass; and, the top of the line, the Pro-Bronze series with rich tones and a quick attack and decay. This cymbal series is made from a rich copper-bronze alloy giving off a beautiful deep-red hue.

All Camber II's are specially treated with a finish that prevents fingerprints and dirt from marring the cymbal. No other cymbal company can boast of this.

Camber II has recently introduced its new Professional series, Avanti. These are the only cymbals to be designed with the assistance of modern science, combining psycho-acoustical research and computer technology. Avanti's come in a wide range of sizes, weights and styles: 13", 14", 15"—medium hi-hats; 14", 15"—heavy hi-hats; 10", 12"—splash; 14", 15", 16" 18"—crash, thin crash, crash ride; 18", 20", 22"—ride, thin ride, medium ride, heavy ride.

PEARL

Pearl not only makes fine drums, they make their own cymbals too. There are three series available, the lowest priced being CX-600, with hi-hats, rides, crashes and mediums (crash-rides) in standard sizes, plus 18" to 20" round belled China Types. The CX-500 series is a bit more expensive—in line with Zildjian and Paiste 2002s—and adds splash and bell cymbals to the CX-600 selection. Then there are Pearl's 'Wild' cymbals, which are unlathed and unfinished for an extra-powerful sound that cuts through amps. Sound like Paiste's Rudes? It should—it's more or less the same thing. But unlike Paiste Rudes and Zildjian's Impulse series, Pearl's Wilds come not in one standard thickness, but in rides, mediums, and crashes. They're priced between the CX-600 and CX-500 lines. All of Pearl's cymbals hold their own, and are especially recommended to budget-minded younq drummers.

SABIAN

The 'new' kids on the block, Sabian makes two basic ranges of cymbals: the machine-hammered AA line is most comparable to A. Zildjians, with a big, bright, full sound and wide-ranging overtones. The HH (for hand-hammered) are darker and drier, more precise. They are all cast cymbals, in the Zildjian tradition. The AAs are more relevant to rock playing, and come in an awesome variety of types. There are, for instance, thin rides, crash rides, medium rides, medium heavy rides and heavy rides, plus a 'Dry Ride' not unlike Zildjian's Light Ride or Paiste's Sound Creation Mellow Ride. Crashes come in thin, medium tjiin, medium, and extra-thin weights. Sabian's China Types have rounded bells with smaller cups; they also make the 'China Flat,' with edges that don't turn up, but rather stick out flat from the cymbal shoulder. It has an even smaller bell and adds up to a very delicate, very precise Chinese effect.

BEATS & BLEEPS

ELECTRONIC KITS

Electronic percussion—can't live with it, can't live without it! Or so it seems. On the one hand, you've got the purists who believe all crashes and thuds should be created by a human. On the other hand, you've got a whole new wave of percussionists who insist that electronic drums are the only way to go. On still another hand (the 'slow' hand) you've got the rest of the world, who can't tell the difference unless it's pointed out to them. That's us. Better read the story below and make up your own mind on this one.

ROLAND/BOSS

Roland's BOSS division is another effects manufacturer well into the electronic percussion game. One of their most interesting units is the Hand Clapper, a handclap synthesizer with controls marked 'Hall' (for the thickness of the clapping sound, from dry and crisp single-claps to a fuller sound of many hands clapping). Most interestingly, the unit, which is the size of an average effects pedal unit, is controlled with a touchsensitive pad that can be activated by hand or with a drum stick, or with your foot, which seems the most convenient way to use it. The pad itself is touch-sensitive, with adjustable sensitivity.

There's also the DR-110 Dr. Rhythm Graphic, a present programmable rhythm machine allowing up to 32 patterns, 16 preset and 16 userdesignpd. with a neat liquid-crystal-lit graphic readout of the rhythm you create. There are controls for tempo, balance, accent and volume, and you can play it in real time as well as preprogramming it by taping any of the voice keys on the small, hand-held unit. Voices include bass drum, snare, open and closed hi-hat, cymbal and hand claps, but no tom-toms.

Roland's Drumatix is a highly affordable way to get into Linn or Oberheim territory; its full range of drum and percussion voices are controlled by a mini-keyboard. You can pre-program and/or play in real time, and you can make up a complete rhythm section all by yourself by interfacing it with the Roland BassLine. Considering the reasonable price and small size, you'd be surprised at how good the Drumatix sounds and how much you can do with it.

SIMMONS

Simmons drums are currently kings of the electronic-drum hill. Those flat, six-sided pads seem to keep turning up all over the place. Simmons began a few years ago with the SDS 5, the kit that all the New Romantic bands like Duran Duran, ABC and Spandau Ballet used. Here's how it worked: each drum pad was connected to its own sound-producing module. The modules were all mounted on a convenient control-board that sat next to the drummer. Each module allowed a selection of up to four different sounds to be programmed into each drum pad; you could change a pad's sound at the flick of a switch, so you effectively had four drum kits in one. Each module also gave the drummer full controls over each pad's sensitivity, pitch, decay, etc. Pads could be programmed for snare, hi-medium or low toms and various cymbal sounds. There was also a set of other sounds like metallic or wooden effects or out-of-this-world noise-filtered spaceage effects. The 'classic Simmons' tom tom sound resembles a somewhat deeper Rototom.

There was only one real problem with the SDS 5: the pads. They were touch-sensitive and dynamically responsive, sure—that is, the harder you hit them the louder they sounded, just like a 'regular' drum—but they were also made to last from an unbreakable plastic compound.

Well, Simmons has changed a few things. Their new pads feature a softer, more responsive playing surface that's also retrofittable on older Simmons pads. It's still not the equal of a conventional drum head, but it is softer, and should help make the transition to Simmons kits easier for most drummers. The SDS 5 is no longer being manufactured. Instead, Simmons offers two new kits. The SDS 7 comes with seven pads-withmodules (for bass drum, snare, hi, medium and low tom, hi-hat and cymbal). Each sound module has both an analog (for classic synthesized Simmons sound) and a digital (for memory-stored recordings or real drums and cymbals) sound source, with the full range of controls over pitch, sensitivity, noise content and stick-sound level, sweep and decay. Since the rack can house a total of 12 modules and the control board has a 'programmer pad' enabling you to compile one hundred different pre-programmed 'drum kit' sounds, you can conceivably store up to 1,200 different drum sounds in the SDS 7 rack. You can instantly recall any 16 of these synthesized drum kits by striking the appropriate section of the programmer pad.

The other new Simmons kit, the SDS 8, is a scaled-down version, more limited than either the SDS 7 or the old SDS 5. There are five pads with modules for bass drum, snare and three toms. Each module has a pre-set 'classic Simmons' sound, plus user-programmable option to make your own sound, with the full controls over clickcontent (or stick sound), noise-tone balance, pitch, decay, sweep, sensitivity and filter resonance. Like all Simmons kits, each pad Has its own individual output, and there's an on-board stereo mixer in the rack.

THE KLIC-TRAC

Made by AXE (Artists X-ponent Engineering), the Klic-Trac is a micro-sized, fully adjustable, headphone metronome compatible with all stereo headphones. Don't latign: the next time you rush or lag a tempo, as all drummers inevitably do from time to time, you might wish you had one of these. Real bands use click-track metronomes all the time when composing or recording songs. They are nothing to be ashamed of, using a KlicTrac shows that you care about being on time, so to speak.

LINN DRUM

King of the new-age digital programmable drum machines—the high-tech 'ancestors' rhythmboxes never dreamed they'd have—the Linn LM-1 Drum Computer gives you 16 different digitally recorded 'real percussion' sounds, including three snare drum sounds plus 'sidestick snare' (that is, the sound of the butt end of a stick hitting the rim, that wood blocky effect used to keep time on ballads), three toms, two congas, two hi-hats (open and closed), cowbell, handclaps, two cabasas (a cabasa is comparable to the Latin percussion or African shekere, a beaded gourd giving a hissing or scratching sound), two tambourines and crash and ride cymbals.

Up to 98 rhythm patterns and 49 songsequences can be stored on it. Each voice has its own volume-mixing and tuning controls, and you can also punch in a 'human rhythm feel': this automatically randomizes some beats so it won't sound quite so coldly computer-like. You can program any time signature, control tempo and there's a lighted digital read-out of the tempo and patterns already stored; the remaining 56 are up to you. As to how good the Linn Drum is, well, it's the most used drum computer in the world, and can be heard on, among others: Pat Benatar's 'Love Is A Battlefield,' Michael Jackson's Thriller. and Culture Club's LPs. In many cases, it has indeed replaced actual human drummers and can do things (especially fast rolls) no human could.

E-MU

E-mu Systems make the Emulator, one of the most popular digital synthesizers. They also make the Drumulator, a programmable digital drum machine with digitally recorded real drum sounds and full program capability for a multitude of patterns that can be stored, altered and so on. More interestingly, they just came out with the 'Edrum.' a self-contained electronic drum that accepts any of a wide variety of E-drum plug-in sound modules. Each module—or cartridge— contains up to four different sounds. The E-drum's library of sound includes a variety of acoustic and electronic drum sounds, plus various percussive effects, and, best of all, digitally sampled sound effectsr^you can solo on breaking glass, cannon shots, pneumatic drills, cars crashing or whatever. The pad itself has controllable touch-response and sensitivity, active EQ and decay control and an external input that accepts sources like synthesizers, sequencers and drum machines. Or from a milked drum set. even.

MPC

MPC stands for Music Percussion Computer, another high-tech electronic, drum set marketed here by the On-Site Energy Group in New York (it's made in England, like the Simmons drums). The MPC includes a set of eight small hexagonal touch-sensitive pads that can be played with sticks or hands for bass drum, snare, four toms, hi-hat cymbals and handclaps.

Each pad is as fully programmable as the Simmons pads; there's even a control for the tightness of an opened or closed hi-hat. There are also optional footswitches available for the bass drum and hi-hat pads (Simmons has yet to come out with a foot-pedal assembly for its hi-hat pads). And the MPC can be hooked into and programmed with a personal home computer's monitor, making it easier to plot out complex pre-programmed sequences. There's plenty of storage space in the unit's on-board microprocessor for programmed sequences, and by interfacing with a computer you add that much more memory capacity. And, of course, you can add accents and fills and rolls on the pads after you've programmed a sequence.

If you find the arrangement of the eight pads next to each other too close for comfort, you can add the optional Stage Pads, which look like flat round practice pads and function much the same as Simmons pads. And it's priced very competitively with the Simmons outfits.