Hey y'all... a brief introduction and a BIG thank you!!
Just to introduce myself...my name is J and I have just joined the ranks of the cocktail drummers!
I'm actually a guitarist/singer, myself...but I have played drums since I was a kid...mostly in the studio. I am in a kid's country music outfit called "Little Nashville".
Now for the BIG thank you! I have been lurking these boards a bit because I have recently decided to purchase a cocktail kit for my studio...for rehearsals and such to maximize space, but also I find the kits very cool looking and think the drummer would look quite cool playing it live on stage in our act.
I read alot of your reviews and comments on different drums and due to what I picked up here, I purchased my first set today! It's one of the GP kits from ebay (the maple shell kit) and I can't wait for it to arrive!!
I would like to convert the top of the bass drum/tom combo to a snare, so any pointers on how would be appreciated! I read a while back that someone affixed a brush on the inside of the head. Is this a good way of doing it? Is there a better one?
Until then, thanks again! I have to also say that I'm a member of a few boards here and there that talk shop...but after just reading a number of your posts, I have to say that I haven't seen too many boards that treat their newbies, visitors, and old-timers with such respect as y'all do.
All the best and I look forward to chatting with a few of you!
J Juliano
My first post!!
My first post!!
http://www.littlenashvillemusic.com ...It's like a happy meal for kids of musicians.
New Membe
Hey K,
Welcome! It's a good group of people here. I think that the fact that there is no 'right' way to build or play cocktail drums helps people check the attitude at the door.
Please let us lknow how you like your drums when they arrive. We are always interested in more reviews about the kits that are out there.
The simplest way to add an internal snare is to build your own similar to the way they have traditionaly done:
- Get yourself a built in muffler and a regular set of snare wires.
- Remove the felt pad from the muffler
- Cut the snare approcimately in half
- Bolt or weld the plate end of ine if the snare pieces t tehe mufffler where the pad was so the snares point toward the center of the drum
Of course you are welcome to come up with your own sysem as well! Apparently Pearl is making a snare brush that clamps on to the drum rim and the snares rest on the top of the head from outside the drum. I have not seen it yet though.
Let us know how it goes!
- John
Welcome! It's a good group of people here. I think that the fact that there is no 'right' way to build or play cocktail drums helps people check the attitude at the door.
Please let us lknow how you like your drums when they arrive. We are always interested in more reviews about the kits that are out there.
The simplest way to add an internal snare is to build your own similar to the way they have traditionaly done:
- Get yourself a built in muffler and a regular set of snare wires.
- Remove the felt pad from the muffler
- Cut the snare approcimately in half
- Bolt or weld the plate end of ine if the snare pieces t tehe mufffler where the pad was so the snares point toward the center of the drum
Of course you are welcome to come up with your own sysem as well! Apparently Pearl is making a snare brush that clamps on to the drum rim and the snares rest on the top of the head from outside the drum. I have not seen it yet though.
Let us know how it goes!
- John
Hey J!
Welcome to the board.
I just wanted to add a few things to what John said--before you weld or bolt the snare wires to the muffler mechanism, you can tape them in place--especially if you remove the metal disc from that comes underneath the felt. If you have the type of snare wires that can take a piece of plastic strip in addition to cord, you can slide the snares onto the arm of the muffler. Tape will hold it in place very securely, then, while you figure out how the snares sound best.
Also, some cocktail drums work well with long snare wires and some with short. I'd say the range goes from 5"-2". If you cut your snares in half, you'll have a lot of room to experiment with cutting them down later, and if you ever cut too much off, you'll always have the other half of the wires to work with. In general, you'll find a give and take effect--the longer the wires, the fuller and looser the snare sound, but also the more you'll fire the snares when you hit the bass. The shorter the wires, the tighter, thinner, and more timbale-like the snare sound and the less snare rattle from the bass drum. Before you cut too much, though, remember--since the snare fan pushes up into the head, it chokes the top head a great deal. You need to compensate for that with a fuller snare sound. But if the snares are too long, you'll notice that the ends will bend away from the head. When that happens, you'll get a snare hit from the middle followed by a very messy ffffffffffff sound as the ends rattle against the head.
Every cocktail drum demands a different balance because there are so many idiosyncratic variables--tuning, shell construction, angle of the snare fan mechanism, distance of the mechanism from the top head, depth and diameter, baffle or no baffle, etc. The search for a decent cocktail sound can be maddening--that might be part of why everyone on this list is so helpful. You'll have to find a good balance for you, but some of the other GP owners could probably help a great deal, since I don't think anybody here has left their drums in stock condition.
You'll also need to recondition your ears and technique--the perfect cocktail snare sound isn't much like a regular snare sound. Where a regular snare has a full tone with a few sweet spots, a cocktail snare has a thinner sound with about two-hundred weird spots you'll need to navigate. The more you try to make it like a regular snare, the more insane you'll go--especially when you finally tune the snare drum exactly the way you want it and then the bass drum sounds horrible! The trick is to find personality in the strange sounds the top head will make.
Good luck, and welcome to the club!
Will
Welcome to the board.
I just wanted to add a few things to what John said--before you weld or bolt the snare wires to the muffler mechanism, you can tape them in place--especially if you remove the metal disc from that comes underneath the felt. If you have the type of snare wires that can take a piece of plastic strip in addition to cord, you can slide the snares onto the arm of the muffler. Tape will hold it in place very securely, then, while you figure out how the snares sound best.
Also, some cocktail drums work well with long snare wires and some with short. I'd say the range goes from 5"-2". If you cut your snares in half, you'll have a lot of room to experiment with cutting them down later, and if you ever cut too much off, you'll always have the other half of the wires to work with. In general, you'll find a give and take effect--the longer the wires, the fuller and looser the snare sound, but also the more you'll fire the snares when you hit the bass. The shorter the wires, the tighter, thinner, and more timbale-like the snare sound and the less snare rattle from the bass drum. Before you cut too much, though, remember--since the snare fan pushes up into the head, it chokes the top head a great deal. You need to compensate for that with a fuller snare sound. But if the snares are too long, you'll notice that the ends will bend away from the head. When that happens, you'll get a snare hit from the middle followed by a very messy ffffffffffff sound as the ends rattle against the head.
Every cocktail drum demands a different balance because there are so many idiosyncratic variables--tuning, shell construction, angle of the snare fan mechanism, distance of the mechanism from the top head, depth and diameter, baffle or no baffle, etc. The search for a decent cocktail sound can be maddening--that might be part of why everyone on this list is so helpful. You'll have to find a good balance for you, but some of the other GP owners could probably help a great deal, since I don't think anybody here has left their drums in stock condition.
You'll also need to recondition your ears and technique--the perfect cocktail snare sound isn't much like a regular snare sound. Where a regular snare has a full tone with a few sweet spots, a cocktail snare has a thinner sound with about two-hundred weird spots you'll need to navigate. The more you try to make it like a regular snare, the more insane you'll go--especially when you finally tune the snare drum exactly the way you want it and then the bass drum sounds horrible! The trick is to find personality in the strange sounds the top head will make.
Good luck, and welcome to the club!
Will
Well, they've shipped!
I should be gettin' them in a couple of days...I'm gettin' antsy!! 
Thanks so much for the replies so far. I'm no techie guy, but I'm gonna give it a try!
Thanks!
J
Thanks so much for the replies so far. I'm no techie guy, but I'm gonna give it a try!
Thanks!
J
http://www.littlenashvillemusic.com ...It's like a happy meal for kids of musicians.
Esquire J, welcome aboard, I'm a new member myself. I recently recieved my GP kit with maple shells and have not had time to do a complete review on here yet but wanted to share this with you. This is a really good kit for the money. The hardware's very decent and the overall quaility of the drums are great, I was pleasantly surprised when mine arrived. You will LOVE the 8" snare, it has a side mounted throw off and sounds really, really good. I couldn't believe the pop it has to it. I'll try and get some pics of mine up before long and do a complete review, but for now I had to share that with you. I recieved mine on a Tuesday and played my first gig with it that Friday, outside even with a good crowd!! The other guys in the band were pretty impressed with this kit, it is also a great conversation starter, not many people have even seen a cocktail kit, much less no what it is!! Take care!
Killer news!
That's awesome news about the snare! I'm really curious to hear it. I may not even have to "snare up" the floor tom/bass thingy.scott wrote:Esquire J, welcome aboard, I'm a new member myself. I recently recieved my GP kit with maple shells and have not had time to do a complete review on here yet but wanted to share this with you. This is a really good kit for the money. The hardware's very decent and the overall quaility of the drums are great, I was pleasantly surprised when mine arrived. You will LOVE the 8" snare, it has a side mounted throw off and sounds really, really good. I couldn't believe the pop it has to it. I'll try and get some pics of mine up before long and do a complete review, but for now I had to share that with you. I recieved mine on a Tuesday and played my first gig with it that Friday, outside even with a good crowd!! The other guys in the band were pretty impressed with this kit, it is also a great conversation starter, not many people have even seen a cocktail kit, much less no what it is!! Take care!
First cocktail kit I ever saw (in country music) was years ago when my old band opened for Diamond Rio. They did an acoustic set and the drummer used one. One also appears in their video for "That's How Your Love Makes Me Feel" right here!: http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/diamond_rio/videos.jhtml Just scroll down to that video for the "cocktail treat". OH! And it's NOT the kid's kit he's playing at the beginning...wait until about 1/2 way through the video to see the cocktail kit.
I know it'll be a great addition to my little rehearsal room/studio. I actually recorded the entire "Little Nashville" disc at home and am sure I'll find use for the cocktail kit on the new album I've just started on. And hopefully my live drummer will find a use for it on stage!
Thanks! Oh...and IT ARRIVES TOMORROW!!!! WOO-HOO!!
J
http://www.littlenashvillemusic.com ...It's like a happy meal for kids of musicians.