Every time I get pictures in an email from someone who has used my eBook as a guide to build their very own custom drums I feel like I was able to make a difference in someone’s life. Today I got some amazing pictures of drums that Niklas Kilenstam built. I highly suggest you check out his custom drum company K-Drums and his band called  The Men. Let these pictures inspire you as you think about building your own custom drums!

Thanks Niklas for sending in these amazing, inspirational drum pictures!

What is your favorite drum/set out of all these pictures? Respond by leaving a comment!

It’s been amazing year for Makedrums.com and I wanted to recap some of the most visited blog posts and pages of the site for the year 2011. If you are brand new to the site, this is a great place to start! Enjoy, and please join in the conversations and leave some feedback in the comments area! HERE’S to an even better 2012!

Makedrums.com Top Posts of 2011 (according to Google Analytics)

This is a guest post from John A. Ledingham, PhD. He and his new custom drum set reside in Columbus, Ohio.

I started out not as a drummer, but as a bass player in my hometown of Springfield, Ohio.

One Thursday afternoon, the leader of a group I was playing bass with called to tell me the band had been hired for a six-night-a-week gig, scheduled to begin the following Monday night. However, “Eddie” wanted me to play drums, not bass.  In fact, I had an older set someone had given me to settle a debt and I had been practicing playing on them for fun.  I tried to explain to Eddie that I was nowhere close to being ready to play a drum gig. “If you want the gig, you play drums,” Eddie insisted. When Monday came I was able to get by on the drums, but only barely. That was almost 50 years ago and I’ve been playing ever since.

My earliest influences were guys who were masters at playing brushes; Shelly Mann, Shadow Wilson.  Later on, players like Art Blakey set a pattern for me. I also played tenor in a Drum & Bugle Corps, which helped develop strength in my hands and wrists.

This past Spring, I retired from my position as a university professor, which gave me time to pursue something I had long wanted to try — to build a custom set of drums.  I had been impressed with kicks I had seen jazz drummers use in the late 1950s, ones with a smaller diameter, and deeper than normal.  Once I learned that drum shells could be ordered, I had been anticipating building my own custom set.

In addition to the visual appeal of a smaller, deeper kick – and the necessity of an acceptable “bass sound”  – I also wanted the kick to be light in weight.   Most of my playing is in smaller groups, and I wanted a “mellow” sound in the kick, rack tom and floor tom, while maintaining the crisp sound of my DW snare.  Finally, I wanted a set that would not look like a standard kit.

With this in mind, I ordered a 14 ” (diameter) by 24″ deep shell through one of Keller’s distributors to determine if a small, deep shell that holds approximately the same amount of air as a larger shallow shell will produce a similar sound.   Moreover, I wanted to hear what a 14″ X 24 ” drum would sound like before committing to building a full set. With the help of Matt at drumfactorydirect, I was able to decide on particular lugs and tension rods, rims and heads.

The shell arrived as specified; no support rings. Bearing edges cut for warmth rather than explosiveness.  Ready for finishing, whether stain, paint or covering.  My first task was to drill the holes needed for attaching the lugs.  As I read more and more about building a “jungle set,” as these smaller kits are sometimes called, I found that most experts recommend finishing the drum (stain, paint or covering) and then drilling the needed holes.  Instead, I had visions of a drill slipping and ruining a completed shell, so I decided to do the necessary drilling before finishing the shell.

Good thing.

In my haste, I did a terrible job of drilling, including scratching the shell.  Nonetheless, I finally was able to drill two holes for each lug.  While not perfect, they were somewhere in the range of functional.  One interesting note on the lugs:  they do not come ready for attaching; instead, they have a spring and a small triangular piece of hard material that holds the spring in place and both must be inserted into the lug for it to act as an anchor for a tension rod.  It is a time-consuming and tedious process, but it has to be done.

With lugs, tension rods, heads, and rims in place, the kick proved capable of producing a lower register, full sound.  It was, admittedly, not the sound of an 18” diameter kick, or even a 16”, but it was plenty acceptable.  Encouraged, I ordered additional shells.  For a rack tom, I decided to go with a 10 ” diameter shell for lightness, but with a depth of 13″ to produce a range of tuning preferences, and to pursue that different look.

Instead of using the shell I had just completed as the kick.  I ordered another “bass drum” shell, the same size as the prototype. This time I asked the vendor to drill the holes for attaching the lugs.  Here, we ran into some problems; the vendor’s drilling machine broke down and split the shell.   Finally, however, new shells arrived at the vendor’s and were drilled.  I mention this because it is not atypical.  Things happen, and then more things will happen to frustrate your efforts to build a set, despite the best efforts of everyone involved. I’ve ordered tension rods too short, rims with fewer holes than needed and had to return a tom holder that was not the one I should have ordered in the first place.  All of these errors slowed the process of completing the set, so patience is an important element of enjoying the custom building process.

Lesson # 1:  Let the pro’s do it.  Unless you are set up to cut bearing edges, and to drill the holes needed for various hardware, don’t do it – let the pro’s do it.  The cost is minimal and the time saved is tremendous.  And, the pro’s will do it correctly the first time.

With the holes drilled the next step was to stain the drums.  I decided to use the prototype shell (14 ” diameter X 24 ” deep) as the basis for a floor tom, and ordered a new shell for the kick, pre-drilled, with edges cut and with a reinforcing ring at each end, along with the shell for the rack tom.

Next, I sought a source for the “burnt orange” stain of my Gretsch drums.  I contacted Gretsch, but they declined to sell me any stain or to tell me what ingredients to mix to produce “burnt orange”.  Other experts in the craft were unable or not inclined to get involved.

However, a mutual friend introduced me to Jeff Assman, head of The Painting Company, of Columbus, Ohio, an organization that specializes in large-scale painting jobs, including The Ohio State University football stadium, and other major facilities across the U.S.  Within 10 minutes of meeting, Jeff was able to match the color of the Gretsch tom I had brought along.  And, within a few weeks the shells were stained and finished.  I then attached lugs, mounts, rims and heads.

Originally, I fitted the batter end of the kick with an Evan‘s head, but the sound seemed muffled and the head was slow to respond.  Replacing the Evans head with an Aquarian helped reduce response lag, and produced an acceptable “bass drum” sound.

The rack tom needed minimal attention.  I mounted it on a cymbal stand with a RIMs system and tuned it as usual.

Now came the 14” X 24” shell that was the prototype for the kick, but which now was to become a floor tom. Cutting above and below my drilling errors produced a shell for the floor tom 14” in diameter by 10” deep.    New holes were drilled and lugs attached along with a new Evans head on top and an Aquarian head on the bottom.  It already has become one of my favorite drums.

So, what have I learned from this experience?  Let’s try the following:

#1.  You can design a unique set of drums, work with vendors and produce a set that reflects your likes and dislikes, and you can complete the process, even if you are carpenter challenged

#2.  Although we didn’t break down the costs here, you can produce a set of drums for a few hundred dollars, comparable to drums costing thousands of dollars.

#3. You can choose at any juncture in the process to take on tasks such as drilling, sanding or whatever, or to hand that task over to a professional – usually at a very low cost.

#4. Make friends.  There are many people around who have already gone through this process and all of them are eager to help.  In my case, these included Jeff at The Painting Company; Chris White, of Columbus Pro Percussion; and fellow drummer James “Smooth” Eliot, whose support and enthusiasm for the project never waned.

#5.  Building a custom set is fun.  Always remember to have fun with the process, and the fun you have will be reflected in the drum set. Forever.

John A. Ledingham, PhD.

Columbus, Ohio

Thanks John for your incredible insight into building your first custom drum set!

If you enjoyed what John shared, or if you have any questions for him, please leave a comment below! If your ready to start building your very own custom drum set consider checking out the eBook to set you on the fast track to building drums!

I recently had time to interview Jeremy Wolfe about his recent experience with building drums. This is the 2nd custom drum set he has built with the help of this site. Check out our conversation and pictures below!

Makedrums: Can you tell us about the drums you’ve built?
Jeremy: This is the second kit I have built. It’s the first using the E-Book. It was actually a rebuild from an older kit. The drums were originally wrapped in a dark red wrap. After using some wood filler and the “wet sanding” tip from the book the shells were then consistently smooth. I also plugged the original lugholes with filler because I was going for an alternate lug layout. Also the toms were cut to custom size. The 9×12 rack tom was cut to 7×12″ and the 16×16″ floor was cut to 12×16″. There was also a 10×13″ rack tom that was cut to 5×13″ which is now the snare drum. Finish is a simple white gloss spray with off centered double pinstripes that gradually get bigger according to shell size. Using the finishing steps in the book the build coat and pinstripe came easily. Top coat is the lacquer suggested in the book also and finally black hoops and hardware were put on to finish.

Makedrums: How long have you been a drummer and how long have you been interested in drum building?
Jeremy: I’ve been playing since middle school band so around the age of 12. That would make it 17 years now.

Makedrums: Where did you first learn that you could build your own custom drum set?
Jeremy: Much like others I was pricing custom drums and found the prices to be too much out of my price range. After ordering new parts to put on older kits I discovered how inexpensive it would be to just build one of my own.

Makedrums: Did you cut your edges? Drill your holes?
Jeremy: I did use the router table build layout in the book to build a table and used it to recut the edges to a 45 to slight round over. I also drilled the lug layout as well as the butt plate and throw for the snare.

Makedrums: Whenever you were getting started with drum building, what were some of the obstacles that you had to overcome and what were some of the initial drawbacks to actually getting started to building your own drums?
Jeremy: This has truly been a “trial by fire” process. From sanding too hard, applying a professional finish, topcoats, cutting a good edge, etc… It’s kind of overwhelming and still is. This is only my second kit so there is a lot to learn, but I can say I am more comfortable and confident with taking on a build.

Makedrums: What are some other drum companies that you have learned from, that you have looked at for inspiration?
Jeremy: I’ve spent some time on your website as well as C&C and SJC Custom Drum companies. It’s funny because I find myself looking at everything to get inspiration for designs and color schemes. Cars, wallpaper, etc.

Makedrums: Where did most of the actual building take place?
Jeremy: I did all of this build in my garage.

Makedrums: Is there any tool that you would recommend to any custom drum builders that are thinking about getting started?
Jeremy: The first thing that comes to mind is simple but I totally overlooked it at first… having adequate space to work. You don’t need a warehouse or airplane hanger or anything like that. Just planning on using a little space would be key. Sounds silly right… not when you have wet shells and nowhere to sit them…. I’m also learning that you want to go ahead and treat yourself to high quality sand paper and lots of it.

Makedrums: Is there anything else that you want to share, maybe a little piece of wisdom or a quick tip for other drum builders?
Jeremy: If you’ve been thinking of building just go ahead and take the leap. I would encourage you working on something that is your own before committing to working on something for someone else. I don’t mean to speak like I’ve been doing this for years but after only building two kits I feel I have learned so much more than I knew about building drums that I can take to my next project. Thanks, Phil, for taking the time to document detailed steps that I can use to peruse a hobby I have always wanted to.

I’m really excited to see what Jeremy comes up with in the future. We’ve been emailing back and forth and I can tell that he has the drum building “bug”.

As always feel free to leave a comment for Jeremy or myself if you have any questions about drum building. We would love to share what we know about the drum making process with you!

I’ve been chatting with Brian Roberts who has recently sent me some amazing pictures of the drums that he has built with the help of the eBook. I hope to post an interview with Brian soon to find out more about these amazing classic custom drums that he has set out to make a company around.

Phillip,

Hi there. I downloaded your book about six months ago and it lit a fire inside of me, and I am in the process of starting my own drum company. I’ve built drums and wrapped drums before, but at this point, I have not built a drumset under my company’s name – Roberts Drum Company.

You see, the idea behind my drums company is to build drums that look, sound and feel like vintage drums – and vintage drums only. So you wont find any 45 degree edges on my kits or any all maple shells etc. Right now, I’m in the process of raising support to fund the first prototype kit (a replica of a 1960’s Ludwig Super Classic set in silver sparkle…14×24 kick, 9×13 rack , 16×16 floor w/ a black beauty clone snare. My website is pretty understated and simple at this point. However, I’d really appreciate it if you would still include me in your blog.

The website is www.robertsdrums.com

Thanks, Phillip! You are an inspiration to me!

Thanks Brian for the email and the pictures! The drums look amazing!

I just got another email from a customer in San Angelo. I love getting these emails and sharing them all of my readers! I hope that these pictures and stories from other drum builders will help you realize that you can build drums!

“Hi there! My name is Jeremy. I’m from San Angelo, TX. I just recently completed my first drum set. I built the kick and toms at the end of last year and completed the snare drum in early February. All of the tips and tutorials from your e-book and website really helped me along the way and now I have a hobby which I can enjoy for years to come. I have included some picture of the set. I did a natural tung oil finish on the kick/toms. I did a two-tone, dark walnut over natural maple finish on the snare. Thanks for all of the help and keep up the good work!”

Just got these awesome pictures in from Esteban in Ventura, CA! This is what he said

"First off I wanted to thank you for putting out your e-Book, it was a huge help. I wouldn't have even got into drum building without the e-Book. I just finished my first build yesterday, I built a 6.5"x14" 10ply Maple snare. It was totally fun and I'm planning on building the full set sometime soon. Thanks again, I'll keep checking your websites out to stay updated and what not. Hope to hear from you again bro."

Dude, all I have to say is: Job well done! These are some great photos of a great looking drum! Good luck on starting the full set!

If you like Esteban's snare drum, please give him some love in the comments section!

You Really Can Build a Professional Custom Drum Set

Building a professional custom drum set is something that is achievable by everyone, from the experienced wood worker, to the low budget garage band musician. I remember before I started building my own drums I would always wonder what it would be like to have an endorsement deal with a major drum company, preferably Yamaha. I would day dream about the different configurations that I would be able to have and how I would entertain an entire music venue full of wild screaming fans all listening to pounding beats emanating from my drums… I think most drummers have this fantasy at least once in their career, only to eventually settle for a second best “out of the box” assembly line drum set.

Drum Building Encouragement for the Year 2011

I just wanted to remind and encourage all you drummers out there not to give up on this dream. You can and will achieve it if you don’t give up. I feel like this is a post that needs to be written about once a year, and since it’s the beginning of a new year it just felt right to talk about your dreams. 2010 may have been a year where you met lots of your personal and professional goals, or you may have failed miserably. Don’t let your failure bring you down. More specifically don’t let your inability to play the drums well enough to receive a full sponsorship keep you from having the drum set of your dreams. You don’t have to wait for someone to respond to one of your hundreds of emails that you’ve sent to custom drum companies asking and begging for a free drum set. Yes I’m talking about you, you, and you. I’ve gotten all of your emails asking for an artist endorsement deal, and I’m sorry I haven’t responded, but I (and most custom drum builders) just can’t give away free drums. I do, however, have another option for you.

This is your year to learn how to build that custom drum kit in your dreams. I may not be able to help you achieve your dream of playing sold out stadium shows, but there is no reason for you to go another day thinking that you don’t have what it takes to build a custom drum set. I’m not going to give you my sales pitch, but I did want you take a look at what I have been able to do since I started building drums in 2006.

A History Lesson: A Few of My Major Drum Building Milestones

In 2006 my friend Kevin showed me the very basics of building my first drum set. At that time I was able to order all of the shells, parts and finishing materials for under $1000. With no drum building experience at all I was able to crank this baby out.

I was extremely happy with the way these came out, and you know what the coolest part about this drum set is? The only tool that I owned at the time was a drill! No fancy routers, buffers, spray guns, table saws. Nothing but a good old fashioned hand drill. The company that I bought the shells and hardware from offered to cut the bearing edges, and mark the layout of all the hardware for a little extra cash. All I did to “build” this kit was stain and clear coat the shells, and then drill the holes for hardware that were already marked for me. Doing it this way was well worth it to me because I got to see exactly how they cut the bearing edge profile and then use that as a guide for the second kit I built. It also gave me the confidence that I needed to step up and try some of the more difficult woodworking that goes with making custom drums.

For the second kit that I built I did the exact same thing. And it turned out even better.

Yes that is me, a picture from college, when I was younger, skinny, and more stylish. (I mean you see that I’m wearing Crocs right?) The funny thing about this house, which is now condemned, was that it had an indoor pool that was haunted, and was a great multipurpose room since the water was kept drained.

Both of these kits have a special place in my heart. The top kit is now painted black with red stripes and resides in New Orleans. The second kit toured the U.S. with a band from Dallas for a while, and now I think they are in Kansas.

Skip ahead 6 years and here I am today; still building drums, and still learning from every drum that I make. In fact today I met a huge drum-building goal for myself. I cut and installed my first re-enforcement rings in a snare and a kick drum (with 2 tools that only cost about $10 total!) I plan on adding a new section on the book for re-enforcement ring installation soon!

Last week I completed another drum-building goal of mine; learn how to and perfect wrapping a drum set with stripes. (Wrapping drums with 3 or more pieces of wrap on 1 drum.) I have honestly wanted to build a drum set like this for a long time, but I never knew exactly how to do it, nor did I have the confidence to go down an unknown road. I’m extremely glad I did, because this is the beautiful drum set that came from it;

I think this may be my favorite drum set that I have ever built.

I’m showing all of these pictures not to brag on myself…well ok maybe just a little, but I’m also showing you these pictures to show you how far I’ve come. I went from buying a drum set that was practically an “assemble yourself” package, to learning how to do some of the most difficult and most protected drum building secrets out there. I hope that this will encourage you to act upon your dream. I love getting emails from drummers around the world telling me that they took a chance and built their own custom drum set. I love it when I get these amazing pictures of drums built by drummers who didn’t know that buiding their own drum set was even a possibility. You can do it! May this New Year be the year that you set goals and won’t settle for anything less than climbing that mountain to reach your goal!

Pete emailed me the other day with these pictures. I loved what I saw and asked him to be interview for the podcast. Listen below!MDP 003 – Interview with Drum Builder Pete Yaskovik

Mentioned in this podcast:

• MinWax PolyShades
• Carnuba Wax
• NuFinish Scratch Doctor
• Roland V-Drums
• Spring Loaded floor tom legs