I recently received and email from someone that was about to start building their very 1st custom drum set. He asked me how I decide on the finish and hardware of a particular drum or drum set that I’m building. This question has always been tough for me because I don’t always feel creative. I do however have a couple of places I like to go for inspiration.
I think that by seeing some amazing drums that have already been created, it can spark the creativity in my brain to think outside the box of just doing a normal looking wrap or a normal looking stain. When I go to a drum store I always look at all of the little details of the drums even down to the bearing edge or where they put the seam of the wrap.
…but let’s face it… most music stores that have drums don’t usually have the most amazing drums on display. This is where the internet comes in.
Some of my favorite custom drum builders are as follows:
SJC Custom Drums – These guys have inspired me for years. Really cool website, but more importantly some of the coolest, most innovative drums I’ve ever seen. I especially like their “Butcher” Hoops.
C&C Custom Drums – Beautiful drums with a classic look.
San Francisco Drum Company – Another very classy drum company. I love their hardware and vintage style drums.
So there is one of my little secrets, when I’m trying to decide on a finish or find a certain look that stands out among other drums, I usually check out those sites for inspiration. There are tons of custom drum builders on the web that post pictures of their drums so I would encourage you to start checking them out!
Where do you look for ideas and inspiration when building drums?
Spaun has got to be my favourite custom drum company. They make great sounding snares and kits. Customise it to your liking with unlimited choices. I own a 5 pcs coke bottle green acrylic Spaun and they are wonderful.
Spaun has some of the weirdest looking snares I have seen. I have yet to try them out but the designs and finishes stand out from the rest. SJC customs have some nice finishes. Whitney drums, which I have recently seen and heard, is beautiful.