We were bowled over by the intricacy of Generation Drum Company’s solid shell construction at the Chicago Drum show.
DRUM! Makes a trip to the Zildjian factory to watch careful craftmanship that goes into making each and every cymbal.
Joseph Bifano had a successful woodworking business in Hawaii when he decided to build his first set of drums. “I owned my own business building high-end kitchens using lots of different exotic woods and thought it would be interesting to make a set,” he recalls. When he was able to sell several sets to friends and other players he met, his experiment turned into a part-time business.
Sean Staples started out as a guitarist messing around on his drummer's kit, soon abandoning his six strings for two sticks. After a bad experience with a custom drum builder, Staples began researching the art form. Something clicked, and he started throwing around the idea of becoming a custom drum builder.
MCD Percussion is a custom drum maker located in the Philadelphia area. Started by Kyle Mastropietro in 2007, the company builds acrylics, maple ply drums and solid shells.
Herb Naster entered the industry in 1986 when he landed a job at a drum shop. He eventually became a partner, and then the store’s sole owner.
It's all about the art at Drumskull Drums in Santa Cruz, California.
Roger Kowalewski got the custom drum itch in high school, when he decided the best way to get exactly what he wanted was to start building his own. He got his feet wet with snares, and then graduated into designing and building complete kits. Battlefield Drum Company — the name was inspired by a song and a bible verse — was born in 2004.
Before launching Artisan Drumworks, Curt Sines spent many years playing professionally, including two decades as a career drummer in the Navy.
We decided to take all of our articles and interviews, and especially, photos, and put them together for one week to honor the custom drum builders. We salute the visionaries, the perfectionists, and the deeply obsessed, all of whom make the world of drumming so much more, uhm, individual.
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