Vater Introduces The Westside Model Stick

By Andy Doerschuk
Published October 5, 2011

Those Boston bruisers at Vater Percussion never stop tinkering with the basic makeup of the drumsticks that roll off their lathes. Take the new Westside model, which offers a grip that lands comfortably between a 5A and 5B, measuring in with a diameter of .590" and a 16 5/16" length. But the real magic can be found in the small rounded oval style tip, which blends right into the neck and taper of the stick for a unique feel and sound dynamic. Somehow the look is both trad and rad at the same time.

Kit Snare Drums: Do It Yourself And Save

By Andy Doerschuk
Published September 29, 2011

The Kit Snare Drums DIY ethic has more in common with Ikea than any other custom drum company – customers get a screaming deal on a snare drum, as long as they’re willing to invest a little elbow grease.

But they make it as easy as possible. Order one of the company’s three models and you receive an unfinished 8-ply shell, pre-drilled and pre-cut with 45-degree bearing edges and snare beds, as well as a full complement of hardware.

And the company doesn’t skimp on quality fittings, which include a Dunnett R40 Swivel Lever Quick-Release throw off and butt end, solid brass chrome-plated tube lugs, 2.3mm heavy duty top and bottom chrome-plated triple-flanged hoops, tension rods and washers, standard snare wire, Remo Ambassador drumheads, and all the screws, washers, and gaskets you’ll need to assemble the drum. No special tools are required.

KSD snares come in a 6.5" depth with 12", 13", and 14" diameters. And the cost? Well, $279, $289, and $299, respectfully. That’s a nice price for a custom snare, and the company claims it takes only an hour to assemble (although you do have to finish the shell as well – but that’s just part of the fun of doing it yourself, isn’t it?).

TightScrew Tension Rods Now Available In 4-Packs

By Andy Doerschuk
Published September 28, 2011

True story. I was playing a gig a couple weeks ago when my snare drum suddenly sounded choked. I tried frantically to mess around with the tuning and snare wire adjustment between songs, but just couldn’t retrieve a lively sound. I noticed the problem between sets – two of my snare-side tension rods had backed out and were lying next to my pedals on the floor!

Sure, I reinstalled them and got my groove back, but it never would have happened in the first place if only I had been using TightScrews, the advanced drum tension rods with the patented nylon insert. These little lifesavers allow precise tuning and prevent de-tuning in any drumming situation, and now are available in 4-packs that also include a free copy of the company’s Tune Like A Pro, Sound Like A Pro drum tuning guide. This handy treatise features suggested tuning techniques, as well as sequential tuning diagrams for 5-, 6-, 8-, and 10-lug drums.

Whatever you do, don’t be like me – check out the new TightScrew 4-packs, offered in a selection of sizes to fit most standard drum sizes, types and models.

Impression Cymbals Invade The USA

By Andy Doerschuk
Published September 26, 2011

Is the American market ready for yet another Turkish cymbal company? It better be, because after developing a devoted following in Europe and South America, Impression Cymbals has opened an office in the USA and is actively seeking dealers.

The Impression catalog is … well … impressive, boasting a total of ten models, each with its own unique sound that addresses a different type of application. Just take a look at that lineup of cymbals above, which sport self-descriptive names such as (left to right) Jazz, Dark, Mixed, Dry Jazz, Rock, Smooth, and Traditional.

You can see that the company employs familiar characteristics associated with modern Turkish cymbal design, such as multiple surface textures; completely rough, unlathed models; and heavily hand-hammered pies. But Impression has also made an effort to appeal to American tastes with cymbals that have decidedly Western features, such as the Traditional and Rock lines. You can also expect other present-day trends, such as odd sizes (like 21" rides and 17" crashes), multiple weights, and crazy-cool concepts like the wobbly-looking Trash model.

Since the company is still developing its dealer base, you can order cymbals directly from the Impression website, and judging by what we saw, prices are currently pretty darned low. We plan to keep an eye on this exciting newcomer!

Roland Unveils The SPD-SX Sampling Pad

By Andy Doerschuk
Published September 21, 2011

It seems like only yesterday when Roland set the percussion world on its ear with the introduction of the groundbreaking Octapad. Well, in fact, it was a skosh over 25 years ago (but who’s counting?), and yet the company has never stopped fine-tuning its concept right up to the present day with the recent introduction of the new SPD-SX sampling pad.

The latest incarnation of this versatile multi pad takes many of the proven concepts from its predecessor and raises them to a new level. Roland engineers expanded the pad’s USB connectivity to now include USB MIDI, audio, storage, and memory, while bumping up the unit’s internal memory to 2 GB, enabling approximately 360 minutes of mono sampling without requiring external memory.

They’ve also redesigned the velocity sensitive pads, which include new companion LED lights that illuminate to show the pad’s status. When you trigger sample phrases, the LEDs remain lit to show you which pads are in play and which are not. In addition, the LEDs change illumination strength according to audio-level activity (similar to level meters on a mixing board). Pretty intuitive, huh?

Finally, the SPD-SX increases the number of multi-effects engines from one to three – one master unit and two units that are assignable per kit – and now includes separate output and volume for the internal click.

So if you’ve been sitting on your hands until Roland perfects its venerable multi pad, we have good news – your wait is over!