I get a lot of correspondence from players that truly appreciate the fact that I manufacture my own shells, and that I insist on manufacturing drums in the most traditional way possible. It has always been the top priority here to do so. The refinement of the process took a long time, and it was well worth it. I only use manual tools...Some of them are very old. My slip-roll is from the 1950's, and that era of tooling...Was one of the best in so many ways it seems. The problems that can be encountered in shell making are so numerous...It would be hard to detail here. But the wonderful thing about is that new challenges bring new ideas for efficiency. And when your a sole proprietor, and the manufacturer....You can deal with them directly and expand your knowledge. My output can be limited at times with my process, but I am constantly in production here. If there is a wait for you, it will be brief, and your drum will arrive at the dealer in time for you. My foremost intention here is to truly create instruments that look identical, and also have an identical & identifiable sound that is replicated in each specific size of each drum.
If you have one of my drums with bridge-style lugs, those are engraved by me as well. I use a pantograph. Amazingly, the first one was designed and used in 1603, and the fundamentals of it have not changed since then.
Thanks to all of you who have commented and inquired on my shells and drums. That means a lot here. I will be continuing this story with pictures of my tooling, bending shells, grinding area, the process of cutting snare beds, engraving lugs, etc.., It has been an extreme, sometimes difficult undertaking....And it has been worth every minute spent. This last year was an unbelievable year here, and this next year is looking even bigger. Many Thanks to all of you....
Beier 1.5 Steel--8 x 14 before powder coating...
Beier 1.5 Steel--8 x 14 completed...
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