flippantminister wrote:wow, this sounds totally radicool. have fun with it! can't wait to see some photos. what's your timetable for doing this?

Let's see...it's 2006...so...



The custom machined snare parts are on order, but the lead times are insane, like min 6-8 weeks.

After that, piece by piece, I'm in no rush. hopefully all said and done before the end of the year. Eventually I want to get the tooling to make every part at home.

bomberz1qr20 wrote:The custom machined snare parts are on order, but the lead times are insane, like min 6-8 weeks.

After that, piece by piece, I'm in no rush. hopefully all said and done before the end of the year. Eventually I want to get the tooling to make every part at home.

I know a few guys in the bay area who have built up parts drum kits. I can get you in touch with them if you're interested. Basically, they drilled holes in shells and attached pre-made hardware.

There's always the Crucible in Oakland, but they're more into metal forging compared to metal machining. Still, there may be some fans of your band over there

I'm sure the poodle-haired Sam Adato in SF would help... for a fee.

I used to play drums in bands, but I've not done it recently. I sold my kit a couple years ago (but kept my hardware and cymbals). I've often thought of building up a parts kit, slowly, to get exactly what I want and be in no hurry. That said, I'd probably be satisfied with a pretty basic kit, i don't have a lot of spare cash, and a good drumming opportunity has yet to come along that would make me want to give up my free time.

Cheers!
Ben Adrian

benadrian wrote:

I'm sure the poodle-haired Sam Adato in SF would help... for a fee.

I've bought a few items from Mr. Adato.

I go by there if I'm in the city on occasion just to pay silent homage to that hair. I recommend it to anyone in San Francisco with a few minutes to kill.

That Ego strainer looks really cool.

When I build a snare, I think I might use that.

Thank you for introducing me to Ego.

I am excited about your giant drum kit, bomberz1qr20!

evanrowe wrote:That Ego strainer looks really cool.

When I build a snare, I think I might use that.

Thank you for introducing me to Ego.

I am excited about your giant drum kit, bomberz1qr20!

It's very similar to the Trick strainer, although they will finish it in pretty much anything you'd want (powder coating, chrome, etc). They don't do anodizing unfortunately.

bomberz1qr20 wrote:Anyone made (or simply assembled) their own drums?

I have jumped into this, I have a custom shell on order, as well as custom machined lugs for my first project snare.

I'll post later w/ results, if they are worthy and non-embarassing.

I have a old friend who owns a shop where they teach people to build drums, if you are in Chicago PM me and I'll give you his number. It's in the ghetto, but it's cheap and usually a good time.

Update...


First coat of tung oil soaking into the snare shell.

At least nine more coats to go. It won't look glossy like this, the oil gets buffed off to a slightly satin/matte finish.

bomberz1qr20 wrote:First coat of tung oil soaking into the snare shell.

At least nine more coats to go. It won't look glossy like this, the oil gets buffed off to a slightly satin/matte finish.

That is awesome! Keep keeping us updated.

Ben Adrian

Bump.

Any more updates? I'm thinking of starting a project like this myself. I've beaten my current kit all to shit and think it would be fun to build my own new one. Granted, if i do that i'll probably hate myself if i play it live, but...

Be careful! You may end up sounding like this guy.... he makes all his own drums, or so I read in EVERY FUCKING issue of Modern Drummer when I was in high school. Is it me or did his drums sound like ass?