How Many Drumkits does A Drummer Need?

Nearly two years ago, I began a series of entries (quite popular, I might add) with respect to my acquisition of an older Canwood drumkit, and my efforts to restore them.
The entries begin with the first installment: "How Many Drums Does A Drummer Need?", and continues with the article: "Status of the Makeover". I was then contacted by a new Canwood drumkit owner, when I penned the "Response to J.T. Massacre" entry. The fourth entry described my gripes with tuning, aptly titled: "Tuning Lug Annoyances". The fifth entry centered around my desires to purchase a second Canwood kit to ensure I had one kit to gig, while the other kit underwent extensive restoration.

Well, cyberspace is a serendipitous place, and out of the blue, I was contacted by a fellow Canwood owner in my neck of the woods who claimed he had a Canwood kit for sale, and if I was interested in purchasing it. To make the deal even more desirable, the drumkit was in the shell sizes I was desiring. He was kind enough to provide me with photos of the drums, including areas of concern -- the bearing edge on one of the drums has been damaged and repaired with wood filler.

We exchanged further emails, telephone numbers, and we agreed on a price. Last Friday, I jumped in my car and made a three-hour drive to his city to inspect the drums in person. I met the seller, who was friendly, helpful, and easy to get along with. We spent about an hour together, not just talking about drums, but about the music scene in his city, and a great deal about the music our bands play. I guess I don't need to say that I purchased the drums on the spot, and was home in time for dinner.

According to the seller, this is one of the earliest kits Canwood manufactured -- in fact it is likely drumkit number 14. The drums are in a flaming bright red finish, though over the years, the lacquer has cracked due to changes in temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure. The drums are scratched, thus the drumkit will need refinishing. A number of tuning lugs and washers have rusted, and will need replacement.

Most of the issues the drums have are cosmetic, though there will be an order to drumbuilder.com to order some necessary replacement hardware. as I noticed tuning hoops on the 12" and 13" tom are out of round, and the Wood hoop on the bass drum is cracked and will need replacing.

The first matter of business is to get the drums playable as soon as possible, as I plan to gig with them this weekend (approximately 1 week after purchase). So I did a quick cleaning of the shells, and put my trusted Evans G1 coated heads on the shells. As you can see from the attached photo, I began building the kit I plan to gig with this weekend, mixing and matching parts from both drumkits. Since the colors do not match, I'm calling it my "FrankenKit" for the time being.

When my schedule is a little more free, then I will attempt the restoration process, and I will continue to blog about it step-by-step.

So, two years later, I again have to ask myself the question: "How many drumkits does a drummer need?"

And my answer is at least four.

I'd Sure Like Some More Canwoods

Ah yes, the never-ending drum addiction continues.

It's been a little more than a year since I purchased a used set of Canwood drums, and spent some time fixing them up. Even now, the drums aren't fully restored; the bass drum hoops could stand to be replaced, and perhaps all the hoops could be replaced, but most certainly, the drums need to be refinished.

And what's tearing me apart, is that I love the finish. That deep candy-apple red with a tinge of purple. Oh how I wish the finish wasn't so scratched.

I've resolved to refinish the drums someday -- and by that, I mean someday in the near future -- and by that, I mean in the next five years.

But there is a problem. There is always something in the way, and the problem is, is that it is going to take me a very long time to pull out the sandpaper, use some elbow grease, sand the drums down, re-stain, and re-lacquer the drums. This isn't something I can do over a weekend -- though it probably could be done in a weekend -- it's just that my attention span can't deal with the fact that I would blow an entire weekend (or 2, or 3) doing such a task.

No, I would need something like 6 months. And there is no way on this earth that I could retire those drums for that amount of time.

So I began thinking about how nice it would be if I had a second set of Canwoods in my inventory. This way, I could restore one kit while playing the other. And vice versa.

Now, I wouldn't want a replica of the kit I already have. No, the trick is getting a drumkit with completely different sizes. I was thinking I'd like a 22" kick drum, with 13" and 16" toms. This way, I would have all major drum sizes in my inventory, and would allow me to build a kit in any configuration I would want. After the restoration was completed, both drumkits would be stained to the same color. I could have a rock kit, or a jazz kit, or a blues kit, or one major behemoth if I wanted to join some Rush tribute band in the distant (and unlikely) future.

I have always wanted a little versatility in my music. The Canwood kit is ideal for my blues act, the Savoy Blues Band, but it's a little on the small side for Tung N' Groove, my rock act. Having a second Canwood kit with the same finish would fill that void.

But this is a pipe dream that doesn't have to be fulfilled tomorrow. Maybe next month, or next year. What's imperative, is that I will have to wait for the perfect kit to come my way, for the perfect price, and then I can pounce.

Every now and then a Canwood kit pops up for sale on eBay, but they are few & far between. I may have a little better luck searching the area Craigslist, or Kijiji.

Funny thing is, about 4 or 5 years ago, I found a Canwood drumkit for sale in a pawn shop in Lethbridge for about $650 dollars, if I recall. I never bought the kit, as money was a little tight, and the drums weren't in the best shape. But it had the drum sizes I am currently looking for. Serendipity is kind of funny that way.

The most important thing, of course, is the journey. Playing the drumkit is important, but what is more rewarding, is finding the instrument, giving it as much TLC as you can muster, and bringing that instrument back to its' former glory.

If I had that second kit, I could go through the stripping, sanding, and refininshing process one drum at a time, yet allowing me to play the rest of the kit. It's kind of like having your cake and eating it too.

Anyway, if you have a Canwood kit, in sizes 13" 16", and 22" (or 18" or 24" bass drum), and you are thinking about getting rid of it (and you live in Western Canada), drop me a line quoting an asking price. We might be able to work something out. I may ask for a few pictures as well, if I can be so bold. Who knows what could happen? The internet is a curious and wonderful thing, it has created a community and friendship among strangers that cross borders, geography, and even culture. But that's another story for another day.

Ed. Note: As of February 20, 2009, this request has been filled.

Response to J.T. Massacre

[Ed. Note: J.T. Massacre left a comment on my post: "Status of the Makeover". I felt a response to him was worthy of its' own post, so here it is:]

J.T.:

I am glad to hear that you recently purchased a set of Canwoods. I hope they sound as great as mine do. Sorry to hear that like mine, your Canwoods were also "well enjoyed" by a previous owner.

I hope you managed to look at my initial post: "How many drumsets does a drummer need?", as this post in particular has pictures that show in detail the condition of the shells, especially with respect to the finish.

You mentioned you wanted to re-lacquer your drum shells. I have a simple question for you -- were you planning on re-staining your drum shells, or were your planning on keeping the original color?

If your shells are in a similar condition to mine, and you plan on keeping the original stain, I have some bad news for you.

I have been involved in several discussions with "wood experts" (i.e. carpenters, luthiers, and a number of on-line drum discussion forums), and the consensus is that the deep gouging that is apparent in my drum set will not be remedied by re-lacquering the drum. The drum will have to be sanded smooth, re-stained, and then re-lacquered.

When I said in my previous post that a drum can be re-lacquered without adversely affecting the stain is true. It is a very delicate process of using chemical strippers to remove the lacquer, then re-applying a lacquer spray, and buffing to a high-gloss shine. But this will only remove superficial scratches -- I sadly only learned this very recently.

So now I am in the situation where I have to decide if I want to venture into the world of full-blown drum-shell restoration. If these drums have to come apart one more time, I had better "do it right" this time around.

I will continue to document my work on this drumkit. You may however get some benefit from the links below:

• Join the Yahoo! group: Drumzilla's Lair. There are many posts dealing with drum restoration (many of the discussions instigated by me), who was seeking the very advice you are:
  
  
• Visit Vintagedrum.com. There are a number of links within that deal with drum restoration.
  
  
• A fellow named Big Fred built a snare from scratch. Though this project is beyond the scope of yours, he did discuss in detail, the process of staining and finishing the drum shell. He also has a large number of pretty pictures to drool at.
  

I had other web links related to drum restoration, but I just can't seem to find them right now. The links above are a good place to start though.

I of course, will be discussing the trials and tribulations of refinishing my Canwood drumkit on here.

Status of the Makeover

The reclamation, uh restoration continues on my new Canwoods.

For 2-3 weeks now, whenever time can spare, I am pulling apart my drums, cleaning, tweaking, tuning, polishing, and replacing damaged parts on them. With each part I replace, with each piece of chrome I polish, and with each drum I clean, the drumkit looks better, and sounds better that it ever did -- that is since I have become its' rightful owner.

As of today, each drum has been completely disassembled, the bearing edges cleaned of gunk, the drum shells cleaned with Windex and/or wood cleaner (also remember that Windex cures all that ails you).

All drumheads have been replaced including the resonant heads, which are often neglected. An Evans EQ pad now provides the desireable amount of muffling I wished in the bass drum. All tuning lugs have been greased with petroleum jelly. New stands and hardware has been purchased, all chrome components have been cleaned and buffed to a gloss shine with chrome polish. A new snare strainer has been replaced, as the old strainer was damaged beyond repair, as well as a 50-strand snare installed on the underside of the drum. The tom mount on the bass drum has been upgraded with new parts. Lastly, new bass pedals, hi-hat stands, and snare stands have been purchased to accommodate my new kit.

Given the fact that I have spent between 3-4 hours cleaning each drum, you might say I have already invested a lot of care and attention to my new babies. In fact, I have spent much more time restoring them, than I have had playing them.

Though the drums look a lot better, and sound a lot better than what they did when I first received them, all is not finished. There is still a lot of work to be done on them before I can consider the restoration complete. The following details what still needs to be done:

The bass drum hoops need replacement. I would like to determine a way I can stain replacement hoops to match the color scheme currently on the drums. This will prove to be difficult, as I would think only a master craftsman would be able to create an exact match.

The bearing edges need to be evaluated. I am fresh out of large, smooth, perfectly flat surfaces such as a granite slab.

Some hardware still needs to be replaced. The triple-flanged hoops on the snare drum will likely need replacement, as they are rusted. I may consider replacing them with die-cast hoops, but those are very expensive. There are a few tuning lug casings which require replacement on the snare. I may as well just redo them all.

I am missing only 1 piece of hardware. This is the ever-important throne. I have already identified what I will buy, but it does not come cheap.

The biggest job of all will be redoing the lacquer finish, which (I hope) will mask all the scratches, gouges, dings, dents, and other imperfections of the finish. My research has concluded that the restoration of the lacquer finish, without affecting the stain of the drums, is possible. This is also very risky, as I could really mess up the appearance of the drums, if I do not express due diligence where required. The end result will be -- if I may say so -- breathtaking.

If I have very little to do this summer, it is likely that I may be able to accomplish the entire restoration project by the time the Savoys return from their summer hiatus.

Not only am I looking forward to playing my Canwoods on the gig; I can't wait to record with them.

How Many Drums Does a Drummer Need?

You know you are addicted to drugs, er, drums when you can't have more than just one. My first drumkit was an el-cheapo made-in-Taiwan no-name brand that had seen better days before I even purchased it for $100 in 1989. I likely sunk in some $400 just to get it playable, and it served me well, even through the days of my first band, Hot Chocolate Boy.

By the time I began to collaborate with JL and create The Anglers, I felt like I outgrew my cheap drumset, and I wanted a more professional instrument. I spent the entire summer of 1993 working my bollocks off so I could buy my new drumkit -- a 6-piece Tama Rockstar DX in a deep metallic blue finish. It was a huge improvement over my little blue sparkle jazz kit, and it served me well over the years, earning enough mileage to likely circumvent the earth at least twice. It also happens to be the only drumset that I purchased new.

I used that kit as my primary drumset throughout my career, including bands such as The Anglers, Left of Centre, ZanZee, Legacy, Mule Shoe and many countless one-offs, sit-ins and recording sessions. As good as it has been to me over the years, there is one nagging thing about my Tama Rockstars: They are classified as an "entry-level" drumset, and as such, have compromises in the quality of construction. It is not a professional-level instrument, but it is well enough for the working-class drummer or student. I kept it in shape and it still sounds good, even after all the gigs and the miles and the (one) car accident -- but I have heard some drums sound better, much better than my Rockstars.

When I began teaching, and gigging on a heavy schedule, I realized the limitations of having only one drumset, as I had retired my P.O.S. jazz drumkit, and later sold it to a relative. A second drumkit was necessary to teach; I could sit at one and demonstrate while the pupil sat at the other kit and copied the rhythms I had just shown them. Furthermore, as my teaching schedule got more hectic, there were some nights and weekends where I needed one drumkit in the club, and the other at my studio waiting for my next student.

It became imperative that I needed a second drumkit -- one small and portable; one that could be packed up in a pinch. Thus, in 2002 when my good friend and mentor Bernie Anderson closed his drum shop, I was lucky enough to buy a piece of drum history, a late 80's or early 90's PureCussion portable drumset -- one in his personal collection which he gigged with regularly.

The PureCussion kit is a wonderful instrument -- completely collapsible, and easily fits in the back of an MG. It sounds good -- for its' size, and for the fact that the drums are only single-headed. These drums have seen a lot of gigs, and (mostly) rehearsals, but I have used it for shows such as the Best of Broadway series at the Esplanade, Medicine Hat Musical Theater's Grease, Fut in the Hat's I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It On The Road, and the Savoy Blues Band.

Now that I play in two bands, I am beginning to see the limitations of having two drunkits,; I really would like to have one drumset living in cases, ready for the moment the telephone rings. I could essentially load and go to the gig, ready for anything. No packing, no hassle; just load and go. Furthermore, being a professional drummer, I still don't have a professional-level drumkit.

Until now.

Last week, I bid on a set of Canwood drums, and out of sheer luck, I was the only bidder. The seller mentioned that the drums had seen a lot of miles, and they would likely need some maintenance -- something I was prepared for.

Canwoods are high-quality hand-made custom drums built in Lloydminister, Alberta. They are comparable to flagship models of major drum manufacturers, including Ayotte, DW, Yamaha, Gretsch, Tama, Taye, and many others. We are talking top of the line here.

On Saturday, my new Canwoods arrived at the local Greyhound station, and I could not wait to pick them up. I brought them home, eagerly opened the cases and began to assess what kind of shape the drums were in. As you can see from the photos, the drums were a little beat up; the finishes were scratched, there was some rusting and pitting on the chrome, and the heads needed replacement. My objective was to give them a quick-and-dirty cleanup job and get them playable in a matter of a few hours. This required a trip to the local music store to buy some replacement drumheads.

I had the drums in a playable condition by dinner time, and I took them to the Blue Turtle to test-drive them that very night.

Not only did they meet my expectations, they exceeded them in terms of sound. In fact, they were the topic of conversation of the entire band. Even my folks came by to the club to hear them, and they were very impressed with my latest investment. These drums sounded fantastic, and they served me well that night. I fully expect these Canwoods will become my primary drumkit for the next several years.

I wanted to get this drumkit playable and sounding good in the shortest time possible, and I think I have accomplished that. The drums are currently sitting at my studio being used when I teach. They will return to their cases once I begin gigging with Tung N Groove in about six weeks.

The long-term project for my Canwoods is to go through an in-depth assessment and restoration program. This will include refinishing the drums. I hope I only need to redo the lacquer, since I already love the color. It may take me several months, even a few years, but in the end this will be a drumkit that every drummer will drool over.

So how many drumsets does a drummer need? At least three, but I have yet to determine if a drummer needs more than that.