Buying The WEIRDEST Drum Set I Could Find at Sam Ash

[@rdavidr]

What the first song you would play on this kit? 🥁

[@bobj1234]

Orion by Metallica lmao

[@crystalfaieguatato6453]

we are the champions by queen

[@Fl_Broccodile]

Definitely the most 80's Tom fill I can think of 🤣

[@clarknova7331]

Something off Bleach?

[@craigstrickland1572]

"Lashed to the slave stick" Nile!!!

[@fungalcoffee]

Thanks to wade, I am here

[@joshgreen2164]

Me too

[@derekjtaylor]

Me three

[@officialsketchydrumchannelph]

dankpods? cuz he sent me here

[@fungalcoffee]

@@officialsketchydrumchannelph yes, the guys name is wade

[@Eectrics_onlyn2]

Yes he sent me from hell to here

[@NebulonRanger]

Man, one of the big sampling houses should find one of these and sample the shit out of it, such a unique sound.

[@gr3y_eminence]

Totally agree with you, from the perspective of programing percussion, it's very cool to find a sample set of something more left-field and it would benefit people playing electronic kits possibly; I've never tried the latter.

[@Sugarsail1]

To be fair a lot of the reason rdavidr 's drums sound great in his video is the $$$$ mics he's using. I've heard North Drums in person a few times and they do sound unique and LOUD but they have a rather thin sound and not as warm and rich as this video.

[@SlyHikari03]

Spectrasonics says Hi

[@bioniclefan1]

That's like, the perfect tom sound 😭

[@coreyw5981]

True! but can we achieve that with concert toms because these things are ridiculous 🤣

[@allyemeraart]

you would love concert toms then! super easy to try by just removing the reso heads

[@boofert.washington2499]

They all sound the same tho.

[@hpatss4966]

If only concert toms sounded like that

[@arnoldhernandez1910]

It’s a very satisfying noise i miss been on the drums.

[@brianmelody8930]

Wow! At first I thought you really bought the weirdest, crappiest old drum kit ever but after you worked your magic I was blown away and fell in love it. Awesome drum playing too!

[@AquaMarineFBVA]

honestly the show factor of these make them super cool. you show up to a gig playing these they gonna remeber!

[@Musiknird]

You can check out the swedish band The Ark that are really good and the drummer in the band played these kind of drums for awhile.

[@gmrios]

Remeber. Yup 😄

[@JupiterKnight]

sus

[@adamcoleman4419]

Chad Channing used these drums in the late 80s for Nirvana

[@harryballsacky]

I CAN NEVER REMEBER

[@Jude_5555]

Coming from Dankpods, this is awesome!

[@JamLlama9000]

Technically we're coming from "The Drum Thing" but it's still pretty Dank :D

[@rmcBloody]

Same

[@zoonal-gg]

Can't wait to Bing watch this guy!

[@blakksheep736]

I'm here too from there.

[@zfactor01]

Honestly… I was a bit skeptical about this one when I clicked on it.. but I just kept having to watch it. That kit actually sounded fantastic! I was pretty impressed with how cool it sounded. Definitely a kit to save for an 80s cover band night. Lol! Thanks for the fun video!

[@roomdog40]

I was skeptical too. He proved me wrong.

[@JohnPrepuce]

A bit of a hollow tone but I bet the projection is great. I would love to hear it with microphones set up a bit further from the openings. The drums are probably more for live performance than a studio.

[@triggertime90]

Tue, true. Each tom tom had a distinctively lower sound than the one before it.

[@decibelinterference2033]

Aside from electronic drums, the big players in the drum industry market have turned a snob nose to alot of different and innovative percussion ideas which center around the traditional drumset. It's lame they'd focus their attention on petty and useless theories like 20 different ways just to mount a rack tom, when something like this kit sounds great. I know from experience trying to introduce new ideas and upgrades to hardware/shells which actually function better and weigh less while sounding good.

[@russellbordeaux2425]

This kicked all the ass 👍👍

[@PsyckadeliOfficial]

Man I love your drumming. The fills at 9:45 is so good...

[@ndSpaz]

This is my favourite drum sound out of all the drums you've had on this channel!

[@hpatss4966]

@Qefna Ija shut up

[@Rhythm911]

That's the way single head kits should all sound !!! :D

[@cabalcore2555]

Wade needs to get his fixed because these sound amazing. Great work!

[@patrickteahanofficial]

I've sold and shipped one of these which was nuts. I loved the end when you played it with a china and an 87 Rocky 3 vibe 😂

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

Also here from Dankpods/"The Drum Thing", lol.

[@therockaholic4009]

Love how musical his playing is; not playing the drums, playing a song! So refreshing to hear someone that doesn’t just vomit push pull chops.

[@xyanide1986]

What's push pull chops?

[@byebyecitybyebye]

@@xyanide1986 same question

[@vetlerradio]

@@xyanide1986 It's when people play super complex drums fills, but they are not following the pulsation so their tempo is all over the place, pushing and pulling back like a beginner.

[@xyanide1986]

@@vetlerradio ok yeah i getcha now

[@silentype3008]

@@xyanide1986 push/pull is actually a style of stroke where you use the rebound of the head/cymbal to perform double stokes, which is what the original commenter is referencing. velterradio is referencing rushing/dragging which is essentially falling off tempo.

[@parkermurray7435]

Yoooo. It’s crazy how much Dave’s drumming has improved over the coarse of his channel. Great job bro!

[@ferretyluv]

*course Sand is coarse.

[@tombrown4074]

Phil collins has entered the chat. I love unique drums like these. They stand out where so many other kits just look like each other, and therefore sound and inspire you to play the same as each other. These are funky and powerful and draw something out of the player.

[@hpatss4966]

Alan white has entered the chat*

[@alexlawrence9205]

That’s what I thought too! I loved the first piece he played. Reminded me of Collins’ and Phillip Bailey

[@32toddv]

@@alexlawrence9205 my thoughts exactly 💯 ...

[@Chamitox.]

Also Billy Cobham

[@BayouMaccabee]

Cool find, David. This brings back some great memories for me. I was lead singer in a band as a freshman back in high school where our "drummer" had a yellow North kit just like that one. However, the guy was a terrible drummer who couldn't play any of the songs, so I ended up playing his drums while singing lead vocals just so we could get through all of the songs. This of course led me to buying my own set of Tama Swingstar drums (which was black with 2 bass drums, 4 rack toms, and a floor tom), starting me down my drumming road. So because of this, North drums are kind of near & dear to my heart.

[@canadianlightbulbs]

You can see how happy he is every time he gets to play a fill

[@D3s3333]

8:46 is when he starts playing

[@rogerweiland6384]

I heard these drums back in the 80's when they were new. They sound great, even without mics. They are very loud and cut right through.

[@jons2614]

Actually, North drums go back to the 70's.......................I specifically remember Alan White of Yes (he recently passed away, RIP Alan) using North drums for the 1976/1977 Yes tours, and the Blue Devils (DCI world champion drums corps) used them in 1976 and 1986 - I'm sure there were many other people using them as well at that time. They were kinda trendy in the 70's but their popularity faded in the 1980's. The unique visual look of North drums also prompted other companies like Slingerland (and later on Ludwig and Yamaha) to create the 'cutaway' look of marching tenor drums - a design element that is pretty much standard on today's marching tenors. Gotta admit though, these ARE cool sounding drums!!

[@markrushton1516]

Billy Cobham was one. Staccato in the UK copied the idea.

[@dennishough3709]

I believe I also remember Dave Barbarossa using a similar kit When he was in Bow Wow Wow.

[@thomasposlusny9687]

@@jons2614 Yes ! BD from Concord California, I marched in 76 and they kicked arse.

[@bongjovi4928]

@@jons2614 ackshually

[@rogereaston1188]

Years ago I saw one of these kits in the window of a second hand store. I went in and looked at them, and looked at them, and looked at them some more, then walked away. About a week later I went and looked at them again, and walked away. That's been 20 years ago and they still cross my mind every so often. That was the only time I ever saw any. Yesterday they crossed my mind again. Then today this video shows up on my feed... just shaking my head... Thanks for the great vids. Keep up the good work.

[@briantruck2284]

😂wow

[@fenderfive9380]

Absolutely killer kit, and those wingnuts? They are Premier! When they first introduced that mounting system it was so good you would see drums of a different brand with their mounting system!

[@hydorah]

Oh I just commented that! Then saw your comment! Snap! Love vintage Premier drums :-)

[@ownenlikeaboss]

Haha that explains it! I was thinking that those wingnuts were normal. I play a vintage premier kit

[@fenderfive9380]

@@ownenlikeaboss Know what you mean! Bought some couple weeks back absolutely awesome drums 😎

[@08mlascelles]

I thought I recognised them, I use vintage premier lockfast stands and they have them on the bottom!

[@AndrewLemmings]

I always wanted to own a North drum set. They’ve always looked so cool to me. Chad Channing is the drummer who got me into the look when I was still in primary school, watching Nirvana’s With The Lights Out dvd when the box set first came out. So glad to see you post a video testing a kit out!

[@67to94]

surprised more people haven't mentioned this. I always thought of it at the Chad Channing kit

[@gadda-da-vida]

@@67to94 yes same.

[@jacklaplante4143]

He recorded Bleach on a North Kit if i’m right ?

[@philippes1987]

Those toms sound fantastic!

[@rdavidr]

I was really surprised tbh

[@micahwinters7021]

Here for the GOAT again thanks to The Drum Thing

[@BamBam_PDX]

Roger North lives in Portland, OR and still plays North drums to this day. Also, have to say this is hands down the best recorded sound of a kit I’ve seen on your channel. The track you played with is perfect for those drums.

[@Baribrotzer]

I knew he lived here, but I didn't know he was still active.

[@kodykindhart5644]

Crazy I’m gonna look him up Jeff kirsh is a great resource here for drummers same with rhythm traders If you are in Pdx got check out super secret band or lost ox or Jay si proof

[@bathtubgin21]

And his son Tye plays bass and lives in PDX!

[@lew123drums]

Saw Gerry Brown play these on the Return to Forever "Musicmagic" tour ... incredible looks and sound at the Palladium in NY ... May 20, 1977 ...

[@rdavidr]

#jealous. I would kill to see RTF back then

[@marcdedouvan]

THAT ONE IS AWESOME AND SOUNDS AWESOME: REALLY CREATIVE, BEAUTIFUL AND SCIENTIFICALLY ACURATE (HORNS LIKE).

[@Gretschnut]

Cool drums. Been loving your channel since the $20 drum kit. Always entertaining, informative and enjoyable. BTW you're playing has gotten sick and you're really killing on this video. Just love those tom fills and cymbal crashes!

[@Gatchi]

I would SO love to see another series like the $20 drum kit! That was the best!

[@bradbalsley9052]

i really like the fill you did at 9:04!

[@craigstrickland1572]

Love some North drums!! I had a huge Gibraltor rack at one time, and the fault with them is the tube design. I crushed so many tubes trying to make it where the stands and cymbals wouldn't move.

[@dennisyoung4631]

Perhaps replace the tubes with aircraft grade 4130?

[@paranormaldrummer999]

My uncle had a north kit back in the 80s and I just remembered how fat the Tom's sounded and this video just brought back that memory.. those drums sound incredible man..

[@Santaheckler]

This is from an era where musicians put on a visual show equally as a musical one by using unique instruments. I say that kit is an awesome piece of history!

[@jamesjoseph1449_]

right before he played the phill collins fill i was thinking to myself, "imagine playing the fill on a 7 piece, that would sound great." then just after that he did it lol

[@SlamBolts]

Loved the 80s training montage track at the end, this kit sounds as insane as it looks!

[@ARSZLB]

DAMN this thing sounds better than i was expecting! dem tom soundz doe 😦 love when you can really hear that tone of what you tuned your toms to, almost like the toms “sing” a bit more than closed shell toms, and that shape really projects that sound! i’d love to hear these in person and get a lil seat time behind this kit myself! awesome!

[@timheeley2637]

I remember seeing these in a catalog as a kid and wanting them sooo bad. However glad I went with my Tama Swingstars. 34 years and still going strong!!

[@michaelbecker5995]

I had a swing star kit from craigs list, amazing kit! my only one so i dont have anything else to go off of, but yeah

[@aryehhaller]

I have an early 80s swingstar kit, killer drums I’ve got a great sense of the tuning on them now, so yea dw or any of the other big brands newer kits might anyways be inherently better both sonically and visually but to me they’re just as good

[@staciepaul]

At 9:30 I was thinking man this kit sounds like a Phil Collins kit. I'd love to hear "the fill" on it. And 9 seconds later you played it!!!! Nice video thanks for posting.

[@m6hill983]

That kit sounds great! Also would love to see a full refurbish of them..

[@CraftDPham]

Ole Mate Dank dun sent us. Great vid lad.

[@pseudodidact3956]

I’m shocked at how good that kit sounds😂

[@alonzovillarreal4666]

I have some North Drums. They are pretty valuable in the vintage market

[@RealGengarTV]

A drummer i used to play with had Gibraltar rack. He was constantly struggling with moving toms because round right. So he bought a square rack from some other brand, worked a charm

[@djentlover]

I don't understand who thought that using round pipe would be a good idea for this application

[@nickwallette6201]

@@djentlover Me either. I bought a Pearl ICON rack years ago, and loved it. It was expensive, especially with all the extra mounting hardware, but nothing ever moved.

[@BeefMyJeans]

Wow that employee seems super dope, someone give that guy a raise

[@jaqueslagerweij6882]

i kinda love the kitt. and your drumfills are tasty AF

[@rdavidr]

any fill on a 7 piece sounds good tbh haha

[@dakel20]

Wow, these things have an absolutely fantastic sound to them.

[@mrpoepoe]

I honestly feel like this is your best sample track and playing I've heard from you yet! Also the drums sound so good, nice job on the gate & reverb. 🅰️👍➕

[@TonyVazquez8265]

If I had my own transportation (a VAN) I would own a North kit. I love that black North kit. And I LOVE how you mic'ed it, you made them sound so good... for that sound quality this has become my favorite episode in your channel, hands down! 🤘

[@sasha6009]

Fun to see this. There was a band in my hometown of Plano Tx circa 1983 and the drummer had this exact kit, which I think was called Projectors (the kit and the band). Anyway, it did not make a big impression on the drumming world at the time, and I am thankful that you have resurrected a semi-horrible but also somewhat cool kit from the graveyard.

[@jonathandale7157]

They actually sound great!

[@mat4410]

First time I saw these was with Billy Cobham and he did a single 128th run across the way across the toms ; I about fell over he had so much power. I’m told the original mounts put them up very high and we’re a pain to play, so the rack was definitely a step in the right direction. They sounded good in the day, but they just looked really strange. Thanks for posting and adding the information on the spring loaded spurs…a new one on me.

[@axeavier]

the channel The Drum Thing linked us to this video, it's fantastic

[@bobbyjones2112]

Everything you have sounds great, no matter how it looks! You make things sound awesome! I love the songs you pick to do the demo, you always pick the appropriate song for the Drums!

[@hoochrocks]

The tone is good. I had a friend that owned those many years ago, and when I was up front watching his band, the toms were just too loud aiming right at the crowd. Overpowered everything.

[@djentlover]

It's hard to imagine toms overpowering everything

[@hoochrocks]

@@djentlover They were brutally loud.

[@machupikachu1085]

@@djentlover those drums were made for club gigs in the 70's when the toms were never miked - they are megaphones pointed right at your ears. They are crazy loud. It's like putting you ear right up against the kick drum. The drummer in my band in high school bought a used set, and his parents made him return them after less than a week for a conventional kit.

[@drewforce76]

Dude that was some crazy awesome playing! Loved every second of it! Great video! The drums sound great!

[@Tendies7645]

Danky boys

[@kyronnewbury]

I was so happy to see him mention RDavidR and even shout him out lol

[@notenoughmemes1847]

arm the nug

[@culturedsquid8442]

Here from the drum thing, this may be the coolest drum set I've ever seen, and it sounds so cool, I love it .

[@othervinny]

This is exactly the kind of weird shit that would come through when I worked at a Sam Ash. Wish they paid their employees enough for them to dust their drum kits ;)

[@BeeboPLUS]

That employee is exactly the kind of guy I would want to help me find my next drum set. Someone give that man a raise!!

[@tombrenes2411]

This is your best sounding kit to date

[@WalterBlomquist]

Magic! Another great track and awesome sounding drums with someone who actually knows how to showcase the sounds we want to hear.

[@dreamcruise2009]

I had a guitarist roommate who's drummer had a North kit. They were set up in our basement. So I had the pleasure of playing on these drums! They were an awesome sounding kit! If I am not mistaken, Bill Bruford played North Drums with Yes, Possibly on the tour that he later left the band.

[@moltres234]

I love when you do the break from in the air tonight. I can’t play drums but you are definitely one a roll pun intended.

[@RayHikes]

That's some awesome playing man, great kit as well. These have a sound you don't hear in music often anymore, has 70s hair metal vibes.

[@richardlanchester249]

They are actually horn-loaded, with the flaring out, and also curved to project forwards. Horn loading increaes volume, as it allows,a sound wavefront to expand sideways more efficiently than when a sound suddenly escapes a parallel sided container, this is the principle used in horn loaded spwaker cabinets. A few North Kits were sold in the UK, but drummers in the UK should note there is a similar brand from the same era called Staccato, the difference being the front orifice had a different shape from round, and the bass drum was bizarre anx huge, with two front orifices and a shape like a giant pair of shorts. Do a google search, and you'll see what I mean. There are still a few of these vintage kits around, so you might find one. The only drummer i saw using one was with Bow Wow Wow in the mid 1980s, i understand he also played with Adam and the Ants. A pretty hot and dynamic drummer, too. I long ago had three odd Staccato toms, 6, 8, 10 heads, i used them in a standup percussion rack for a time. And they did lookcool.

[@leroyatleroys]

Man I am glad that you uploaded this. I can never find a reasonable quality recording of these kinds of kits. Sadly, as much as I always wanted to like these kits, they always wind up sounding like someone strapped drum heads to pvc pipes. Despite the wide open bottoms, these drums just don't seem to resonate well. Still, with good tuning and micing, I can see these used for a live show if the drummer wants to be a little more flashy. But I definitely would not record with these, nor would I want to use them as my main kit. Still, they do sound pretty good here for what they are. Great job putting this vid and audio together and thanks for the content!

[@vincentaugustus2748]

I really like when you put the captions of your thoughts as the drums are playing. I’m usually keyed into or paying attention to something different and it’s interesting to hear a different perspective real-time. I’d like even more of those, as well as a final thoughts about a review of the drum set, maybe even a rating system and or best genre setting..

[@moondrums]

Nice playing! This video is great, and the drums sound fantastic. I have always wanted one of these kits.

[@ericpoirier2807]

I have a double bass north kit from back in the day fun to play I use other drums my north is more of a collectable

[@1992ImaStain]

Whenever I see these drums, I automatically think of Chad Channing, Nirvana’s drummer before Grohl.

[@viniciusienne1385]

im in love with the sound of these drums and the music you used, oh boy !

[@DanGrossDrums]

I had a set of these in white. Double bass. 6 mounted toms (6,8,10,10,12,12 iirc). I might have played the whole kit out once, mostly played just a single rack. Used to nest them inside each other for transport (scratches didn't show up so much on white :) ). They also had a vinyl lip around the openings. Definitely a conversation starter but as I started getting into more jazz/blues kit playing it just wasn't a good fit. After collecting dust for years I finally put them up on Craigslist where it was bought by a record producer...in Greece. Shipping them was...fun. As others noted very loud, very dead sound.

[@EnergeticRhythm]

I had a set of North's the year they came out in canary yellow. They sound great and don't need mics unless you are playing a pretty large sized gig. I think acrylic and fiberglass drums sound awesome! My favorite set of all time was a set of Pearl clear acrylic with black hardware, amazing sound, and simply a thing of beauty!🥰🥰

[@timbrown6629]

I'm amazed you actually got them to sound good. A friend of mine had a set of these that were pink and they were the worst sounding drums. Keep in mind, this was early 90's and they had 57's and 58's in the toms. Horrible, muddy sounding things.

[@markpretorius24]

Those toms have an absolutely incredible 80's synth sound. Would love a kit like this.

[@gregwonhoff7161]

I’d probably go with Blue Collar Man or Roll with the Changes. That kit sounds so awesome, and it looks like it would be so much fun to sit behind. I think it almost needs to have race car style seatbelts attached to it to prevent the player from getting carried away and falling off the stool. I hope you keep it and post some more videos.

[@robgrano6814]

Friend of mine who played in a prog band back in the late 70s had a set of these. He was more of a Bill Bruford-type drummer -- not real heavy-handed -- and they always sounded great when he played. His were red if I remember correctly. One of the advantages of them was that in a smaller venue you didn't have to mic the toms to get a decent sound. Their practice room was in his house, and I still have a demo tape that they recorded there. The drums sounded fantastic for a simple 4-track recording.

[@raybin6873]

The rock band Yes had drums like these at a 1970's concert...(excellent show!). They also had a laser light system used in the show.

[@mightyV444]

0:26 - Genius editing! 😂👍🪰

[@Goliemaskguy]

Hi David I wanted to let you know I just watched this video and have now spent the last 30 minutes learning that Tom grove. Thanks for the awesome content and the practice inspiration

[@robertbarnes3915]

I don’t care for the goofy drum set but the fill @ 9:09 is pretty damn sick! Great video as always.

[@sticks2478]

Love your videos dude .. as a life long drummer and owner of currently 7 kit's I love your passion and content.. Nice work 👍

[@rooftop.voter542]

Dave your playing has come such a long way. Really cool watching you rage on this thing!

[@VoidR]

When I was a kid in like '84ish my dad was playing with a guy who had a white one and a red Simmons kit. First thing I did was try my best approximation of the "In the Air Tonight" fill! At the time I thought drums with horns on the end were a common thing since I saw this one so frequently.

[@keithljarvis]

Wow, I love the sound of the kit at the end of the video. Great chops, too!

[@filipgrzincic]

I follow your channel for a while, I take a look to some videos here and then and this is the first time I comment. The reason being this kit absolutely sounds fantastic, and you nailed its purpose with the song and drumming style for it! Amazing!

[@ConeyProduction]

That kit sounds amazing! Wow I wasn’t expecting that. Would love to get samples of it. 😎

[@mk1gte]

That fill at 9:48 is a beauty! I'm definitely going to 'borrow' that!

[@evanveiga8877]

That ending jam was the most satisfying experience. Those Toms kick ass!

[@VetteGuy57]

We used to march in a national champion drum corps with North drum toms. Awesome toms! Long Island Sunrisers Drum & Bugle Corps. DCA percussion champs 77,78,79,81,82,83

[@unattributed1641]

Hana from Gacharic Spin was playing these drums up until a few years ago. There's a video of one of their concerts on KZbin where she's on a platform with the kit that's rolled out onto the stage.... Neat sounding, but funky looking kit.

[@donnieolaughlin1758]

I like your demonstration on the North drum kit. You always struck me as a pocket drummer and I appreciate you making the effort to get the arena effect Is anthem heavy drumming going. And is always great music on your videos.

[@thegeorgeflores]

The play along track choice was absolutely perfect! Drums sound so unique, I love it.

[@mtothek]

The bass drum hoops and tom mounts are 70's Premier, tom mount is the solid Lokfast mount

[@Oyaji_Music]

Hana Sano from Japan's Gacharic Spin plays North Drums on a lot of their older albums. She love the style and the sound that they produce. The use of North Drums in Gacharic Spin songs really helps give them a mix of Popiness and Hard Rock thunder. When I first started following the band I thought that she had named the drums "North" having never heard of the brand before. Thank you for the informative video and if you get a chance check out Gacharic Spin. Hana is incredibly talented.

[@inthefade]

Chad Channing, one of the drummers for Nirvana before Grohl, used a North kit.

[@rayrussell7182]

15 or 20 years ago, at the drum shop, in portland maine, there was a baby blue drum kit just like that always there, like for years!

[@raymondlugo9960]

I think these sound different in front to the kit than behind it. Matt O'Meara played one of these for decades. I didn't care for the tones myself. Matt used Aquarian two-ply clear heads. He also used 24" Tama Starclassic bass drums most of the time. He also used a couple of wood blocks to raise the rack a few inches. Have fun.

[@chriswright2250]

I remember North Drums in the 70's. My local drum shop had a white kit set up on the showroom floor. Cool.

[@bazsheasby6529]

Sounds awesome with this play along good choice of music shows the kit off well!! Superb drumming man!!

[@mitchmaule6517]

You were feeling it at 9:02 with that fill. Loved it