Making a drum with the CHEAPEST copper shell I could find!

[@karldzioba6963]

King Drums is the company by Buzz King when he was in charge of HSS distributing Slingerland/Gretsch drums. Most likely an import welded shell left over from the HSS/Slingerland era.

[@NickCostaMusic]

Oh no way?!? Thank you for that info, @karldzioba6963 - I had no idea. It's definitely an imported shell, the shipping box had text characters all over it

[@karldzioba6963]

@@NickCostaMusic Typically as the defacto head of Slingerland during the late 80's early 90's during the HSS reboot he had prototype shells by various suppliers, and whatever stock didn't get sold to Gibson. He then rebadged it as King Drums

[@NickCostaMusic]

Pretty smart move, and also this info is gold! Appreciate you sharing this, I learned something new today!

[@Nevernow721]

Freaking great sound.

[@NickCostaMusic]

Really appreciate that, thank you, @Nevernow721 ! It was a fun little project to put together

[@DrummerRIP]

Killer snare! Love the simplicity.

[@NickCostaMusic]

Thank you @DrummerRIP ! It was a fun little built out, and I think it turned out great as well. What did you like most about it?

[@DrummerRIP]

@@NickCostaMusic I’ve always heard amazing things of copper. I’m usually a fan of 6.5” depth. It was great to compare your 5” / tube lugs with my experience of my Ludwig raw 6.5 copper with imperial lugs. (No gaskets)

[@NickCostaMusic]

6.5 and 7 are my favorite depths for snare drums, too. Pretty neat to hear how different the depth can change the sound of the drum!

[@DrummerRIP]

@@NickCostaMusic I appreciate your input on snare depths. I usually favor 6.5 as a nice middle ground & drum history. I do need to explore 7" & 8" deep depths further. Thank you!

[@danielbeange]

Ive never heard a 4” sound so good so low

[@NickCostaMusic]

Pretty unreal, right?! I think it's a combo of being a copper shell and the single flanged hoops, but either way this thing brings the🥩

[@sam-drums]

Thanks for another great video. For some reason I did not hear the crack that I expected from this shallow drum. Maybe it is my ears or that specific copper shell. It would be great to see more videos about shallow and piccolo snares. I feel that shallow and piccolo snares are not that popular these days but I am a fan.

[@NickCostaMusic]

Of course, thank you for the continued support! Could be the shell, the hoops, or even that it's an 8 lug drum that makes it have that surprising sound. Either way, I like how it turned out, and hope you did too! That's a great idea. Piccolo's were all the rage for quite some time, and now the exact opposite (real deep shells) is the norm. Both are great, just much different sounds

[@Spagz]

Good morning Nick. Yo, I'm in Philly. ,😂

[@NickCostaMusic]

Welcome! I hope everything is going well🙏🏼

[@jc3drums916]

I thought the drum sounded a little deeper than its actual size. I think the spun vs. welded thing is a little overblown. Sure, spun is "higher quality," but welded shells can sound really nice too, as this drum demonstrates. Rick Dior did a video about the Supraphonic/COB Super, and his shots of the COB's interior show a seam. I'd have to hear a direct comparison, such as 1st gen vs. 2nd gen Yamaha David Garibaldi Signature snares, to see if there's a meaningful difference. How much was the shell, and where can I get one? 😁

[@NickCostaMusic]

You bring up valid points, @jc3drums916 . To add to that, there was/were smaller boutique's like Q drums that were making shells that were riveted together, and they sounded unreal! I'd love to check out that video - do you have a link? If not, I'll look it up.

[@timm1139]

I'm just a little late to the party... I agree with the other live commenters that it really sounds "funky" @ the lower tunings & more like a piccolo from med high & up. Maybe it's the rims, but the rim clicks sound "thinner" to me. Yes, I would be interested in knowing where the hardware came from as drum building would be an interesting hobby.

[@jc3drums916]

You can get all kinds of things from Drum Factory Direct.

[@NickCostaMusic]

Totally, @timm1139. It could even be that it's an 8 lug instead of a 10 lug drum, so it's going to breathe a bit more. As for the rim clicks, definitely isn't gonna have as much punch due to the hoops - still a great sound, but not the same as a heavy die-cast or even triple flanged hoop. I got the hardware from @DrumFactoryDirect - not sure if they still carry the lugs, but they have everything else you need, including shells that are pre-drilled. Just remember for a snare you need: -Lugs -Gaskets for the lugs -Lug mounting screws (DFD has all different lengths for every shell type) -Throw off and butt plate (sometimes sold individually, sometimes as a package) - Mounting screws for the throw off and butt plate (different thread count than lug mounting screws) - Tension Rods - Hoops - Snare Wires - Air Vent (or like we did for this drum, drill a small hole under each lug to hide it while still having ventilation) Reach out if you need any help picking components out, happy to help!

[@brucelilly8459]

I thought it sounded good at each tuning

[@NickCostaMusic]

Oh right on! What were some of the characteristics of the drum that stuck out to you?