Nordic Drum Shells // Off The Beaten Path EP. 17

[@SonofWatts-c9t]

It's 4th of July week so I'm going to make a patriotic comment by saying Huzzah for American manufacturing! I love seeing stories about mid-size manufacturers like Nordic. Really liked learning about the assembly process but also about their business model. Great stuff.

[@malonedrum]

Good point!

[@matthewsherman9765]

Dude you’re seriously killing it with these OTBP content.

[@malonedrum]

Thanks

[@martinmees878]

Agreed. This channel deserves more eyeballs on it!

[@ScrewyTheDrummer]

I was most fascinated by the fundamental note thing and how much that OTHER drum manufacturer focuses on each shell having a different note.

[@malonedrum]

Agreed.

[@jareddoran6605]

Thank you for this video. I've been eyeballing Nordic for a while now, and seeing how passionate these guys are about drum shells is a breath of fresh air.

[@malonedrum]

Yeah, they are no nonsense.

[@BuckAugust]

That 6 vs 8 vs 10 ply sound comparison was wild!

[@malonedrum]

That blew my mind.

[@raykingstonmusic]

Yes! One of my favorite companies by one of my favorite KZbinrs. Great video, great product, great company. I've been building with Nordic's shells since 2020 and can't stop. Nice work, Mike!

[@malonedrum]

Ray! I definitely stocked your IG account about a kit you built from some Walnut shells. Getting some inspo for my next kit!

[@raykingstonmusic]

@@malonedrum Ha! Cool. Brother, I LOVE my Nordic walnut kit. Hit me up if you have any questions. The inspo phase of the pre-build is the best - have fun!

[@malonedrum]

@@raykingstonmusic could agree more, my favorite part

[@drumdotpizza]

Dave and Nordic are great! I've got a shell coming that I'll be doing some comparisons with that should be fun. Great company and great dude!

[@malonedrum]

Very cool, can’t wait to see/hear it

[@benwhitis4042]

It’s amazing how much of the process they were willing to demo for this video. Definitely want to get one of their shells at some point. I also need to give kudos on the entire production of this vid. Audio, video, and editing are all stellar. Nice work.

[@malonedrum]

I was very surprised by how willing they were to share the detail of their unique process, but Dave told me he's not worried because it takes too much time and had labor for companies to replicate.

[@martinmees878]

Very cool. I wish we had large boutique shell manufacturers here in the UK.

[@malonedrum]

Maybe one day!

[@rickyvillalobos4508]

My Nordic purpleheart just arrived today and I’ve been obsessing 🥲

[@malonedrum]

Oooooooo baby

[@theonecalledvino8165]

The Website is amazing.. I can't wait to order.

[@malonedrum]

Do it !

[@Gretsch0997]

Finally , another company doing this. And doing more. Thanks for sharing !

[@malonedrum]

You bet!

[@davidroche7787]

Dave West is super to work with! I build Field Drums in 16 and 17 shell diameters. Yes, 17 inch! Dave and crew figured out a way to make the shells and hoops i required

[@malonedrum]

I have no doubt, he's a great person!

[@camerondean6804]

Thank you to Nordic and you. This was enlightening on multiple levels.

[@malonedrum]

Really cool of them to be so open!

[@keithromberg5779]

I have a set of custom shells of Birch/ Mahogany with Bubinga outer layer. Absolutely love these shells. Nordic is an absolutely great company, highly recommend!!!

[@malonedrum]

That sounds great (and a heck of a lot more affordable than full bubinga)

[@StaterDrums]

This was rad. Thanks Mike and the folks at Nordic for the tour!

[@malonedrum]

Great crew over there!

[@DrummerAndyTaiwan]

What a great informative vid! Glad to see the pressing machines from my country making these work of art for lots of drummers! Amazing company and amazing video! Keep up the good work love from Taiwan 🇹🇼 ❤

[@malonedrum]

Some seriously good manufacturing happening in Taiwan.

[@stevenrubio85]

I think Nordic shells are the best. I have already made four snares and one three-piece kit with their shells. Very good quality.

[@malonedrum]

Agreed!

[@timbofromkeno]

I am so pumped you did this one. I’ve wanted to get a peek at their operations for a while. Super cool video!

[@malonedrum]

Really cool that they we're so open to share the process and their way of doing it!

[@waynebaker2452]

Great video and and Nordic seems to be a great contender for the shell market. The fact that they are innovating and adding options adds to their appeal. Love to see the snare kits as they come out! Heading to their website now.

[@malonedrum]

I'm hearing a lot of demand for the snare kits, I know they are working on it. Good things take time!

[@gregwonhoff7161]

Mike, what a beautiful product those guys put out. I am so impressed with the quality control that continues through the entire process. I can’t even order a pizza to be delivered and get the order correct. As always, another fine show.❤️🙏👏❤️🙏👏❤️

[@malonedrum]

You and me both!

[@1111Paiste]

Thanks for putting this together and sharing!! We live in the Twin Cities and I had no idea Nordic Shells was located here.

[@malonedrum]

They are a great part of your local drum community!

[@davidsuprenant2782]

Thanks mike for another great video, i believe nordic is producing state of the art shells for many manufacturers, be interesting to know who they are.Have always thought most were using keller.Very excited to hear nordic is offering maple/gum shells as well as up and coming made in japan style shells.Drum kits have become so expensive,i think ill check out what the cost would be to configure a custom kit from them choosing my favorite hardware and finishing them myself.i think thats the way to go these days as long as the top manufacturers continue to over charge for there products.!!!!

[@malonedrum]

Honestly, I don't believe top manufacturers are over charging, and once you price out building a kit with shells, hardware, heads, and all the other parts that go into, you'll see it's just an expensive endeavor. I like building custom because, I can design anything I want, the exact way I want, but companies aren't building these kits for $100 and then charging $5,000. The top of the line kits are expensive to built, aside form the cost of well trained craftsman making them.

[@chriswright2250]

Cool, informative ❤

[@malonedrum]

Thanks!

[@JasonMcLemore]

I've been eyeing their shells for so long now. It's been years since I've built a drum from the ground up and I REALLY want to build a snare.

[@malonedrum]

You absolutely should!

[@darrenrahn]

This is fantastic Mike! Keep up the great work on these videos!

[@malonedrum]

Doing my best! Reach out when we can collaborate on one!

[@EarthtonesCymbals]

They are def doing gods work. ♫♪♫ Thanks Mike...you rock!

[@malonedrum]

🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@crazy8sdrums]

Thank you for this, Mike! Good video! Nordic seems legit!

[@malonedrum]

The most legit.

[@kevindohn6776]

I wish there was a company like this closer to me, like in the same country ! Not sure if there are any Canadian companies that make drum shells, I've never heard of one.

[@malonedrum]

I’m sure they can ship to you in Canada for a reasonable price

[@timm1139]

Nice vid, thanks for the tour. The snare kit sounds like something I’d like to try.

[@malonedrum]

It's a great option for those who don't have the skills to just do it all from scratch.

[@DoubleD501]

Awesome video 👊🏻

[@malonedrum]

Thanks! 👍

[@amazish]

Amazing... right on

[@malonedrum]

Thanks!

[@Reverie_Cymbals_Drums]

Nordic is the best!

[@malonedrum]

You know it!

[@davidmcaninch4714]

So these types of shells would be to make your own drums with your own hardware, right?

[@malonedrum]

Yes

[@mirolund5331]

Cool tempered.

[@mirolund5331]

Holy moldy

[@mirolund5331]

Looks like 21 shell presses . Wow

[@malonedrum]

For sure, different shell press for each size, and maybe a couple for more common sizes like 14

[@ramonkey2939]

Im very interested in the snare kits

[@malonedrum]

I know they are still working on it, so keep your eyes peeled.

[@ramonkey2939]

Most Definitely

[@kevindohn6776]

I'm wondering what a drum would sound like if the edges were just left flat, without a bearing edge, would it work ?

[@malonedrum]

It would work, but the resonance and tone would be far from ideal

[@jareddoran6605]

There would be too much surface area of the shell in contact with the drum head, so much so that the drum head would barely vibrate (if at all). The bearing edge is needed in order to actually get sound out of the drum.

[@wadedixon9890]

I’ve never tackled building a drum before. I’m tempted but know my limitations. 😂

[@malonedrum]

They offer a lot of services to make it very easy for you to buy the parts and pretty assembly yourself.

[@mwdrum]

Wow, they are serious about “the drum business” I’d like to see a 3 ply, I’m sure they could cook one up.

[@malonedrum]

I’m sure hey already have a recipe and process set up for it

[@joelmarquez3389]

This is so cool …

[@malonedrum]

For sure.

[@christskingdom8950]

Studs!

[@malonedrum]

Ansolutely

[@rudedoc]

It's so hard to understand what the market is for drums and drum shells, I bought 2 drum kits in my life time. Who's buying all these drums?

[@malonedrum]

Some people like to collect drums, others collect baseball cards, or funko pops. It's great that you've been able to enjoy 2 kits throughout your life, but it's really nothing bizarre or novel that others chose to try different drums more frequently or enjoy collecting.

[@Lisa_Simpsoy]

I don't want to be rude but I'm quite disappointed with Nordic shells quality control: I ordered a 6" shell last year. Shell was porous with encrusted dark dust that even with sanding, wouldn't had come off: I would have destroyed outer ply. 2. Shell MASSIVELY oversized: could bearly fit the drumheads on it and the hoop nearly fit. Even more ridiculous: the lugs were so off : tension rods nearly didn't want to screw since they were so angled.. Smh Don't give me: oh but 6" are rare and they made you a favor doing it. Ffs: did they even test fit it?!? Suuuper disappointed. Sad cause they offer aaaaaa lot more interesting options than Keller but.. Keller are by far a safer choice. I orderded several keller shells: one small detail was off but I was quite satisfied!

[@malonedrum]

I'm sorry to hear you had that experience. I've worked with Nordic a number of times and not had the same experience at all. I'm not sure if you bought just a shell, or had an entire drum built from Nordic, but it sounds like maybe other variables in your drum could also have played a part. As far as the dark spot on the shell, it's important to remember wood is a natural product, so there is variation from drum to drum, especially with certain species. I'd imagine if you reach out to them, they'd love to help you out or investigate the size of your shell and why it didn't work with your heads or hoops.

[@NEALBABBITT]

Really like the new videos! You've really stepped it up. Not a fan of you starting with "Hey" every episode. Kinda creepy. No other criticism. 😊

[@malonedrum]

🙄