Show your wood

How was it a nightmare to build? I mean those outer re-rings look to be a bugger for sure, and not to trivialize anything, but why was it any harder than other Origin kits?
 
How was it a nightmare to build? I mean those outer re-rings look to be a bugger for sure, and not to trivialize anything, but why was it any harder than other Origin kits?
This particular batch of walnut, although superb, was very open grained - even for walnut. That's great in terms of super low fundamental, but a real bugger in terms of finishing & satisfactory forming of end grain. This Origin stave was a first. All milled/turned as a complete shell, rather than external rerings being added with horizontal grain. This means a lot of end grain finishing, as well as having to carry out some specific build testing to make sure the external resigns were strong enough. As this is a dedicated low tuning kit (a specific request from the customer), we were sufficiently satisfied it was up to the job with a good safety margin. Walnut is not a structurally strong species, especially pulling in line with end grain. We wouldn't be happy with this for general release, as we have to factor in abuse & second ownership,

Origin series is dedicated segmented construction, & will stay that way. We very rarely consider a truly one off build, but the customer was happy & enthusiastic to carry through the project, even with it's inherent risks. Of course, we needed to be happy that the risk was small before agreeing to do it ourselves. It took over 160 hours to build this kit. That's not an economical general market proposition.
 
Our signature hoops are available in ovangkol, English ash, maple, & oak. Ordinarily, on this build, we'd use English ash, but the customer specified ovangkol. For us, it's a tonal fit first, visual fit second.

So the construction of the hoops is all the same? No steam bent hoops with traditional claws are available? I know the claws would add hardware mass and you guys are against that, but for someone looking for a more traditional style would you offer this option?

We do have our steam bent drums on the back burner for now, but not for too long. We encountered a production issue with the In-Tense steam bent shells that will take a while to resolve. In-Tense steam bent shells are much more difficult to make than standard steam bent shells, & the standard ones aren't exactly easy! There's a performance rationale behind the current position too. It was always our intention to take Origin purely segmented once we had the other ranges in place. It suits Origin's design brief perfectly. Additionally, we developed In-Tense segmented shells in parallel to steam bent, & frankly, their performance exceeded our expectations, so we brought them to the fore.

So how do you define your different lines of drums? We know the names Origin and In Tense, and it sounds like a new line will be coming out as well. What separates the different lines?
 
So the construction of the hoops is all the same? No steam bent hoops with traditional claws are available? I know the claws would add hardware mass and you guys are against that, but for someone looking for a more traditional style would you offer this option?
No, we don't offer steam bent hoops & claws. We have done so in the past, but they don't offer any sonic benefits to our low mass drums, in fact, quite the reverse in most circumstances

As a general point, & this is not meant in a high handed way, but we're not a custom drum company. We offer highly researched constructions that deliver to certain performance criteria. Only in exceptional circumstances do we deviate from our core designs.

So how do you define your different lines of drums? We know the names Origin and In Tense, and it sounds like a new line will be coming out as well. What separates the different lines?
I'll keep this brief, as this is not a Guru thread.

Origin series = strong fundamental, extreme overtone control, purity of note - the ultimate recording kit.

In-Tense series = rich fundamental, full engagement of carefully shaped higher overtones, open, dynamic, expressive.

Tour series (new) = dominant fundamental, fairly focussed, explosive delivery, articulate, extreme tonal projection - a live performance focussed instrument.
 
No, we don't offer steam bent hoops & claws. We have done so in the past, but they don't offer any sonic benefits to our low mass drums, in fact, quite the reverse in most circumstances

As a general point, & this is not meant in a high handed way, but we're not a custom drum company. We offer highly researched constructions that deliver to certain performance criteria. Only in exceptional circumstances do we deviate from our core designs.

I'll keep this brief, as this is not a Guru thread.

Origin series = strong fundamental, extreme overtone control, purity of note - the ultimate recording kit.

In-Tense series = rich fundamental, full engagement of carefully shaped higher overtones, open, dynamic, expressive.

Tour series (new) = dominant fundamental, fairly focussed, explosive delivery, articulate, extreme tonal projection - a live performance focussed instrument.

Hmm, thats an interesting way to define your lines. Certainly different to every other manufacturer out there. I wont take up more time in this thread with questions. Thanks for answering the questions I did have.
 
Here my Tamburo Opera Zebrawood Maple Birch

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Now this is what the highest quality solid bubinga can look like! This is not made of different colour staves. It's the transition between heartwood & sapwood. Almost impossible to seamlessly match to this standard, unless your name happens to be Dean Price :)
 

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This drum seriously messes with my head. It's a solid that mimics a stave. Freaky and beautiful.
Hi DMC, good to have you here :)

I think I/we got lost in the terminology. This drum is stave construction, but staves of alternate colouring are not used to get the visual effect. In other words, there isn't a light stave, then a dark stave, then another light one, etc, as is the case with a mixed timber species example. The individual staves are taken from a specific part of the log, the section that transitions heart wood & sap wood. They're then effectively book matched to get the seamless cohesive look to the shell.

The reason for doing this isn't just visual, it's also a tonal choice.
 
I generally try to make my staves flow together as one. I absolutely hate the look of stripey stave shells.
Do you hate the bubinga one I posted below? You do know that's how the wood is naturally at transition between heartwood & sapwood? It's not alternate light/dark stave sections. Or have I got your post completely wrong? To get that match is really difficult. All's cool BTW :)
 
No, you read me wrong. That Bubinga is what I go for. The stripey ugliness I refer to is like the alternating walnut/maple combos that seem to dominate the online auction sites.
Ah, ok, got you :) Yes, I agree. We have done alternate staves or segments on a few occasions where a specific set of sonic criteria was at play, but I'm naturally a single species guy. That said, we are building some new kit drums that feature a single stave of a different wood, but there's a reason behind that ;)
 
Hi DMC, good to have you here :)

I think I/we got lost in the terminology. This drum is stave construction, but staves of alternate colouring are not used to get the visual effect. In other words, there isn't a light stave, then a dark stave, then another light one, etc, as is the case with a mixed timber species example. The individual staves are taken from a specific part of the log, the section that transitions heart wood & sap wood. They're then effectively book matched to get the seamless cohesive look to the shell.

The reason for doing this isn't just visual, it's also a tonal choice.

OK, got it. The staving is so subtle, it is not so easy to see. Also, the wood appears to be spalted a bit - like there are minerals dissolved in it. Or is that the grain structure?
 
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