SoundLab No. 2: Drum Solo Snare Drums
by John Alridge (Drum! Dec.2002 | Jan. 2003)

Raves About Staves

I first reviewed a Drum Solo snare drum almost four years ago for Not So Modern Drummer magazine. Since that time, Drum Solo has grown from a "one at a time" custom shop to a producer of well-made custom drums and a supplier of high-quality segment shells for several other respected manufacturers. With a background in metal and woodworking, Drum Solo proprietor Greg Gaylord's love of drums is finally being realized through the instruments he crafts.
The name of his company, Drum Solo, is a play on words that reflects how Gaylord builds drums - by himself. He makes his own tube lugs, produces segment-constructed shells in exotic woods, cuts his own bearing edges and snare beds, and is currently developing his own process to make steam-bent solid wood shells. But the name of his company came from an unusual source. In Gaylord's words: "Shortly after I moved to California in 1992, I began working for a mail-order catalog that employed an enclave of mentally-challenged individuals. One of those individuals was Hans Huff. Hans had several nicknames, one of which was his favorite from a popular movie, Hans Solo. One afternoon while we were at lunch, the conversation turned to the fact that Hans didn't like the name of the mail-order catalog company. When asked what he would rename the company, Hans replied matter-of-factly 'Han Solo's'. From there the jump to him also naming my company Drum Solo was quick. The name fit, and almost nine years later the name given to my company during a lunch break is still inspiring me to work as hard as the man from whom the Drum Solo name came."

Our Batch. The drums sent for review were all block constructed; a 14" x 51/2" model in purpleheart with brass triple-flanged hoops; cherry 14" x 51/2", and a 14" x 51/2" zebrawood snare. Of the exotic wood shells, all but the purpleheart and zebrawood came with tags that indicate that they were harvested in an ecologically sensitive manner. The shells featured a 45° inside cut that goes almost to the outside edge of the snare with a very small radius. This produces a very sharp edge, which is only slightly reduced by the final hand sanding. While Gaylord also favors a minimal countercut on the outside of some of his drums to increase the fatness of the sound, these particular drums were consistently constructed with only the slightest countercut to take advantage of the dense ringing sound of the block-constructed shells. Outfitted with Nickel strainers and butt plates, Gaylord's own tube lugs, and 2mm solid-brass hoops, the standard of minimum contact hardware mounting is consistent throughout.

The overall effect is that these drums are Iively. The snare action and compression of all of the drums is enhanced by the use of a single small air vent (approximately 1/8") centrally drilled in the panel two lugs over from the throwoff. The inside of each drum is signed by Gaylord, and each drum built with his segmented shell also bears a badge machined from a solid billet of brass, engraved with the Drum Solo logo. I must say that all of the finishes on these drums, from the rich, deep gloss on the zebrawood to the fine matte finish on the cherry drum, were meticulously applied in every way. The consistency of quality across the board is impressive and these drums are as custom as it gets.

Gaylord (a former machinist by trade) machines the posts and tubes for his own tube lugs and assembles and buffs the solid brass himself. Like many other manufacturers of high-end snare drums, he has opted to use the Nickel Strainer. All of the models sent for review feature the black composite and metal strainer that is a current favorite of the custom drum industry. Two of the drums were outfitted with 2.3mm triple-flanged steel hoops, but the purpleheart drm featured 2mm solid brass hoops. Drum Solo also offers single-flanged hoops with collar hooks as an option.

This here's a purpleheart shell. Admit it, you don't actually read these captions, do you?

I Left My Purpleheart. When all is said and done, you have to let the drums speak for themselves. The purpleheart drum was capable of fulfilling my every desire as a general-purpose drum. It was fast, warm, cutting, and sensitive all at the same time. From rim click bossa to backbeat rock, this beauty performed flawlessly and projected incredibly well. The rimshot sound was cutting and loud, with lots of projection, which I attribute at least partially to the brass hoops. Like most of Gaylord's drums, this drum was very zone sensitive, and able to produce a wide variety of sounds at any tuning just by picking a different area of the head. There was a noticeable sweet spot in the center of the drum which resulted in a very focused, crisp snare tone, in contrast to the ringing, looser snare sound with more over-ring when the drum was played outside the sweet spot. I would attribute this to the extreme response of the bottom head, which is heightened by the minimal venting of the shell. Since the air doesn't have a quick escape route, direct hits to the center of the drum tended to accentuate both the snare sound and muffling capacities of the snare wires at the same time. For that reason, this drum offers a controllability that is easily accessible to the drummer and as such, is a dynamic performance tool. With a focused non-rimshot back- beat and an equally defined alternative sounding crack with ring, this is one versatile instrument.

Cherry Baby. The cherry-shell drum was bright and ringing and created a slightly more aggressive crack than the other three drums in rimshots. It would be a good drum in high volume situations due to cherry's natural cut and clarity at high volume. If you've got a slamming funk gig that needs a bright, crisp drum sound, this drum would do the job.

This here's a zebrawood snare. This is way too small for captions, especially when you reverse type out of black! No, this is not a typo! It's 3:00 in the morning, and we're still writing captions. What else do you expect? Shakespeare?

Zebra Stripes. Last but certainly not least, the zebrawood model had to be the prettiest and most eye catching of all of the drums submitted for review. The manner in which the wood was cut at an angle to the grain gave the wood a uniformly curving grain that created a "fish scale" pattern when the segments were assembled together into a drum. The deep clear coat applied to the outside of the shells really enhanced the depth and beauty of the wood grain. In sound characteristics, the zebra fell somewhere between the purpleheart and the cherry on a scale of brightness, but with more volume than the purpleheart, and a broader range of tone than the cherry.

Verdict. At this point you're probably ready to throw your tea and crumpets up in the air and sigh at the ludicrous task of comparing three relatively rare hardwood drums, impeccably designed and constructed, and digging up enough superlatives to cover the situation adequately. In closing, let me say that I was duly impressed with almost every aspect of the Drum Solo snares sent to me for review. They all performed with unique voices and any one (or three) would make marvelous additions to your snare drum arsenal. If you've got the $1,200 - $1,500 (retail) to spend and you're in the mood for something exotic, Drum Solo offers a wealth of options that will certainly add a new voice to your kit.

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