Monday, June 25, 2012

WCH Custom Drums News Update June 2012

It has been a little while since my last posting...but it has been a busy and exciting month for Wooden Cross Hardware!
BEFORE...
FINAL...
First off, I finished up and delivered a really awesome re-covered drum set to a local customer (Monroe, IN).  It all started when the drummer's wife, a school teacher, saw the WCH logo on the back of a t-shirt I was honored to help make for the final year at Monmouth Elementary.  She wanted to get her husband, a firefighter in Fort Wayne, a drum set to replace one he had sold years before.  The short of the story, he sold his drum kit he had in high school to pay for her engagement ring.  She promised that she would buy him another someday.  Well, we tossed some ideas around and ended up using a Ludwig kit I had that had never been played.  I worked with the drummer's wife, my "vinyl guy", and Cazdude designs to come up with a great looking wrap and finished kit.  The kit transformed from a standard black wrapped kit to a kit wrapped in a custom diamond plate printed wrap with flames shooting in from the edges.  On the front of the kit was a custom vinyl Maltese cross with his badge number in the middle.





FINAL AMERICAN GROOVE SNARE
The other recent big project, shipping to Japan here in the next couple days, is a variation of the Riley Rogers snare I did some time back (7x14, 15 ply maple, wrapped in diamond plate, black hoops and Ego Maniac lugs - see picture below).  This project for Japan came from request of a customer at the American Groove store in Kashiwa-City, Chiba, Japan.  He asked if they could order a snare like Riley's with a few different specs.  The shell on this one is something new for WCH.  It is a 5.5" x 14" carbon steel shell (purchased from Allstar Drumworks; California), but also wrapped in the .025" thick aluminum diamond plate, black powder coated Ego maniac lugs (Ego Drum Supply; Oregon), and powder coated hoops (Stealth Black) by Pro-strip in Fort Wayne to match the Ego lugs.  One additional spec the customer had, he wanted a Trick throw.  I finished off the drum with a Dynamicx steel snare exclusively from Drum Foundry.
RILEY'S SNARE





These were, as usual, great learning experiences for me...especially the work needed behind the custom steel shell.  I also want to say that I am really impressed with the operation of the Trick throw, my first.  It is really smooth and I can see the multiple positions might be useful in the right situations.  They also have a version without the multiple stops...but I chose this one as they were the same price.  Now it is time to pack the box and get the shipping arranged to Japan...my second international drum.  The first was the Octabon sent to Michael over in the UK.  Here is a video link of Micheal taking it for a test drive...and a pic to the right.  :)