WE'VE GOT THE BEAT (Pt. 1): My New Kit Unveiled!

When it comes to my personal fashion sensibility, I simply can't buy "off the rack."

That same philosophy holds true when it comes to choosing my drum kits.

I just got a new one and it's flippin' awesome!

___________________________
 

My custom hot pink Franken Berry kit
was created in 2003 by Jack Lathrop
at Jackson Drums.

I've now been playing drums for thirty-five years. I'm no "Mike Portnoy" — heck, I'm not even a "Marky Ramone." However, I do possess a deep personal passion for playing drums as well as for the artistry and craftsmanship of custom-built kits.

For the first half of my less than illustrious music career, I settled for standard, name brand kits. And for many years I was a huge Ludwig fan — in fact I still am. But during the "big rock" explosion of the 1980s, I became enamoured  by such drummers as Jimmy Marinos and  Rikki Rockett — hard-hitting showmen with their own personalized kits.

 

Drummer and artist  Jack Lathrop  launched  his Florida-based Jackson Drum company in the late '90s and he quickly  developed a reputation as the area's custom go-to guy. I first hired Jack back in 2003 to  pimp my standard/factory red Ludwigs into a fabulous-looking ride. The result? My one-of-a-kind, hot pink Franken Berry kit.

 

I was delighted in 2008 to purchase a custom  pink camouflage kit from Rockett Drum Works — designed and hand-crafted  by  my longtime drum hero, Rikki Rockett. It was a real show-stopper to say the least. In 2013, when I was ready for my next kit, I once again reached  out to my old friend, Jack Lathrop to discuss putting a unique spin on his popular "Black Dragon" series.

I'm a basic player and I typically stick with a  basic setup. However, I wanted odd-size shells — 13"x7" snare, 12"x9" rack, 16"x14" floor and 26"x15" kick.

Although Jackson Drums  does offer wraps, Jack takes  considerable pride in his amazing, custom drum painting. And in keeping with my tradition of pink finishes, Jack combined a mauve base coat with a holographic glitter top coat to create a truly unique finish. Under normal conditions, the kit looks great, but once light hits these babies, they'll darn near blind folks for ten rows back!

As for the kit's performance, I've never been happier. I've experimented with many kick drum sizes over the years. However, I've never used a 26" — I just knew that they looked really cool. When I lifted it for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised by how heavy and solid it felt — now this is a kick drum. And kicking it onstage is like smacking a brick wall — that thing ain't going nowhere! It sounds like (very fat) thunder. And although its enormous size affected my overall setup, it's actually quite comfortable for me. In sum, I'll never go back to anything smaller.
 



26" of pure power. Bigger IS better!
 

In contrast to the 26" kick drum, the 13" snare is actually smaller than what I'm accustomed to playing. But its sound is warm and beefy, yet punchy. Simply put, it's THE best sounding snare that I've ever owned.

The toms are more traditional-sized  and also sound as fierce as the kit's other components. Kudos, Jack — I'm  another (very) satisfied (return) customer!


-Christopher Long
(February 2013)







Me and Jack Lathrop from Jackson Drums.

*This is Part One of a new continuing series for drummers and drum fans. And I encourage readers to participate by contributing their personal related stories, observations, and/or photos. You can do so by either posting in the "Comments" section below, or by contacting me personally:
AuthorChristopherLong@yahoo.com

 

Author Christopher Long's latest book,

C'MON! - My Story of Rock, Ruin and Revelation

is available NOW on Amazon.