I am a drummer/percussionist and have been actively performing with musicians and musical projects for the past eight years. I am also a gear nerd, and always justifying my latest purchase of drum equipment.
I have owned the same trusty drum kit for the past 6 years; it has been recorded on several albums with a variety of bands. Recently I began looking for something new, something with a different sound, something exciting, and something more…personal.
As I walked through downtown Santa Cruz a couple of years ago, a window display caught my eye. It was a beautifully hand-made snare drum by a local company, Sugar Percussion. I was intrigued and sought out the master craftsman to learn more. I quickly did some web recon and found out that these drums were being made in Santa Cruz, not far from my place of work at the time. I emailed the owner to schedule a drop-in and learn more. The owner, Jefferson Shallenberger, ended up being the nicest, wittiest, knowledgeable and passionate (and only) drum builder I had ever met. He answered all of my questions, three of which being the most important:
I mulled over the idea of making such an investment. I spent many nights at Jeff’s shop, stopping by after work to ask as many questions as possible. I studied up on the art of building stave drums; the differences in sound and look and feel; I endlessly watched videos from his website to get an idea of how his other drum kits sounded…
It came down to this: I am a drummer, I am picky, and I wanted a drum kit that wasn’t sold to me by someone over the phone or behind the counter at Guitar Center who probably doesn’t share my level of passion for drumming (or my neurosis). Jeff is a drummer, and a master wood smith; he helped me discover the options available with a stave built drum kit and produce the most elegant looking and sounding set of wooden circles I have ever seen.
