Spacer Drums | Tour Timps | Poly Tone Beaters | The Adder | Clappers | Turbo Crashers | Modular Kit | Ukulele Resonance Cradle
Spacer Drums
Spacer Kit
Spacer Drums were a spin-off from my Tour Timps portable timpani (see below). When I first had the idea I thought that the open design would make a drum quieter, suitable for practice, quiet music or small venues, something I was keen to achieve.
Instead, the first snare drum I made was very loud with great projection, sensitivity and dynamics.
Standard microphone placements can be used, but additionally Spacer drums can be side-mic'd: the closer in you set the mic, the deeper and more explosive the sound becomes. In time I added toms and bass drums to the range, but the snare drums are the outstanding drums of this range.
The standard Spacer Snare drum has black powder-coated aluminium castings, solid brass Spacers, a steel bar (optional) for placing muffling foam blocks to reduce snare buzz. Heads, hoops, snare releases and snares are fitted to customer's order.
Spacer Drums have not been in production since I moved out of London. I currently don't have a proper workshop and my machinery is in storage until my new workshop is ready
For all enquiries please contact me.
Spacer Snare drum frame
NOT CURRENTLY IN PRODUCTION.
I invented Tour Timps in the mid 1980s, inspired by Adolfe Saxe's "Timbales Chromatiques", but made of steel and complete with foot pedal chromatic tuning and a tuning gauge to make them suitable for contemporary repertoire. Like an Upright Piano compared to a Grand Piano, they were not specifically designed for professional musicians, but for those for whom price, storage and transport were huge obstacles to owning conventional pedal timpani. For storage or transport the drum quickly unclips from the Stand/Pedal assembly which folds flat with a single quick movement.
I worked for several years at South London Innovation Centre, learning metalwork, welding and other skills, gradually improving the design and testing them with Trinity Sinfonia, Fulham Symphony/Kensington College Orchestra and various others. Meanwhile I won the Honeywell/Sunday Times Award, a John Downes Award and had them demonstrated on BBC TV's "Tomorrow's World" by Judith Haan and Dame Evelyn Glennie. I made the first approx 100 myself in London, in all sizes from 18" up to 40" diameter! Later I teamed up with a Texan friend to tool up for mass production there. We produced and sold about 1,000 and had almost repaid our investment when the Spinning Company managed to break our costly and almost unbreakable Production Die, but refused to replace or refund it. We were forced to stop production as my partner wished to take his long-overdue retirement, but we hope to re-start with a new partner and the finance for new tooling. Used ones sometimes become available, but tend to sell for more than we charged for new ones!
I continue to service, repair and upgrade used Tour Timps for UK owners, please contact me to discuss requirements.
Poly Tone Beaters
Poly Tone Beaters are fantastic and versatile new drum and percussion beaters which are particularly useful for giving a Kit drummer the sort of tonal variety that hand drums like Congas, Bongos, Djembes and Doumbeks are noted for. Their wood core has padded leather ends with soft and hard faces (Colour code : "Light Up = Bright tone, Dark Up = Warm tone"). Turn them around and their loose rubber sleeves produce a more "slappy" tone. Turn them 90º and their edge produces a nice rich Crash tone on cymbals. Open, Closed and Slap tones can be produced, plus Glissandi and Harmonics. Great fun to use, and they open up new rhythmic and tonal possibilities for drum kit players to explore!
There are several videos showing Poly Tone Beaters in use on my Wordpress site.
To Buy: Although not in production until my new workshop is ready, I do have limited numbers of these in stock and for sale. Please email me, stating Poly Tone Beaters, number of pairs required & giving your name and full address, also send Paypal payment to my email address drumuke@gmail.com.
The Adder
The Adder is an extremely useful and versatile accessory, with Active and Passive modes.
Passive Mode: with the supplied elastic cord, which hooks over two tension rods, it is held in place on the top head. This reduces Ring and makes a more "snarey" tone when the drum's own snares are on.
If you then turn the bottom snares off, you get a very dry snare tone, a bit like gut snares on a military drum. This makes the Adder a useful tone control, which can be installed or removed almost instantly. When the Adder is not being used you can, if you like, move the cord away and place it on the side of the drum but still hooked on, instantly ready for next time it is wanted.
Active Mode: this is where the fun starts! Hold the Adder in one hand and try sliding its snares gently over the edge of a cymbal or guitar strings. Next try holding it on your snare drum's top head with one hand, hold a stick, brush or beater in the other hand. Alternate Tapping and Sliding strokes with the Adder to produce different sounds and rhythms, then intersperse these with beats of the stick, brush or beater. Next try several beats with the stick, brush or beater while producing aternating Dry and Ringing tones by holding the Adder onto the head or lifting it away. It's great for Latin rhythms and countless other rhythmic and tonal effects. The more you experiment, the more you will love this simple, fun gadget.
The Adder in use:
To Buy: Although not in production until I move into my new workshop, I still have a few Adders for sale.
Please email me, stating "The Adder", quantity required & giving your name and full address, also send Paypal payment to my email address: drumuke@gmail.com.
Clappers
In about 2002 I made a sound effect, played with a bass drum pedal, whose beater struck a Castanet onto a Wood Block making a pleasing Clap sound. A few years later I was asked to make an acoustic instrument which sounded a bit like the Handclap sound on a drum machine so that he could play the sound live without using electronics. I developed the sound effect into Clappers: loosely held, sprung, wooden slats on a base which can be clamped to drum kits and percussion rigs.
To Buy: Not currently in production until I move into my new workshop but I have a few in stock. Please contact me for details: drumuke@gmail.com.
Turbo Crashers
A ridged stainless steel Crasher which can be struck or "scratched" with a stick for a variety of sounds and rhythms. I designed, made and sold these for a few years as "Cow Crashers" as they sound particularly good when used near a Cow Bell, with beats and scratches alternated between the two instruments.
I gradually realised that they required the efforts of a mass producer to get them to World markets, so I contacted Meinl and we agreed a Manufacturing Licence and Royalty deal and they now sell around the World. To buy one, please visit a Meinl stockist, say "Hello" from me and buy or order one for yourself!
Modular Kit
I designed the Modular Kit with several clear ideas in mind: I wanted a compact kit with maximum warmth and resonance but reduced volume. I wanted to keep its weight and bulk down, I wanted it to be quick and easy to dismantle, and always to assemble into exactly the right positioning and angles for me. In fact, depending on the size of the vehicle and any doors to go through, it is often possible to transport it fully or partially set up, so that set-up and tear-down times are greatly reduced. The kit's baseboard acts as a "Collective" tripod for all the stands, reducing the bulk and weight of conventional tripods, and ensuring that no part of the kit slides away under heavy playing, as straps hold it to stool or Cajon. My Modular Kit includes a wide variety of instruments and accessories and allows me to pick and choose exactly what I need for any gig, from a very basic set-up to an astonishingly versatile but compact multi-drum cymbal and percussion rig.
In 2019 I made a new version of this hardware design, but cannot accept orders until I move into my new workshop.
Ukulele Resonance Cradle
As a drummer I became aware of drum mounting systems which hold a drum in a form of cradle, rather than having a holder bolted to their shell. These originated with Symphonic players then gradually spread to drum kits. When a holder bolts on to a drum it absorbs significant energy, and reduces tonal depth and sustain. I found the same happens when I hold a Ukulele against myself to play and built Resonance Cradles for both my acoustic Ukuleles, and the extra resonance is very noticeable. I thought this was an original Invention, but later found out that in Victorian times guitars were played with a stand mounted cradle!
This cradle for my Kala Archtop Tenor Ukulele is made of welded and painted steel parts and has three clips with Felt pads, and three adjusting bolts to secure it to the Uke. The frame is chain drilled to reduce weight, and the arm rest is too, so that fabric covers can be attached (I prefer mine uncovered).
Each cradle has to be individually made to fit your Ukulele, so the price has to vary accordingly.
Currently unable to make any more until I move into my new workshop.
