When I saw that this drum had been listed on DrumSellers, it was so striking and beautiful that I requested one for review.

So the fine folks at Cympad sent an assortment of their cymbal washers for me to review. Cympad washers are made from a cellular foam material and can be used in place of traditional felt washers. The Optimizer washers are pretty close to the same size as any typical felt washers for rides, crashes and hi hats, and effects cymbals. I felt that these would be a good starting place to do an A/B comparison with my felt washers. I used several different types of ride cymbals: My “holy grail” Bosphorus 21” Master Series ride/crash cymbal - extremely thin with a small bell, an old EAK Zildjian K 22” ride that is very low pitched and dark with a big bell , and an older 20” A Zildjian rock ride - pretty heavy and bright with a medium sized bell.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Folks, we have a winner! This one tops my “George’s Picks” list. From Cympad’s Website: “The gated drum damper enhances the attack while keeping the tone of the drum. The Shark’s exclusive hinged design allows the device to float on the playing surface— subtly reducing the volume and resonance by reacting to the intensity of the stroke. Rugged, re-useable, with plastic carrying case included.”

My opinion: The advantage to using Lem’s Felts is that they last longer, and let your cymbals’ sound sustain longer because they are made with superior materials by a niche manufacturer who cares about quality. The cymbal sleeves are of a more flexible and durable plastic than most, and will not damage your cymbals.

Ramy does not rest on his laurels. Constantly looking to do more and do better, he has recently expanded the A&F line-up to include an array of innovative nickel-plated drum hardware: snare/tom/kick stand, cymbal stand, pedal mount for snare stand, hoop mounted clamp and L-arm, kick-bone, cocktail basket and kick pedal clamp.

So overall, I would definitely recommend trying out the No Nuts products, especially the Cymbal Sleeves, as they really do make mounting and dismounting cymbals so much easier and quicker. The convenience factor is well worth the money in my mind. I like having alternatives to felt pads so the CymRings are a much better substitute. I don’t use a sizzle cymbal enough to justify the cost. Having a little ‘doodad’ like the SizzleNut that I can stick in my bag and pull out as needed is more practical. Think of it this way, for the price of 1-2 pairs of drumsticks, you could buy a set of Cymbal Sleeves, CymRings, or SizzleNut. Music is about experimentation. Try things out!

I had a lot of fun playing with both the Royal1 and ProFlex1. I’m not sure if anything has changed, but they seemed so much better than many of the earlier Attack drum heads I had tried a few years ago. These heads were more versatile, open and dynamic than I expected. I can’t personally answer the question about durability but will continue to play them and see how they hold up. I should note that drummer, Rick Meadors, recently posted on drumforum.org about his experience with the Royal1 drum heads stating that, “Attack's coating is darn near indestructible in my experience… I've had that head on that snare for about 8 months now and have played it A LOT! Probably close to two dozen gigs plus a lot of playing at home during the past few months.”

Legendary jazz-funk drummer Mike Clark presents his latest Hudson Music initiative - ‘The Post-Bop Drum Book’. Numerous topics include be-bop and post-bop drumming, advanced independence, developing the ride beat, phrasing, using the hi-hat as a fourth voice, and triplet variations are explained. Mike provides a totally complete overview of contemporary jazz drumming with performance concepts… Coupled with the impeccably written transcriptions of Towner Galaher… This is a must-have book for all serious drummers.

With the recording process split between the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London (including full string and brass sections) and the world class Sweetwater Studios in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Invisible boasts star turns from luminaries such as guitarists Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big), Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) and Carl Verheyen (Supertramp), bassists Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel) and Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings, Steve Hackett), plus keyboard players Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) and Jem Godfrey (Frost*).

This will be a short review. Good and short because I really am impressed with these heads. I play at least three nights a week with a big rock and soul band named FreeWorld on Beale Street in Memphis and a good number of well-known drummers sit in on my drums. It’s a pretty hard-hitting gig and the guys that sit in don’t hold back. Though I prefer single ply heads on recording sessions and lighter gigs, I have used all sorts of two ply heads on my Gretsch drums over the years for the louder gigs. The two-ply heads last longer. They also all start denting up immediately and I’ll use each set as long as I can until they just won’t tune up anymore or are looking like the surface of the moon.

A&F Drum Company, known for their distinctive “modern vintage” drums, has recently teamed up with the Sabian cymbal company to produce a line of exciting new products.  Ramy Antoun, Founder and President of A&F, describes this partnership as a blend of “old world craftsmanship, new world sound”.  Ramy has long held Sabian in great esteem; a company with a proud history, steeped in tradition and renowned for their dedication, innovation and craftsmanship. 

When the veteran blues rocker booked his trio into the legendary Sun Studio for a three hour session on an off day from their tour, he had no specific plan except to record a few originals and covers. Letting the legendary spirits in the room (Roy Orbison,Johnny Cash, Elvis, et al), the vintage 50s-60s equipment and the refreshing spontaneity of a “live in the studio” opportunity take over, Stuckey created InTheShadow of the Sun, the most unexpected full length album of his career

Lucas Aldridge and I finally got our hands on some Felt Tone Heads from Remo and they are the bomb. We put the FiberSkyn on the batter side and the hazy on the front, and used matching regular heads for comparison. Felts have been attached/glued to heads before. The difference here is that the felt is NOT adhered to the head but adhered to the plastic strip which holds it against the head. This plastic strip also continues on around the circumference of the head acting as a very narrow "zero Ring" similar to the Power Stroke heads.

The Remo Classic Fit Drumheads feature a slightly narrower flesh hoop and step design to address oversized drums made prior to the mid 60s. They are also ideal for older vintage drums that are out of round with thick overlapping drum coverings.

The Value of “Inner Drumming”

All drummers need to practice their rudiments and the various styles of music in which they are involved. But there is another crucial aspect of music not covered by those efforts. George Marsh's landmark book, “Inner Drumming” gives you the missing ingredient: internal awareness of your body as you are playing.

“My Signature snare drum series has a fat, deep, crisp and powerful sound that is great for all styles of music : Rock, Jazz, Funk and Fusion and more!”

Mr. Esposito will be very instrumental in the future of W&A because he now owns the company. A rather new vintage drum enthusiast, having started only recently in 2011, Jeremy bought his first W&A drum set and was hooked. He started researching the history, discovered that the company had dissolved in 1983, and quickly purchased and registered the company name and trademarks, the website domain and started a Facebook Page. Walberg & Auge is now registered as a non-profit for historical and educational purposes.

The Canopus Black Brass drum that I tested these 30 strand wires on had the perfect width bed for these wires to lie in and respond correctly. It’s nice to see a drum company that understands how this is supposed to work. It was a pleasure to play this drum and hear that big, rich and snappy snare sound coming from underneath. The snares sounded very full and there was minimal snare buzz from other instruments

 Canopus has added some new models and colors to the current Yaiba Maple and Birch snare series. Until last month the models were only available with the Yaiba kits I reviewed earlier this year. They are now available as individual drums in the Canopus snare line up. They are not up on the Canopus website yet so this is kind of a sneak peek. 

 I hate to use the obvious comparison, but it does sound very much like the heavy brass Ludwig Black Beauty drums that were made in the seventies, which are sought after. And I think that’s what Canopus was going for since they mentioned it on their website. 

This is one of those reviews that is easy to write because the product is so simple that it either works or it doesn't. It either does what the manufacturer says it does or it doesn't. This one works! CUSH pads are an alternative to the felts you use on your cymbal stand. They are made of a proprietary elastomer material, and are designed to allow the cymbals to ring longer and truer without muffling the sound or overtones. They don't collapse or take shape and always return to the original shape.

This is one of those reviews that is easy to write because the product is so simple that it either works or it doesn't. It either does what the manufacturer says it does or it doesn't. This one works! CUSH pads are an alternative to the felts you use on your cymbal stand. They are made of a proprietary elastomer material, and are designed to allow the cymbals to ring longer and truer without muffling the sound or overtones. They don't collapse or take shape and always return to the original shape.