This month I want to write about my step son, Evan Thomas, and my son, Paul. Both are drummers and both are very handy and skilled craftsmen.
Read moreLawrence Drums - Only three sets made
Before Joe Partridge and I started the Famous Drum brand (“You must have heard of us - we’re Famous!”), I built three sets of custom painted drums for a catalog of what was to be the “Lawrence Drum Company” and had some great pics made of the shells. This was in the early mid 2000s when I was building drums at George’s Drum Shop. I abandoned the Lawrence badge name in favor of Famous, but these drums were never badged.
Read moreThe History of Famous Drum Company
It all started at George’s Drum Shop, my retail store in Jackson Mississippi from 1985 - 1987. Joe Partridge was my right hand man there, doing minor repair and refurbishing jobs like taking the old wrap off of drums and re-wrapping them (actually burning the wrap off of the old volatile pre-OSHA drums - the more sadistic customers wanted to be called when we did that so they could come watch!) Joe would also drill holes to put new hardware on some of the customers’ drums. We didn’t actually build any drums at that store, per se, just sold typical name brand drums and repaired then. Joe and I would start building drums separately in the years after that first shop .closed. But, I had some foil stickers made that looked like drum badges with the name of the store and a cool looking drum. So that was as far as we got with the drum building in those first years - badges!
Read moreFamous Steam Bent Single Ply Shells and Builds
These steam bent single ply shells are built by Evan Thomas. They are used in our LaScala and other models. They are also for sale to drum builders as raw shells with or without drilling and cutting of edges, hardware holes and snare beds. They are built in the one ply tradition of Slingerland Radio Kings and other modern high end one ply brands like Craviotto, Noble & Cooley, etc. We keep a good supply of curly maple shells. Many other woods can be used. Call us for available woods.
Read moreFamous Drums 2x4 Snare
Famous Drums “2x4” Snare - available by order - contact George Lawrence
Read moreDrumWrapper machine for applying wrap finishes to shells
DrumWrapper manufactured by Famous Drums/Not So Modern Drummer
Read moreApril 2015 - Spring is Here!
My friend Rob Kampa has been a busy boy. Rob, of MagStar Drums fame, is one of the first and best of this generation’s custom drum builders. He moved to Nashville a while back and has been doing all the drum building and custom work for Andy Foote’s Drum Supply House for quite a few years. Rob and his wife Maggie have recently become the proud new owners of WorldMax USA, leading parts supplier to the DIY and custom drum building industry and makers of the infamous Black Dawg line of brass snare drums. I was wondering for a couple of years who previous owner Walt Johnson was going to hand the baton off to when he retired, and I can’t think of more suitable owners than the Kampas. If that weren’t enough to keep his day full, he is now also building drums for the resurrected Walberg and Auge Drum company. Jeremy Esposito is the other name in the W&A venture and has set it up as a non profit company. Much luck , Rob. You are now a cornerstone of the drum smith community. We need to do an article on you and the three drum companies you work with.
Not So Modern Drummer will have a booth at the Chicago Drum Show in May. I won’t personally be there because I have some performances I can’t get out, of but our Production Manager Chris Speich will be there along with Aaron Mlasko of Mlasko Drums here in Nashville. Please come by out booth to say hello to Chris, maybe talk about some advertising in NSMD, and to check out Aaron’s cool drums.
Matt Crouse interviewed me recently for his very cool podcast "Working Drummer". It's a conversation about what it is like to be a lifelong working drummer, my history and experiences, and Matt's take on things too. He is very good at this and I'm so glad he included me. Matt is an old friend. We met twenty years ago when we were both working at Fork's Drum Closet. http://www.workingdrummer.net/2015/04/15/georgelawrence/
I have resurrected the Famous Drums brand with a new work horse Black Beauty brass model featuring a Dunnett throw off. It has a low price of $385 and you can check it out at our Reverb.com storehttp://rvrb.io/2015-black-beauty-70g
The Snare Drum Olympics will be held this year. The judging will be in November and results will be published in the December Issue. If you want to enter a drum or two or three in this year’s contest and publicity event please sign up on our mailing list at www.snaredrumolympics.com and review the application and procedures. Since the Nashville Drum Show is not being held this year, we will have a separate public event for the public judging and debut.
There are many great articles in this issue including a healthy number of reader submissions and appraisal requests, so get our your iPad or your telephone or your Dick Tracy watch and read away. –George Lawrence
PS - Don't forget to check out all the new products in our new store: https://reverb.com/shop/georges-drum-shop
2x4 Famous Snare Drum
Famous Drums' "2x4" Custom Snare Drum