This month, I’m featuring a fairly new item on the market: No Nuts Cymbal Mounting System which consists of two components; the Cymbal Sleeve and the CymRing:
Read moreGeorge's Picks - NoNuts Cymbal Mounting System
Steve Gadd Band Live! Nov. 7th
From editor George Lawrence
Welcome to new DrumSellers.com retailer and manufacturers - Explorer’s Percussion, Siers Practice Pad for Brushes, and No Nuts Cymbal Sleeves/Sizzle Nuts/Cymrings. Welcome to new writer, Jim Pettit of Memphis Drum Shop.
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 moreStudy drums with George Lawrence
I teach at at Memphis Drum Shop and at my home in East Memphis. Lessons cost $30 per half hour, and $60 per hour. Grade school and college students usually take half hour lessons. Pros and working drummers usually take hour lessons. I teach remotely via skype, zoom, face time, etc.
Read moreThe definition of "vintage drum"
Vintage, classic and antique cars are classified by the states and by insurance companies. There are monetary and legal ramifications of a car's age; insurance rates, allowed usage, registration fees, etc. And, of course, resale value. Much of vintage drums' classification comes from the world of cars and antique furniture and art, not grapes or wine.
Read moreTips on how to pack and ship drums and cymbals
Do not!!! take your drums to a “UPS” STORE ” and let them pack and ship them unless you and your customer are aware of the high prices. They are not owned by UPS. They are just pick up points and make their money by doing the packing work you don’t want to do.
Read moreMystery Drum: 1950s Pearl Canister Throne
Tried to Sell it, but i dont think anyone believes its Real ???....When i get confirmation from PEARL Headquarters, I'm hoping people believe its real !!. I bought it out of Delaware Ontario/Canada, with a load of antique/vintage drums/hardware/cymbals/accessories from the estate of an OLD Drummer !!..........Ken”
Read moreHow I Will Honor Neil Peart
My tribute to Neil Peart
Read moreReview: Evans UV2 drum heads
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.
Read moreRemoving rust from a 1954-55 Slingerland Radio King set
I recently acquired this 1948 Radio King set from someone who rescued it from a neighbor who was going to “throw it out”. It’s in pretty darn good shape. I’ll update my clean up and restoration of this kit as I go along. The first thing I want to tell you about is a great new rust remover that works better than any other substance that I’ve used, and I’ve used all of them; Naval jelly, coca cola, vinegar, ketchup - all sorts of household and commercial products. This one is the easiest and most effective by far. It’s called Metal Rescue by Workshop Hero.
Read moreHudson Music publishes new book - Buddy Rich: One of a Kind - by Pelle Berglund
The biggest public misperception of Buddy Rich over the years has come from the infamous Bus Tapes; recordings of Rich cussing out his band that the internet has allowed to fester. Yeah, that happened, but that was only .001% of what Buddy was and did. Imagine there being a recording or video of your worst behavior moment that never goes away. Is that all there is to you? No. This book fills in the other 99.99% with first hand accounts of his humor, generosity, struggles and humanity.
Read moreNPR Highlights Jazz, Coltrane, and Gretsch Great Elvin Jones
On this past September 10th, National Public Radio’s Morning Edition program ran an intriguing feature titled: Not All “Lost” Jazz Albums Are Created Equal. It focused on several albums, either recently or about to be released, that contain previously unreleased material by iconic jazz artists like John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Stan Getz. One of those albums was Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album, which featured material from 1963 recording sessions and reference tapes, and was released in 2018. Another is Blue World, set to be released on Impulse! Records on September 27. It features Coltrane recordings from 1964.
Read moreVideo - the great drummers of New Orleans, Swing and Bebop
Videos of many of the great drum set drummers from the nineteen twenties through the sixties.
Read moreRepair advice -Removing a shrinking "riveted" Ludwig 80s wrap & re-wrapping.
This is a repair job I did this year for Stan Head, well known veteran Memphis percussionist and teacher. The Ludwig concert bass drum is from the eighties and the stand is one Stan had custom made for this drum. The problem with the drum was that the ends of the black diamond pearl wrap had shrunk and was coming loose. The wrap was also beginning to bubble. The stand had come apart at one joint and the tilting mechanism needed modification. The wrap shrinkage problem is a fairly well known 80s failure that resulted from the Ludwig plant in Chicago being prohibited from using their glue to secure the wrap.
Read moreDRUM! Magazine interview with George Lawrence - DrumSellers.com, NSMD, Poco, Memphis and other stuff.
Republished from DRUM! Weekly. Thanks, Phil.
During the past three years Reverb.com has become the key outlet for serious musicians to sell their gear. It now bills itself as “The world’ largest marketplace for buying and selling music gear.” But now it has a competitor that has set its sights on being a marketplace for drums.
Drumsellers.com is the brainchild of George Lawrence, a professional drummer whose career highlights include recording sessions on major label rock, pop, country and jazz albums in Nashville and Los Angeles, and recording and touring with the band Poco from 2004 to 2015. Along the way he also found time to teach many high profile drummers, and own his own drum shop (George’s). And, some of you will know George as the publisher of Not So Modern Drummer Magazine, which he purchased in 2009 and converted to digital in 2012. Recently, we’ve noticed the growth at Drumsellers and wanted to learn more about the plans for the site. We interviewed Lawrence last month.
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 moreWhat is this Worth? Vintage Rimmel Drum Set
nobody else in the family plays the drums, we have decided to sell this set to someone that can really enjoy it and appreciate its historical value
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