The legendary GAK Drum Cavern is open for business and shipping orders as normal. Experts Greg and Molly are available to offer help and advice on all stock weekdays between 9.30am-5.30pm so why not get in touch either by phone 01273 665414, email [email protected] or use our live-chat portal here.
Lockdown has a lot of us feeling the lack of gigs, and many of us are itching to get back out and play. Whether you’re a seasoned pro, a weekend hobbyist, or a beginner, we should all look at the positives; this downtime is the perfect opportunity to give your drums some much needed, and overdue TLC. That way your gear is ready to sound it’s best when the gigs come in again.
The obvious first step is re-heading the drums to get them sounding the way they should. Don’t neglect the resonant heads though, you’d be amazed the difference it makes. Stick with a classic choice like a clear Ambassador, or G1 for a nice clean tone. Or go for the warm vintage sound, and choose the coated equivalent. Of course, you could always opt for pure thud, and experiment with something like a clear Powerstroke 3.
Don’t forget an EQ patch to keep your bass drum head lasting as long as it can, and an Evans EQ Pad placed inside will keep it nice and punchy. Or if you want an open sound, but fancy a bit of control, try adding a Gibraltar felt strip to the resonant head.
| Next up is your snare, after choosing a head combination that you like, let’s not forget about the rest of the drum. Are your snare wires lacking a bit of life? A set of Puresound 20 strand wires will give you a clean, snappy sound, or you could fatten it up with some Puresound Super 30s (just make sure your snare beds are wide enough to accommodate them!). Last but not least, stick a Snareweight M1, or M80 on top so you can control your sound even further. |
| If your drum has seen some better days, it might need even more work. Does it need some new tension rods? You could always look at a new throw off mechanism if your current one is unreliable. If you want the smoothest of the smooth, take a look at the Gibraltar SC-GR-7-C, the screw spacing is adjustable too, so it should fit on just about any snare drum. How about your hoops, are they out of round? If they are, check out the Gibraltar Steel Power Hoops. The 2.3mm thickness will mean they can stand up to even the heftiest backbeat. Or if you want a more controlled, focused sound, upgrade to some Gibraltar die-cast hoops. |
Next up, hardware! Breathe some new life into your pedal with a replacement pedal spring, or try changing your bass drum beater to get a completely new sound out of your drum. Looking for pure attack? Try swapping out for a wooden beater. Or if you want a jazzy, soulful vibe, take a look at the Vic Kick felt beater. Make sure all your cymbal stands have enough sleeves, felts, and wingnuts too! Nobody wants to risk key-holing their nice Ks…
Speaking of cymbals, if you want to keep them looking their best, grab a bottle of Groove Juice, and a microfibre cloth, and give them a bit of a polish. They deserve some love too.
Your cases take a lot of knocks every time they get loaded in and out of the venue/studio/rehearsal room. Make sure your drums aren’t the ones taking the abuse, with a new set of Ahead Armour cases the felt lining will make sure they feel like VIPs.
And finally, now is the perfect time to make sure your stick bag is stocked up and ready for whatever musical situation gets thrown your way. Every stick bag should contain all the tools needed for the job. Stop putting off that new pair of mallets, yours are falling apart, stop lying to yourself. Your brushes are past their best, those wires are going all over the place. Don’t forget a pair of hotrods too, for when you’re inevitably told that you’re being too loud. Sometimes (rarely) we have to listen to the singer…
Check out our wide range of drum accessories over on our website!