That depends on what you do to it. There are a lot of factors that affect the sound of a wood when built into a drum that are often taken for granted. In a solid, stave or steambent shell you are hearing the characteristics of the wood itself to a much greater extent than a ply version. Our build methods ensure that as much of the 'reflective' and 'resonant' character of each wood comes through loud & clear. Free floating shells are especially known for their ability to accent the individual qualities of a given species. That said, each wood in our system will produce a great sounding drum when it's properly utilized. While not all woods adhere to simple rules, the density, grain pattern and mineral composition within a particular species has the greatest effect on the sound it produces. Check out our Wood Properties Database to do some research on the specifics of each species. We've done some pretty extensive testing of woods in regard to both resonance and surface reflection to conclude that those with similar physical characteristics sound quite similar when constructed into a drum. The REAL magic lies in the details that turn that wood into a drum. Assembly methods, venting, hardware placement and bearing edge profile are key to opening up the natural contribution of a given shell. These are the details that distinguish Oregon Drum.
Where can I hear your drums?
While we don't have a dealer network, we have MP3 samples of a few of our drums
in the Myrtlewood Series online. We've also produced a
Myrtlewood Series Sample CD
that highlights the subtle differences between models of different shell types. Our
news section also gives you an idea about where our drums might be appearing in the near future.
A number of album, television and live projects feature Oregon Drum snares on a regular basis.
Where is the vent hole on my drum (shell)?
Free floating shells don't require a vent hole, as the free floating carrier itself
incorporates one under each side of the strainer system. This is adequate ventilation to
allow the air to escape the drum and prevent differences in humidity to occur between the
inside of your drum and the outside world. On the majority of our drums you will find the
vent hole behind the 'Oregon Drum' badge. Why do we do this? For one,
we've always preferred not to disturb any more panels of a drum than necessary when building
one out. However, the main reason for this is actually based on acoustic research. With our
innovative system, we can actually tune the amount of air flowing in and out of each drum. By
using spacers of different thickness between the badge and shell, the response of the drum can
be adjusted. Additionally, the air is diffused to eliminate that pitched whistle you hear when
you press down hard on the batter head of a typical drum. Due to the neoprene seals
on the internal hardware points of many of our product lines, this diffused vent is the only
escape for the air in your drum. Without this combination a drum will 'leak' around it's
hardware points in addition to the whistling vent grommet. Our trademark badge is the key to
efficient diffused
venting of your drum. It allows a complete seal to be made if desired, or a number of other
configurations used to improve the response of the snares or alternately 'dry out' the sound
of the drum. You may also have noticed that we've taken venting to the extreme on a number of
our specialty models.
Do you build complete kits?
We firmly believe that the snare drum is the dominant voice of the modern drummer.
While toms and kick drums could surely benefit from the philosophy and standards we've built
Oregon Drum upon, the market is currently saturated with endless 'custom builders' using
cheap shells and the same hardware to build complete kits from. Dealing with these additional
hardware procurement headaches would detract from our focus of building premium snare drums.
Our advice? Buy a high quality factory kit instead and save your money for the best snare drum
and cymbal collection you can afford. Many drummers hold on to these items through a number of
different kits.
Why the focus on Free Floating shells?
The Free Floating system has been around for more than 20 years. Pearl, Legend and Gretsch have
all produced models based on this same platform. We find that the enhanced resonance of a
high quality, properly designed shell in this system produces one of the purest snare drum
sounds you'll ever hear. Yes, there are other
systems out there that have come and gone over the years. Yet, each
introduces it's own set of compromises. The system of
which the Pearl is based upon is by far the most popular and flexible. It is the original Free
Floating standard that our shells are designed for. They are available in standard and 'plus'
sizes for each model of drum. Taller shells will fit shorter carriers with the included
extended length tension rods. Our ordering system ensures that you have what you need to
upgrade your drum when your shell arrives. Keep in mind that all shells are 1" shorter than
their listed size to maintain the overall height when installed in the carrier. A solid,
steambent or stave shell in one of these carriers is the best gift you can give this classic,
proven design.
Who endorses your drums?
Hopefully, anyone who has bought one. Seriously, without a big kick drum head to park our logo
on, we see little benefit to this common industry practice. We aren't selling toaster pastries
or basketball shoes. The market for our drums tends to lead the pack rather than follow. We've
sold to a number of professional touring and studio drummers within the industry. A few have
even come back and bought a couple more, without the lure of an endorsement contract. With a
number
of companies in bidding wars for the big name players, we find our time and money better spent
investing in the equipment, designs and processes necessary for crafting the best drums money
can buy.
Who developed your Virtual to Reality Design System?
The parent company of Oregon Drum (Logistix Productions, Inc) designed and developed the
Virtual to Reality System. While the proprietary system was developed for Oregon Drum,
Oregon Drum was made possible in part by this system. The monumental task of quoting
product pricing for thousands of options on an individual basis has proven to be the
undoing of many a small drum company over the years. Oregon Drum didn't want to be in a
position of having to choose between chasing potential customers with quotes or having the
resources to support the orders we have. While such a system would typically cost tens of
thousands to develop, Oregon Drum had programming allies in the parent company with a vision
for the long-term benefits of showcasing such a system in the current drum market. To some
degree, Oregon Drum has proven as a successful test bed for Logiztix use of this Internet
technology in custom product design and ordering systems.
Logistix Productions, Inc; aka Logiztix (dba)
has been developing Internet-driven database
applications for business, government and educational institutions since 1996. Oregon Drum's
design, preview and ordering system serves
as a showcase for this technology in addition to streamlining the daily operations of quoting
hundreds of unique snare drum offerings. Oregon Drum incorporates similar database technology
in everything from it's polling system to it's Stave Drum Calculator. Logiztix is in the
process of using V2R in enhancing a number of other online operations, including others
specializing in custom drums. Will Logiztix build a similar quoting system for your company?
You bet! What if it's a drum company? Even better! Contact Logiztix at the link above for details.
