Dave Madsen

Raven

I’ve been playing with local classic rock cover band Riff Raff quite a bit lately. This is a shot from one the clubs we play at frequently. It’s not glamorous, but it’s work.

My love runs deep for these two beauties. Instead of getting a Ludwig Supraphonic with the seamless aluminum shell I got a seamless aluminum Starphonic from Tama and it is an amazing drum. Loved it so much I got the brass Starphonic to go with it. Loved that drum so much I sold my Ludwig Black Beauty. 

I found this at a local music store in Elk Grove, CA. Supposedly it had come with a limited edition or signature Tama snare drum but the customer didn’t want the bag so they sold it separately. Based on the design I think it may have been a Kenny Aronoff model, but I’d love to know for sure. If anyone recognizes it please comment. It is a nice bag and I got a good deal on it. It even still had the paperwork and drum key in it that came with the drum. It’s a great fit for my new Starclassic snare drum.

Alice in Wonderland. My new snare drum.

I am going to do a series of posts about my favorite drum and music product and companies and why I use/love them. I am not endorsed by any of these companies (yet) so I pay real money for the stuff I use so my opinions are biased only by my real life use of said products. For the most part I’ll be talking about sticks, heads, and other frequently replaced things. Then maybe I’ll get into hardware, drums, and cymbals. I may also get around to talking about the recording side of things.

I have been using Aquarian drum heads on my kick drum for a while and love them so I decided to try them out on other drums. Put their Hi-Energy heads on two of my snare drums and loved that so today I put Super2 coated heads on my toms. Love! Looks like I just changed to a new brand of heads all around. Sadly, they Aquarian hoops don’t fit on one of my snare drums, my Mapex Black Panther steel shell. Everything else will be getting Aquarians on top and bottom.

I think that my next snare drum shall be a Ludwig Supraphonic (seamless aluminum). After acquiring a Black Beauty I have a strong desire to add another one of these true legends to my collection.

I have finished “customizing” my new acquisition. I put a Remo Ambassador Snare Side head on the bottom, a Puresound Custom Pro 24 stand snare wire, and a Remo Ambassador Coated on the top. Beautiful recording sessions; here I come!

Adding some sound control to my little basement studio. Still a lot to do, but it sounds better inside and is quieter outside. And yes, that is a Black Beauty behind my kit.

Actually got my kid out and played it tonight for the first time in weeks. I have really missed it. #drums