799 replies to this topic

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

Vibrafibing is essentially melted fiberglass on the inner surface of the shells.

Smaller shops will have the standard size toms. Try Sam Adato's in Oregon. He used to be in the SF Bay Area and is really knowledgeable. Drummer's Tradition in San Rafael, Ca also has some drums from that area occasionally. There are a small chain near here called Starving Musician and they specialize in older gear. Maybe there are places like this near you but these places have websites for contact.

[MeanMeanPride]

goose, on 29 July 2015 - 09:32 PM, said:

MeanMeanPride, on 29 July 2015 - 04:55 PM, said:

PW_Guitarist, on 25 July 2015 - 07:57 PM, said:

eBay is your friend, assuming you have a fat wallet . The Candy Apple Red kit is the hardest to replicate since they only made that colour from 85-87, so pieces are harder to find and small concert toms (6 and 8) can go for upwards of $300 each (there was  a 6"  listed for that much recently). You could probably assemble a "Moving Pictures" kit in standard Super Mahogany shells for around $2500 (minus the gong bass drums), and if you're handy with a spray gun, you might be able to convert it to a CAR kit... Keep in mind that the red kit was a one-off custom prototype (thin 4-ply 6mm shells with re-rings) and any commercially-available drums you will find have the 6-ply thicker 9mm shells. Even the Moving Pictures kit was pre-1980 6-ply 9mm shells with re-rings, which are also hard to find (they were only made from 76-79) and usually in semi-gloss finish. There was a lot of customization (inside and out) to both of Neil's Tama kits such that it's hard to replicate them with off-the-shelf parts.

Thanks for the info! Yes, these are incredibly tough drums to track down. I'm not sure just how committed I will be to perfecting the replica down to every minute detail. I did know that there were several customizations for Neil's actual kit that will be nearly impossible to replicate (including "Vibrafibing," however that works). Right now I am just interested in getting a decent amount of drums together in the CAR finish. Today I snatched up a CAR shell kit on Guitar Center's website, but it is in the Xtra sizes. Still, it includes the correct bass drum and floor tom size, and it will be nice to have those extra (no pun intended) toms.

The hardest drums for me to find right now are the two middle concert toms and the standard "jazz size" mounted toms. It seems like those never appear. I've even seen the gong drum appear on eBay before those other ones I listed (just a few weeks ago actually...$1000...and it sold). Still, this is such a fun project and I am learning so many "secrets" about Neil's kits. This has been a fun time.

Have you put out a wanted ad on drum sites?

Not yet. I have reached out to several Tama collectors/restorers who run blogs and frequent many drum forums, but I probably need to just posted a wanted ad myself.

[MeanMeanPride]

CygnusX-1Bk2, on 29 July 2015 - 11:12 PM, said:

Vibrafibing is essentially melted fiberglass on the inner surface of the shells.

Smaller shops will have the standard size toms. Try Sam Adato's in Oregon. He used to be in the SF Bay Area and is really knowledgeable. Drummer's Tradition in San Rafael, Ca also has some drums from that area occasionally. There are a small chain near here called Starving Musician and they specialize in older gear. Maybe there are places like this near you but these places have websites for contact.

Definitely appreciate the info. I haven't actually picked up the phone and reached out to any smaller shops, so that is something I will need to do. We have a few smaller shops like this in my area, so I can start there.

[MeanMeanPride]

Not sure if you guys have seen these, but they certainly won't be up for long:

http://www.ebay.com/...=item33a695f533

Some guy's replica of the Simmons SDS pads. Very nice.

[TFEman]

MeanMeanPride, on 31 July 2015 - 12:44 PM, said:

Not sure if you guys have seen these, but they certainly won't be up for long:

http://www.ebay.com/...=item33a695f533

Some guy's replica of the Simmons SDS pads. Very nice.

The only problem is Neil had at least double of that

[PW_Guitarist]

There's guys out there who have done some DIY Vibra-Fibing based on instructions they got from Neal Graham of the Percussion Center, who passed away a few years ago. I think it involves some fiberglass cloth, some resin and a centrifugal machine. I've always wondered about the necessity and the durability of that process. The inside of the Tama's is pretty smooth, especially from 85 onwards when they changed the tooling process. Maybe it was more of a requirement on his first Slingerlands, but he had it done all the way until he switched to DW out of habit? I also wonder if that stuff still sticks after 40 years - Cygnus, can you reach over and check for us?

I'd never have the courage to attempt any kind of vibra-fibing or refinishing myself. I just like to keep them stock, right down to the original hardware. They seem to hold more value that way. Here's my kit. The only thing that is custom is the front heads. I has a few issues matching them to the factory finish. I had them done at drumart.com since inkedbyevans.com refused to do them due to copyright issues. They have the template and I told them to issue them to anyone who ordered them. They are pretty close to the original in terms of size and colour, but they are designed to match a factory kit, not Neil's darker custom colour.

[MeanMeanPride]

PW_Guitarist, on 31 July 2015 - 05:54 PM, said:

There's guys out there who have done some DIY Vibra-Fibing based on instructions they got from Neal Graham of the Percussion Center, who passed away a few years ago. I think it involves some fiberglass cloth, some resin and a centrifugal machine. I've always wondered about the necessity and the durability of that process. The inside of the Tama's is pretty smooth, especially from 85 onwards when they changed the tooling process. Maybe it was more of a requirement on his first Slingerlands, but he had it done all the way until he switched to DW out of habit? I also wonder if that stuff still sticks after 40 years - Cygnus, can you reach over and check for us?

I'd never have the courage to attempt any kind of vibra-fibing or refinishing myself. I just like to keep them stock, right down to the original hardware. They seem to hold more value that way. Here's my kit. The only thing that is custom is the front heads. I has a few issues matching them to the factory finish. I had them done at drumart.com since inkedbyevans.com refused to do them due to copyright issues. They have the template and I told them to issue them to anyone who ordered them. They are pretty close to the original in terms of size and colour, but they are designed to match a factory kit, not Neil's darker custom colour.

Beautiful kit!! And thank you for the information on Vibrafibing. I agree with you - I am reluctant to alter the drums I have in any way. My dilemma with this is two-fold: first, as you mentioned, the value declines, but also I feel almost an "ethical" responsibility to keep these drums as they came out of the factory, since there only a limited number out there. For example, I bought a shell pack of CAR Superstars yesterday but in Xtra sizes, thinking I could get them cut down to the right size. Now I'm not sure if I want to cut them down...

Also, looks like I need to get my bass drum heads done using your template!

[TFEman]

That kit is gorgeous. I would love to do a replica of a kit like that, but I really don't like the ride cymbal placement anymore. It's been years since I had my ride over that far, and bugs my shoulder a lot (I've tried before recently). Plus my kit is so nicely arranged and I don't wanna mess with it.

[MeanMeanPride]

TFEman, on 31 July 2015 - 09:26 PM, said:

That kit is gorgeous. I would love to do a replica of a kit like that, but I really don't like the ride cymbal placement anymore. It's been years since I had my ride over that far, and bugs my shoulder a lot (I've tried before recently). Plus my kit is so nicely arranged and I don't wanna mess with it.

Forgot to ask you...do you have any pics of your kit?

[TFEman]

MeanMeanPride, on 01 August 2015 - 05:10 PM, said:

TFEman, on 31 July 2015 - 09:26 PM, said:

That kit is gorgeous. I would love to do a replica of a kit like that, but I really don't like the ride cymbal placement anymore. It's been years since I had my ride over that far, and bugs my shoulder a lot (I've tried before recently). Plus my kit is so nicely arranged and I don't wanna mess with it.

Forgot to ask you...do you have any pics of your kit?

I have posted a few about a year ago but will probably post an update tomorrow

[TFEman]

So this is my kit...love it to death.

Edited by TFEman, 02 August 2015 - 08:31 PM.

[MeanMeanPride]

It's a beauty! Love the cymbals. Thanks for sharing!!

[PW_Guitarist]

MeanMeanPride, on 31 July 2015 - 06:24 PM, said:

PW_Guitarist, on 31 July 2015 - 05:54 PM, said:

There's guys out there who have done some DIY Vibra-Fibing based on instructions they got from Neal Graham of the Percussion Center, who passed away a few years ago. I think it involves some fiberglass cloth, some resin and a centrifugal machine. I've always wondered about the necessity and the durability of that process. The inside of the Tama's is pretty smooth, especially from 85 onwards when they changed the tooling process. Maybe it was more of a requirement on his first Slingerlands, but he had it done all the way until he switched to DW out of habit? I also wonder if that stuff still sticks after 40 years - Cygnus, can you reach over and check for us?

I'd never have the courage to attempt any kind of vibra-fibing or refinishing myself. I just like to keep them stock, right down to the original hardware. They seem to hold more value that way. Here's my kit. The only thing that is custom is the front heads. I has a few issues matching them to the factory finish. I had them done at drumart.com since inkedbyevans.com refused to do them due to copyright issues. They have the template and I told them to issue them to anyone who ordered them. They are pretty close to the original in terms of size and colour, but they are designed to match a factory kit, not Neil's darker custom colour.

Beautiful kit!! And thank you for the information on Vibrafibing. I agree with you - I am reluctant to alter the drums I have in any way. My dilemma with this is two-fold: first, as you mentioned, the value declines, but also I feel almost an "ethical" responsibility to keep these drums as they came out of the factory, since there only a limited number out there. For example, I bought a shell pack of CAR Superstars yesterday but in Xtra sizes, thinking I could get them cut down to the right size. Now I'm not sure if I want to cut them down...

Also, looks like I need to get my bass drum heads done using your template!

It's been brought to my attention that Drum Art won't allow re-prints of another customer's order, so here are the template files I used for my order:
http://pages.videotr..._Final_Main.JPG
http://pages.videotr...nal_Reverse.JPG

[MeanMeanPride]

You're the man!! Thank you!!!

[Ffej Sector A]

Hey drummers! Been a long-time user of this forum but haven't posted much in recent years. At any rate, I started a Rush tribute band based out of Central PA called Solar Federation about a year-and-a-half ago, and I'm curious to know if there are any download sites out there where I can find samples or isolated tracks of Rush songs. I recently got a Yamaha DTXM12 to incorporate into my configuration and I'm anxious to dig into it this week. Any links or nudges in the right direction would be much appreciated. Cheers!

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

You can always look for Rock Band/Guitar Hero downloads. I have the Moving Pictures stuff but nothing else. I sampled CD's personally (2112 intro, Cygnus X-1 intro {looped even}, Hemispheres intro swell, Natural Science tidepools {also looped} and outro, Force Ten jackhammer, Camera Eye intro {pre keyboard}, etc.).

All other stuff I created tones for. One thing I did do was find midi files, but you have to search for good ones, and then used the portions I needed for certain phrases then ran those through my synth patches and sampled those (converted into waves) for use in a sampler for triggering.

Edited by CygnusX-1Bk2, 29 March 2016 - 04:23 PM.

[PW_Guitarist]

I set up the Yamaha DTXM12 pad my former drummer was using. I know I have all the classic percussions in there, some were sampled from an SPD-20 and some from actual instruments. I can't remember if I was able to put some of the external sounds in there or if I ran out of memory. I think it only supports 2M mono WAV/AIFF uncompressed sample files, so you cannot trigger extended samples like the 2112 intro.

My new drummer just uses the SDP-20 for percussion and I trigger the non-percussive samples from a SPD-S, which supports MP3 samples. (Camera Eye, Natural Science, Distant Early Warning, 2112, Hemispheres, Cygnus, etc.). I don't have access to the Yamaha any more so I can' t check exactly what's on, but I did a backup and I can send you the Zip file, it is 4.32M. Patches are identified by song name.

[SLICKMONO]

Here is my Pearl BRX kit playing Limelight.
https://youtu.be/NheWJcE5yLU

8x10 Tom
9x12 Tom
11x14 Tom
5x14 DW Snare
18X22 Kick

[Permanent-Rush]

My kit:

[Rushman14]