Tune in each and every Sunday to check out the latest and greatest rides, hats, and crashes from Bosphorus, Istanbul Agop, Paiste, Istanbul Mehmet, Meinl, and more! Ladies and Gentlemen, may we present with no further adieu… “This Week in Cymbals, August 8th, 2010″

Istanbul Agop 24″ Turk Ride Cymbal, 2726 grams | Buy it Now

Istanbul Agop 20″ Turk Jazz Ride Cymbal, 1537 grams | Buy it Now

Istanbul Agop 19″ Signature Ride Cymbal, 1654 grams | Buy it Now

Istanbul Agop 18″ Signature Crash Cymbal, 1029 grams | Buy it Now

Istanbul Agop 17″ Signature Crash Cymbal, 990 grams | Buy it Now

Istanbul Agop 15″ Jazz Special Edition Hi Hat Cymbals, Top 859 grams / Bottom 1139 grams | Buy it Now

Keep in mind, this is just the first batch of pies. More to come next Sunday. Stay Tuned!

Shane has graciously detailed some of the most recent happenings and product arrivals below. Give him a call at 603-319-8109 to learn more!

… So, we picked up some new lines this year at the NAMM show; most notably Gretsch. Gretsch is one of the oldest drum companies in the world, and they have been on countless recordings and are played by some of the greatest drummers in the world. For the opening order, we received a USA CUSTOM Champagne Sparkle kit, a Steve Ferrone snare, a Cast Aluminum snare, a Stanton Moore snare, the monolithic 8×14 Rosewood monster, and some Catalina Jazz kits. That’s right, if you want the bang for your buck Catalina kits, you no longer have to go to the big box store or online outlets. We have them here and back it with a lifetime labor warranty at no extra charge to you.

CANOPUS. Canopus is one of the premier drum manufacturers in the world, handcrafted in Japan. They also offer the LIGHTEST WEIGHT HARDWARE on the market. The CHS hi hat stand feels oh so slick and its far lighter than anything else of it’s quality. We are stocking the hardware, the snare wires, the BOLT TIGHT washers, and ZELKOVA snare drums!

NOBLE AND COOLEY: I have long admired Noble and Cooley and they make some of the finest drums on the planet. There are several innovations copied from them and I felt it was time to support one of the USA’s oldest and most regarded manufacturers. I am stocking solid ply snares, CD Maples and HORIZON drum sets.

LONGO: Longo Custom Drums has been on my radar for a few years and when I played them at NAMM this year, I decided to snag a walnut drum and a cherry drum. These are lovingly handcrafted SOLID PLY steam bent shells with unbridled, pure tone. Come play them, or visit our YouTube channel for an in depth demo.

KORG: The Legend Returns. We’ve started carrying reinvented Korg Wave Drum reissue. Such a cool percussion piece. Tons of sounds and patterns-I can’t get enough of it! Perfect way for Danny Carey fans to use their tax refunds wisely!

BRADY: We have the only Anniversary (2 of 30, year 1982) snare drum in the world right now-it’s super special, plus a couple of Sheoaks and Wandoos. Killer.

TEMPUS: A new snare made of HEMP!

MAPEX: DCP was the FIRST dealer in the USA to have ALL of the new Black Panther models in stock. We are making an effort to have each and every model in stock every day of the week. Check out our in depth reviews on YouTube.

What else to mention? Istanbul Agop Anniversary cymbals, Bosphorus Oracles, Sabian Artisans, Paiste Alex Van Halen ride, Yamaha DTX kits with Silicon pads, Zildjian K Constantinoples, Ludwig Keystones, and oh so much more…

We are proud to announce the introduction of Yamaha Electronic Drums to our product lineup. Yamaha has been a leader in Electronics for decades, and I have watched and worked closely with them enough to have the confidence to bring them in to DCP. The groundbreaking DTXplorer ($599) to the new DTX900/950 kits, cover every possible user and price point. I have been extensively trained in all aspects of E-drums and I am knowledgeable enough to make the right recommendations for your needs. I have chosen Yamaha because of their pursuit to provide the highest quality product at the most competitive pricing. You need not spend a gazillion dollars to get your needs met.

The new

Yamaha DTX 12 Multi Percussion Pad

Sonor Phil Rudd Signature Snare Drum

Sonor has introduced a number Signature model products lately. First it was the Steve Smith kit, then came the Danny Carey Snare, and now, the AC/DC’s Phil Rudd has his very own snare drum. The recent history of Sonor’s Signature is interesting. The Steve Smith kit was a bit of a slow mover due to the high price, while the Danny Carey snare has proven to be a solid performer because of its relatively affordable price point. With the release of the Phil Rudd snare, Sonor has targeted an even wider audience setting the price well below Danny Carey’s drum.

The Phil Rudd Signature model drum features a 5.x14 Chrome over Brass Shell with Die Cast hoops. On one side of the shell is Sonor’s Artist badge. The other side boasts the famous Signature badge that was used in the 80’s and early 90’s on the Signature series drums. It’s nice to see it again on a different range of products. The drum shell and most parts are Made in Germany and assembled in China for lower costs (how’s that for globalization!). As mentioned above, Sonor has really hit a sweet spot with the price — it can land at your front door for just $399.00.

A note from Shane:

“I pulled it out of its box and the quality was absolutely flawless, as expected. What blew me away was the sound. It features the same high walled hoops the Steve Smith snare does, which lends to a very similar sound. It’s crisp, it’s cracking, and it sounds like a Sonor. There are several cheaper black beauty clones out there that all do the same thing but wear different badges, this is altogether different. It’s a Sonor snare, it sounds like it, it looks like it, but the price is indicative of a drum that does much less. Quite honestly, I am really blown away by this drum. It’s that good, and I’m not kidding. I wish I used 5×14’s…”

Craviotto snares are staples in all the major studios, and they are owned by the world’s finest drummers. Expensive? Well, yes and no. This isn’t a production model assembly line drum, ready to be mass marketed, it’s an elite instrument aimed for people who cherish fine instruments, and recognize the importance of tone. DCP got a special buy on this drum, and there are two available for only $999. They are accompanied with a plush padded protective bag. Call 603-319-8109 to reserve one.

There is a cut and clarity to Sonor drums that provides this absolutely perfectly pure tone which aides the drummer in getting his our her expressions conveyed effortlessly.   These are for the distinguished drummer, SERIOUS about their sound and performance, a drummer looking step out from the crowd and above it too, and the S Classix is the best way to do that for less money then an SQ2.  This is the same shell, the same veneer, the same lugs, the same hoops, but a MUCH DIFFERENT price!

This kit is available at a very special price, call the shop at 603-319-8109 for more info.

In late May as I was packing my bags for a three month stint in Bangkok (doing research for grad school, I swear), Shane pinged me on Facebook or email or some other damned thing and said “hey, do you want rock?” to which I immediately replied “ROCK!” If Shane is the Yin of the bricks-and-mortar professional drum shop industry, I guess it makes me the Yang of e-commerce percussion retailing. If you really want to stalk me, Google “Andy @ Massmusic” to find out more about how I spent a big chunk of my time between 2002 and 2008, otherwise read below.

The Upper Midwest (1983-2001)

I was born and raised in the Twin Ports of Superior, Wisconsin and Duluth, Minnesota, former industrial powerhouses now relegated to providing for summer tourists. I heard many rumours growing up that Superior has more bars per capita than any other city in the USA. While I have never taken the time to verify this claim, I do not doubt its authenticity.

I spent most of my adolescence / high school years either on the golf course or in the bowling alley, depending on if the temperature was above freezing or not. During high school, I joined the school concert, jazz and marching bands and learned the ropes of all things percussion (or at least what they teach at that level). Sadly, the marching scene up north is nothing like other places around the US, so I got my kicks playing as many drums simultaneously (quints) as I could, instead of playing one really well (snare). Likewise in jazz band, I was never really inspired enough to be any better than I needed to be (which was not very good). Towards the end of my senior year, I found some inspiration and people that shared it. Myself and a group of friends formed an impromptu band which performed various Beatles, Jackson 5, and Metallica songs (among others) at band concerts and other related events. Then I went to college.

The Arizona Years (2001-2008)

I moved to Tempe, Arizona in the summer of 2001 to pursue undergraduate studies at the Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University. I always tell people that my first two years were spent roaming between astronomy, physics, and business classes (which is true), but only insofar as those were the only classes I liked… academically I was directionless and dropped out in 2003.

It was however in the fall of 2001 that I met the guys who would become the members in my first “real” band. By spring 2002, I had my gear shipped out to Tempe and by April 2002 we played our first show. Then I moved back home for the summer (D’oh!). We picked back up again in the fall and kept on rolling until late 2003. If you want to hear the evolution of our music, our home recording (hey, it was 2002-2003 and GarageBand was years away), and me (re) learning how to play, click here and here

Also in 2002 I started working for a then-little known (and still lesser-known?) company called Massmusic Inc. At the time (October 2002), I was hosting at IHOP (a great place for late night games of RISK and unlimited beverages, BTW) and looking for a small ZIL BEL. Since Guitar Center was far away, and I had already developed a disdain for it, I hit upon Zildjian’s website for the nearest other dealers. This is the first place I stopped and by the time I had walked out… I had a new ZIL BEL and a new job.

The years past, I helped build the company (and its reputation for service along with Reade Roehrich, PJ Coleman, Andre Alekseyev and Russ Martin). In 2004, two of the members of my first band recruited two new members, to form the band that I am most proud of (in terms of music) — Citizen Insane. In 2006, I went back to school and in December 2007 graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies. During my second go-round at ASU, I got in with a professor who does a lot of international (consulting) work in the field of urban planning / development. To make a long story short, he influenced my decision to apply to grad school and gave me good reasons to start working internationally (namely a contract with the World Bank).

2008 – Present

I am writing this post from my flat in Bangkok (it is now my fourth visit to the Land of Smiles)  doing research on transportation infrastructure finance at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. For those of you into the whole brevity thing, MIT is fine too.

I am working ad-hoc with some old musician friends. Our outdated blog/project is known as the The Nomenclature

I put together this nifty little blog/site for the shop. If you have questions, comments or otherwise about it, please send me an email – andy[at]drumcenternh[dot]com

Please also feel free to add me on Facebook