Shinichi Usuda Visits the Drum Center of Portsmouth

When we started carrying Canopus drums, we knew they would be popular, but the excitement that has been generated in recent months is well beyond our expectations. Shane’s conversation with Mr. Usuda covered a variety of topics from the manufacturing process of Canopus drums, how Mr. Usuda designed and built proprietary machinery to craft his magnificent solid-ply shells, the introduction of the new Canopus Sword series drums, as well as future products coming down the pipeline.

Anybody who talks with Shane about snare drums for more than five minutes is sure to hear the word “Zelkova” mentioned more than once. The Zelkova snare drum is Canopus’ flagship snare drum model. You can read more about Canopus Zelkova snare drums and the manufacturing process here. If you’re not interested in reading, just watch Shane demonstrate a 14×6.5 Zelkova snare drum in the video below.

If you would like to buy one of these amazing Canopus Zelkova snare drums, give Shane a call at 603.319.8109 or pick one up from our eBay store.

Lucky for drummers, Canopus is far from a one-trick pony. In the photo above, Mr. Usuda is holding one of the VERY limited Block Rosewood snare drums. In addition to Block Rosewood, Canopus offers solid-ply models in Walnut, Bubinga and Soft Maple. Canopus also offers a wide variety of ply and metal snares in maple, birch, mahogany, brass, bronze, steel, and carbon fiber.

If you are not content with owning only a Canopus snare drum, rest assured a number of drum kits are offered with different shell types and configurations. The newest and most exciting is the Japanese Sword Model which features North American maple shells, a new lug design, classic finishes and a very modest price point. We currently have a Japanese Sword Model bop kit in stock, the very setup that was recently the subject of rave reviews in the August 2010 issue of Modern Drummer magazine.

To learn more about Canopus Drums, visit their website or read this recent interview with Mr. Usuda in DRUM! magazine.

Stop by today and check out these incredible drums!

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…”

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