DW and Sabian team up to create snare drum
Drum Workshop, Inc. and SABIAN have joined forces to develop a snare drum combining exclusive features from both SABIAN cymbals and DW Collector’s Series® Edge™ snare drums. The result is a unique drum that combines very musical SABIAN Cymbal Alloy with carefully-selected Lake Birch wood, said to be hundreds of years old.
The aptly named, Vault Edge rings are made of SABIAN’s B20 bell bronze and cast from hundreds of cymbals played, and worn out, by artists on tour. The bronze in these drums has been on every big stage and played by the finest drummers in every major city in the world. It is well-traveled and full of mojo! Combined with the 10-ply Birch core, it lends the drum a decidedly darker and warmer tone than brass and maple Edge™ drums.
DW Executive Vice President and Drum Designer, John Good, explains, “In the past, we’ve experimented with many different types of metals in our Edge rings. Traditionally, we use brass, but we’ve also experimented with aluminum, zinc and other alloys. The SABIAN cymbal alloy is a completely different animal. We were expecting something very musical, and that’s exactly what we got! In addition, Lake Birch wood is a very dark, mellow sounding wood. It comes from Moosehead Lake in Maine, and like our old Lake Superior drums, it’s much denser because of its age and the minerals that have been added over time. To top it all off, we came up with a custom Antique Bronze plating exclusively for this drum. It’s a beautiful instrument and it really does sound as good as it looks.”
“When I started in this business, partnering between companies was common. We all knew that on our own, we didn’t have the answer for everything,” says SABIAN VP of Manufacturing and Metal Specialist, Nort Hargrove. “So, when we were approached by DW to help on this project, it reaffirmed that somebody out there thinks we’re pretty good at what we do, and when we agreed, we affirmed the same about them. It’s truly rewarding to see this happen from companies that are still family-owned, which is also a rarity these days.”
Only 50 of the 6×14” Limited Edition drums will ever be built and each one is hand-signed by DW Drum Designer, John Good. DW Collector’s Series features such as the MAG™ throw-off system with 3P™ (3-position) butt-plate, True Tone™ snare wires, True Pitch™ stainless steel tension rods, 3.0 steel True Hoops™ and DW Heads by Remo® USA all come standard on the snare. The collectable drum comes in a rugged, oversized carrying case.
DW Director of Marketing, Scott Donnell, comments, “We set out to design the definitive cymbal alloy snare drum, one that will set a new standard and stand the test of time. The beauty of the Edge design is that we don’t have to drill into the cast metal; all of the lugs, throw-off, etc., are affixed to the core. This greatly reduces the potential for stress cracks or tension that can compromise the integrity of the shell. Additionally, it’s a hybrid drum, so it’s extremely versatile. It’s a collectable that can be played and enjoyed.”