I have two Craviotto steam-bent snares and two Noble & Cooleys. The other thing to mention is that companies who make single ply drums tend to be specialist companies, so the drums may be expensive, but they're also beautifully made. So you're paying more money upfront, but you're getting craftsmanship, as well as drums which hold their value better than 'ordinary' drums. 👍
Man your knowledge of gear/history is extremely inspiring. Had the pleasure of playing a Craviotto kit while I was on a world tour stint and man. Outstanding!!!
Whelan Drums ... Craviotto drums are amazing! If I had the money I’d love to have one of those kits! Yea, I’m a complete gearslut! I have drum catalogs and books on vintage drums. All of my 40 years of playing I have been that guy!
Earl I own a craviotto solid 6_1/2x14 .wonderful drum was made and johnny signed it in 2012.I got to meet him at the time.He was a very kind man. If I'm ever able to buy another one it will be a Nobel and Cooley solid shell tulip wood.They are absolutely beautiful sound and appearance.
unix drums of canada makes the shells nowadays for dunnett and most george way drums. A&F makes nice solid shells most with no rerings. tama has a solid lineup of solid shells snares. my favorites are those who are able to make them with no rerings. i have one george way with no rings and it is a monster. 10 mm thick maple no rings steam bent. i have also seen at dave's drum shop in canada a brand new lang percussion glastone with a very thick solid maple steam bent shell with no rings. it is incredible and is still for sale. rbh makes great solid shells and longo too. rbh are almost copies of noble & cooley drums. solid steam bent snares are my favorite drums. they have so much power and tone.
rick freedom ... it sounds like you have an awesome collection! I’m quite a fan of solids shell drums! I have had a few and still have couple drums which are featured in this video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me and my subscribers! Thanks for watching!
Earl Bennett - earldrum Thanks, I know you had one, as you stated in your video, you didn't like it, all depends on your ears I guess, I like the sound so I bought one....not cheap 30 years old £500 flaming pounds, but it is beautiful, it even has the date stamped inside the shell, and the fact that the same mould used to make it was the same mould used to make drums for the Confederates is cool. Thanks for the reply.
The sound of the N&C piccolo drum was great when you needed crack. And if I could have kept it and got my hands on the N&C SS 5x14 in the video I would have kept it! But I traded it for the N&C 5x14 in the video. Plus the N&C piccolo drums was bright red ... which was a little loud for my color palette! But you can't go wrong with a N&C! Great drums! I wish you the best, please drop by again my friend ... I love to talk about drums! :)
Thanks for watching … I think my statements are about the one ply radio king style shell. But I could have mentioned other types too. I heard Brady hollowed a drum from a log. Thanks for the feedback
Actually, Noble and Cooley revived the solid shell snare drum again, in the early eighties, followed by Johnny Craviotto, who partnered with drummer Billy Gibson from Huey Lewis and The news to for the Solid snare drum company, which he owned, along with Billy Gibson. That company didn't do so well and through another drummer, Johnny C. became hooked up with John Good and made SS snare drums for them for years. Keep in mind, however, that both, the snare drums Johnny C. made for his Solid company and for DW were different designs than the drums he created for his Craviotto drum company. they were all Solid shells but their thicknesses and the way they were fit and finished were different. Thus, a different tone and response can be heard and achieved on all three designs. I have owned 4 Craviottos and now, own one Noble and Cooley. They are both nice but the Craviotto is a 'wetter' sound. The Craviotto drums of recent, like from 2011, to the present. The wetter Craviotto sound is nice for jazz and buzz roles and effects drumming but it has a 'thinner' note than the Noble and Cooley. I have a SS, walnut Noble and Cooley snare drum. the note is well defined, has great presence and less overtones. Therefore, for me, an 'immediate' and solid note delivery brings greater presence, in my experience, versus the Craviottos. The Craviottos are nicely finished, inside and out and have a slight edge, aesthetically speaking. That being said, the Noble and Cooley drums are beautiful and sound great. They are also, less expensive than the Craviottos and all the hardware, lugs, throw-off, snare wires are all made, in-house by Noble and Cooley. The tube lugs on the Craviotto are often, problematic, suffering from cross-threading and seizing up, taking away from quick, easy tune-ups or tune-downs. That is a reason I sold/traded my Craviottos, along with the thin notes, at times, limited tuning ranges and the use of maple reinforcement rings on almost all their drums. Similar woods pair up better if similar woods are used for the reinforcement rings, as well as the shell. I find if you use different woods for the re-rings as well as the shell materials, the sound fights itself. For toms and bass drums, this seems to work but not on solid shell snare drums. Especially Craviiottos. Some say it gives the snare drum more bite and others say maple is more plentiful and cheaper. For me, I want to hear a 'pure' sound out of my snare and using like woods achieves that in my experience. I wanted Craviotto to build me a walnut SS snare drum with matching walnut re-rings but then Johnny, God rest his soul, came to pass. I only wanted a drum that he put his hands or thoughts into, along with his signature. To be fair, every piece of wood has a unique, varying character. A dealer told me that some SS snare drums 'Have It' and some, don't. IMHO, Craviotto and Noble and Cooley make fantastic drums. I simply prefer my Noble and Cooley, SS walnut snare drum.
Edward Peters II ... you have great knowledge and understanding of solid shell drums. I’ve owned five solid shell snare drums ... four Noble and Cooley snare drums. My walnut shell drum is a DMR Custom Drums. The shell was made by a company called Vaughncraft. I believe they are out of business. I heard their quality was not great, but my shell is in great shape and sounds great. Walnut is quite a bit different maple ... I owned a 7x14 N&C SS ... N&C are awesome drums! I think the die cast hoops contribute to their sound ... The craviotto drums use triple flange and I think that might be part of the difference in sound. But that is my theory ... what do you think? Thanks for your watching and your comments!
Hey, Earl, thanks. I like your video. It also is informative. Yes, I think you're right about the triple-flanged hoops, versus the die-cast hoops. However, unless upon request, Noble and Cooley now offers their drums with triple-flanged hoops. Itbis now an upcharge for die-cast hoops. My 6x14, SS, Noble and Cooley snare drum has triple-flanged hoops. It has a more 'open' sound but still not as many overtones as a Craviotto. Those overtones can get in the way. Since walnut is already a dry sounding wood, the triple-flanged hoops give it a nice touch with some very slight overtones. I think it's perfect. For me, anyway. I wanted a more mellow, warmer tone, compared to my other three snares. I also wanted an alternate size. 6x14 is a nice size. The nodal lugs on the Noble and Cooley also open the drum tone a bit more but this SS walnut Noble and Cooley has some nice compression to it, without being 'stifled!' The Craviottos are nice, no doubt. My favorite of theirs is a 5x14 cherry. I owned one and then, sold it. Big mistake. It was a 2013 and had Johnny's signature plus, his hands were most likely still on it at that time. In the high tunings, that drum kicked! Nice exchanging with you, Earl. You have some nice equipment there!
Thanks for this video. I have a Noble and Cooley SS classic too and fall in and out of love with it. I find it hard to get it into the right tuning for my ears. People often recommend a very tight bottom head but I find this kills the drum a little bit. Is this something solid shells suffer from? or maybe because of the die cast hoops?
HI Jeff ... I love my Nobel and Cooley ... Your question will be featured on my next "Ask Earl Anything" show coming out tomorrow or Monday. I think I can give you some more ideas on tuning that drum. Okay?
Thanks Earl, that would be great. I currently have a hazy 200 on the bottom and a Genera on the top but have been thinking about going back to controlled sound. I usually check bottom head tension with a Tama rhythm watch to get an even setting before tuning up but I always end up having some tension rods looking much tighter than others.
mghc7 ... yes it’s amazing that they let you teach drum lessons to beginners even though you actually are still a student of drumming! I was in my second year of my BA program music school teaching! I knew what a vistalite kit was but not a solid shell Radio King! Amazing! 😳
Why do you put music ? that's disrepectful and very inconvenient. I noticed that most musicians don't put music when we eat or talk. We listen or we do something else, not both. But you are a drummer, that explains.
Philippe Chevaut ... I am not sure what you are talking about ... where did I disrespect you? You don’t have a question on this video ... so please explain, because I don’t ever try to disrespect anyone here on UA-cam or in life.
@@earldrum I find that disrespectful for music itself. I understand that's a little extreme. Don't worry about my joke about the drummers, as drums are my main instrument. But seriously, I find the music, especially this big band stuff, very disturbing for the listener. I really have to fight to listen to you. Listen to music in movies, it's very far in the mix when there is a conversation.
I have two Craviotto steam-bent snares and two Noble & Cooleys. The other thing to mention is that companies who make single ply drums tend to be specialist companies, so the drums may be expensive, but they're also beautifully made. So you're paying more money upfront, but you're getting craftsmanship, as well as drums which hold their value better than 'ordinary' drums. 👍
Thanks for the feedback and your story! I agree solid shell snares are the best of best wood snare drums! Thanks for sharing! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻😊👍🏻🤘🏻
Had to dig for this one,,,, love drum talk Earl!!!!
Thanks Bryan ... it’s an oldie!
Man your knowledge of gear/history is extremely inspiring. Had the pleasure of playing a Craviotto kit while I was on a world tour stint and man. Outstanding!!!
Whelan Drums ... Craviotto drums are amazing! If I had the money I’d love to have one of those kits! Yea, I’m a complete gearslut! I have drum catalogs and books on vintage drums. All of my 40 years of playing I have been that guy!
Earl I own a craviotto solid 6_1/2x14 .wonderful drum was made and johnny signed it in 2012.I got to meet him at the time.He was a very kind man. If I'm ever able to buy another one it will be a Nobel and Cooley solid shell tulip wood.They are absolutely beautiful sound and appearance.
They are beautiful drums ... I have a friend that loves the Tulip wood sound! Sorry it took a year!
unix drums of canada makes the shells nowadays for dunnett and most george way drums. A&F makes nice solid shells most with no rerings. tama has a solid lineup of solid shells snares. my favorites are those who are able to make them with no rerings. i have one george way with no rings and it is a monster. 10 mm thick maple no rings steam bent. i have also seen at dave's drum shop in canada a brand new lang percussion glastone with a very thick solid maple steam bent shell with no rings. it is incredible and is still for sale. rbh makes great solid shells and longo too. rbh are almost copies of noble & cooley drums. solid steam bent snares are my favorite drums. they have so much power and tone.
rick freedom ... it sounds like you have an awesome collection! I’m quite a fan of solids shell drums! I have had a few and still have couple drums which are featured in this video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me and my subscribers! Thanks for watching!
Lol...your face on the slow mo....when you almost dropped it.....priceless
Owen Ltd thanks for watching. I was happy I didn’t drop it! But it was close! Thanks for watching!
Earl Bennett - earldrum Your welcome. ..hey I just bought a second hand Noble and Cooley made in1988 ss piccolo brass lugs. Cool video, thanks
I owned a Noble & Cooley SS piccolo years ago. It has great deal of bite and punch. That's an awesome find!
Earl Bennett - earldrum Thanks, I know you had one, as you stated in your video, you didn't like it, all depends on your ears I guess, I like the sound so I bought one....not cheap 30 years old £500 flaming pounds, but it is beautiful, it even has the date stamped inside the shell, and the fact that the same mould used to make it was the same mould used to make drums for the Confederates is cool. Thanks for the reply.
The sound of the N&C piccolo drum was great when you needed crack. And if I could have kept it and got my hands on the N&C SS 5x14 in the video I would have kept it! But I traded it for the N&C 5x14 in the video. Plus the N&C piccolo drums was bright red ... which was a little loud for my color palette! But you can't go wrong with a N&C! Great drums! I wish you the best, please drop by again my friend ... I love to talk about drums! :)
Awesome video. I had no idea. Now I do
johnsondrummer ... I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Brady did the first solid hollow tree snare
Thanks for watching … I think my statements are about the one ply radio king style shell. But I could have mentioned other types too. I heard Brady hollowed a drum from a log. Thanks for the feedback
@@earldrum yeah man I knew what you meant! Great video
Thanks for the feedback and kind words!
Actually, Noble and Cooley revived the solid shell snare drum again, in the early eighties, followed by Johnny Craviotto, who partnered with drummer Billy Gibson from Huey Lewis and The news to for the Solid snare drum company, which he owned, along with Billy Gibson. That company didn't do so well and through another drummer, Johnny C. became hooked up with John Good and made SS snare drums for them for years. Keep in mind, however, that both, the snare drums Johnny C. made for his Solid company and for DW were different designs than the drums he created for his Craviotto drum company. they were all Solid shells but their thicknesses and the way they were fit and finished were different. Thus, a different tone and response can be heard and achieved on all three designs. I have owned 4 Craviottos and now, own one Noble and Cooley. They are both nice but the Craviotto is a 'wetter' sound. The Craviotto drums of recent, like from 2011, to the present. The wetter Craviotto sound is nice for jazz and buzz roles and effects drumming but it has a 'thinner' note than the Noble and Cooley. I have a SS, walnut Noble and Cooley snare drum. the note is well defined, has great presence and less overtones. Therefore, for me, an 'immediate' and solid note delivery brings greater presence, in my experience, versus the Craviottos. The Craviottos are nicely finished, inside and out and have a slight edge, aesthetically speaking. That being said, the Noble and Cooley drums are beautiful and sound great. They are also, less expensive than the Craviottos and all the hardware, lugs, throw-off, snare wires are all made, in-house by Noble and Cooley. The tube lugs on the Craviotto are often, problematic, suffering from cross-threading and seizing up, taking away from quick, easy tune-ups or tune-downs. That is a reason I sold/traded my Craviottos, along with the thin notes, at times, limited tuning ranges and the use of maple reinforcement rings on almost all their drums. Similar woods pair up better if similar woods are used for the reinforcement rings, as well as the shell. I find if you use different woods for the re-rings as well as the shell materials, the sound fights itself. For toms and bass drums, this seems to work but not on solid shell snare drums. Especially Craviiottos. Some say it gives the snare drum more bite and others say maple is more plentiful and cheaper. For me, I want to hear a 'pure' sound out of my snare and using like woods achieves that in my experience. I wanted Craviotto to build me a walnut SS snare drum with matching walnut re-rings but then Johnny, God rest his soul, came to pass. I only wanted a drum that he put his hands or thoughts into, along with his signature. To be fair, every piece of wood has a unique, varying character. A dealer told me that some SS snare drums 'Have It' and some, don't. IMHO, Craviotto and Noble and Cooley make fantastic drums. I simply prefer my Noble and Cooley, SS walnut snare drum.
Edward Peters II ... you have great knowledge and understanding of solid shell drums. I’ve owned five solid shell snare drums ... four Noble and Cooley snare drums. My walnut shell drum is a DMR Custom Drums. The shell was made by a company called Vaughncraft. I believe they are out of business. I heard their quality was not great, but my shell is in great shape and sounds great. Walnut is quite a bit different maple ... I owned a 7x14 N&C SS ... N&C are awesome drums! I think the die cast hoops contribute to their sound ... The craviotto drums use triple flange and I think that might be part of the difference in sound. But that is my theory ... what do you think? Thanks for your watching and your comments!
Hey, Earl, thanks. I like your video. It also is informative. Yes, I think you're right about the triple-flanged hoops, versus the die-cast hoops. However, unless upon request, Noble and Cooley now offers their drums with triple-flanged hoops. Itbis now an upcharge for die-cast hoops. My 6x14, SS, Noble and Cooley snare drum has triple-flanged hoops. It has a more 'open' sound but still not as many overtones as a Craviotto. Those overtones can get in the way. Since walnut is already a dry sounding wood, the triple-flanged hoops give it a nice touch with some very slight overtones. I think it's perfect. For me, anyway. I wanted a more mellow, warmer tone, compared to my other three snares. I also wanted an alternate size. 6x14 is a nice size. The nodal lugs on the Noble and Cooley also open the drum tone a bit more but this SS walnut Noble and Cooley has some nice compression to it, without being 'stifled!' The Craviottos are nice, no doubt. My favorite of theirs is a 5x14 cherry. I owned one and then, sold it. Big mistake. It was a 2013 and had Johnny's signature plus, his hands were most likely still on it at that time. In the high tunings, that drum kicked! Nice exchanging with you, Earl. You have some nice equipment there!
Edward Peters ... I love talking about gear! Thanks for subscribing and stay in touch. I’m always trying to learn about cymbals and drums!
Great video Earl
Thanks for this video. I have a Noble and Cooley SS classic too and fall in and out of love with it. I find it hard to get it into the right tuning for my ears. People often recommend a very tight bottom head but I find this kills the drum a little bit. Is this something solid shells suffer from? or maybe because of the die cast hoops?
HI Jeff ... I love my Nobel and Cooley ... Your question will be featured on my next "Ask Earl Anything" show coming out tomorrow or Monday. I think I can give you some more ideas on tuning that drum. Okay?
Thanks Earl, that would be great. I currently have a hazy 200 on the bottom and a Genera on the top but have been thinking about going back to controlled sound. I usually check bottom head tension with a Tama rhythm watch to get an even setting before tuning up but I always end up having some tension rods looking much tighter than others.
What is that stack next to your hi hat?
2112 Drums ... that stack is a 7” Sabian Evolution splash over 8” A Zildjian splash. 😁👍
Just cause it’s old don’t mean it’s better
Larry Shelast ... I agree the old Radio Kings have the vibe, but their construction is not as solid as today’s Caviotto or N&C drums are today.
Wait you were teaching drum lessons at only 19 yrs old but you didn't know what a radio king was...hmmm..
mghc7 ... yes it’s amazing that they let you teach drum lessons to beginners even though you actually are still a student of drumming! I was in my second year of my BA program music school teaching! I knew what a vistalite kit was but not a solid shell Radio King! Amazing! 😳
I'll stick with a ply drum
ATILLA KANDEMIR ... thanks for watching! Ply drums can sound great too! I have a few!
Nice vid but your facts are a little off.
marshall horne ... please let me know where my facts are off? I’m always open to learning? 👍🏻😀
Why do you put music ? that's disrepectful and very inconvenient. I noticed that most musicians don't put music when we eat or talk. We listen or we do something else, not both. But you are a drummer, that explains.
Philippe Chevaut ... I am not sure what you are talking about ... where did I disrespect you? You don’t have a question on this video ... so please explain, because I don’t ever try to disrespect anyone here on UA-cam or in life.
@@earldrum I find that disrespectful for music itself. I understand that's a little extreme. Don't worry about my joke about the drummers, as drums are my main instrument. But seriously, I find the music, especially this big band stuff, very disturbing for the listener. I really have to fight to listen to you. Listen to music in movies, it's very far in the mix when there is a conversation.
Philippe Chevaut ... I like playing all kinds of music ... no disrespect intended my friend!