This Week In The Shop!

This week in the shop has been SO quiet it’s actually nuts. So, between just getting everything back in order, finding homes for materials, tools and general guff I’ve been salvaging/saving (hoarding) for years I’m finally back into a working space…that being said I’ve not actually managed to get back to making anything yet.

I’ve built a bunch more storage, loads of shelves, cubbies and bits and bobs and also put some wheels on the bench that holds the CNC machine to make it easier to use/move but other than that it’s been an absolute dud of a week for making. But we press on and look forward to getting back to it finally!

That being said (shameless plug) I’ve been spending a BUNCH of time writing with my band. So obviously if you’ve read the previous blogs, you know I’m a drummer. I’ve mentioned old bands, but I never really talk about my current band. I’m in a band called The Black Wave (or Black Wave depending on the day).

We’re a 4-piece cover band that have been threatening people with original music for the last year or so but finally, we’re pulling the proverbial finger out and we’re getting there. I want to also give a shout out to my friends’ band Aurora Sun (link below), they’ve been a massive kick up the arse as they’ve recently reformed and barrelled down on writing, recording, and gigging at lightning pace and it’s SO great to see.

https://www.facebook.com/AuroraSunBand

They’re releasing their first single real soon so go check it out! But anyway, I’ve spent a bunch of time in the last week just sitting with a guitar trying to write, hanging out with my beloved friend, renowned tall man and guitarist of Black Wave, Dean Ross, to work through a deluge of ideas to turn into songs. We have some stuff that I’m not going to show anyone yet but one day…who knows.

https://www.facebook.com/theblackwaveband

And that was this week in the shop!

Story time!

Okay this is going to be a bit of a jump in the timeline this week cause I know by now most of you aren’t drummers and are likely running out of steam hearing me nerd out on a handful of drums from 10 years ago so we’re going to have a bit of a lightning round.

Following on from customer number 1 (Thank you Jake) last week I spent the next 2 or 3 years with my head well and truly down just trying to build JC Drums into a reputable business that could at least start to play alongside the big names.

In that time I started to go to some small drum shows, shows that I now know were run by two of the loveliest people Colin & Jane Ackroyd who subsequently owned the incredible electric drum company Jobeky Drums. These shows were incredible and brought together so many of the incredible UK drum builders that I was lucky enough to go on to become friends and later on drinking buddies with. People whose work I admired SO much that then became peers.

Now admittedly, I do not believe a single drum I ever build was on par with any of these peers as they all held such incredibly high standards and have such immaculate skill that I just really want to make that clear to everyone…I aspired in every drum to be half as good as they were, and I occasionally did that.

Those shows gave me hope that my little business had a chance as there was an appetite from drummers at that time to have unique drums and pay for the best quality and everyone there seems to have their own niche. It wasn’t like 10 companies all competing for the same customers but instead a bizarre buffet of all the food you could ever want, and you just pick from the section you like.

To name a few…Gareth at Highwood Drums building exquisite classic-looking drums with gorgeous wood veneers and timeless finishes, Colin & Jane at Jobeky building unreal electronic drum kits that LOOKED like real drum kits to have all the normal feel but all the technology is hidden and then off too the side, in the corner was this super hyper guy bouncing around in skinny jeans and Vans trainers, a baggy hoodie and fringe to tie it all together. The most alarming thing about this tornado of a guy was that the drums he was building were exactly my part of the buffet and my heart sank. I thought how could I match the quality of this guy’s drums as a newbie and much less be good enough to convince people to trust me with their vision when this guy can CLEARLY nail it for them.

I tentatively approached the corner where my dreams were shattered and spoke to the guy that had ruined my day, his name was Carl. We spoke, briefly, he encouraged me to sit down and play one of his drum kits only to make matters worse when not only did it look incredible, but it was also more than anything I even knew how to make at the time, and it sounded better than any drum I’d played let alone made. We spoke more and I left the show with a card and proceeded to start following his socials at the time.

The worst part was yet to come, shortly after the show, we struck up a conversation as I’d seen he was selling off some drum-building bits, bits that at the time I didn’t know where to source, it was like gold dust but could I in good faith buy parts from a rival company to help grow my own? I’m very much not a dog-eat-dog person and so we spoke, at length. Messages and phone calls and bizarrely this man that had seemingly shattered my dreams was suddenly my biggest supporter. Telling me how better to do things, letting me pick his brain on techniques and best practices becoming like a brother but more so a mentor.

Someone that, like me, wasn’t dog-eat-dog and just wanted to see me succeed and share in the journey. I went on for the next 2 years building more and more drums with his support, encouragement (and connections to those parts I couldn’t get) and our brotherhood was solidified. 12 years later we’re still impossibly close and I couldn’t imagine the last 12 years without one of my best friends.

If you are a drummer reading this and you DON’T know about AD Drums then get out from under your rock and go and have a look.

I loved building drums, I got to build drums for some of my closest friends, absolute strangers, strangers that became friends and even a few bands that I grew up loving. It took me to places I couldn’t have imagined, and I got to hang out with some incredible people. Below are just some of the drums I was lucky enough to make for people, some of my favourites and some of the more important builds for you to enjoy.

Until next time!
JC