Drouyn Drums

[steviemac]

Can anyone provide any information on Drouyn drums made in Australia after the second world war? I can not find much information via the web, I believe they were regarded as reasonable quality at the time.

[Antipodes]

They were made in Brisbane in Queensland, they used a variety of local Australian hardwood and (unfortunately for us who tried to buy foreign drums at the time) were the sole reason for the outrageous tariffs the Australian Government put on on drum imports back then. I understand the company still may actually exist in Brisbane.

The only big Australian acts of the time I can ever remember using Drouyn were The Easybeats (of Friday On My Mind fame) in the sixties and a glam rock outfit called Skyhooks in the seventies who were massive there - should be lots of stuff online including pix on any fan site.

I occasionally see a stand or similar turn up on Ebay Australia (.com.au).

Drouyn also had a brand called Dandy which may or may not have been a budget line but that is going way back into the mists of time. I think they were also responsible for shells for the experimental Schleishman drums back in the early 80s.

Bottom-line is they weren't particularly popular with Australian drummers of the time, I seriously doubt they ever exported and, given the size of the country, I wouldn't imagine there are too many around even at their peak.

Heard from a couple of people in the seventies that they sounded pretty good though.

DR

[goughy]

I'm actually hoping to start a website up about drouyn drums in the near future. As a kid my dad used to hang around the factory, sweep floors etc. He was taught by the guy who was the foreman for the factory. I think my grandfather also new Doug Drouyn personally.

The Dandy drums were what they were originally called. Dandy stood for D.and D. (Drouyn and Drouyn), which obviously sounds like 'dandy'. But I think they felt the name didn't sound right for the incoming rock market and changed it to Drouyn.

I just 'loaned' one from a mate who had 2. I see them pop up in south east queensland from time to time. Their shells were reputed to be of very high quality. I've only heard them with thick double ply heads before; I'm dying to get some G1's on the kit I've got.

If it's ok, I'll post when I get the website/blogsite up and going.

My father had a wealth of information about them. But by fluke he called me tonight and has somehow gotten in touch with the daughter of Doug Drouyn. So I may be able to find out pretty much everything about the company and the drums.

[Antipodes]

Will be interested to hear and know more. My slight bitterness (in my youth) about them hiking up the prices of imports has been tempered with age now and I'd kind of like to know more. I can remember thinking it was kind of cool to visit the factory though god knows I didn't have the money (then) to buy any. Would be fun to see any photos of (relatively) well-known drummers on Drouyn - Snowy for example.

[goughy]

My dad even couldn't think of anyone other than snowy and the guy from the skyhooks using them. He said they were used a bit around brisbane which is why I'd be seeing them every now and then around south east qld.

He watched the foreman (Murray Hinz: spelling?) build a kit for himself once. He spent something like 18months on it. It was a marine white pearl and a marine red pearl checkerboard design. He created the checkerboard by cutting exact sized pieces out of each colour and individually glueing them onto the shells.

I can't wait to find out all the info, about the factory and the music store they ran as well.

[Antipodes]

Murray - no relation to Russ, I hope.

[Blackdog]

The Drouyn company is still open. I've tried to call them a couple of times, and only gotten an answering machine, but I've been told if I leave a message they will get back to you.
Drouyn Drum Factory382 Logan Rd Stones Corner 4120(07) 3397 8711

There's a couple of kits for sale in the Trading Post at the moment, and good value I think.
http://www.tradingpost.com.au and search for Drouyn. (Drum Palace down in Vic is selling them).

As for famous Drouyn drummers, I can't add more than the Skyhooks and Easybeats references. But for Dandy drums, I have a soft copy of one of their early catalogues (I think someone here sent it to me???) and it has some photo's of some of their illustrious users (Like "Max Sweeny currently playing at the Golden Dragon Restaurant in Hobart".. I kid you not!

[Antipodes]

That Golden Dragon Restaurant - prime gig (and the duck was not bad either).

[troutstudio]

I was lucky enough to get a secondhand Drouyn kit when I was about 14. This was in 1973 in Townsville, North Queensland. I had started on an ancient Pearl kit - so old it was not regular sizes. I spotted the Drouyns in the paper I think. The owner had been drafted so they had only been played a few times. They cost $100. The soldier who owned them was away somewhere after his service, had crashed his car and needed the money. I bought them from his mother. The kit was 22, 13, 16 and a 14" metal snare. They were grey sort of striped. The kit came with a 15" pair of pre-serial Paiste 602 hats and an 18" 602 crash that to this day, I have never seen the likes of. It had a tiny raised lip all around the edge. The whole kit sounded excellent. (Especially after the Pearls) It was fitted with Everplay heads I think and it was obvious to me at the time (I was a total drum junkie even then - I played professionally from the age of 15) that the kit was made in the Premier/Olympic/John Grey style - it had quite a crisp, ringy Premier type sound. The toms had re-inforcing rings similar to Premiers at the time and was made of a dark wood which had a cedar type look. I knew a lot about Drouyn at one stage because I moved to Brisbane to play and Stones Corner was a Mecca to me. I thought the kit was Queensland Cedar or something - my father knew from the look of the grain but I have forgotten what he said. The weakest part of the kit was the chrome - it just peeled off but this was Townsville and the climate kills everything. I traded them in for a Premier kit in fire engine red. I loved those Drouyns. They were special drums and I wish I still owned them - not to mention the 15" 602 hats! At the time, there were heaps of kits around Queensland but you hardly ever see them now.

[goughy]

Nice story. Were those 15" hats the sound edge (scolloped bottom edge). I have a set of pre-serial 15" and they have the most amazing hi hat sound. And man are they loud! I think I read several years ago that Chad Wackerman has a set of those hi hats and never lets anyone else use them. Period!

[Antipodes]

Townsville in the mid 70's. We probably knew people in common. I knew a bunch of northern Queenslanders (some from Townsville) who moved to Sydney in the late 70s.

A drag you got rid of the cymbals though - ridiculously collectable today (mind you so is so much of that stuff we owned and then got rid of back then). My first "proper" kit was a pre-international Premier set in WMP (though urinated pearl would have been a closer description) and I also got another one (both dirt cheap). I can see they're all over the place in various vintage forums and going for quite some coin on ebay. Ended up selling them to Sherbert's keyboard player when I got a Ludwig classic.

Mind you - Drouyns.....could be an interesting area to start collecting. I'd love to hear from Goughy's dad how many kits they were turning out a month. Can't have been that many so right off there's rarity.

I'm living in Sweden now and just starting to get into a couple of their locally produced lines which dominated before the American then Japanese stuff took over. Again, pretty much like hen's teeth and therein the collectability (damn good drums some of them).

Anyway, as someone in here put it, so many drums, so little time.

Cheers,
David

[goughy]

The drouyn factory was pretty small I gather, so I don't think it would have been high turnover. One area they specialised in was military percussion (marching) and I believe when they got out of kits they were still doing that.

[Antipodes]

And look what I just stumbled over on Trading Post - a very nice red sparkle kit from the sixties. You'll note that they say hundreds of Australian drummers used these but can still only quote The Easybeats and Skyhooks as "name" acts using them. Any of you live in Victoria? Might be a bit pricey but looks to be in good nick.

http://www.tradingpost.com.au/iteminfo/adnumber_W954634017212_off_13_sect_Sport%2c+Leisur e+%26+Recreation_sort_otRZSQ1BJDZfdRZSQSearchDispl ayPriorityIndAVSCotRZSQ1BJDZfdRZSQFirstPublished_s qt_2_srch_Gretsch_state_9_stpg_1_subs_Musical+Inst ruments_

[Josh]

Yep, I?m in Victoria. I noticed this kit a few weeks ago, great looking kit. Probably is a bit pricey but then you don?t see these every day. The same guy has another Drouyn kit for sale in gold sparkle, a fair bit cheaper for some reason. I?d love to grab them just because there Australian made, I?ve never actually heard one, but there?s just too much other vintage gear on my list to get. I think the person selling this vintage stuff in Melbourne is the same guy I bought my 65 Ludwig silver sparkle kit from about 9 or 10 years ago. I actually just finished restoring it using all the help from this website, it?s came up great, now it almost looks too nice to drag along to pub gigs. I would love to post some pics to show it off, I?ll have to track down a camera first. But anyway those old Drouyn kits are very interesting, anyone know what wood the shells where made of?

[Blackdog]

The drouyn factory was pretty small I gather, so I don't think it would have been high turnover. One area they specialised in was military percussion (marching) and I believe when they got out of kits they were still doing that.

Here's a link to a story on some drums Drouyn made for the Australian Navy (you'll have to scroll down to about page 15, or search for Drouyn)
http://www.navy.gov.au/ranband/documents/Newsletter1.pdf
The current value of these drums is estimated to be $A1.4million!!!!!

[troutstudio]

What a great story - thanks for sharing.

[goughy]

I just posted some pics of my drums, including 2 of the drouyn kits bass drum. i Like the wrap colour which I haven't seen before (not that that's saying much).

http://www.vintagesnaredrums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2775

[twangster]

Came across this thread while searching for Drouyn drums and thought I should register & pass some info on.. I worked there 70/71 and have a good deal of background info and also a rare collection of catalogs including an original D &D from the forties/ fifties.

Doug Drouyn died & left the running of the business to his son Dennis. Daughter Lois and widow Drouyn stuck their heads in occasionally. Dennis fired long time company manager Norm Bell and proceeded to screw the company up, including importing Asian kits towards the end. Norm Meecham ran the factory and did the metal work , Morrie Hinds assembled the kits and planed the bearing edge on each shell, and glued the cellulose finish on the drums in a roller press . There was another part time hand who was in the army band named Col Webb. The shells were made by glueing successive sheets of veneer together in a circular mold which was then inflated with a heavy rubber balloon. Morrie Hinds had taught drums , his star student being Barry " little goose " Harvey. Morrie also knew the art of rolling vellums onto hoops & made hide heads for local players.

Besides Snowy Fleet ( Easybeats ) and Freddie Strauks ( Skyhooks ) the most influential user was Johnny Dick who played a " Cannon kit " with Lobby Lloyds Wild Cherries. He's playing a Hayman kit in this vid, but for a long time played a Drouyn cannon kit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3gN3_DOn3w

It consisted of two 22' bass drum shells glued together in line. 10 inch deep custom snare drums were also a popular item during that early OZ heavy blues/ rock period . I left Aus in 72 and returned in 75 by that time Dennis had run the manufacturing side into the ground , and the factory guys were mainly kept busy repairing marching drums , and the factory also made fifes for school fife bands. I currently reside in Nashville TN where I produce records & play guitar .

[O-Lugs]

Welcome to the forum! That's some great insider information!

[Antipodes]

You don't get more definitive than a namecheck of all staff members. Fantastic contribution and will now have to go back and check out old pix of The Wild Cherries.

Cheers,
David

[twangster]

Correction! George Meecham ( I wrote Norm ) ran the factory. He seemed like
an old school fitter & turner guy , who also did the brass band instrument repairs
on a bench right next to the shell molds which were on the second floor of the factory. The fittings were made by an outside metal shop, stored in bulk at the factory and nickel plated in lots as required. The most common problem was Scottish pipe band snare drums coming back with the lugs stripped clean off because they tuned the things so high . I also was there when they made the silver Navy ceremonial drums and every ounce of metal had to be accounted for during the process, even filings ! Morrie's star student Barry Harvey of course went on to be the drummer in seminal Aus band Chain.

I'll scan the catalogues I have and post em sometime.

[Blackdog]

. The most common problem was Scottish pipe band snare drums coming back with the lugs stripped clean off because they tuned the things so high .

I remember stripiing lugs like that. Used to take a week and a bit to get all the tension on. We would have them screwed down so tight the bearing edge was above the rims, so we would pack a rim from a busted head underneath.

[thedrumhead777]

Well I am almost there,this is my 1969-70 Drouyn restoration. I have known this kit for over 30 years and although it was handed to me in a bin(bad bad condition) I am very happy with the outcome. Initally this kit had a black pearl wrap which was damaged so I decided to expose the original timbers Queensland maple and rose alder and sympathetically restore.This kit had various aftermarket mounts screwed into the shells which have been removed and the holes filled with QLD maple, all lugs where salvaged and rims except for bass drum were cleaned and reused.The Bass drum hoops were destroyed so I had some new ones made.This kit has been reskined with Remo suedes and sounds amazing (Huge) This kit is about to do its first paying job in 10 years,Icant wait.

[eamesuser]

This is the reason I love this site,I see things here I have never seen before.the restoration kit looks great,Like those lugs and love the badge, it is really distnctive,never seen one that shape.I think I would recognize that brand if I saw one from 50 feet away now.The wood is beautiful too,and this was a covered kit. The grain on the tom looks kind of porus like mahogany to me.Which drums have the queensland maple and rose alder? Or is it an inside outside ply thing?

[Antipodes]

Great restoration. I've moved back to Sydney now - if I'm down your way I may drop you a line and come in for a look. And if you ever decide to part with them, let me know. Damn, those lugs were inspired by Premier.....

[thedrumhead777]

I am glad you like it,the rose alder is the inner ply and QLD maple is the outer visible timber. This is a unique kit, masive bottom end if tuned low but if tunning is high it sounds bright with a lot of attack very cool for jazz. 9 lug floor tom. I will try post some better pics. Next job is matching some older sounding cymbals.

[thedrumhead777]

Not a problem but I dont think Ill be in a hurry to part with these treasures.
I cant get over the sound. Cheers

[Zeyn22]

Howdy all,

Nice restoration job thedrumhead777! I have the exact same kit (except in a 6 piece config) sitting in my garage waiting for restoration. I have started on a few of the toms but have been carefully sanding them back for quite a while now (not wanting to take too much of the shell away). I've almost finished one of the shells and they are being stained in a red mahogany finish then sealed. How was the condition of your original hardware? Did you get the pieces electr-plated at all? If so, approx. how much per lug / hoop?

Cheers,

Zeyn

[JWD]

another Aussie drummer who used Drouyns for a while in the early 1980's was John Prior from Matt Finish.

Here's a clip featuring them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKX5rbsvZu0

[Antipodes]

That's a stupidly deep rack tom....

[section2]

That's a stupidly deep rack tom....

How deep is that thing? 16"?

Man, the 80s. Crazy.

[JWD]

I think his kick was 26 inches as well. It certainly had a mighty sound. I saw a lot of gigs of that bands back then.

[thedrumhead777]

Well the Drouyn resto is complete,have done a few gigs and all comments have been positive.Finally settled on some Bosphorus cymbals to compliment the Drouyn kit.I have hanged the heads from Suedes to Response 2 Aquarians sounds very 70s