$3,000!? Could it possibly be worth it?

[sabshga]

Has anyone checked out the Promark 50th Anniversary Snare Drum? Looks like furniture. Stricktly glass case. If I can't hit it, I don't think I want it. Any comments?

[big daddy]

Has anyone checked out the Promark 50th Anniversary Snare Drum? Looks like furniture. Stricktly glass case. If I can't hit it, I don't think I want it. Any comments?

Very nice - I could think of quite a few other drums I'd spend the $3k on though. We're talking kits, not single snares :)

[O-Lugs]

How about this one:

http://www.symphonicpercussion.com/images/gallery/pages/018.htm

$4000.00!!!!

[Webmaster]

The price of course is based on the time it takes to build it. Take any profession which involves this type of craftsmanship it is not going to be cheap.

The Symphonic Percussion snare looks like a true custom drum that really looks like a work of art. The attention to detail including the lugs and strainer is just amazing.

You just do not see many drums built like that with that dedication. I can only imagine how many hours per dum it takes to build one.

What about any hand crafted guitar, bass or instrument. It is not going to be cheap and it "should" be reflected in the sound.

I do understand we are talking about a drum and not a guitar and there is a lot more into building a guitar.

I just sold a hand made knife on Ebay for $3500!! To me it was just a knife, but to a knife person it was much more. It would still kill someone the same way a $10 knife would.

I'm not sure exactly what I was trying to say with the knife analogy!!

This is coming from a business owner that pics up paper clips off the floor to save money so I would not pay $3000 or $4000 or $200 for a drum.

Unless of course it was rare and worth more and I could resell it!!

Then again I probably have to many drums already.

David

[big daddy]

I wasn't trying to take anything away from the folks who build these beauties. I'm an ex-craftsman turned computer-geek/teacher myself and I know how much work can go into creating something so unique.

I was just dreaming about the kind of kit(s) I could snarf with $3k... sigh :)

[Webmaster]

No worries on that, I was just slightly venting and offering my comment as asked by sabshga

David

[wayne]

Pete builds a nice drum,so do a lot of us.There are fixed costs;hoops,throw,tension rods etc,probably 300.00 at cost,maybe a little more.So the wood might cost since there,s not much of it,about40.00 at cost.Of course it doesn,t come already cut,and precisely measured like a tailor made suit.It has to be built with skill and tons of care,after all its going to end up in a glass case.How much time and money did the builder put into learning how to do what he does?....So,is it worth it?.The dollar amont is not the issue now.The ones who think the price is a joke won,t even look at it.The ones who want [need] another trophy,will look at it.In a case like this all of our opinions are right on..[the money]Cool

[O-Lugs]

I believe there is a reason for the super-high end "trophy" drums -a "show-and-tell" aspect, if you will. From a strictly design-aesthetic, I think those Symphonic drums are wonderful -probably the prettiest, most-refined overall look of any drums I've ever seen. Would I pay $4K for one? Maybe...as gamble for an investment....but then, I have a kitchen to remodel and an upstairs attic to convert to a bedroom and bathroom...and a back porch to tear down and re-build...so, yeah...I'll probably just have to be satisfied to day-dream over things like $4K snare drums! CryBaby

The Stanbridge drum is probably really nice, too...but, again, just based upon design and looks, it doesn't do much for me. It kind of looks like other drums I have seen -except that the hardware is gold-plated.

But these drums are "show and tell" drums and meant to be looked at and (maybe) occasionally tapped on. Who would dare take one of these drums to a gig?Mister T

Anecdote: When Billy Gladstone built those 40 snare drums (or so), years ago, I'll bet he never realized that they would turn into the "Holy Grails" of the snare drum world....but they did. I think that all those old Gladstones are accounted for and I don't think they will be coming up for auction on Ebay (maybe Sotheby's!) anytime soon. I have read that someone offered FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS!!Eye Ball for one of Billy's personal snare drums. Maybe that's just a rumor...but it wouldn't surprise me.

So, when I see a drum that might....MIGHT...have that kind of unique style and original design, I can't rule it out as a possible investment -even at $4K. It is the design that separates the...let's say, "familiar" drums from the rest. Adding gold plating is one way to make a drum more expensive...but...Violin

Cars always make a good analogy for drum discussions like this, I think. Cars tend to look alike to me, these days -not much differentiates them -except in their size and in their decoration...until you get to the super-high end builders, that is. THEN, at that level, you start to see things that you just don't see anywhere else -motors and parts that are factory-built. Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc. are all doing their own things, for examples....To me that's much different than a limited-release Eddy Bauer Edition SUV that is basically the same as any other SUV -except that it has been decorated differently.

Who even questions the sound of these drums? No one does. The way these drums sound is secondary to how they look. They are trophies. They are examples of the modern aesthetic idea of drum building. Worth it? Maybe in some ways...Maybe not in other ways. Blondes, brunettes, apples, oranges...you get it!

[sabshga]

Wow! It seems as though I broached an interesting subject. I don't think the car is a worthwhile analogy, maybe a car door but not the whole car. There is far too varied an array of technolgies that go into the car. Perhaps brain surgery is a useful analogy, after all, what is it? A little sawing, cutting, stapling and sewing. Who cares who does it?

No, I took the Promark drum as a contrived ploy to seperate a collector from his or her dollars. It is really pretty and for a person that collects as an investment there might be some merit to it. I don't know how those Zildjian and Paiste drums have sold since issuance but that seems relevent. Although you can probably take the bronze drums out of the house with some confidence.

From a cost standpoint to the manufacturer, irrelevant. Parts and labor? Whatever it is I'm sure they don't have to sell too many of the 100 built to make that back. This drum was price pointed. Let's build a drum that can sell a hundred units at $3,000.

[O-Lugs]

Okay..car doors it is! ;) The super-high end car builders' doors (like Ferrari and Lamborgini) are of a more unique and sophisticated design aesthetic than are the doors of an Eddy Bauer Edition SUV...and even if the doors of the Eddy Bauer are gold-plated, they are still the same basic door design that all SUVs are based upon, albeit more expensive to buy....because of the gold plating.

As far as the two drums (The Stanbridge and the Symphonic) I think the Symphonic has many more elements that make it a work of art worthy of a super-high end price tag in contrast to the Stanbridge drum. That's just my opinion, though. The lugs of the Symphonic are different and won't fit on any other shells. The shells are shaped differently (convex outside and concave interior). The throwoff is in-house -very modern and unique and matches the lugs in perfect harmony....and so on. The Stanbridge might be pretty to some people, too...but the basics are the same as with many other drums from the looks of it. You could take the parts off it and put them on any number of drums and they would work....so it gives drums like that a much more generic base upon which to add decoration.

Price pointing is the best way to go for a successful business venture...however, it doesn't really have a bearing on a given artists's perspective about an artistic venture.

Good topic!Party

[sabshga]

I think I must be very conventional in some ways. I checked out the Symphonic and it reminds me of one of my wife's salad bowls with the bottom cut off. I can't help being glib. The Stanbridge, it looks like a basketball court.

If I had a chance to play one, I might have a shot at adding some intelligent commentary. So don't go by me.

I'm waiting for delivery on an lightly used Ayotte. That is about as off the beaten track looking as I'm willing to go today. If I end up not liking it, I'm sure I can turn it out at my cost or close to it.

It's a shame that these companies don't do much with the mass marketers so that we can all go in and compare.

If anyone knows of any New York area stores or venues where a person could explore all of these exotic items, I'd love to hear about it.

Incidentally, does the Symphonic come with a service plan, free tuning, heads and lug lube for 50 months or 50,000 miles (or strokes)?

G

[Bebop]

For me I never buy the "limited edition" or trophy snares if I cant play them without worrying. Also because of david (thats right im blaming you :P) I have noticed that newer drums just dont do it for me. So now I cant walk into a drum shop and look at snares I have to search ebay every day. hahah. Dont worry I appreciate it David. But who needs gold on a snare drum? It is designed for aesthetics, but I dont play drums with my eyes. Also these days when anyone says its limited edition i think "limited to how much of the product the company can sell." Because thats how it is today, everything is MASS PRODUCED! And its amazing that we will pay $4k for a snare drum that is made by a 1. drumstick company 2.company that mass produces products.
No thanks i'd rather spend my paycheck on ebay. :-)