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Phil Just bought this old Jedson set up	Hi again, Note this is what you call a kit!!! Kick 19.25" Snare 11.5" Cymbals (i use the term very loosely 9" & 8") The kick pedal is sweet & has the base of a cymbal striker bracket attached Phil
Taff has more drums than soft Mick- So I asked him to list them - here in Denmark I have 6 Snare - 6 bass - 4 tomtoms - at least 40 cymbals !! I think I may try to get rid of some items on eBay. In England I have a full Buddy Rich/Gene Krupa 1940`s Slingerland kit complete with cymbals.
Here are a some pictures of the kit I use when I am asked to play the 1920`s style or Ragtime. You will of course recognize the cymbal fixtures and the foot pedal, the snare has no name but it is very much like an old singe tension Ludwig before they started putting the brass badges on, like the one on my bass drum, I have no idea of how old the Chinese tom is, it`s very old I am sure, even older than me !!	So, this mansion you live in - hehehe -In Denmark has all these cool drums - but when you gig you travel pretty light?
On most of my gigs I only play bass, snare & 1 cymbal which fits in the case with the snare - no tom and I do not use a hi-hat!! I can fit all my accessories in an alum. box which measures approx. 11" x 15" x 5", this I carry in one hand along with my snare and my bass in the other hand. I`m not sure of the weight but I can fly anywhere in the world with my kit and a suitcase and still have weight to spare in the 20 kilo. allowance.
I like it! - I've often needed a truck to get to a gig and then just used that trimmed down kit - I'd kinda miss the hi hat though!
The snare with no name	As old as ? - Tiny Tom
	Taff - a la Gene Krupa - love that kit! The bass drum is 16" x 24"- tom toms are 16" x 16" - 8" x 12" & 12" x 14" and they are very, very heavy. This is the only picture I find of the kit taken in the early 90`s, here I`m only using 2 toms, as I`ve said it is very rare I use a full kit, I use one at special gigs, sometimes for recording and at some jazz festivals.
This picture was taken while guesting with a Scottish band at the 1997 Leith Jazz Festival, Edinburgh, I am guesting again with the same band at the Isle of Bute Jazz Festival this coming April. Blimey a gig in Britain! hehehe Well, to date it is the only job I have in Britain this year.

Back when we were "Timbre percussion" - here's the congas we used to knock out - bloody hard work I seem to rememeber. We bought the basic "stock" at 2x1" then cut 2 angles along each side with a circular saw. Then added a bevel to all four angles with a plane. These have to be graduated towards the middle and then finished by hand with a spoke shave or small plane to allow for the fit after bending. Then the whole thing was steamed in a big old oil drum and swaged steel rings were beaten down to force the staves into a tight fit.
	Here's James before he took up Tabla! And that's a big pile of Beech behind.
These are made from Iroko - which is a very heavy wood to work with and as it grows in swamps, it contains all kinds of carcenagenic nasties! So a big consideration when machining the staves and even more so when sanding is proper breathing protection.
	These were up for sale in Pro Perc in Kentish town - went to a school in Tottenham in the end I believe. Made from Ash with brass fittings.

Here's a big old Bass drum from Richard Hunt

Not quite your style I guess, but I got hold of this vintage frame drum the other day.

Richard - we love drums - Big, small but especially old!

Glad you like my drum , I am fond of it. It was made by Made by A.W.Gamage Ltd
Holborn London. The shop was operating about 1900.
The drum is 24 inches in diameter.
I've been told 7 tuning tensioners is an unusual arrangement.

Any History I wonder?

Well The person I bought It off said he believed it belonged to 1 of the chieftains.
Not sure if its true or not ?

That's great - More please!

Taff got this page started - so over to him.......

	Hi Bob, I have just seen the DW drums on your home page. To make you drool a little more I`ve sent you pictures of my Camco kit ! As you may know they were the fine drums made in the 50`s & 60`s by George Way who, when he left the Ludwig / Leedy Co. bought the Camco Engineering company and started manufacturing his own - Camco Drums.
I think it was sometime in the 70`s that Drum Workshop bought all the Camco works, lock, stock and barrell , the lug castings and all the designs. The DW are good drums but in no way can they compare with the Camco drums. For your interest the following is a copy of the answer to a letter of somone asking about the comparison between DW & Camco:- "I owned a set of mid-70's Camcos, and they were the best-sounding drums I've EVER heard. In a moment of extreme poverty (one of many), I sold all but my 14x14 floor tom. My current kit is built around that drum, with mid-70's Gretch bass and toms and 20-year-old Pearl maple toms on RIMS complementing it. Do they sound like DW? No, DW tries to sound like them!
	I've found DW's to be rather inconsistent, but the good ones sound good, and are closely modeled after the classic Camcos. Thin shells and reinforcing rings are one component, but I think the biggest factor in Camco's sound is their use of undersized shells. Their shells were conspicuously smaller in diameter than other drums of the period, allowing the drumhead to extend somewhat like a timpani head. I'm not an expert on acoustics, but I really think that opens the sound of the drum up a lot. The biggest bummer about Camco is that people know what they're worth. I see beat-up Camco kits on eBay frequently, always for well over a thousand dollars, even if they're missing parts and look like crap. Selling those old Camcos is the biggest equipment-related mistake I've ever made!" I've said it many times and still feel Camcos are the best quality Vintage kit out there. To my eyes (and ears), they are head and tails over Ludwig and Slingerlands from the same era.....yes, better than Rogers too!) They have so many quality attributes that you won't find with other makers.....AWESOME HOOPS, all maple shells, sharper/truer edges, worm drive mufflers, premium quality lugs and inserts, etc, etc, etc.
I`'ve now taken my Camco (minus snare) out of storage and here are some pictures for you. Cheers, Taff

Brilliant! - Taff also has a Bass Drum for all occasions - Back to Taff to describe ....
The smaller bass drum is a John Grey 10 x 26, I do not know how old it is, neither does anyone else !!
	The picture on the front of the smaller bass drum,if you can make it out it is a picture of Baby Dodds a sketch I did with a permanent marker pen on a Remo head - Cheers - Taff
	The larger of the two is one of the first Autocrats John Gray introduced in the 1930`s the size is 12 x 28, this is the one my sister, based in England bought for me for £10 earlier this year, it cost £35 to send it, but it really is a "gem" with no drilled holes and has the original calf heads.

Here's the killer - Oh boy what a Beauty
	this is a 1930`s Carlton 12 x 28. It`s one I use often at outdoor jazz festivals where the rest of the band are amplified and I am acoustic and need a bit of extra power, it`s fitted with two tympani heads, the batter is a Remo Weatherking and the front is a Remo Renaissance, you could drive a full 18 piece swing band with this one and still have some to spare!!......You can also hide your Jameson in the hatch !! Cheers -Taff.

Ok we are off to a flyer - Give me more -give me more!
	Here's an oldie- this is Jame's 1st drum - it's "coopered" in PINE! But the pics were fabbo and he loved it!

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