Sunday, 19 March 2023
Thursday, 16 February 2023
Talking Drums
WARNING: More drum talk is about to happen. I have taken some pictures of the current three Memetune vintage kits, and here is a comprehensive fact-file for your perusal
The First 'proper' drum kit I bought was in 1984 when I realised that the A-levels I was doing at 6th form only counted for a certain fraction of my week and there was a loophole that I could exploit allowing me to also sign on to the dole. So I saved up the money and bought the best drum kit I could find! This kit was in the window of a pop-up music shop in Kings Cross, London, and was discounted by half-price (I have a sneaking suspision that everything in that shop was 'moody', meaning it was probably nicked from some wharehouse or other). No matter! I knew a good deal when I saw it, and also a good drum tone when I heard it, so I bought the (at the time) 5-piece Gretsch maple finish you see here
A few years later I was in Oxford, England, perusing a small studenty music shop that sold violins and other instruments to posh kids with silly hats. Up there on a shelf at the back were two Gretsch toms (an 8 & 10 inch pair) which matched the precise model of the rest of my drums, and the present kit was perfected. I used it for the next 25 years, and was often complimented on its sound
As it turns out, this kit was only produced for less than a year, having the notorious "stop-sign-dropped-G" badge, a strange anomoly in the Gretch drum world, making them quite easy to date. For that reason I know that these drums were made between February and November 1981, give or take a month or two
In 2008 I went ahead and bought my second drum kit. This time I went vintage, but it turns out it's from the exact same era as the Gretsch. I got a Sonor Phonic Rosewood kit which was made between 1981 and 1983. Its a 9-ply birch shell with 45 degree bearing edges, finished inside and out with real (and very precious) rosewood. It sounds different to the Gretsch, more "woody" and rich, but not quite as sweet perhaps. It's a thing of beauty, and very of its time (designed in the late 70s)
And now its 2023 and, as I posted previously, I just got a Yamaha 9000 kit. And guess when it was made? Yep, 1982. I didn't do this on purpose, but after much research into the Yamaha kits, I decided that this era was the very best they made for the reasons I detailed before - the thin birch shells, the rounded bearing edges, the lacquer finish and the beautiful attention to detail that Yamaha paid during that brief period, when they were ruling the drum-world with their new-found position as pro-drummers choice
The First 'proper' drum kit I bought was in 1984 when I realised that the A-levels I was doing at 6th form only counted for a certain fraction of my week and there was a loophole that I could exploit allowing me to also sign on to the dole. So I saved up the money and bought the best drum kit I could find! This kit was in the window of a pop-up music shop in Kings Cross, London, and was discounted by half-price (I have a sneaking suspision that everything in that shop was 'moody', meaning it was probably nicked from some wharehouse or other). No matter! I knew a good deal when I saw it, and also a good drum tone when I heard it, so I bought the (at the time) 5-piece Gretsch maple finish you see here
A few years later I was in Oxford, England, perusing a small studenty music shop that sold violins and other instruments to posh kids with silly hats. Up there on a shelf at the back were two Gretsch toms (an 8 & 10 inch pair) which matched the precise model of the rest of my drums, and the present kit was perfected. I used it for the next 25 years, and was often complimented on its sound
As it turns out, this kit was only produced for less than a year, having the notorious "stop-sign-dropped-G" badge, a strange anomoly in the Gretch drum world, making them quite easy to date. For that reason I know that these drums were made between February and November 1981, give or take a month or two
In 2008 I went ahead and bought my second drum kit. This time I went vintage, but it turns out it's from the exact same era as the Gretsch. I got a Sonor Phonic Rosewood kit which was made between 1981 and 1983. Its a 9-ply birch shell with 45 degree bearing edges, finished inside and out with real (and very precious) rosewood. It sounds different to the Gretsch, more "woody" and rich, but not quite as sweet perhaps. It's a thing of beauty, and very of its time (designed in the late 70s)
And now its 2023 and, as I posted previously, I just got a Yamaha 9000 kit. And guess when it was made? Yep, 1982. I didn't do this on purpose, but after much research into the Yamaha kits, I decided that this era was the very best they made for the reasons I detailed before - the thin birch shells, the rounded bearing edges, the lacquer finish and the beautiful attention to detail that Yamaha paid during that brief period, when they were ruling the drum-world with their new-found position as pro-drummers choice
Saturday, 21 January 2023
Thursday, 19 January 2023
Japanese Drum Talk
I just got myself the BEST Christmas present! Its a Yamaha YD9000RA in Hot Red laquer, and is the first kit they called the Recording Custom series, dating from 1982/83. Now let me tell you what I know about the history of the Yamaha drum range
Yamaha's first kits were made in 1967, and for around 10 years they competed with a lot of the cheaper and mid-ranged drums, mainly selling in the Eastern market
Around 1975 they upped their game and started to recruit top named drummers, who would help to propel Yamaha drums into a new and much more important status - to become world leaders in drum manufacturing
They introduced the flagship 9000 Series, which had a new extended lug design mounted on their clever air-sealed shell that incorporated true Japanese-style craftsmanship and attention to detail, matching Yamaha's general policy of trying to create top-quality instruments, just like their pianos, guitars, wind instruments and synthesisers
They figured that they would use birch wood to make their drum shells from, just like in their other acoustic instruments, but they weren't quite ready yet to call their drum kits market-leading. There is a mixture of information about the early 9000 series, and I can't determine if they were all actually 100% birch wood, or when they used the long-lug design or the double small lugs, similar to Gretsch kits. And some were made in Taiwan too, although still to Yamaha's high specification. The brochures of this period are a bit scant on detail and the online tracking of the 9000 range is quite unreliable. Here are examples from some period catalogues:
But everything changed in 1982 because Yamaha consolidated their flagship model, now made exclusively in Japan, into the world famous Recording Custom range (Referred to as "RA" for Recording Artist). They introduced 100% birch shells of 6 plys, a 30 degree bearing edge, dark wood laquer internal finishing (including the bearing edges), and a superb "piano" laquer to the outside of the shells (as opposed to a wrapped finish like all other kits of the time) in a large range of colours. They also increased the size range to include 8" and 10" and 15" toms, all of which were non-power depths. These kits were the zenith of Yamaha's work in developing their kits, and for a very short 2 year period they ruled the world in terms of making the best-sounding drum kit 'system'. The Recording Customs were used by nearly every top drummer of the era, and became the most recorded drum kit in history
Then in 1984 they introduced power toms, thicker shells and 45 degree bearing edges, and some say the drums lost a bit of their magical tone and purity. All those recordings made on the 9000RA drums during the early 80s set Yamaha up for having the very best reputation, and I am sure their later kits were very good and introduced lots of extra features, but to me the purest and most desirable kits possibly of all time were those first generation RA 9000s. Other contenders for the ultimate drum kits of all time are possibly 1950s Gretsch 3-ply mahoganys, Sonor Phonics from the 1970s and 80s, and some of the Ludwig kits of the 60s. But what determies a classic drum kit? Well it has to have 2 things going for it - perfection of sound and finish, and endorsement from famous drummers and recordings. The Gretsch has the Blue Note Jazz recordings, the Ludwig has the 60s and 70s rock artists, but for sure the Yamaha dominated the recordings and players of the 1980s - there is no doublt that the 9000 RAs were the best kits of their time
So here I proudly present my newly aquired Yamaha 9000RA 7-piece kit from 1982/83 in Hot Red laquer
Yamaha's first kits were made in 1967, and for around 10 years they competed with a lot of the cheaper and mid-ranged drums, mainly selling in the Eastern market
Around 1975 they upped their game and started to recruit top named drummers, who would help to propel Yamaha drums into a new and much more important status - to become world leaders in drum manufacturing
They introduced the flagship 9000 Series, which had a new extended lug design mounted on their clever air-sealed shell that incorporated true Japanese-style craftsmanship and attention to detail, matching Yamaha's general policy of trying to create top-quality instruments, just like their pianos, guitars, wind instruments and synthesisers
They figured that they would use birch wood to make their drum shells from, just like in their other acoustic instruments, but they weren't quite ready yet to call their drum kits market-leading. There is a mixture of information about the early 9000 series, and I can't determine if they were all actually 100% birch wood, or when they used the long-lug design or the double small lugs, similar to Gretsch kits. And some were made in Taiwan too, although still to Yamaha's high specification. The brochures of this period are a bit scant on detail and the online tracking of the 9000 range is quite unreliable. Here are examples from some period catalogues:
But everything changed in 1982 because Yamaha consolidated their flagship model, now made exclusively in Japan, into the world famous Recording Custom range (Referred to as "RA" for Recording Artist). They introduced 100% birch shells of 6 plys, a 30 degree bearing edge, dark wood laquer internal finishing (including the bearing edges), and a superb "piano" laquer to the outside of the shells (as opposed to a wrapped finish like all other kits of the time) in a large range of colours. They also increased the size range to include 8" and 10" and 15" toms, all of which were non-power depths. These kits were the zenith of Yamaha's work in developing their kits, and for a very short 2 year period they ruled the world in terms of making the best-sounding drum kit 'system'. The Recording Customs were used by nearly every top drummer of the era, and became the most recorded drum kit in history
Then in 1984 they introduced power toms, thicker shells and 45 degree bearing edges, and some say the drums lost a bit of their magical tone and purity. All those recordings made on the 9000RA drums during the early 80s set Yamaha up for having the very best reputation, and I am sure their later kits were very good and introduced lots of extra features, but to me the purest and most desirable kits possibly of all time were those first generation RA 9000s. Other contenders for the ultimate drum kits of all time are possibly 1950s Gretsch 3-ply mahoganys, Sonor Phonics from the 1970s and 80s, and some of the Ludwig kits of the 60s. But what determies a classic drum kit? Well it has to have 2 things going for it - perfection of sound and finish, and endorsement from famous drummers and recordings. The Gretsch has the Blue Note Jazz recordings, the Ludwig has the 60s and 70s rock artists, but for sure the Yamaha dominated the recordings and players of the 1980s - there is no doublt that the 9000 RAs were the best kits of their time
So here I proudly present my newly aquired Yamaha 9000RA 7-piece kit from 1982/83 in Hot Red laquer
Saturday, 14 January 2023
2021/2022 - What I've Been Doing
These last couple of years have been the usual busy mixture of music making, collaborating, synth-building and video making around Memetune Central
The aftermath of the random pandemic (randemic?) saw a few changes to my working patterns, but I still managed to complete 2 UK tours (in 2021 Oblong supported Blancmange on half their UK shows, and 2022 Oblong then me and Steven Mallinder did support slots)
A ton of collaborative albums were made at Memetune, and the usual slew of solo (Benge) albums, one of which I am very proud of (The Dreamer), as it saw my first Cassette release, after a long time only doing digital albums
I managed to build several incredible modular systems into new cabinets, with the help of Chris The Carpenter, one of which, the Buchla 200, was a life long dream come true, after I decided way back in the early 1990s that this was the best looking synthesiser EVER made - and now I have made it a reality for Metetune to posess such a beast
I also finally got the Synergy and Kaypro digital synthesis system going (thanks Dani!) as well as adding quite a few mega-synths to the studio line up (Rhodes Chroma, Roland Jupiter 6, Jupiter 4, System 100, MC4, JD800)
And I got into my drumming again, mainly as a result of playing live with Oblong. Its one of my true loves of life, and was my first intrument, so I've made a new years resolution to practice more my chops. And I couldn't resist buying myself a little xmas pressie - a completely beautiful Yamaha Recording Custom YD9000 kit from 1982 (I'll post more about this later)
Another major achievement was setting up my Video Lab workspace in the studio, where in 2022 something very important (to me) happened - the making of the Memetune Programme TV Series One - six episodes of vintage synth indulgence written, performed, presented, filmed, edited and produced all on my tod
I also started doing my instagramming in earnest (one reason its been a bit less busy on this blog), so head over there and follow me if you don't already for an almost daily account of the goings on 'in and around the electronic studio' (instagram.com/memetunestudio)
Here are the albums that were MADE AT MENETUNE by me and my collaborators - so proud of all of them, but especially the ongoing projects with my friends and heroes (by the way, there is one enormous album that we did recently here, but it cannot be announced yet!)
BLLANCMANGE (with Neil Arthur) - Commercial Break
CAMPBELL MALLINDER AND BENGE - Clinker
FADER (with Neil Arthur) - Quartz
STEPHEN MALLINDER - Tick Tick Tick
BLANCMANGE - Private View
OBLONG - Sing Along With Oblong
And here are my solo albums released since 2021
And finally, it is with much pride and honour, that I hereby announce we now have an official Meme-Mobile
The aftermath of the random pandemic (randemic?) saw a few changes to my working patterns, but I still managed to complete 2 UK tours (in 2021 Oblong supported Blancmange on half their UK shows, and 2022 Oblong then me and Steven Mallinder did support slots)
A ton of collaborative albums were made at Memetune, and the usual slew of solo (Benge) albums, one of which I am very proud of (The Dreamer), as it saw my first Cassette release, after a long time only doing digital albums
I managed to build several incredible modular systems into new cabinets, with the help of Chris The Carpenter, one of which, the Buchla 200, was a life long dream come true, after I decided way back in the early 1990s that this was the best looking synthesiser EVER made - and now I have made it a reality for Metetune to posess such a beast
I also finally got the Synergy and Kaypro digital synthesis system going (thanks Dani!) as well as adding quite a few mega-synths to the studio line up (Rhodes Chroma, Roland Jupiter 6, Jupiter 4, System 100, MC4, JD800)
And I got into my drumming again, mainly as a result of playing live with Oblong. Its one of my true loves of life, and was my first intrument, so I've made a new years resolution to practice more my chops. And I couldn't resist buying myself a little xmas pressie - a completely beautiful Yamaha Recording Custom YD9000 kit from 1982 (I'll post more about this later)
Another major achievement was setting up my Video Lab workspace in the studio, where in 2022 something very important (to me) happened - the making of the Memetune Programme TV Series One - six episodes of vintage synth indulgence written, performed, presented, filmed, edited and produced all on my tod
I also started doing my instagramming in earnest (one reason its been a bit less busy on this blog), so head over there and follow me if you don't already for an almost daily account of the goings on 'in and around the electronic studio' (instagram.com/memetunestudio)
Here are the albums that were MADE AT MENETUNE by me and my collaborators - so proud of all of them, but especially the ongoing projects with my friends and heroes (by the way, there is one enormous album that we did recently here, but it cannot be announced yet!)
BLLANCMANGE (with Neil Arthur) - Commercial Break
CAMPBELL MALLINDER AND BENGE - Clinker
FADER (with Neil Arthur) - Quartz
STEPHEN MALLINDER - Tick Tick Tick
BLANCMANGE - Private View
OBLONG - Sing Along With Oblong
And here are my solo albums released since 2021
And finally, it is with much pride and honour, that I hereby announce we now have an official Meme-Mobile
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
