Nelson Drum Craft

Checking customer DW/Craviotto

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 11:48:10 PST

Checking this beautiful steam-bent maple drum for edge/bed defects, and general trueness (is that a word?). Looks very good. Here, the drum is sitting on my black granite machinist's surface plate, which is certified flat to +/-.000050.

This drum has a very wide tuning range. Sounds great tuned low or high. Very lively, punchy drum, with tons of throttle. Just a little moon gel needed to dry it up ever so slightly.

If you need any help with bearing edges, give me a shout!

Still here!

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 10:47:05 PST

Howdy Folks,
I'm still kicking. Have been busy with life's other demands, but still fielding any and all drum building, restoration, and general services requests!

Oak Stave Snare -- DONE!

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 05:19:13 PDT

Well, the day has finally arrived.
After a long wait for a certain batch of parts, this drum has finally come together. Let's review the specs, shall we?...
-7x14
-30 segment quarter-sawn red oak
-tongue and groove jointed
-lathe turned to 1/2 inch thick
-inside 45/outside 1/8 inch countercut bearing edges
-Ego tube lugs
-Trick throw and butt
-Fat Cat 20 strand wires
-die cast hoops
-nitrocellulose lacquer finish

I'd like to thank my customer, Paul Petsu, for being so patient with me on this project. It was a pleasure to build this for you!

Dream Cymbals = great stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Fri, 13 May 2011 16:30:44 PDT

Birdseye maple snare build complete

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 11:44:45 PDT

This one's ready to go. Just have to add my NDC badge, and ship this to Nashville. Great sounding drum...
-5.5x14 6ply maple with 8ply reinforcement rings and an outer ply of birdseye maple
-DW mag throw and butt
-FatCat wires
-2.3mm triple flanged hoops
-45 degree/1/8" outer countercut edges
Lots of sensitivity and character.

30 Stave Red Oak build continues

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 13:53:26 PDT

Weather and equipment are finally cooperating, so back to the spray booth with me.
Here's a 30 stave red oak 7x14 shell with a coat of vinyl sealer. On the way.

Birdseye maple snare build

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 13:31:34 PDT

Back to build mode.
Got my new compressor installed, the weather is warming up -- time to start shooting shells. This one's for a good bud down in Nashville.
5x14 10x6 ply maple with an outer ply of birdseye maple. Gonna wear some clear lacquer. Here she is with one coat of vinyl sealer to start.

Onward.

Stave snare

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 14:28:54 PST

It's coming along.
7x14 red oak. 30 staves. 1/2" thick. 45 degree inside/1/8" outside countercut edges.
Gonna shoot some clear on it in a few days, then buff, then final assembly. Stoked.

New service: Rogers Bread and Butter lug casing repair

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:08:21 PST

If you've got some old Rogers drums with the old "bread and butter" lugs, you probably already know that the lug casings tend to split at the mounting tabs.
Give us a call if you have some sick B&Bs.

Kudos for Kong

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Fri, 07 May 2010 15:50:58 PDT

Sounds like he likes the drum!!!!

HI Steve,

I haven't used Sling Kong on a recording yet, but my friend did last night and I'll try to get you a copy. I expected to compromise the sound I had in my head, but I have to say: you nailed it. It is a fabulous fabulous drum and I thank you. I'm going to be posting stuff about it on various forums and I'm happy to spread the word about your work. I leave on Sunday for a tour and I'll start posting stuff after June 1, when I get back.

"Sling Kong" done!

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:09:13 PDT

Sling Kong lives! Sounds great. Very big, thick, open snare sound. Big backbeats from this baby. Did I mention this sucker's 8x16?

big snare

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 18:24:01 PDT

converting a late 50's Slingerland floor tom into a snare drum. mahogany/poplar shell with maple re-rings. Now wrapped in burgundy sparkle.
Looking forward to hear what this bruiser sounds like.

Still kickin'

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 11:43:01 PST

The economy has caused things to slow down a bit. But, we're still here, ready to build your next drum(s), re-edge your old faithfuls, and much more.

NDC on Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 11:21:07 PST

Homegrown Cherry Staves, coming soon

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:08:49 PST

So I had some beautiful cherry trees growing out back. So beautiful that I chopped 'em down . Got some sweet trunk sections drying now. Once they're to the right moisture content, they'll get quartersawn and transformed into stave snare drum shells.
Stay tuned.

Drum Road Trip '09: Great time!

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:22:27 PDT

Spent all day Saturday at Drum Road Trip. Saw lots of familiar faces, talked drums and stuff with lots of great folks, met some awesome drummers -- Rod Morgenstein, Johnny Rabb, Zorro. Looking forward to DRT '10.

Drum Road Trip 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:19:30 PDT

2nd annual DRT coming up. Looking forward to seeing the crew from UGW.com forum, as well as the great lineup of clinicians and vendors.
Stop out! I think I'll be running a bit of a parts clearance -- shells, assorted hardware, and some other odds and ends.
If you're thinking about a new custom kit, snare, or restoring a drum, I'd be glad to talk to you.

Cocktail kick pedal

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:32:16 PDT

Ahoy DrumFans...
Here's a slick little cocktail kit pedal rig. If you need help with a special setup like this, shoot me an email!

cymbal-ism

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:59:16 PDT

i'd sure like to be a fly on the wall in any of the "Big 3" (Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste) board rooms. Seems like many of the smaller, and even brand new manufacturers are making moves! Bosphorus, Istanbul Agop, Wuhan, Dream (their Bliss and Vintage series are REALLY good), and a slew of other off-shore makers must be taking more pie these days.

showin' the blog some love...

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:35:07 PDT

it's been a while since I've posted new stuff. thought I'd give things a facelift. enjoy the new bits. stay tuned for more news from NDC Mission Control...

Good deals at NDC!

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:25:52 PST

Howdy,
I'm doing some "late spring cleaning" (or early spring, if you're a "glass half full" person) at NDC. I've got maple and birch shells, wrap, various hardware, and other odds and ends that I need to move, to make way for some new offerings.
Shoot me an email at steve@nelsondrumcraft.com . I'll send you a list of available inventory. Call it an online clearance sale!!!!

Look for some new offerings from NDC in the coming months

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:50:35 PDT

Hey there, fine drum fans...
I've got some things up my sleeve in the coming months. Keep your eyes on this space...

Great day at "Drum Road Trip '08!"

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 08:04:09 PDT

Hi there,
Many thanks to Mike Morgan and his crew at Drums My Life, for arranging "Drum Road Trip '08".
We met a ton of great people, had some laughs, shared our drums with each other, and ultimately had a blast!

An NDC custom snare managed to take first place in the "Custom" class of the DRT Snare Drum Olympics! We were up against some stiff competition from many fine custom builders from across the country. Again, thanks DRT/DML!

NDC Snare Pic 1
NDC Snare Pic 2

NDC is already itching for next year! Be a part of this great event!
Drums My Life discussion forum
Drum Road Trip

NDC @ "Drum Road Trip"

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Tue, 20 May 2008 11:25:31 PDT

If you're in the Rochester NY area on June 28, 2008, stop out to WaterStreet Music Hall from 10:30am to 5pm. NDC will be among many vendors and drum enthusiasts at "Drum Road Trip". We'll have some custom drums on-hand, as well as some clearance items. Come check it out!
http://www.drumroadtrip.com/

NDC drums now at BlueBrick Studios!

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Nelson) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:26:25 PST

We're proud to have some NDC custom snare drums at BlueBrick Recordings -- the best kept secret in Rochester NY - area original music.
Jesse Sprinkle, of Poor Old Lu, DeadPoetic, and now Burning Daylight fame, runs this great studio. He's got an awesome collection of gear, and knows dang well how to make it all run.

Thanks Jesse!

http://www.myspace.com/bluebrickrecordings