I endorse Sonor Drums as I find that they deliver the sound I want. I have been with them since 1992 and will continue to use them as no other company, so far, come close to the reliability of their equipment.

I keep up to date with other companies and  use them occasionally at festivals or sessions where I could not have a Sonor kit. They all produce great drums and interesting finishes but none have satisfied the feel or reliability I get from the Sonor drums and hardware. I still pay towards my drums and I am more than happy to do this to get a product that is of an excellent standard.

I have waited many years to actually design my own drum kit with the colour, sizes and wood that I have always wanted. I have had my designer Sonor SQ2 for two years. It is my dream kit and the only way I would improve on it would be to add extra drums and possibly a different colour at some point. However, all the other musical facets of the drum kit are simply amazing!

The bigger kit includes:

22” Bass Drum

13” Snare Drum

10” Tom tom

12” Tom tom

14” Floor tom

16” Floor tom

This kit sounded awesome on the Siouxsie Sioux tour and meeting various drum technicians and sound men along the way, they all thought it was exceptional too.

The jazz kit includes:

18” Bass drum

10” Tom tom

14” Floor tom

This kit I use on most local gigs and some recording sessions.

This kit goes on the Innes Sibun tours in Europe as all the gigs we play are club or festival gigs.

The kit is always miked up so the kit sounds awesome even though its in smaller sizes. The sizes I had made are slightly shorter as I wanted them to fit in the boot of the car. So, the bass drum is like the old jazz size of 18”x14” and the shell is maple so it’s a solid, clear tone. These smaller sizes make no difference to the projection or tone of the drum, the 10” can sound like a 12” quite easily.

The snare drum (13”X5”) I use on both kits as it’s so versatile in its tone and depth. Tuned up this drum is a great sounding jazz drum to play with brushes. When it’s tuned down, it can sound much deeper

Producers Steve Evans and Tom Dalgety,  could not believe the depth this drum can reach for a 13” shell and this proves the quality of the wood and workmanship of the Sonor company.

---

Bopworks

I have been using Bopworks drumsticks for about a year now and for my jazz and acoustic gigs they are the best.

They are based on the be-bop drummer sticks from the 50’s and 60’s and they feel and sound just great. They have many signature models, for example, Shelly Manne and Mel Lewis. They have different weights and tips so you should check out their site if you are looking for the perfect jazz stick.

I use the ‘West Coast’ sticks as the weight and feel is perfect for how I play, the tips sound great on my Bosphorus ride cymbal and it gives me the control of volume I have always longed for in a jazz stick. I have the complete range and I have used them all in different situations. For example, on a Bossa Nova, a brush in my right hand and a Shelly Manne stick in my left on the rim click. The Shelly sticks are shorter but have a nice feel to the weight which is perfect for clean, crisp rim shots.

I recommend these sticks for all jazz players or drummers in acoustic situations as they feel and sound great. I no longer need to look for the jazz stick as I have found it in these Bopworks drum sticks.

---

Bosphorus Cymbals

I have been with Bosphorus for about 5 years and I have seen the quality of the cymbals and the ranges grow in that time.

The first set I picked out from Sutherland Trading in Wales, who distribute the cymbals. They were amazing but it took a long time to select them. Their cymbal vault was well stocked and the cymbals were of varying tonal qualities.

I was impressed by the level of difference in each cymbal. The set lasted me a very long time and I still have the 13” hats, 20” ride and one of the 16” crashes. I’m afraid the other 16” crash didn’t make it through an Innes Sibun tour, which is my fault as I was getting a little excited!

This set I used on Innes Sibun’s album ‘TailDragger’ and  Adam’s Apple  ‘Love Unknown’ Cd. One is a full on blues/rock album and the other a jazz record, yet this range of cymbals sounded awesome on both sessions. I love the fact that cymbals, if selected well, do not have to be just jazz cymbals or rock cymbals they can be used for all styles if played musically. The 13” hats go everywhere with me and were used on the Siouxsie Sioux tour and the recent Motorcade recording sessions. They sound so full that most people think they are 14” hats because of their quality of sound.

 

The second set I have had for a year and they consist of 8” Splash, 10” Splash, 14” Hi-hats, 16” Crash, 18” Crash, 21” Ride, and two 16” China’s.

They are all in the Traditional Range and they basically picked themselves, the time it took to pick my original set was halved second time around. This proves to me that Bosphorus are making better cymbals and I look forward to watching further improvements in the future.
This set, minus the splashes and 14” hats, I used on the Siouxsie Sioux tour.

 

I am so happy with the Traditional Range that I can’t see myself using any other range of Bosphorus cymbals, though I must make a trip again to Sutherland to maybe pick up some more rides, a drummer can never have too many rides!!

---

Hardcase

When it comes to touring, the drums being put in and out of trucks, you need the drums to be protected. I have touring cabinets which are great as you can put the whole kit in these huge touring trunks. Sometimes, these are too big and this was the case with the Siouxsie tour so I had to look for another way to transport my kit.

On the tour, the crew wanted less bulk so the touring drum trunks were out of the question. I contacted David Eyre at Hardcase as the guys at Sonor said he was the man who had the best product for what I needed.

I had seen and read the adverts in Rhythm Magazine but had never tried the cases, as I was always using soft cases as they squeeze in the car easier. On the road though its durability you need and these cases were great as I’m sure the crew made a few of them air born possibly at one time or another!

I contacted Dave and I have been using them for a year. They are just great with quick delivery times and the product itself is just fantastic. I have a case for every drum and also for my double pedal and hardware set up. They are solid, reliable and easy to fasten and carry.

I am happy to be a member of the Hardcase family and I look forward to continued work with them in the future.