Assembling Billy Cobham's Billy Gladstone Concept Drumset

[marko1970]

DrummingLawyer, I have owned a Gladstone snare for over 10 years, so I am aware of this. Looking back at this blog, what I should have said is that the system works better for me, when either tuning the bottom or top head independently.

[greggkett]

Billy Cobham, hes a god when it comes to drumming, but if you want to hear the BEST sounding drums with natural tones and an amazing full sound check out "Sleishman drums" with floating shell.

[Thamaddrumma]

i would like to hear a b4 and after

[shaunmuffinman]

i was in junior year high school.  in jazz improv class. my friend played the spectrum album. my mind was ripped apart!! and then birds of fire. HOLY CRAP!!!

[MYNAMETAYLA]

He looks so young to be 66, doesn't he?

[marko1970]

With the gladstone lugs the top and bottom heads are tuned independently, not at the same time.

[Oneness100]

@marko1970 With the three way key, it does top, bottom and both. te problem with both is that rarely does one need to tune both up or down together, plus the key has to be aligned to work and that means that either the top or bottom is slightly changed in order for the key to fit properly. Tama actually released a snare drum, I think in the late '70's, but it didn't work well. Now, Tama has a two way tuning system that does top or bottom from the top of the drum.

[DrummingLawyer]

@marko1970 Wrong, they can be tuned independently or at the same time!!!!!!!! Funny how you say it so -matter of fact- while being wrong!!!!!!!

[marko1970]

I fail to see what is so humorous, with my personal observation.

[Oneness100]

This is a great concept, but after careful examination I see a few reasons why it isn't really nessecery.

1. The cost of the lugs/tension rods are EXPENSIVE and not very easy to obtain.

2. Modern day plastic heads don't detune as much as the calfskin heads that were used when Gladstone originally came up with the idea.

3. If you lose the drum key, your SOL.

4. Tuning the top/bottom heads at the same time isn't practical.

5. Changing heads is a pain.

6. No sonic improvement.

[dkofva]

@Oneness100 Amen. I love #3 reason! So true. It's akin to the ideas of RIMS mounting brackets and YESS and StarCast mountings and all. All the ways to keep the drum "isolated" and "suspended" almost seems like a step towards "over-kill"...I mean, it boils down primarily to "whom's" playing it, right? There is some sound improvement, but let's not get too extreme...

[Oneness100]

@dkofva I've got one of Lang's Gladstone Replicas and as good as it is, the three way tuning doesn't change the sound of the drum. personally, I would have used different hoop metal. I have gotten so sick of the standard die cast zinc hoops or the stamped steel hoops that most of these companies are using and the hoops make a huge difference to the sound of the snare drum. I will still always love Billy's old Fibes kit for live and studio work. I just think that was his best sounding kit.

[Oneness100]

@dkofva Actually, the three way tuning system doesn't change the tone of the drum, just the options of how to tune. It adds cost due to the complicated tension rods, it does add to more difficult head changes, and it a little on the tempramental side. There is a small custom drum builder named Innovation Drum company, that makes a three way version that is ultra expensive, uses different metals for the tension rods and hoops and the hoops make a HUGE sonic difference.

[Oneness100]

@Oneness100 The problem I have found about innovation is the way they do business.  Great drums, but not exactly honest to do business with. At least that is my opinion. Lang is much better to do business with. He, at least ships the product.