SKANDINAVISK BUREAU A/S

 3812 AKKERHAUGEN  -  NORWAY

Distributør for Big Bang Distribution, USA

i Norge siden 1994     

Drum Business Review Article

Ahead Technology

Trykk på linjen over

STUDIO HYBRID, 16" lengde - CONCERT HYBRID, 16,25" lengde

DrumDial

DrumDial quickly and precisely tunes all drums by accurately measuring drumhead tension NOT tension rod torque. Tension rod torque can be used to tell you when you are over tightening a bolt to prevent thread damage, but is not accurate for drum tuning because of the difference in screw tolerances, plating, corrosion, and thread wear. You can eliminate these problems by using a DrumDial to measure drumhead tension directly from the drumhead, allowing you to precisely tune your drums faster and easier than ever before. DrumDial has been designed and manufactured to the highest quality standards with all the key features you would expect from the best drum tuner available. Get the tuner that really works, get a DrumDial and make it possible for your drums to consistently sound great!

DrumDial Features:

     1. Heavy weight base for "Superior  Accuracy".

    2. Adjustable Bezel for "Zeroing Out".

    3. Bezel lock.

    4. Tuning range memory markers.

    5. "Edge Guide" for edge distance accuracy.

DrumDial Hard Case

NB. Eksrautstyr

DrumTriggers

Drum Trigger Info:
The DrumDial drum trigger is an extremely sensitive, heavy duty, long lasting alternative to electronically trigger your acoustic drum set. DrumDial drum triggers are compatible with any electronic drum module and comes standard with a quality-insulated cable, ¼” input jack, mounting tape, Velcro fastener and a cable mounting bracket. Our drum triggers are set in Mil-spec Electro-mechanical grade epoxy and then sealed in rubber to insure unsurpassed reliability. Great for your snare, kick or toms. Purchase them one at a time or in sets of five.

Instructions:
Remove one side of the backing from the double-sided tape and attach it to the flat side of the trigger element. Remove the other side of the backing and attach the trigger element to the drumhead about ¾” from the rim near a tuning lug.

Attach the ¼” jack to the drum by using the mounting clip or Velcro tape.

Using the mounting clip: remove a tension screw at the desired mounting point, place the ¼” jack into the clip and mount it to the drum lug by inserting the tension screw through the clip and rim. Then tighten as needed.

Using Velcro tape: remove one side of the adhesive backing and attach it to the ¼” jack. Remove the other side of the adhesive backing, attach it to the drum shell or rim at a convenient location and press the Velcro halves together.

Connect the drum trigger to your drum module and properly adjust the module’s parameters (sensitivity, gain, threshold, noise, etc.) and volume.

Best Snare

Ahead Snare

Not so much of a shock here, it was destined to become the snare that everyone wanted after a few pics made their way back from NAMM back at the beginning of last year. This is the drum everyone is talking about -  and rightly so. Great drums, great construction, great sound. Now with an extended range, you need to go and check these bad boys out.

Fra Musikkpraksis 1-07:

”Ahead var og er de største på trommestikker av kunstmateriale. Det er fortsatt de hardtslående trommeslagerne som benytter dette merket, Tommy Lee, Joey og Lars Ulrich.

Det er allikevel deres skarptromme jeg må nevne fra årets NAMM Show, en fenomenal klar og tydelig skarp som vil bære gjennom de fleste lydbilder. Omtalen i media har vært storslagen, og oppmerksomheten på messen tyder på suksess.”

Best New Product

Ahead Snares

Modern Drummer (Michael Dawson): “This is one of the most musical sounding metal snare drums I`ve ever played. It`s loud enough to cut through just about anything but yet musical.”

Rhythm (Adam Jones): “Every facet looks, feels and sounds right! The individual components ooze quality and influence the overall sound. This is a desirable snare regardless of cost, but for the prize, it`s nothing short of amazing.”

Drummer (Ian Croft): “Simply one of the best snare drums that I have ever had the pleasure of playing in my entire playing career! In fact, this drum was so user friendly, responsive, dynamic and downright visually stunning that I`m going to buy one for myself.”

Mikedolbear.com: “The snare sounded incredible!. It is stupidly loud (making us blink in a hall with 20m high ceilings) but also REALLY musical.”                                           

Les testene av AHEAD skarptromme her:

Reviews
Ahead Snare Drum Review by Simon Edgoose
Ahead Snare Drum Review by Ian Croft
Ahead Snare Drum Review by Adam Jones
Ahead Snare Drum Review by John Williams
Ahead Snare Drum Review by Michael Dawson

Sakset fra Musikkpraksis 1-07:

Ahead

Ahead var og er de største på trommestikker

av kunstmateriale. Det er fortsatt de hardtslående

trommeslagerne som benytter dette merket.

Tommy Lee, Joey og Lars Ulrich.

Det er allikevel deres skarptromme jeg må nevne

fra årets NAMM Show, en fenomenal klar og tydelig

skarp som vil bære gjennom de fleste lydbilder.

Omtalen i media har vært storslagen, og oppmerksomheten

på messen tyder på suksess.

Ahead Snare Drum

‘Greater than the sum of its parts’ is an expression that we have all probably used at some time or other but probably not much about drums. After all, when have you ever heard anyone say ‘ yes, but if Ludwig’s nut boxes were as good as their shells, they would still be a major player’ or ‘with those bearing edges and that wrap, Leedy made the best snares in the ‘60’s’. No, we take drums, usually, for what they are, a whole unit, and not individual pieces. Ok, so advances are made in different areas, bearing edges, rims, nut boxes etc, but its only the custom boutique builders who really allow you to put Yamaha rims, Tama nut boxes and custom lapped Okapi skin twin-ply heads onto a 49 alternating maple, birch and balsa ply shell with 56 degree bearing edges. It’s not often you get a manufacturer who openly says, ‘we got the shell from here, the lugs from them, the rims from over there and the snares from this company’ (although many do) but that is what in effect is loudly and proudly happening here. Enter the Ahead snare drums. Ahead launched their metal shell snares at this years NAMM show where they immediately got bloggers going on about the sound and the features. It’s unusual for a drumstick company to go directly into drum production, but I can see why they have done it, and it’s probably a very clever idea. The drums them selves are black chromed brass shells in 14 and 13” x 6” sizes. What makes them different is the ‘extras’ on the shell. The rims are S-Hoops, the snare wires are Fat-Cat ones, the tension rods are Tight Screw and the strainer is either the Dunnet R or the Trick 007. I’ll look at each of these extras but first lets look at the ‘standard’ pieces on the review model which is the 13x6”. The shell is a standard looking brass model that is bent and welded (i.e. not a spun shell) and the seam is perfect on the outside and visible but smooth on the inside. The black chrome finish is deep and glossy and as the shell has no bead, there is a nice open expanse of shiny blackness, which looks great. The bearing edges are 45 degree and rounded and very smooth, and (drum sniffers beware) the shell smells great on the inside (sorry, but had to get that in there).

The lugs are standard issue tube lugs of the World Max design (I don’t know if they are or not, but that’s what they look like) which have a tapered tube between two rounded vaguely Gladstone type pillars. The lugs are bolted   onto the shell through some vinyl bushings, using screw cups and standard lug bolts and while they aren’t as sexy as traditional tube lugs, they work perfectly well. On the shell are Ahead badged Remo heads – Ambassadors – with a coated on top and clear snare on the bottom. The air hole is the usual tapped and bolted kind and the Ahead badge, which is metal, is bolted to the shell too and has the serial number stamped in it. That’s it for the standard equipment… lets look at the extras. The S Hoops look almost like traditional triple flange ones, but their USP is their large top flange. On a traditional triple flange, the top edge is bent out wards (or occasionally inwards) and is 2 or 3mm wide. It’s common knowledge that the more bends in a piece of metal, the more rigid it is, and the larger the bend, the greater the effect. What S Hoop have done is bend the top edge towards the centre of the snare and make it about a centimetre wide. It is angled down so that it doesn’t interfere with rim shots unless you pull the stick so far back that the stick tip only hits about 3cm from the edge. This top flange makes the hoops very rigid – it feels nice and solid when off the drum. The rim is made from 2.3mm steel and when suspended on a finger, rings like a bell – always a good sign (no dodgy welding). The hoop feels quite weighty and there is an Ahead decal on one side. Being the 13” model, there are 8 lugholes.

The S Hoop is tightened onto the shell with Tight Screw tension rods. These are traditional rods except they have a channel machined down the thread and a nylon insert has been put in it. This has the effect of stopping the tension rods moving. It’s a very simple and effective idea and obviously can be used as a retrofit on any drum that doesn’t have nylon inserts in its lug nuts. They also have captive washers that are to be praised – no more scrabbling about on the floor looking for lost ones. The snare release on the review model is the Trick 007 model. Now, I have nothing against the throw off, but I was rather hoping for the Dunnett model. The Trick works fantastically well, but… well, I don’t know, aesthetically, I’m not sure. It could be because it resembles a Dalek, but it doesn’t do it for me. The Dunnett model works brilliantly too, and with it’s 180 degree (well, slightly more) movement, it just has the edge. The butt end is the normal Piston Works/Trick variety and both strainer and butt are secured using Allen key bolts.

So lets put the drum back together and see how it works. First thing I noticed was that due to the very nature of the Tight Screws, it takes longer to put heads on as you cant spin the key to take up the slack. That’s not really a problem, as they don’t move at all once they are tensioned, but it is something to bear in mind and you cant tune by ‘feel’. Another thing I noticed was that the more I removed and inserted the Tight Screws, the more worn the nylon got and the more easy it got to turn the screws. In other words, the more you use them, the more they became susceptible to detuning from vibration, which defeats the point of them. Hmmm… In order to test the rigidity of the hoops, I turned the snares off, tuned the drum to an even pitch and then loosened one of the tension rods completely until I could remove it. On a drum with a traditional triple flange hoop, the pitch of the drum would have dramatically dropped by the lug I had loosened, where as the other lugs would have remained closer to their original pitch, apart from the ones either side of the loosened one. This is because triple flange hoops bend easily. On the other hand, a diecast hoop (which are generally quite expensive), doesn’t flex as much as it is a solid casting of zinc or aluminium. I would expect, in the same situation, the pitch of the whole head to drop slightly, but for the pitch around the head to be fairly consistent. This would be because there would be less tension on the head but the rims rigidity would keep the tension consistent. I was curious to see what the S Hoop would do…

The Fat Cat snare wires on a non Ahead snare After playing about with the tension, the S Hoop behaved the same as a die cast hoop would have done, but to a greater degree. The pitch dropped dramatically, like the triple flange, but was much more consistent around the head like the die cast. This goes to show that the S Hoop behaves like a diecast hoop by being rigid, but has the sound of the thinner triple flange hoop - it seems to be a happy medium between the two. The Fat Cat snares were next up for a close perusal and I immediately spotted a problem. The 90 degree bent section of the snare wire plates came lower than the bottom edge of the snare side rim. This means that when you put the drum on the floor or in a case with a flat bottom, all the weight of the drum is pushing onto the snare head. This could be a problem. The bottom snare hoop needs to have a snare gate/guard so the weight is put onto the hoop rather than the fragile head. This could be tricky due to the design of the hoop, but Ahead could easily attach a bent wire guard to the shell of the drum which would get around all the problems and could sit proud of the lower edge of the S Hoop. If you buy one of these drums, DO NOT REST IT ON THE FLOOR, until the problem is sorted, unless you want to buy loads of snare heads and snare wires. Practically speaking, the dual tension snare worked well. However, I am probably not the best person to try these as I have my snare wires looser than most people as I find they record and mike better and give you a bigger sound. BUT, I should say that whether I used the dual tension function or not, the actual wires sounded great – crisp and sensitive, but not quite in the same league as Canopus or Puresound. The Trick throwoff worked great. The one on the review model was a little stiff so small loosenings in tension did not immediately transfer to the snare wires – I found I had to release the snares and then put them on again for the changes to take effect. Tightening the snares worked immediately however. Other Trick throwoff haven’t done this, so I am putting it down to this particular one being under lubricated. It’s not the quietest of releases but it works well. The physical motion of applying and releasing the snares by moving your hand around the drum does distinguish it from most other releases where you move your hand parallel to the top rim of the drum or away from the shell.

The snare with the Dunnett throw off - the other option Now, after all this, you are probably thinking that I didn’t like this drum. Well, I took it on a function gig where I would be playing everything from brushes to out and out slamming backbeats, and also I took it down to the studio and listened to it under mics. And? Wow! This is one hell of a drum. Forget all the extras, this drum sings. It’s great for brushes and it sounded crisp and brush rimshots sounded really nice and full. With sticks, the cross stick was a little weak (but I am used to wooden hoops), but ghost notes and rim shots were wonderful. I haven’t had this much fun with a snare in ages. The tuning held perfectly and the drum has a real quality ‘crack’ to it. I had heard it was loud, and it certainly is, though I think maybe it just produces very cutting ‘nice’ frequencies rather than more volume as such. The needles (oh, ok, LED meters) in the studio weren’t going any higher, but it certainly sounded loud. The drum never seemed to choke and took it’s beating quite happily. Ghost notes were a pleasure, and to be honest, on the gig, I never felt the need to play with the snare tensions as it coped with everything I threw at it. I messed with the snare tensions in the studio, and they did make a subtle difference, but not one that the audience will notice, but certainly from behind the kit, it was rather pleasant. I tend to use mostly wood shell snares, with the exception of one aluminium 14x5”, but this reminded me how good brass shells can be. The reduced diameter and the greater depth (going from a 14x5” as a yard stick) really work well. I use a 13x7” beech shell a lot for recording, which also has the same crisp fatness, but I think I will have to invest in a few brass shells. I’ve got to say it, but this drum is greater than the sum of its parts. To be honest, I am not sure if it’s any better for having the Fat Cat snares or the Tight Screw rods, but the shell, rim and head combination works really well. If you were to go into a drum shop and try one, I challenge you not to like it. Whether or not you like it enough to buy one is a different matter, but it really is good. It’s not perfect, but you may overlook any shortcomings when you hear it. Go on… just one hit…

Ahead Snare Drum
Brass Shell, (smoked Chrome) with tube lugs
Available in 2 sizes 6x14" and 6x13"

Ahead Skarptromme

Fra Musikkpraksis 1-07:

Ahead

Ahead var og er de største på trommestikker av kunstmateriale. Det er fortsatt de hardtslående trommeslagerne som benytter dette merket. Tommy Lee, Joey og Lars Ulrich.

Det er allikevel deres skarptromme jeg må nevne fra årets NAMM Show, en fenomenal klar og tydelig skarp som vil bære gjennom de fleste lydbilder.

Omtalen i media har vært storslagen, og oppmerksomheten på messen tyder på suksess.

Simon Edgoose
Mikedolbear.com

Famed for their aluminium sticks, Ahead have ventured into a new area. On the Ahead stand were some new metal snares. Now, I must admit to not being tremendously excited by the prospect of another new snare drum, but at the risk of sounding like an advert… “That was before I heard it!”. The shells are very thin and are 14” or 13” x 6” in black chrome over brass. They have tube lugs, Fat Cat snares (with the adjustable tension inner wires), S-Hoops (triple flange hoops with a larger top flange angled over the bearing edge, which sound more like cast hoops), Tight Screw tension rods (which have an insert of nylon to guarantee they never de-tune) and a choice of Dunnett or Trick throw offs. Now, on paper, they should sound good, but I think that Gerry and I decided they were they best snare we had heard so far at NAMM. When the person who was showing us them first hit one, a guy who was passing stopped and came over and asked what the snare was as it sounded ‘incredible!’. It is stupidly loud (making us blink in a hall with 20m high ceilings) but also REALLY musical. One to check out.

MODEL XRA

.540" Diameter, .030" Wall, Medium Taper, 16" Long, Nylon Mini Ball Tip

MODEL XRB

.595" Diameter, .035" Wall, Long Taper, 16" Long, Delrin Mini Ball Tip

AHEAD DRUMSTICKS-played by many top rock drummers-now has a Country Cousin. CROSSROADS DRUMSTICKS, built around the proven 70-75 Easton Alloy core with a new Super hard, wood colored urethane cover, provides improved cross sticking and crisper sound. Implementing V.R.S. (Vibration Reduction System)-a CROSSROAD design feature that AHEAD is famous for-gives the new drumstick a closer to wood feel without sacrificing hand fatigue reduction.

Pernan Percussion is the result of over 40 years of percussion experience by it's creators.

Pernan has not only brought you the JingleMuteTM, one of the most innovative products for drummers in years, but is also developing more exciting products to be released shortly.

Pernan began with one idea in mind: To create percussion equipment that would fundamentally change, and improve the way we drum by creating instruments that simply don't exist....yet!

Graz Perrelli our CEO and drummer for over 20 years came up with our original concept of the JingleMuteTM in 1999 and immediately contacted long time friend and drummer Steven Nanberg to partner up in the company. Over the past 3 years we have developed it, patented it, and still continue to strive in making it the most innovative and practical tambourine for every drummer out there.

As we continue to develop the JingleMute, and brand new products, such as the JingleProTM, and Jingle-ItTM, Impossible DrumsTM, we will grow with your support, and strive to be the premiere percussion company in existence.

Ahead Pro Drumming Gloves - Designed specifically for drummers " not golfers" and used by more professional drummers than any other drum glove on the market today. Features "Hot Spot Pads" were you need the most protection and for extended life and durability.

Ahead Stick Bag - Top of the line velvet lined interior with multiple pockets inside and out and features clear window pocket (to see all of miscellaneous parts and keys) and a heavy duty bungee with hang clips to avoid "bag sag".

Ahead Klip-it Drum Key - If innovation is your game this drum key is for you designed to clip anywhere and for drummers on the go, its a definite necessity. Features quick lock snap and release.

Ahead T'z - T-shirts with the bold Ahead logo and 100% heavy weight cotton let everyone know you play only the best.

Ahead Ball Cap - Feature's the classic Ahead silver embroidered logo on a jet black quality cap and will definitely turn heads and cover them too.

Ahead Drumstick Key Chain - This Drumstick handle key chain is made to hold, like a drumstick. It fits in your pocket and is quick to find in the deepest of hand bags.

NAMM 2007

Sakset fra Musikkpraksis 1-07:

S-HOOP

Safe Hoop er et nyetablert firma som baserer seg på et nytt patent for trommerimmer.

Dette er en rim som har lang brett innover trommen. Det er en videreføring av tri-flange

hoops, og dette gir den mange fordeler fremfor tradisjonelle rims. I Modern Drummer sin test

påpekes det at du får fordelene fra både diecast- og tri-flange hoops i en og samme rim. Dette er

tydeligvis noe de andre produsentene har  oppdaget, for rundt omkring hos messens utallige

custom-firmaer finner vi S-Hoops på trommene.

               www.safehoop.com

Representant i Norge: Skandinavisk Bureau A/S

Available Sizes: 2 inch, 4 inch and 6 inch

Available Colors: Black, White, Chrome, Brass, Red, Blue, Green and Purple

Frank Zummo

Every Slug product has been made to improve your drumming and enhance your instrument's performance. In this age of copy-cat marketing strategies driven by cost cutting, Slug Percussion strives to make unique drum accessories having no equals... at any price! You will hear a difference in your drumming, and feel a difference in your playing using our products.

In 1992, the Tweek Drum Tuning Key-clip won the GOOD DESIGN Award from the Chicago Athenaeum, Museum of Architecture and Design. Slug Percussion Products officially started in March of 1995, with the introduction of a second product, the Power Head Bass Drum Beater. The Power Head Beater became the catalyst for a new line of products, the Batter Badge Drumhead Impact Pads. Slug also makes felt products, including the Muffelt bass drum dampening strip. All Slug products are 100% made in the United States.

Since 1995, Slug has created drum accessories that have set the standard for design and quality. Detail your own drums with Slug's exciting products for THE Ultimate in Percussive High Performance!

Slug was started out of the simple idea of making drum accessories that help a drummer perform flawlessly at a gig. Equipment should never be a problem or a handicap to a drummer's performance capability. Many existing drum products are poor representations for their real intended use. Cheap materials and poor quality comprise a sub-standard mass drum accessory market that is too commonly the only one available for the drumming community today. Many of these products in recent years have been geared toward making a bigger profit, rather than making the drummer more happy. If you have ever punched a hole in a bass drum head, bent a foot pedal beater shaft, lost a drumkey, and just have had enough with broken drum parts, then you can relate to the whole reason why Slug Percussion Products was started in the first place. Look for Slug products at fine drum and music shops all over the world. Please visit the Slug Dealers web-page to locate where to buy Slug products from music retail stores, on-line internet dealers, or by mail order catalogs.

Metrophones

METROPHONES ®
Headphone Metronome System
Used by Kenny Aronoff – KOSS Equipped
Modern Drummer’s “Gear of the Year Award”

29db Isolation
Liquid Filled Ear Cushions
Professional Referencing
Built in Metronome
Removable Cord
On/Off Volume/Speed Controls

              Kenny Arnoff

1. Two seperate speaker systems (Metronome & Reference)
2. Reference sound from any audio source (line-in). 9' Removable stereo cable (3.5mm X 1/4" not shown but supplied)
3. Speaker Frequency Response 15-25000 Hz
4. Send Click Out (line-out)
5. Liquid filled cushions for 29db Isolation
6. Adjustable headband
7. Built-in metronome system with On/Off switch and Volume control
8. Click line out via 2.5mm jack**
9. Tempo range 40-260 beats/minute
10. 9 volt battery included
11. Digital Read-out (on Metrophone LCD only)

Crazy John

Crazy John's Polish Cleans-Polishes- Protects
 

Meet the Guys!
	CJCP - Standard cymbal cleaner/polish, easy application with amazing results removes grime and oxidation, works on all metals.
	CJGP - Guitar Polish formula designed to resist finger prints on high gloss finishes and bring out the shine and luster of brand new.

The end result is a natural feeling of grip without leaving a sticky residue. Sex Wax Drumstick Wax won't stain the drummers hands, clothes, nor will their be the need to wash hands afterwards. See for yourself why drummers are giving up their gloves, tape and wraps.