A Bumpin' Ride
Lou Dog (a NAMM Oddities regular) built this cool self-propelled and self-amplified drummobile for a guy who looked to be a double amputee.
I just got a photo of him in passing so if anyone has any additional info please let me know.
Update: I was told that his name is Joe Hardey and he plays in the band Unit 287. You can check them out on MySpace as well.
- Lou Rider
- www.lourider.net
Rudiments & Cosmology
I stopped for the alien hand and stayed for the practice pad. This is a practice pad made specifically for the drum line crowd. It responds like a kevlar head and has a rim, unlike normal gum rubber pads.
They say the pad material is made of dark matter, but I don't think it accounts for a substantial percentage of the stuff scientists think is out there.
- Off World Percussion
- (360) 921-6988
- www.offworldpercussion.com
Cojones For Your Cajon
This clever adaptation of the bass port concept to a cajon drum or kick really seems to work nicely. Even in the cacophony of the NAMM drum ghetto I could hear that the kick had a nice focused thump.
- KickPort International
- (707) 762-2100
- www.kickport.com
Only Plays Counter Rhythms
Ford Drums came to my attention a couple of years ago with their "Smart Ass" drum throne. This year they've got snare made from Corian, the stuff of kitchen counters. Corian makes for a very loud, but still responsive snare.
NOTE: the "counter rhythm" title was misappropriated from a post by PRobb on the Womb forums.
- Ford Drum Company
- 13132 Yorba Street
- Santa Ana, CA 92705
- (714) 744-2467
- www.forddrums.com
Groove Your Shake Thing
This clever little toroid is a shaker that mounts on a high hat stand. The two jumbo dogtag chains you see are for additional jangling.
- Evamar Sound Design
- 2631 Lochcarron Dr.
- Ferndale, WA 98248
- (888) 974-2537
- www.hishaker.com
Odd Choice of Beverage
Most drummers I've known would have opted for a beer or whiskey-themed drum set.
- SJC Custom Drums
- P.O. Box 1314
- Dudley, MA 01571
- (774) 272-0591
- www.sjcdrums.com
Roadie Tested, Drummer Approved
This is like paint by number for drum setup (or Twister if you do it wrong). To make this dead-easy for roadies you could use a P-Touch to label each stand leg.
- Protection Racket Limited
- Bess Park Road, Trenant Industrial Estate
- Wadebridge, Cornwall, PL27 6HB, UK
- 44 (0) 1208 815055
- www.protectionracket.co.uk
Nine-Tenths of the Law
I've got a few egg shakers with elastic bands that can be used like this but the elastic gets stretched out because the eggs are fairly heavy. These guys are a lot lighter and have a nice bright sound.
OK, I know this isn't all that odd but it's my website and I can post whatever I want. So there.
- Rhythm Ring
- (760) 331-8466
- www.rhythmring.com
Why Didn't You Think of This?
The only time your cymbals need to be out of their bags is when you're hitting them. Cymbags have a slot in them that allows them to be put on or taken off while the cymbals are on their stands.
- Cymbag International
- León Guzman 1104
- Monterrey, N.L.
- +52 (81) 8190 0712
- www.cymbag.com
Isolationist Dogma
These guys will not rest until they rid the world of interfering vibrations. The Crashgard isolates the snare mic from the cymbals and the Kickstand keeps floor vibrartions from the kick mic.
If you look closely you'll see a bit of foam inside the kick with a PZM mic lying on it.
I use a pair of their Recoil Stabilizers at my studio and they do a great job.
- Primacoustic
- 1638 Kebet Way
- Port Coquitlam
- BC, Canada, V3C 5W9
- (604) 942-1001
- www.primacoustic.com
Don't be surprised if you find that the product or the company you see on these pages has ceased to exist, particularly as the pages get older. One function of the NAMM Oddities is that of a historical archive of attempted products.
These web pages are not associated with or sponsored by NAMM.
Send your suggestions, clarifications, rants or praise to oddinfo@otheroom.com
©2010 Barry Wood