Stan Bicknell is one of those drummers we're obsessed with. Based in New Zealand, his instagram posts are a steady stream of incredible mastery on the drums, with a particular focus on technique, mics, and tone. So we were honored and delighted to see his review of Drops® in one of his recent emails to his Mastermind Drummer subscribers. Stan graciously gave us permission to re-post his review on our blog. Here's Stan's review, along with some of his videos and photos.

Enjoy!

 

 

Stan's review:

"Sharing with you a new product that I came across recently. I don't know about you, but for me personally, I am still very much such a big ol' nerd when it comes to rad gear. I always have been.

I think it comes from being an engineer's son, and growing up in my dad's workshop. Those early years, being out in the shed and tinkering away, gave me a massive appreciation (and curiosity) for how things work, but also, great design, too. The function and aesthetic of a product really interests me.

I remember when I was 14 years old, I use to pull apart and clean my kit, each and every week! So completely dismantle and unscrew every single nut and bolt, polish everything, and then reassemble it all. Hahaha. I just loved mucking around with gear.

So anyway, recently I got my hands on a new product I came across, called the Tandem Drums 'Drops'. They are essentially a drum dampening system. But what separates these from all the other drum dampening systems on the market, e.g. gels, snare weights etc, is that the 'Drops' actually work like a natural gate.

So, what I mean by that is, when you strike the drum, they vibrate with the head. This lets the natural tone of the drum still come through, but shortens the length of that note. Hence why I say, 'a natural gate'.

The way in which they do this, is that they attach to the tension rod, and just slightly rest on the drum head. This gives them the ability to actually breathe with the drum, once you strike it.

What determines the length of the note, (or the strength of the gate), is they come in a range of weights. So 40g, all the way up to 200g. The heavier they are, the shorter the note.

VERY DAM COOL!

As I say, I'm a nerd (I've found most drummers are). So definitely worth sharing with you here. They have been on my kit from the moment that I got them - Live and studio, and won't be coming off anytime soon."

 

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