Generation Custom Drums builds solid wood drums from locally sourced, sustainably harvested woods. Our drums are as much a pleasure to see as they are to hear and play. They have a classic visual appeal and creative presence due to the natural beauty of solid wood both visually and acoustically.
We build drums using the stave or coopered process. This means starting with a flat board which is then cut into small “staves” which are beveled on each edge to an exact angle that allows them to be glued into a complete circle of 12, 16 or 20 sides. This rough shape is then mounted on a lathe and machined smooth inside and out. This uses about .001% the amount of glue and much less stress on the wood when compared to the manufacturing process of gluing multiple plies of wood bent around a form. Stave drums allow the wood to fully resonate and the true tone of the wood to come through. (like a marimba bar)
The hoops we make are also made using solid wood mitered and glued to form a circle. However, the hoops must be able to take the abuse of being played on with sticks. For this we have employed a technique called staggered segmentation, which is two layers of segmented hoops sandwiched together with the joints offset (much like a brick wall). These joints are then finger joined together, thus creating a joint much stronger than the wood itself.
Other drums we make are cajons, and dununs. Cajons are a wooden box with one or two sides of very thin plywood that is played by the hands while sitting on the top. We differ from most other manufacturers, again, by using solid wood instead of plywood (for the body). We have also modified the design by borrowing a technique used in snare drum construction called a “snare bed.” Cajons and snare drums both use metal strings (snares) stretched across a drum head to create a raspy sound. A snare bed is a gentle arc carved into a drum where the snares attach to the drum, thus improving the sensitivity and clarity of the sound of the drum. When applied to the cajon this produces a much more crisp and staccato sound than other cajons.
Dununs are traditional African bass drums of various size used to create the melody of a West African drum ensemble. Our dununs are built using staggered stave segments. This means that for one drum we build up to three stave drum shells, stack them so the joints are staggered (again, like a brick wall, but with very tall bricks) and then dowel and glue them together. Using this process we are able to create drums with multiple wood species and patterns. This also allows us to carve both the inside and out to a consistent wall thickness - thus creating a consistent resonant tone.
