The following are a selection of KD product reviews.

KD Snares and Segmented Kits Review
KD Drums Practice Pads

KD Snares and Segmented Kits Review

Review by David Bateman on Mike Dolbear Drums

So let me tell you how my day was supposed to go: load up two kits, drive to the Classic Drum Show in Warwick, review some KD drums, drive to just outside Lincoln and drop off one kit, drive into Lincoln and set up the other kit for a gig. Of course, it didn''t work out quite as smoothly as I had planned. I was sick and was late for everything. However, the reason I was late leaving Warwick for Lincoln was because I got so caught up in talking to Keith from KD drums that I actually didn''t want to leave. KD drums are the first British custom drum company that I''ve personally reviewed and this is definitely the first time I have actually had the manufacturer present at the same time as doing a review.

'Because KD are custom builders, no two drums will ever sound the same. The options are endless, we can customise the sound, colour, finish, hardware and anything else you have in mind. Together we will create the signature sound you have been searching for.' (from the KD website) - I think this is a great and exciting reason to go to a custom drum builder over a large manufacturer as by working with the drum maker you can get the exact sound you want in the exact finish you want, something that isn''t all that easy to do with the bigger guys. What other way can you be guaranteed to be 100% happy with your new kit or snare? Anyway, I was looking forward to seeing how these new drums (to me anyway) compare to some of the other boutique manufacturers drums I have in my collection - on to the drums...

KD Snare Range

For the review I looked at three snare drums in close detail and also the Spalted Maple segmented kit (as seen in the drum kit and gallery sections). I also had a quick glimpse at two acrylic snares that are available as well. For those of you who don''t know what a segmented shell is, I have borrowed again from the KD website - "Segmented snares are composed of rings of solid wood that are basically stacked one on top of the other, the joints are staggered and offset like you see in brick work. Using this method you create a snare drum that is so strong it has no equal!'' All three of the wood snares were tuned to a medium tension when I picked them up and with that they each had a very loud and punctuating voice. In actual fact, I was put off playing any of them too loudly because, even though I was in a large hall filled with people, I didn''t want to cause too much of a distraction.

First up was the 14x5” Purpleheart (the type of wood) segmented snare. Although I myself have both solid one-piece and stave snares, I''ve never come across a segmented snare drum before in the flesh as it were, so I was extra curious to see how it looked and sounded. The initial thing that struck me about this drum was its appearance. To be honest, the photo on the gallery page of the KD website (you can see all three of these snare drums in the gallery) doesn''t do either the wood or the metalwork justice. It really is very attractive. The wood is beautiful and the black and brass (tension rods only) hardware contrasts the colour of the wood nicely and as did the tube lugs that featured on all three review snares. As with all the segmented drums, you can see where the segments are but there is no join obvious to the touch. The inside is left rough – i.e. unsanded – and while I don''t think it makes any difference to the sound whatsoever, I think it''s a nice reminder than you are actually dealing with a lump of wood at the end of the day.

Physically the drum was quite heavy in weight and I'm not convinced it was all down to the die cast hoops either. The shell was fairly thick as you might expect given what it is, but I was still a little surprised given its size. Taking all this into consideration, the drum''s sound was quite dry and focused – a result of the hoops to a degree I'm sure – without much ring. When I put more tension on the head, it tightened up the sound but kept all of the focus it had previously and was still loud. Another feature common to all the snares was the four equally spaced air holes. The KD theory behind this is that the air gets distributed more equally on its way out of the drum. This particular drum had a ''Gladstone'' type strainer mechanism on it which worked just fine which I'm informed isn't really standard. A nice big thumbs up for this drum.

The second drum I looked at was a Mahogany 14x5½ . This again had a 'natural' rough finish inside the shell and physically looked really good, the different shadings of the wood fitting together like a mosaic. The chrome (and black Nickel Drumworks strainer) stood out noticably against the colouring of the shell. Sound-wise, the drum had a nice deep tone to it and as it had triple flanged hoops as opposed to the die cast, the shell had more ring. Overall I think this would be a good all-round drum as it came across as being quite versatile.

The third snare was in Rosewood and was once more 14x5½ in size. The shell was noticeably darker than the others but still retained the qualities as far as appearance of the others. The sound I found was somewhere between the first two at the medium tensioning, being neither to dry nor too ringy and so posed a nice contrast. All of these drums have a rounded 45'' bearing edge (not a sharp edge like most modern snares) which emphasises more of a body and depth in the tone rather than lots of attack/ crack, which I think contributes to why they are so loud and they have no reinforcement rings. They also all had Puresound wires fitted as standard. As I mentioned above, I did also have a quick look at some of the acrylic drums on offer and while I didn't take these ones apart they appeared on the surface to be just as well made as their wooden siblings. They were tensioned higher than the first three and had a nice crack to them.

KD Maple Kit

Moving on to the kit, this was in a ''fusionesque'' configuration – 10x8 mounted tom, 14x14 floor tom and a big 20x18 bass drum in a Spalted Maple finish. This is the kit that is featured quite heavily on the KD site. You will notice the ''spalted'' segments (I''m guessing here) as being the ones that are more obviously patterned. The toms featured triple flanged hoops with RIMS mounts to help increase sustain, which they did well. Both toms came with Remo Pinstripe batter heads and although they did have a long sustain with them on, I would love to have heard them with a warmer sounding single ply head on, as I''m certain they would just sing. Keith told me the kit had been in a studio (if memory serves, I''m getting on a bit) and that''s why those heads were on there. Still, they were loud, cutting and warm and to my ear sounded great.

The bass drum was every bit the monster its size indicates. It came with two full heads (a Remo Powerstroke and a logo head) and had no internal damping or tom holder attached. From the playing side, this thing was loud, boomy without being overbearing and really easy to play, which isn''t always the case with smaller drums with a full front head. The sound from the front of the drum was punchy, warm and clear. Although I didn''t get a chance to play properly on this kit I got the impression that with the right head configuration, it would work just as well live as in the studio. I was told that later drums will come with the special KD lug design and hardware, although these weren''t on this particular kit. Just for a change and because I feel it is relevant, I will also briefly mention the KD website because I think as a custom drum builder this area of promotion can probably make or break a sale in some instances. The site itself is clean, clear and easy to navigate without lots of little subsections to get through and I always find that helpful.

Apart from one or two small blemishes in the wood in places, which too be fair weren''t all that noticeable anyway, I couldn''t find fault with any of the drums I looked at. I truly would be happy playing any one of the three reviewed snares at a gig and feel very comfortable in the knowledge that I could be heard. I honestly could not pick a favourite out as they all had a sound that I liked - a certain fullness of tone that you get from a thicker shell and a decent rimshot - not to mention the fact they all looked fabulous too. As I said, the Pinstripe heads on the kit weren''t to my personal taste, but they were on there for a reason and so that''s fine, however everything else I saw and heard impressed me.

As anyone who has read any of my drum reviews before may have noticed, I have this little thing about badges/ company logos and how they reflect on and influence the appearance of a drum. Well, in this particular instance I am pleased to say that the KD badge is simple and classy looking and comes in the form of a small metal plate that is screwed onto the shell. The logo itself is quite contemporary to my eye and overall looks good on the drums. Price-wise none of these drums are exactly cheap, but then again speaking relatively, they''re not too expensive either. In my experience with smaller custom drum companies, I think you do get what you pay for with especially when you consider you can literally get what you want.

I am very well aware that I seem to keep saying that I like almost every product I review, but the thing is that we as drummers have it real nice when it comes to the quality of products these days and that is of course a good thing. I was genuinely enthused by the range of materials and options available from KD and by Keith''s enthusiasm and knowledge and for me, if you''re going to go down the custom drum route, that is a key thing. If you''re entrusting your hard earned cash to someone and asking them to build you something you want to make sure they really know their stuff. So would I buy a KD drum? Well, the answer is an emphatic yes and right now at the time of writing I have indeed ordered one for myself and quite honestly, I can''t wait to get it either. I think if these drums are representative of British drum-making at the moment, we all have a reason to smile...

For more info on these segmented snares, not to mention the kits and the stave, ply or vented drums on offer or go to: http://www.kddrums.co.uk. For a chance to win one go to the competition page on this very site!

David Bateman
December 2004

KD Drums Practice Pads

Review by David Bateman on Mike Dolbear Drums

There were three pads sent for review - two wood-based and the third acrylic. All featured the same basic pad design with 50 Shaw hard rubber. Both wood pads were completed in cherry veneer; the smaller of the two would easily fit inside a carry-case or even a stick bag. Both feature the KD badge on the front edge of the base.

The smaller pad is called the Precision Pad (for somewhat obvious reasons) and has a hard rubber playing surface.

The larger of the two – the Rudiment Pad - has a bigger playing surface and is mounted on a larger block and angled slightly towards the player (or away if you play traditional grip and mount the snare that way). It also sound more ''snarey'' in that the way the angled block was mounted against the base created a bit of a ''crack'' when struck.

Both pads are well finished, so well in fact, you could probably mount them on a wall as plaques and they wouldn''t look out of place. They come in several different colours, although, as I said before, the models I had were in natural cheery wood finish.

Acrylic Rudiment Pad

This is basically the same as the wood version, but made in clear acrylic. Very striking visually, it again has the KD badge on the base and looks a bit different too and as with the other two, this pad was also well constructed.

While all three pads were fairly straightforward in design, they were well finished and, most importantly, practical and useable.

A big thumbs-up to KD Drums for these pads.

Dave Bateman
September 2006