KD Spitfire Snare Drums

The Ultimate Weapon In Any Kit!

KD Spitfires Take Off!

British Custom Drum manufacturer KD Drums is proud to announce the launch of its Spitfire range of snare drums. 

KD has developed a new Brit themed snare drum which pays homage to the iconic RAF World War II fighter plane. 

KD decided to launch the Spitfires as it wanted to create a true British themed drum that would have a sound, look and vibe like no other. The Spitfire was the RAFs flagship fighter in World War II and is now KD’s flagship snare range. 

The Spitfire name inspired KD to create a drum made from native British woods.  The KD Spitfire MK I is based around a 30 ply mixed oak and birch shell, while the KD Spitfire MK II is based on a solid segmented British Oak shell. 

Following the selection of the shells, the next stage was to develop the finish.  KD didn't want to do the obvious thing and spray the drum the colour of a Spitfire plane.  Instead we wanted the finish to be natural and modern, but with a nod to the inspiration of the vintage fighter. A natural oak finish was a must, but not quite happy with the look we toyed around with ideas of stressing the outer oak ply finish and even sand blasting it. We then had three finishes we simply couldn't decide between, so decided to offer  all three! 

The first simply had to be a natural English oak finish with a soft, satin oil sheen. A classic finish which looks beautiful in every way (Old English Oak). 

The second finish is a stressed natural oak with a satin oil finish. This features subtle hints of Spitfire green embedded in the oak grain (Spitfire Green).  

For those who prefer a darker wood finish. We decided for the third, a smoked oak satin oil finish to resemble the old English oak beams you find in British country pubs, barns,  and farm houses (Old English Barn).   

The KD Spitfire MK I and II are available in all three of these finishes. 

Another important element of drum design is the hardware.  

For the Spitfire KD selected solid brass for the hardware material as it is a good conductor of musical tones, is hard wearing, and has that Spitfire feel of weight and quality about it!  

Following the selection of the hardware material, we went through many sketches of lug designs.  The aim here was to keep the old vibe of the vintage tube lug but with a modern twist. The modern twist would end up becoming the lug body itself. This is based on the front nose of the Spitfire plane and also adds a little war type look to the drum.

The Spitfire lugs are plated in satin brushed chrome and fitted onto the shell with a hard black plastic gasket topped off with bespoke KD Lug Locks.

The next part of the design was the badge.  The Spitfire badge needed to be something unique not seen on a drum before.  This ruled out the usual metal plates that are simply printed then bent around the shell.  We wanted something that was a sign of quality.  The final choice is a badge struck from solid high grade aluminium lying flat on the shells surface with the back side of the badge rounded away to give a snug neat fit.  The logo is embossed, not printed, and sits 3mm proud of the badge which also sits proud another 5mm from the shell. The badge is then topped off with an engraving using the original Spitfire font for that extra touch of class. 

KD Spitfire snare drums come as standard with the solid and reliable Trick snare strainer, featuring the added detail of the poppy red KD snare wire straps to pay tribute to the blood spilt in the war.

Each KD Spitfire has its own unique serial number and is hand signed inside the drum. 

KD Spitfire MK I

The MK I is the workhorse snare of the two Spitfire models. It produces a clean sound that does not change character in low or high tunings and is very quick and easy to tune. It has great response and sensitivity in all dynamics. The MKI is a good versatile snare drum for the gigging and studio drummer.  

KD Spitfire MK II 

The MK II is the deluxe Spitfire model.  Handcrafted from over 60 blocks of solid English oak, the MK II produces deeper tones than the MK I with open, soft tones and a big deep bottom end back beat.  

Available sizes & prices:

12 x 5, 12 x 5.5, 12 x 6 & 12 x 6.5. MK I £600 & MK II £900

13 x 5, 13 x 5.5, 13 x 6 & 13 x 6.5. MK I £650 & MK II £950

14 x 5, 14 x 5.5, 13 x 6 & 14 x 6.5. MK I £699 & MK II £999