Lignum Vitae

Above: 14" by 8" by 1 inch thick Lignum Vitae (Ironwood) Snare Drum featuring
Ebony Hardwood Hoops, Stanbridge Drum Co. 24K gold plated hardware,
Dunnett R-Class swivel throwoff and 24 strand Puresound custom wires.

At first, we weren't convinced that this drum would sound like anything special when it was done. Our client wanted a tight and focused snare drum which had great projection and was utterly unique. When we forwarded him some photos of different wood species in stock, he was immediately drawn to a huge plank of Lignum Vitae which had been seasoning in the back of the shop for several years. We had purchased this balk from our wood supplier thinking that it might make a couple of drums, but when our client spec'd a 14" by 8" by 1 inch thick drumshell we contacted the same company and were fortunate enough to secure the rest of the log section. We started out with 85 pounds of wood and the completed instrument weighs in at about 28 pounds - enough to shred all but the sturdiest of snare drum stands.

Here's the most amazing part though: the drum sounds killer! Not just in a straight ahead towering backbeat sense, but it has an incredible warmth and character at ppp volumes and with brushes and rods. And open up on this beast and you will hear car alarms for blocks around. A wonderful sounding drum and not just a little of a surprise outcome. This is the power of collaboration!

Click here for general pricing information.

Above: This drumshell features it's own gravitational pull.

Below: Our high gloss is seriously glossy.