Unix Stave Snare Drums

[Zinnman]

People of DW with a Unix snare drum I would be very interested in reviews, photos and sound samples if available. These drums look to be killer and I am considering one in the near future. Thanks!

[fourstringdrums]

Unix actually posts here quite often and there are a lot of threads on his drums

http://drummerworld.com/forums/member.php?u=12447

[Unix]

I really dont know why DW would need my help for a snare shell, and what would be their input?

[Mendozart]

I really dont know why DW would need my help for a snare shell, and what would be their input?

Frank,
I think by DW, he means DrummerWorld, not Drum Workshop.

[Wavelength]

I really dont know why DW would need my help for a snare shell, and what would be their input?

DW, as in Drummer World -- not Drum Workshop...

[Unix]

Oh now I look really stupid lol.... I should have read it better.

[GRUNTERSDAD]

Stupid, Nah. I'm sure they could use some of your knowledge.

[Unix]

People of DW with a Unix snare drum I would be very interested in reviews, photos and sound samples if available. These drums look to be killer and I am considering one in the near future. Thanks!

You can ask ANDY B, Shuffle or crazyhorse they all got one.

[shuffle]

I actually never posted a picture of mine... The real thing looks much better than the pic, but .. well here is one anyway.

What can I say... I tried many snares before buying this one. I havn't really felt the need to try any since I have it. I like it that much.

[crazyhorse]

http://www.mckenziedrums.com/ShowCase/finishedstave2.jpg

That's my beautiful Unix drum. 13 x 7 maple... that picture makes the blocks stand out but in person you can hardly tell it's a stave it's so seamless.

Seriously.. you won't find a better built drum out there. A collector friend of mine just received a little 12 x 7" maple drum and he swears up and down it's the best block construction drum he's ever seen. (He's owned Brady's before...)

[katman]

Both these drums (posted above) are beautiful. I can't decide which one I like better. What wood types are they? And what are their dimensions (including shell thickness)?
Thanks.

[crazyhorse]

Mine is a 13 x 7 Birds Eye Maple... no difference in sound from regular maple but just cool looking. It's 1/2" thick... Personally I REALLY want a 14 x 6.5" Paduak in 3/8" with built in reinforcement rings. Unix, where's my wedding present?! =)

[shuffle]

Mine is a 14 X 6.5 X 0.5 bubinga

The beauty of the wood doesn't really appear on the picture.

Sound is very warm, very deep. Tuning range seems infinite. Even a poor tuner like myself can't seem to make this drum sounds bad. François tunes it actually much higher than me. Fantastic ghostnotes.

[amortec500]

This snare looks like AMAZING! Where did you bought it? What is the compagny name?
Thanks
J-C







I actually never posted a picture of mine... The real thing looks much better than the pic, but .. well here is one anyway.

What can I say... I tried many snares before buying this one. I havn't really felt the need to try any since I have it. I like it that much.

[crazyhorse]

Ummm the title says it all.

http://www.unixdrums.com

Pretty much the best drums money can buy. He's doing segment drums now as well. Unlike most other companies Francois starts with the raw planks and builds each drum by hand AND has the most amazing gloss finishes as well.

[Unix]

Even better, go to:

http://picasaweb.google.com/unixdrums

[RobertM]

I've been saving for a Unix walnut snare, but now I'm wondering if I should go with bubinga? This is the second time (see Shuffle's remark below) I've heard from a Unix user that Francois's bubinga snares produce amazing ghostnotes/crispness. That's what I'm after--something super articulate and crisp for jazz/funk, so I'm wondering if a Unix bubinga would be a better choice?

Shuffle: what kind of snare wires do you use? 16-strand? 20-strand? 42-strand?

[Unix]

he has 20 stand Germain wire.
The thing with Walnut that I love is that you crank it high pitch, but you still get plenty of low end in the sound. Ghostnote are amazing too.

Bubinga well that is a different animal there. It's Maple on steroides. It perfectly good for funk high pitch snare sound, have huge attack and deffinition, and lot of crispness.

Ask Zambizzi, he has a recording of his, and also I think Shuffle have a cd wich he recorder the snare, CD's that he never sold me one copy though

[zambizzi]

You'd have to be fully tone-deaf and/or suffering severe brain damage to be unhappy w/ a Unix bubinga snare...even then you'd have to *try* to find an excuse not to like it.

I'm a very happy guy, that much can be said. ;)

[trkdrmr]

You'd have to be fully tone-deaf and/or suffering severe brain damage to be unhappy w/ a Unix bubinga snare...even then you'd have to *try* to find an excuse not to like it.

I'm a very happy guy, that much can be said. ;)

...and waiting for the sounds of a paduak stave snare :)

[Unix]

Well, he may like it even more.

[Crazy+Hands]

Unix, what stave shells would you recommend for faster, heavier music? Im looking for a snare that maintains a deep tone at higher tunings and a lot of cutting power, w/emphasis on the attack but also has a mid range body for slower tempos. ( i don't think that a super thick shell is what i'm looking for, like the zebra wood snare john longstreth uses) For years now ive played a 6.5x14 steel shell w/42 strands to get this sort of sound, but my drum has a very dry sound and im looking for a more unique, deeper tone with character of its own. Ive been thinking about a walnut shell...what others might suit my taste? Ive never heard any of the exotic wood sounds in person so i dont know where to begin!

[Chazz]

I actually never posted a picture of mine... The real thing looks much better than the pic, but .. well here is one anyway.

What can I say... I tried many snares before buying this one. I havn't really felt the need to try any since I have it. I like it that much.

WOW!! That is a Beautiful Snare!!!!

[Unix]

Unix, what stave shells would you recommend for faster, heavier music? Im looking for a snare that maintains a deep tone at higher tunings and a lot of cutting power, w/emphasis on the attack but also has a mid range body for slower tempos. ( i don't think that a super thick shell is what i'm looking for, like the zebra wood snare john longstreth uses) For years now ive played a 6.5x14 steel shell w/42 strands to get this sort of sound, but my drum has a very dry sound and im looking for a more unique, deeper tone with character of its own. Ive been thinking about a walnut shell...what others might suit my taste? Ive never heard any of the exotic wood sounds in person so i dont know where to begin!


Bubinga or Paduak, Walnut is also a good choice.

[Crazy+Hands]

I've heard that bubinga favors a lower tuning range, which of those three is best suited for high tuning ranges (c# and up)? thanks for the input unix.

[Unix]

I've heard that bubinga favors a lower tuning range, which of those three is best suited for high tuning ranges (c# and up)? thanks for the input unix.

Paduak. You should hear a bare shell in Paduak, it sing like nothing else.

[YamahaDrummerAus]

Oh now I look really stupid lol.... I should have read it better.

I thought you were joking :P Just pretend you were joking hahahaha

[Moldy]

Just for curiousity's sake...

Unix, say I wanted something warm but can deliver a good loud crack when laid into. I also typically like to tune my heads low because I find the ring at the level pleasant. Any suggestion?

[T.Underhill]

BEST maple snare I own and certainly the best of craftmanship overall

[zlumpy]

Hi, Unix! Cool to see a manufacturer himself posting here. I just looked up your website for the first time and I was stunned to see the prices of the shells compared to the prices of other high-quality wooden snares. I know that the prices listed only include the shells themselves, but given that so far I've heard nothing but great things about your drums. Really makes me wonder how prices $500 and up are justified, given that it looks like I could get a 14x6.5 Bubinga snare drilled and with both bearing edges done for ~$250. That's incredible.

[Shadow]

Here's my 14x6.5 Bubinga snare. Does a great job live and in the studio.

http://www.myshadowofficial.com/images/snare-1.jpg

[Woodshed]

All of those drums look fabulous. How do you contact Unix to order? The e-mail address on his website doesn't work.

[Chaos_Inferno]

If I ever order a custom snare... it's going to ba an Unix kit for sure. These drums are all beyond gorgeous.

You do all types of drums as well, right? It will be quite a long time before I would ever have the money to afford one but... I foresee myself buying an Unix kit for my penultimate dream kit.

[Chaos_Inferno]

Bubinga well that is a different animal there. It's Maple on steroides. It perfectly good for funk high pitch snare sound, have huge attack and deffinition, and lot of crispness.

Hellooooooooooooo bubinga. I thought maple was wonderful for snares in that respect but bubinga seems to be a denser, more resonant wood with a deeper, fuller sound but still retains the ability to have an awesome high end pop/crack to it...

And on toms it must be absolutely glorious for getting that deep, warm stereotypical triggered tom sound naturally.

You guys are making me want to jump many years into the future when I'll have a good job and can actually save for these babies ): lol

[yammy1688]

Is Unix drums still around? Looks like the web site is down.

[Deathmetalconga]

I really dont know why DW would need my help for a snare shell, and what would be their input?

Drummer's Workshop builds drums essentially the same way CB 700 does, just out of better materials.

You could teach DW a LOT!

[Shadow]

yammy1688
Re: Unix Stave Snare Drums
Is Unix drums still around? Looks like the web site is down.

Yeah... does anyone knows?

[EDrums]

Does Anybody know???????

[zambizzi]

I still have my beautiful bubinga Unix stave snare. If Frank has quit the business, it'd be a tragedy, but I guess it'd make mine a serious collector's item! :)

[EDrums]

I still have my beautiful bubinga Unix stave snare. If Frank has quit the business, it'd be a tragedy, but I guess it'd make mine a serious collector's item! :)

If I had the cash... I'm sorry to hear you sold your bubinga kit. I was hoping to hear a good comparison between the Unix and the Spirit drums. Oh well..

[zambizzi]

If I had the cash... I'm sorry to hear you sold your bubinga kit. I was hoping to hear a good comparison between the Unix and the Spirit drums. Oh well..

The *kit* wasn't for me. I can't knock Frank...they were made beautifully and were indeed the LOUDEST drums I've ever heard. Mostly, I didn't know what I wanted at the time...which was *not* bubinga, thinner shells than he had made for me, rounder edges, and more traditional hardware.

The snare, though...wow...the snare is unlike anything I've ever owned or played. Bubinga is a great *snare* wood, IMO.

I've played DMC's Spirit kit and I can't really compare them or claim one to be better than the other. They're really beautiful, too...and exceptionally loud and resonant.

[cdrums21]

I've tried contacting UNIX repeatedly on here and elsewhere, no luck.

[stavebuilder]

Unix does make beautiful, fantastic sounding snares, but there are a few other excellent stave builders out there too. Just because Unix may not be around (?) doesn't mean you can't get a stave snare of the highest quality.