Ayotte news ?

Groov-E

Silver Member
Their last facebook publication dates back to May 23rd 2015.

Anybody knows what is up ?

Warm sounding kits, great buttery snares, nice hoops, seems to me a lot of companies are doing a lot better with a whole lot less.

Thanks!
 
Those companies are actually shipping product.

Well, anyone knows why that is ?

Any explanation would be better than sweet nothing.

I dunno.

Seemed like a great company. Ayotte seems to be widely considered to be a difficult individual, but since they cleared him what is up ?

Taye does not seem to be doing well either.

Well, there seems to be a common denominator to all of this, no ?
 
I ordered some spare parts from them about 2 weeks ago and they arrived at my door within 2 days, so the lights aren't totally out over there.
 
well since they are a bit unique I figured I should have a stash of a few of the set screws and the bits the tension rod threads into. I also wanted a bass drum head decal, a spare tom holder arm and a hat. lol. I'm planning on keeping my kit for life, so having some extra spare parts around is probably a good idea, in case they do disappear for good.
 
well since they are a bit unique I figured I should have a stash of a few of the set screws and the bits the tension rod threads into. I also wanted a bass drum head decal, a spare tom holder arm and a hat. lol. I'm planning on keeping my kit for life, so having some extra spare parts around is probably a good idea, in case they do disappear for good.

I would do the same.
 
Ray Ayotte has no affiliation to the current Ayotte Drum company at this time. He did some consulting work for the Quebec based Ayotte Company but he has since parted ways.

There are numerous threads on various forums of people ordering and paying for drums and parts from the current Ayotte Company and nothing has shipped to them.
 
I live in Vancouver, where Ray also lives. I know a few people who know him, and I met him last winter when he introduced himself to me at one of my gigs. I'm a singer/songwriter as well as a drummer, and he came to see my band and said he was a fan! He told me that he was making a line of drums called Raya. And today I spent some time with a drummer who used to work at Ayotte and talks to Ray often. He said Ray is making the drums himself, which he never actually did previously.
 
Rumour on the web these days is that JD Beaudoin, who is the current owner of Ayotte, and seems very passionate about reviving the brand, has been very very sick for the last few months, and that's why they've been so quiet.

Like I said earlier, I ordered parts very recently, and they shipped out the next day, so they aren't totally lights out.
 
Ray Ayotte was considered a loose cannon by some, but as soon as his involvement in the production of Ayotte drums ceased, the product became watered down considerably. I lived in Vancouver during the early and mid 90's and got to play quite a few Ray Ayotte era kits and they were nothing short of head and shoulders above anything else I had ever seen or heard at the time. Truly remarkable sounding kits. I doubt they will ever reach that level again.
 
Hi Guys,

I found a second hand Ayotte snaredrum. I am not an expert about this brand. Any of you can give me some information about this snare? Model? Age? Shell thickness and n. of plies? What would be a reasonable price for it? Thanks.

395251.jpg
 
Ayotte seems to be widely considered to be a difficult individual, but since they cleared him what is up?

Not sure he's "cleared" necessarily, but being difficult to work with will kill a business. I have a few knives from a great maker, but getting him to do repairs or parts is like pulling teeth. Seems like he just doesn't want to do it anymore.
So seems the case with Ayotte.

Taye does not seem to be doing well either.

Price is killing Taye. What they offer isn't the bees knees compared to other brands (sometimes they're worse), yet they charge a king's ransom. They're pedals come right to mind. Went into a Sam Ash here and they had a Taye priced higher than a Pearl Demon Drive AND a DW9000!

Nope.

I've seen a few Ayotte kits here and there still on the floor of some music stores, but not many. And when they do sell, you're on your own.
 
Anytime I've met Ray Ayotte, I would not in a million years consider him a "difficult individual" in any way.

Shareholders of Ayotte ousted the founder of the company (always a bad move) and unfortunately the Ayotte "company" has been paying the price ever since. Lovely drums and I'm sure Ray's Raya range are of a similar high standard to the early Ayotte drums.

Mick
 
Hi Guys,

I found a second hand Ayotte snaredrum. I am not an expert about this brand. Any of you can give me some information about this snare? Model? Age? Shell thickness and n. of plies? What would be a reasonable price for it? Thanks.

395251.jpg

everything about them was custom, so it could be anything. By my reckoning, its probably late 90's with the A before the serial number. The throw off is a little odd looking from that angle, not sure if it's original. Probably around 400-500 bucks wouldn't be a bad number. It's got metal instead of wood hoops, so that reduces the value a little, but probably a perfectly nice maple snare drum.
 
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