Update on Wac'd Drums

Gary, you know I'm a fan, but I have to be honest, I'm not liking the tom holder design. Although your lugs will behave differently to standard stuff, I never subscribe to it being a good idea to hang off lugs on one side of a drum. It promotes an uneven deflection of the hoop & associated lugs, & I believe that offers the potential of a sustain sink. I prefer mounts that allow the drum to sit evenly supported over greater than 180 degrees of the diameter, rather than loading up one side of the drum.

Like I said earlier, you can never please everyone, & I'm just an irrelevant design anal spec on the drumming landscape. It looks good, & probably works just fine on anything but thin shelled drums, so the vast majority of customers will be more than happy.
 
Gary, you know I'm a fan, but I have to be honest, I'm not liking the tom holder design. Although your lugs will behave differently to standard stuff, I never subscribe to it being a good idea to hang off lugs on one side of a drum. It promotes an uneven deflection of the hoop & associated lugs, & I believe that offers the potential of a sustain sink. I prefer mounts that allow the drum to sit evenly supported over greater than 180 degrees of the diameter, rather than loading up one side of the drum.

Like I said earlier, you can never please everyone, & I'm just an irrelevant design anal spec on the drumming landscape. It looks good, & probably works just fine on anything but thin shelled drums, so the vast majority of customers will be more than happy.
No problem Andy , Just remember that this is the prototype so you know changes will be made. But surprisingly they work great! One of the things we noticed with all of the other suspension mounts , is that while you are hitting the drum if you pick up the front of the drum the tone changes and in most cases the drum goes flat. It doesn't happen with these for some odd reason. I believe that it has to do with the mount floating with the lugs and no pressure being put on the shell.
I really need to get on the ball with the videos so you can hear the differences.
Keep me on my toes!

edit - re-read your post and yes one of the things we've been talking about is extending further around to additional lugs for support. Also unlike Gauger mounts we won't be letting the rubber bushing use the hoop as the stop point. I know the pic shows it this way but that is going to change. So yes I completely understand where your coming from now.
 
Great stuff Gary. Keep the minimalist and functional vibe to your work, it could really become a 'signature' of your hardware if it takes off.
 
edit - re-read your post and yes one of the things we've been talking about is extending further around to additional lugs for support. Also unlike Gauger mounts we won't be letting the rubber bushing use the hoop as the stop point. I know the pic shows it this way but that is going to change. So yes I completely understand where your coming from now.
Yes, that's what I was trying to get across. Keeping everything off the hoop is a good thing too.

Agree with MFB, keep it simple (ahem) & clean.
 
Good News! I have verbally gotten a "lets do this" investor today! We still have to get the agreements in writing but I am very excited!

Sean runs a very top notch machine shop in Precision Axis here in town so this is a match made in heaven. You can be assured that everything will be the best it can be under his guidance.

Also this past weekend, out in the "lab" I came up with a second design for the tom holder that is loosely related to a Gauger mount but works with the Wac'd lugs and changes the way it mounts on the tom.

With my version, I do not rely on hoop as the stop point for the "cage" . the mount does not go past the top of the lug. This makes for a much sturdier mount. This is only the prototype , but this is what I envision for the mounts.

Thank you for all your support! Hopefully it won't be much longer before they will be to market.
Gary
 

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Congrats Gary. I want to buy the first 100 shares of stock. The tom mount looks good. See you on the 11th.
 
So is the tom mount clamped using that bolt on the back of the mount? That seems a little inconvenient for a quick setup.

It seems that you'd be limited to a certain amount of lugs with that mount. Also would you have to go with shorter lugs for the ones that connect to the mount?

...I don't suppose you need any more product testers. I'm here on the dry ol' midwest and could give you a good idea of how your product functions in hot, dry conditions...yea that's good, call it "atmospheric R&D".
 
The lugs as you can see are all the same length and go through the mount with rubber grommets above and below. For different sized drums, the arc would be different degrees and the holes drilled to match. It is just too simple.
 
So is the tom mount clamped using that bolt on the back of the mount? That seems a little inconvenient for a quick setup.

It seems that you'd be limited to a certain amount of lugs with that mount. Also would you have to go with shorter lugs for the ones that connect to the mount?

...I don't suppose you need any more product testers. I'm here on the dry ol' midwest and could give you a good idea of how your product functions in hot, dry conditions...yea that's good, call it "atmospheric R&D".
R.M. If your refering to the acorn nut then no. That is on there to prevent one from backing out the round handle to far. To tighten it down you grab the big round knob. It is much easier and more comfortable than any wing nut made. I don't have a knurler to knurl a grip on the the outer perimeter of the knob for extra grip but it will be done. remember that this is just the prototype so I'm sure changes will be made , especially once I sit down with Sean.

To answer your second question right know I have to play a guessing game as to what I feel will sell so for right now I am thinking that the standard number count of 6 lugs on a 10" 12"&13" tom would be a better seller out of the gate. We can always slot it if there is a demand, that way you could add or remove lugs. Also until I make or find a hoop with more than 6 holes it doesn't make sense. That is unless you want go with a single flang hoop with clips. Thats not to say we won't make changes or improve upon though !
 
To answer your second question right know I have to play a guessing game as to what I feel will sell so for right now I am thinking that the standard number count of 6 lugs on a 10" 12"&13" tom would be a better seller out of the gate. We can always slot it if there is a demand, that way you could add or remove lugs. Also until I make or find a hoop with more than 6 holes it doesn't make sense. That is unless you want go with a single flang hoop with clips. Thats not to say we won't make changes or improve upon though !

Ah, Acorn nut! Another new term! Also I just re-read my post and realized that I put myself in the MID-west. No, I'm in the SOUTH-west boys and girls, that's why we study Geography. I must just have Nascar and strawberry pie on the brain or something...mmm...pie

So to further pick your brain on this matter I was wondering how you'd mount legs onto a FT. There's a picture of a FT with your lugs somewhere art the beginning of the thread, it looks like you went with standard FT legs on there. Do you have plans for a Gwack-esque mounting system for floor toms?
 
Well the old mind was back at work again , and I came up with another idea that was spawned off of a post made by Larry.

I've already done a mock up but I also wanted to throw this out at you guys to see if its worth pursuing.

Larry's comment was about making a slotted hoop. so I sat down and worked out a hoop that will accommodate using 6/8/10 or 12 lugs of my lugs.

It will closely resemble a cast hoop but instead of the typical "ears" where the tension rod goes thru , it would have a consistant perimeter without the ears.

The next step will to be figure out an adjustable strainer and butt plate should you all feel that the hoop is worth pursuing.

Thanks
Gary
 
Here are some pics as promised of my Sonor Safari snare with the lugs.
I converted the drum from 8 to 10 lugs with the kit.
The snare is sounding real good now.
 

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Well the old mind was back at work again , and I came up with another idea that was spawned off of a post made by Larry.

I've already done a mock up but I also wanted to throw this out at you guys to see if its worth pursuing.

Larry's comment was about making a slotted hoop. so I sat down and worked out a hoop that will accommodate using 6/8/10 or 12 lugs of my lugs.

It will closely resemble a cast hoop but instead of the typical "ears" where the tension rod goes thru , it would have a consistant perimeter without the ears.

The next step will to be figure out an adjustable strainer and butt plate should you all feel that the hoop is worth pursuing.

Thanks
Gary


How strong will it be for us who like to really crank our snares. The slot won't bend or give to the tension?
 
Well the old mind was back at work again , and I came up with another idea that was spawned off of a post made by Larry.

I've already done a mock up but I also wanted to throw this out at you guys to see if its worth pursuing.

Larry's comment was about making a slotted hoop. so I sat down and worked out a hoop that will accommodate using 6/8/10 or 12 lugs of my lugs.

It will closely resemble a cast hoop but instead of the typical "ears" where the tension rod goes thru , it would have a consistant perimeter without the ears.

The next step will to be figure out an adjustable strainer and butt plate should you all feel that the hoop is worth pursuing.

Thanks
Gary

That was my thought when I first saw the current model. Sounds like a great idea - provided the metal is strong enough to hold the tension with less mass in the mounting.
 
How strong will it be for us who like to really crank our snares. The slot won't bend or give to the tension?
G.D. , I've seen you "crank" down on a head , you have nothing to worry about ! J/K, J.K......

If your going to the clinic tomorrow I will have the mock up with me and pick your brain a little.

As far as strength goes I'm not so worried about bending as I am breaking. T6061 is a pretty brittle type of aluminum so I would think it will break before it bends, but it is very strong. What will be interesting will be the type of sound the drum produces with these hoops. I know that aluminum hoops have been tried in the past but I think with todays technologies and advances made in metallurgy I think they can have a place. I'm guessing the sound will fall somewhere in between diecast and wood. Ya I know , thats quite a large range but I just don't think I can use older aluminum hoops as an acurate gauge. I will keep you informed of course as this goes along.

On a lighter note , I was approached yesterday by a writer for a local internet/paper about them doing a story on Wac'd Drums and the ideas I have been coming up with.
I did the interview today and had a blast! It helped that the story writer is a drummer so he got all of the concepts and what they accomplish.
And as luck would have it he also does quite abit of video production, so after we got done with the interview we made an agreement for him to do some product videos.
I don't know when or even if it will get published but if it does I'll be sure to post it here as I brought up all the help and support you all have given me here on Drummerworld.
Bernhard was kind enough to let me throw the site out there so I really hope it does make it in there, Thanks Bernhard!
 
I will see you tomorrow at the clinic and I want to be able to say, "I knew Gary when he was still getting his hands dirty."
 
Good to see you again last night John!

As I had mentioned a couple of days ago I had an interview with a local paper.

Here is the article as written. Unfortunatly do to a word limitation the writer could not include everyone and everything. I still don't know when or even if it will run .



Local Inventor’s Wac’d Ideas Could Make Holes Obsolete
If you take the time to remove all of the lugs and mounting hardware from your drums you would find that what you are left with resembles something more akin to Swiss Cheese than a fine percussion instrument. All of those holes reduce the resonance and detract from the overall appearance of your drums. This is what Gary Wachowiak was thinking as he was refinishing his daughter’s drum set and cringed at the thought of having to go back and drill holes in the nice veneer finish that he had just applied to the shells. A natural Tinkerer at heart, Gary’s mind began to race with ideas that would eliminate the need to drill holes, and instantly the Wac’d Drum Company was born.
After a lot of hard work, research, and development, Gary’s newly formed company is about to release a new floating head system that is held to the drum by only the top and bottom heads. Even the mounting brackets that attach the drums to a cage or stand are held on by the tension rods themselves. The new drums are free from annoying overtones and produce a wide dynamic range of tuning options. In a recent demonstration, Gary was able to tune his standard 12 inch drum to start out with a deep tone like that of a 16 inch drum and then increased the tension until it had the same pitch as a well tuned 8 inch drum.
Gary’s innovations do not stop there. His continued quest to ensure the elimination of holes prompted him to design a bass drum cradle that holds up the drum by fastening to the lugs. With the floating heads and no need for mounted legs, the bass drum will have a completely intact shell to resonate pure tone and room beneath the drum to allow the tone to develop more fully. The cradle even includes an adjustable arm to hold a slave pedal in place. Gary promises to continue introducing new ideas as the patents clear.
Wac’d Drum Company is looking forward to putting their first products on the market sometime this year. In the mean time, more information can be found about this local company via the internet through Drummerworld.com forums and by searching for Wac’d Drums on Facebook.
 
In the mean time, more information can be found about this local company via the internet through Drummerworld.com forums and by searching for Wac’d Drums on Facebook.

Now you just have to throw some pretty pictures up on the Facebook page.

Quick question for all that have tried these lugs, what do you use to plug the holes on the drums getting the Gwaco treatment? I recently took the tom mount off my rack tom and exchanged it for a snare stand. Now I don't know what do with these unsightly holes...
 
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