Can memory locks be sexy?

Hi Andy,

The bass drum spurs look great, another detail which has been giving serious thought. And (R&D) costs.
I figure the memory locks would be aimed primarily at having the same angle to the bass drum and less how much the arm retracts into the bracket?

Another detail which caught my attention looking at pic #5: the bass drum appears to have outer rings on the batter and resonant side (for strength?) and the bass drum lugs seem attached to those instead of mounting them sideways into the shell as usual. What's the thought behind that?
 
However, I wish my USA Customs came without memory locks. I just might be in the minority of drummers who just don't get it.

But yours do look very nice.

GJS
I'm intrigued as to why you think that. Aesthetics?

Hi Andy,

The bass drum spurs look great, another detail which has been giving serious thought. And (R&D) costs.
I figure the memory locks would be aimed primarily at having the same angle to the bass drum and less how much the arm retracts into the bracket?

Another detail which caught my attention looking at pic #5: the bass drum appears to have outer rings on the batter and resonant side (for strength?) and the bass drum lugs seem attached to those instead of mounting them sideways into the shell as usual. What's the thought behind that?
The memory lock performs both functions of course, but primarily, it's purpose in life is to retain rotational position. You can either tuck our spurs into the side of the drum (note rubber O ring around spur end assembly to protect the shell), or you can remove them.

As for the external rering design, that's our Origin series drums. Have you lived in a cave for the last three years? :) :) :)

Nothing to do with strength. The shells are completely undrilled. That has strong sonic benefits in terms of overtones & fundamental balance. Even the spur brackets, floor tom legs, etc are mounted away from the primary resonant portion of the shell. There's multiple videos of these drums available, & a new video to be shot next month featuring the 2014 Origin series drums :)

Here's a couple of shots of the inside & outside of an Origin series tom :)
 

Attachments

  • Origin tom2 open.jpg
    Origin tom2 open.jpg
    702.7 KB · Views: 272
  • Origin tom side.jpg
    Origin tom side.jpg
    838.4 KB · Views: 283
Looks good. I also like these:

tubejointmemlock.gif
 
Didn't Elvis Costello say that "writing about music is like dancing about architecture".

I mean, who hasn't done that, right?

I think they're elegant to say the least, and I'll even give you "sexy". I can see where the four-bolt thing could be slow, even for those drummers who CAN make the gig on time.

There is a sexy wing nut in your future.

PS: I am not him.
 
Yes!

That looks great, and functions well for such a simple design. (for us Brits it's a Ronseal design)

I love the nod to the streamliner/art deco style.

Very nice
 
Great design IMHO. I've 'played' around with these myself. Min mass, yet over 2xD of thread length for the bolts. Extremely efficient clamping forces due to tolerance and surface finish on both 1/2's of the locks internal form.

Setup / ripdown time is in no way hindered by the tuning key bolts.
Once the mem lock is in place, it obviously stays on the leg - no wing nuts required? surely?
As for the bracket itself -
I simply 'un-nip' the top 2 bracket bolts 1/2 a turn each, everything springs open - done.
I'm a firm believer of function over aesthetics, I take alot of flak for it too!
....but can you imagine 2 wing nuts sticking out of that bracket?!....yuk.
The wings pointing different directions would set off my OCD and i might actually die of heart failure.
Not giving anybody a bashing here, just an opinion :)

On a separate note -
Something i believe the Guru boys don't emphasize enough, is the need of a 'gentle touch' when using Guru parts.
You simply do not need to crank anything to hold it fast.
(you can do, if you want to, but you simply will not gain anything)
2 drum sticks either side of a wing nut?! We've all done it, but it doesn't apply to Guru elements.
The tolerancing Andy specs out insures surface area contact is at max.
I've had first hand experience testing/playing with these parts.
It almost seems like a magic trick to me -
The smallest amount of tension (a nip) and everything locks up to an incredible degree.
You could swing off those bloody parts - in physics terms it doesn't seem to add up.
So little tension/force in exchange for so much grip.

Back on topic -
I like the fact that the mem lock itself doesn't have a small protruding 'leg' that the drops into and oversize slot like most mem locks. The entire outside form of the lock (or one side of it) is acting as the resistance point when pushed into the bracket.

Love that.

DO WANT!

10" 12" 14" 16" 20" - Must order / Must have / Must play. (Just don't tell the wife)

Mark
 
I'm not a big fan of the bass drum/floor tom brackets due to the 4 screws either. The mem locks on the bass drum spurs definitely helps cut down set up time, so I'm happy about that. But adjusting the FT legs takes too long IMO. With mem locks on the FT legs....that would cut out some time. I felt that one side could hook into the bracket, eliminating 2 screws, and if I were designing it, I would use only one centered screw to tighten the leg down. For being weight conscious, I feel the brackets have more metal than they need, a little over designed.

Set up time is a really important consideration for me. I don't gig my Gurus but if I did, I'd prefer a different design on the brackets so there was only one screw to deal with.

I would design something that didn't need any tool at all except my hand. Either a wing nut or a latch that is used to close one of those big footlocker trunks.
 
I'm not a big fan of the bass drum/floor tom brackets due to the 4 screws either. The mem locks on the bass drum spurs definitely helps cut down set up time, so I'm happy about that. But adjusting the FT legs takes too long IMO. With mem locks on the FT legs....that would cut out some time. I felt that one side could hook into the bracket, eliminating 2 screws, and if I were designing it, I would use only one centered screw to tighten the leg down. For being weight conscious, I feel the brackets have more metal than they need, a little over designed.

Set up time is a really important consideration for me. I don't gig my Gurus but if I did, I'd prefer a different design on the brackets so there was only one screw to deal with.

I would design something that didn't need any tool at all except my hand. Either a wing nut or a latch that is used to close one of those big footlocker trunks.

compared to the really light looking lugs, these spurs look indeed a bit heavy. i don't know if they actually are?
Larry's argument regarding the setup time is valid I think...
Loosening 4 screws to re-adjust the leg is pretty annoying, especially if you setup your drums the first time...


BUT yes, these memory locks look amazing :)
 
Back
Top