Craviotto Drum Kits

[jda]

Some guy tried to talk me into Camco outta gretsch) once
didn't work either..

 

[Z]

Some guy tried to talk me into Camco once
didn't work either..

I'm not talking you into anything, nor trying to talk you out of it either...play what you love ..The steam bent drums that Gretsch "improved" were snare drums yeah? I don't recall anyone doing SinglePly toms and bass drums back then . Am I right.? Maybe bass drums.

 

[Push pull stroke]

I have to say, I think Hollow log and stave drums usually sound better than steambent, although there can definitely be exceptions to that rule

 

[River19]

The old not worth the money rave surrounds this Brand, with a little I don't hear the difference between them and anything else. Occasionally you get their snares are stellar but bass and toms Meh.. They are built the same , how can a snare be good and not the toms and bass ? Huh? I don't get it. I'm keeping mine I think they are head and shoulders above most..I'm not trying to convince anybody , if that's you're truth believe it. But I am not convinced that they are just ordinary drums. Not by a long shot. I'm talking drums alone , not in a skanky barroom not on a miced up stage . So if I'm to walk into a room with a crav kit and a stencil kit both set up I'm going to choose the stencil kit .. every time.. Yeah Right!

It is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it.......if for you, it is worth the price of admission, awesome, knock yourself out. If there is some specific mojo that a Crav kit has for you that inspires you to play......even better.

 

[jda]

Hoops are half a drums performance
take into consideration

Hoops , heads, and shells
cast, fiberskyn. gum,maple

oops just thinking outloud
bearing edge about a quarter
something in a red pearl

 

[single-ply]

Nice catch! But that's not really what's up-- I'm not AT ALL convinced that Craviotto are for me and I'm pretty sure they're not. And I've got ZERO plan but I have got too much stuff around the house. I'm selling the Gretsches because I just like my Yamaha AHMs better as a bop kit. Heresy, I know, but still.

And one of the big reasons I'm inclined against getting a Craviotto or any super high-end kit is because I think 90% of my jazz sound is cymbals and snare. The toms are just not that important. And for backbeat stuff, producers seem to adore my Yamaha toms, so no reason to go expensive there, too.

I've been using my Noble and Cooley as my main snare for the last six years or so but I am craving something shallower for jazz. Maybe brass, but maybe wood. Not sure. The Canopus piccolo is amazing. So is the Recording Custom aluminum. Who knows at this point?

But yeah-- the Craviotto kits ARE gorgeous and some people swear by them, so I kinda want to hear what people think. But Matt Chamberlain appears to have switched from Craviotto to Yamaha AHMs and I LOVE his current sound.

At this point, I'm honestly curious and I haven't found as much as I'd have though about these drums given how fancy they are.

I can weigh in here. I have two wood Craviotto snares. A 6.5" Walnut and the 7" Birdseye / Birch one in my avatar. The 7" is absolutely the best sounding snare drum I've ever played and I think it's some of Johnny's finest work. I use it even for small group jazz combos, as it speaks so perfectly. The Walnut has a meaty sound that is also great. Just a great workhorse snare good for all types of music.

But you are asking about drum sets. I have a Craviotto walnut set in 20 - 12 - 15 sizes with 30 deg edges. They are wonderful of course. Would I buy them again? Probably not. My biggest regret is that I just like 22" bass drums for most of my gigs. They just feel better to me for some reason. I also often go to gigs from the office, so the drums have to sit in my car all day. Here in Texas, that can be brutal for wood shell instruments and I don't put the Craviottos in that situation. For that reason, and also to store in the garage, I bought an Indy aluminum Wayfarer kit. For the money, I really can't believe how good they sound. They probably have at least 85% of the quality of sound that I have with the Cravs. for 20% of the price. The brushed aluminum shells do scuff up super easily, which is annoying

I totally agree with you that a drummer's sound mostly lies in their selection of snares and cymbals. Find absolutely the best best cymbals you can afford. Your N&C should sound fantastic if tuned properly. Many like N&C over Craviottos and I'd love to have one, but it's never happened for me. If I had it to do all over again, I'd probably keep my Crav snares, but would go with a Jenkins Martin set in a 22x12, 12" and 15" tom combo. They sound awesome and are climate / heat proof. Tune them low or high.

 

[jda]

I don't recall anyone doing SinglePly toms and bass drums back then . Am I right.? Maybe bass drums.

I'd say yes/snare drum and bass drum in the 10s/20s was all there was /add a Chinese tacked tom/ Civil and other war era 1800s marching drums

Historic Collectible: Civil War Drums - DRUM! Magazine

BY CHET FALZERANO In our last installment we looked at drums made during World War II. Let’s hop back into our time machine and dial in 1861, the beginning of the American Civil War. Unlike WWII, when, by that time, most Americans believed that war was an unpleasant and remote tragedy, the Civil...

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Vintage drum kits (1900s through 1930s)

The earliest multi-percussion setups, presented and explored

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