Looking for objective Jenkins-Martin / Craviotto comparisons

single-ply

Senior Member
Hello all,

I have a set of Craviotto walnut drums. Love them, but what's not to love, right?

Anyway, I may lose my inside drum room and storage space for family reasons. This would result in me having to store the drums in the unheated garage. In Texas, it can be unbearably hot in our garage, and of course, quite cold in February.

For this reason, I am considering trading for a Jenkins-Martin set. I know the heat / cold will not affect them one way or another.

Having seen a set, but never heard them live, I'm not sure what to expect in terms of sound. I play a variety of genres including two big bands, an R&B group, a Benny Goodman quartet tribute group, and a polka (!) band.

Who has experience with the J-M sets and what are your honest opinions?

Thanks. I appreciate all opinions.
 
The J-Ms are extremely resonant, especially on the low-end. Each drum sounds 2-3 inches bigger in diameter than it is, so 10 sounds like a 13, for instance. I actually bought the prototype set they used for trade shows, and found that there’s a good reason that Hal Blaine used them as concert toms. They honestly don’t need a bottom head for the resonance. So guess what? Last week I’ve just ordered a set of 22-inch-deep concert toms (and a matching 14x4 snare) from them. These will be 10, 13, and 16, and will be the deepest toms they can even make.

You can only get so much from listening to a recording. These drums are unbelievable up close.
 
The J-Ms are extremely resonant, especially on the low-end. Each drum sounds 2-3 inches bigger in diameter than it is, so 10 sounds like a 13, for instance. I actually bought the prototype set they used for trade shows, and found that there’s a good reason that Hal Blaine used them as concert toms. They honestly don’t need a bottom head for the resonance. So guess what? Last week I’ve just ordered a set of 22-inch-deep concert toms (and a matching 14x4 snare) from them. These will be 10, 13, and 16, and will be the deepest toms they can even make.

You can only get so much from listening to a recording. These drums are unbelievable up close.

Jenkins Martin has carried the legacy of the Blaemire spun fiberglass shells. They still manufacture a true to the original series of Blaemire shells. I purchased a set of Blaemire drums in 1969 -- I still have them and use them regularly. If you plan to travel with your set, then the Jenkins Martin drums are the way to go. They sound great, have an immense tuning range and can handle most of the sh*t and abuse generated by a 'life on the road.'
 
I’ve played both and greatly preferred the J-Ms. I like their shell’s tonal profile, nice and rich, with plenty of volume and resonance.
 
You should get in touch with member Mendozart here on DW. He's the J-M guy locally here in SoCal and stays in direct contact with the company. Bermuda here has one of the first sets they ever built as well and in an unmic'ed situation (where I've heard them) they sound great.

I may be getting my hands on some J-M drums to check out, and I've been impressed by what I've heard Bermuda do with his in that situation with a cover band.
 
Hey single-ply,

Yes, I am the West Coast rep, and have been with the company even before its inception. Pm me, and I would love to answer any and all questions about these very unique drums.



Greg Mendoza
 
I currently have a Craviotto walnut kit that I love, but use solely as a dedicated practice kit. Great looking and sounding drums, though I tend to value them as much for the craftsmanship and build quality as much as anything. I like what Craviotto does and how they do it.

I recently ordered a J-M/INDe collaboration kit in 12/15/20 (basically same as my Cravs) out of the desire to have a kit using shells from an alternative material to wood. I ended up with J-M because of their (literally) sound reputation along with the increased durability for impact-resistance, being immune to humidity/weather and the finish being built into the shell, not a coating on it. The availability of a wide-range of cool (and durable) finish options with J-M is another nice factor for J-M.

The clincher was the availability of INDe hardware for the kit through both J-M's and INDe's willingness to collaborate on a build. They had done this previously for another customer. The collaboration offers what I consider to be the optimal combination of the legendary J-M shells and my favorite lugs and mounts on the market.

I hope to have the J-M/INDe kit somewhere near the end of this year and will chime in on its qualities at that time. Mendozart is a superb resource and a fine fellow, so I would not hesitate to hit him up with inquiries.
 
Interesting! So it's J-M's fiberglass formula shells made to INDe's specifications and hardware? Or are J-M more involved than that?

Jenkins-Martin spins their shells using their classic formula/process to the sizes you desire and in the finish requested. I worked with David Martin on selecting a shell finish, which in my case was a mixture of two sizes of gold sparkle flakes added to the mix. There A LOT of options for finishes - colors galore.

Greg (Mendozart) was kind enough to fill me in on the next steps, which are cutting the shells to size, sanding, drilling, edging, and then finish spraying. The shells look good to me in the raw, but Greg advised the shells will really improve in appearance after being put through the production steps.

Afterwards, INDe (Josh) then receives the drums for installing his lugs, mounts and badges/vents. In my case, I asked the 12" tom be a single center-lug drum while the floor tom and bass drum have dual lugs due to their depths. The drums are dual-badged Jenkins-Martin and INDe. Josh's INDe badge serves as the air-vent, so it works out ok. Josh will also install a tom holder bracket on the bass drum for the kit I spec'd.

Oriollo was a real contender for me for quite a while - Vukan makes some nice drums and would be a great person to work with on a build. In the end, I could not warm up to any of the available Oriollo lugs aesthetically, which is obviously a very subjective thing. I also like the INDe hardware "system" and approach in general. Additionally, I perceived the J-M shells to be less susceptible to possible bumps and dings due to their construction and the finish being an integral part of the shell itself as opposed to a coating.



Jenkins-Martin shells in raw form:
 

Attachments

  • 23244443_2026449100706402_1019203939253250212_n.jpg
    23244443_2026449100706402_1019203939253250212_n.jpg
    154.1 KB · Views: 168
If you’re playing unmiked, get the J-Ms.

I think my Oriollo spun aluminum kit is great both mic’ed and unmiced’ for the record. There’s really something special happening with the tone of these kits. I haven’t played a full JM kit but I’ve played three of the snares, and for me, I just couldn’t get into the sound. Just felt kind of cold to me. The kits may be different though. They do sound very good in the videos.

Back to Oriollo though speaking to ineedaclutch, the aluminum kits I have are simply the most wonderful thing I have put a stick to. A beautiful blend of attack and fullness that just sound huge and play so dynamically. And they are extremely lightweight. For reference I’ve owned two crav kits among many others so i feel like i understand how they differ. Highly recommend.

I don’t see myself ever going to something different...just maybe adding a spun steel kit by Oriollo which is more than likely going to happen soon.
 
I think my Oriollo spun aluminum kit is great both mic’ed and unmiced’ for the record. There’s really something special happening with the tone of these kits. I haven’t played a full JM kit but I’ve played three of the snares, and for me, I just couldn’t get into the sound. Just felt kind of cold to me. The kits may be different though. They do sound very good in the videos.

Back to Oriollo though speaking to ineedaclutch, the aluminum kits I have are simply the most wonderful thing I have put a stick to. A beautiful blend of attack and fullness that just sound huge and play so dynamically. And they are extremely lightweight. For reference I’ve owned two crav kits among many others so i feel like i understand how they differ. Highly recommend.

I don’t see myself ever going to something different...just maybe adding a spun steel kit by Oriollo which is more than likely going to happen soon.

I’m still waiting on spun brass.
 
As I understand it, Josh (Rosemarydrumco) has represented Oriollo at NAMM and does "official" product reviews for Oriollo products. He knows their products well, is obviously a big supporter, and is not hesitant to recommend Oriollo as the superior alternative to most available products when the opportunity arises. I do feel he is genuine in his enthusiasm (and is a nice fellow to communicate with). However, it does seem fair to acknowledge the association with Oriollo, which appears to go beyond a guy who happens to own some Oriollo drums.

Having said that, my impression is Oriollo is an exciting drum company with some unique offerings. It certainly makes sense to consider them if you're in the market.
 
Back to Oriollo though speaking to ineedaclutch, the aluminum kits I have are simply the most wonderful thing I have put a stick to. A beautiful blend of attack and fullness that just sound huge and play so dynamically. And they are extremely lightweight.

Thank you for directing your opinion my way. I really do appreciate it. I'm not looking to re-invent the wheel with my next acquisition, but I have seen, and heard, some great clips from this Serbian company.
 
Jenkins-Martin spins their shells using their classic formula/process to the sizes you desire and in the finish requested. I worked with David Martin on selecting a shell finish, which in my case was a mixture of two sizes of gold sparkle flakes added to the mix. There A LOT of options for finishes - colors galore.

Greg (Mendozart) was kind enough to fill me in on the next steps, which are cutting the shells to size, sanding, drilling, edging, and then finish spraying. The shells look good to me in the raw, but Greg advised the shells will really improve in appearance after being put through the production steps.

Afterwards, INDe (Josh) then receives the drums for installing his lugs, mounts and badges/vents. In my case, I asked the 12" tom be a single center-lug drum while the floor tom and bass drum have dual lugs due to their depths. The drums are dual-badged Jenkins-Martin and INDe. Josh's INDe badge serves as the air-vent, so it works out ok. Josh will also install a tom holder bracket on the bass drum for the kit I spec'd.

Sounds (and looks) like a really exciting build! Hope the drums blow you away!
 
As I understand it, Josh (Rosemarydrumco) has represented Oriollo at NAMM and does "official" product reviews for Oriollo products. He knows their products well, is obviously a big supporter, and is not hesitant to recommend Oriollo as the superior alternative to most available products when the opportunity arises. I do feel he is genuine in his enthusiasm (and is a nice fellow to communicate with). However, it does seem fair to acknowledge the association with Oriollo, which appears to go beyond a guy who happens to own some Oriollo drums.

Having said that, my impression is Oriollo is an exciting drum company with some unique offerings. It certainly makes sense to consider them if you're in the market.

Yes this is all true. My involvement with Oriollo was really birthed out of being so blown away by the drums. I decided to put my craft (filmmaker) to use to help get the word out. Oriollo is the only company I do this for and have turned other people down. I just believe in the product. I don’t gain anything from kits being sold other than Vukan having resources to continue to innovate.

As far as Namm I wanted to go anyways, so that was really just doing Vukan a favor as far as representing them. My theory was the drums would blow people away if they could actually get to play them, and I was right. Lots of jaws dropping at our booth. :)
 
Yes this is all true. My involvement with Oriollo was really birthed out of being so blown away by the drums. I decided to put my craft (filmmaker) to use to help get the word out. Oriollo is the only company I do this for and have turned other people down. I just believe in the product. I don’t gain anything from kits being sold other than Vukan having resources to continue to innovate.

As far as Namm I wanted to go anyways, so that was really just doing Vukan a favor as far as representing them. My theory was the drums would blow people away if they could actually get to play them, and I was right. Lots of jaws dropping at our booth. :)

Understood - You do a great job with your demos and the care you take is evident. There's no fault in being enthusiastic and supportive of a product in which you believe.

Vukan is doing a tremendous job and it's nice to see his products get exposure, instead of buried in a market full of less innovative gear.
 
Understood - You do a great job with your demos and the care you take is evident. There's no fault in being enthusiastic and supportive of a product in which you believe.

Vukan is doing a tremendous job and it's nice to see his products get exposure, instead of buried in a market full of less innovative gear.

Thanks Matt! I am just excited to be involved. He’s doing some really cool things for sure. :)
 
Back
Top