Noble and Cooley Horizon Series drums

RickP

Gold Member
I have had a growing number of people reaching out to me to ask about the Noble and Cooley Horizon series kits. I thought it might be helpful to post a review for people that have an interest in these drums.

I have been a fan of Noble and Cooley's Horizon series since they were first introduced in the late 80's.

Lugs :
The new version has the CD maple springless bridge style lug now. The lug is cast and raised off the shell (no rubber plinths required).
the lug itself is solid and it has a Delrin insert in it that locks in your tuning. For people that like to screw their tension rods in by hand, it makes the turning of the tension rods a bit harder. I did not find it a big deal. I would just use a drum get the tension rods just touching the hoop/washer. Then I would tension it like I would any other drum. The Lugs definitely work as advertised , they lock in the tuning and really hold the tuning well. The hardware can be ordered in Chrome or Black Chrome.

Shells :
The shells are a combination of Maple plies with an African Mahogany inner ply. What makes these shells different is that the majority of the maple plies are inserted in the mold with a horizontal grain. This is to simulate a steambent shell. There are only two vertical plies for strength. These shells were designed by Bob Gatzen noted instrument designer. The bearing edges are incredibly smooth. They rival my Yamaha PHX for smoothness. You can run your finger in both directions on the bearing edge and they are equally smooth both ways. Not every drum company can claim this let me tell you. The shells are very thon and The inner ply of Mahogany has a slight nap to it that was designed to help with warming up the sound of the maple shell. It does work as these drums are very warm and incredibly resonant. I have experimented with a number of head combinations , single and double ply, clear and coated and these drums just work regardless of the head used. they have great character and tons if headroom.

Finishes
Gloss lacquer and satin lacquer and sparkle lacquer finishes are available and Noble and Cooley does really nice finishes. They have a very wide selection of finish options. I am sure you will find something to make your heart go pitter patter.

These are beautiful well made drums from one of , if not the oldest Family owned Drum Company in the United States. I am sure some of the the other Horizon owners will chime in with their own experiences with these great drums. If you are looking for a great well designed kit that sounds fantastic , you owe it to yourself to check out the Noble and Cooley Horizon series. I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised.
 
was always interested in them after Chris Whitton played one on Dire Straits farewell tour. - http://tvpot.daum.net/v/JYBrTVAw-1Y$

poor quality vid, couldn't find an unblocked version, but this is the best version of sultans EVER! :)

Never seen them sold in any shop that I've been in in any country so I haven't had the pleasure.

I always assumed they were boutique custom jobbies so would always be out of my price and inclination range.
 
I don't think I've ever heard a N&C drum kit or snare I didn't like. Great craftsmanship and sound. Yea, I believe they are up there in price so definitely a big investment.
 
was always interested in them after Chris Whitton played one on Dire Straits farewell tour. - http://tvpot.daum.net/v/JYBrTVAw-1Y$

poor quality vid, couldn't find an unblocked version, but this is the best version of sultans EVER! :)

Never seen them sold in any shop that I've been in in any country so I haven't had the pleasure.

I always assumed they were boutique custom jobbies so would always be out of my price and inclination range.


Chris used a Star series solid shell kit. The toms were shallow depth and steambent solid shells. The bass drums were ply though. His kit is actually on display at Noble and Cooley now.

N&C just came out with new Steambent kits that are all steambent and in standard depths . Pretty exciting ! Currently oak and maple are available with cherry and tulipwood to follow.
 
What a terrific review, thanks for posting that. Maybe a photo of your horizon kit for us to admire their craftsmanship?
 
Here are some pics of my Horizon kit at a Driveway Social Distancing gig we did last Saturday.
The sizes are 24 x 14 bass; 13 x 9 rack tom and 16 x 14 floor tom (w legs). I was using a Sonor SQ2 Heavy Beech snare
as well as a Sabian cymbals setup.
 

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