GEAR LUST #4: "GARDEN SHED MANGE"!

as i told y'all, i play Premier drums. lots of them. they are beautifully & carefully made, sound great and are affordable. there are tons for sale on eBay (mostly from England), and it's fun to peek into a typical English sitting room, where the pix of the drums always seem to be snapped.

but British flats are small, so most kits were stored in outbuildings and garden sheds. problem: moist ol' England ruins all these drums' finishes = from Roy Goode i got the following (paraphrased) lore:

"Premier used Italian accordian wrap during the '50's and '60's, which is stunning when in good shape. it's real "glass glitter" with rich, strong coloring and shimmer...but the wraps were poorly sealed and soaked up damp like a sponge. too often, a black, spotty mold started to grow inside the wrap. it's nick-named "Garden Shed Mange". and add to that a real susseptability to fading in even weak sunlight...and you've got a whole lot of ugly- looking drums."

i have three kits worth of Aquamarine Sparkle...and none...repeat none..of the individual drums match.



















NP: driving thru PA, i heard Sugarland's "Baby Girl" again, with the unbelievably great line in the second verse "girl...remember what your knees are for" as in for praying, not strategic blowjobs to help the song's character's musical career. probably the best lyric line written in the last 30 years.

and pal Guy Pernetti's CD of solo guitar instrumentals was perfect for a rainy drive. nice work, GP!

PEEVE DE JOUR: i have to wait until Monday to meet the woman who built the World's Largest Garden Gnome!!: http://www.hoopla.org/

JOIE DE JOUR: Premier also built THE BEST SOUNDING SNARE DRUM EVER MADE:



















i've got many of these and they kill. if you want to know what they sound like, listen to The Beatles version of "Twist & Shout" (clip takes a minute to load, but it does eventually play):























Mr. Richard Starkey with his Premier kit & 4 x 16 Royal Ace snare.


cb...where are you?






NEW JERSEY