OK, there is something to be said for history. And in my old age I am getting more sentimental!
Noble & Cooley is a drum company that was founded in 1854 (20 years before Sonor) when they started building marching snare drums for the Union Army of the Civil War. Though they mostly made drum sets for children through most of the 1900s, in the early 1980s they started making pro drum kits, and excellent ones at that. The company is only about 2 hours from my house and they have a museum there and offer tours of the current shop etc., but stupidly I have never gone to see it. But I have always coveted their drums, mostly because they make awesome shells the way I like them (thin shells with no re-rings) and haven't followed any silly trends in the market over the years. But also because they are still a family-run business (2 people?) who make and finish all their drums by hand.
They have done a few unique things over the years, like making alloy snare drums with Zildjian metals and I think they made some of the earliest single ply snares on the market if I recall? But they also made a line of drum shells (back in the 1990s I think?) that were called Horizon Series. They were maple shells with an inner ply of mahogany and very minimal contact lugs. A few of the plies were placed horizontally, which according to N&C "increases trueness, resonance, and pitch clarity." N&C also says "the Horizons maintain a clear, transparent, pure tone with enhanced attack characteristics, narrow sustain, and controlled decay. These tonal qualities are characteristics of solid shells and are especially good for miking and recording." I have no idea whether these descriptions are something I would agree with or not. They kind of sound more like the sonic characteristics of a birch shell than a combination of maple and mahogany to me. But I do know that there are some drummers out there that absolutely love this series and say they are some of the best shells they've ever heard. However, we all know that sometimes "the neweset drum in your collection" is the one that sounds the best!
Anyway, I have always been somewhat intrigued by them so when I stumbled on a gorgeous Horizon Series kit in a pretty cool finish with a 20x18" bass drum for a pretty good price (for a kit if this quality)... I took the plunge! I have huge love for 20x18" bass drums and I know Kelly shares my opinion there. The fact that this kit was owned by a fairly well know rock drummer is something I could care less about. The fact that it looks like he didn't tour with them much and that they were most likely a back-up kit (and therefore in stayed in pretty good shape) is something I'm more interested in!
I sold a couple of snares this weekend, but gonna have to unload my Phonic Plus kit now. Latz... you still out there and lookin'?
More pics to come in a week after they hit the east coast. Thanks for indulging me!
- David
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