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So my new Joyful Noise 6.5x14 soared copper snare arrived today so my TKO now has a brother. Once again, Curt and his colleagues outdid themselves. Aesthetically, I love the drum and it goes with all three of my kits. Looks like one of those old pennies (when they actually made them out of copper) that has become tarnished with green oxidation. As you can see, there is plenty of the drum's true copper that shows through the patina. Realize it my not be everyone's cup of tea but I adore it.
As for the sound, though I haven't had much time this evening to run it through its paces, the drum has an amazing tone and presence. I was a bit worried that it would sound too close to my brass TKO but I'm thrilled that it has a very different character when compared to the brass drum. I'm going to do an A/B comparison in a few days but my initial impression is that the copper drum's overtones are much lower in frequency than the brass drum's. A very distinct difference. While copper drums have a reputation of being especially warm, often close to a wood shell, this drum leaves no doubt to the listener's ear that it's a metal drum. Not that it isn't warm but it's metallic nature is unmistakeable. The copper drum is heavier than I expected. I knew that the soared copper shells are a bit thicker than the anchored copper and some of the other models Curt makes. Initial impression is that the copper drum is louder than the TKO. Has a lot of presence and character.
The only thing that will take some getting used to is the strainer. While my TKO has Joyful Noise's proprietary strainer, in the shape of the company's feather motif, the snare wires are attached by traditional drum key bolts and the butt end is also comprised of drum key bolts (see the third photo). Apparently this is an option on Curt's drums and when I purchased the drum new from Fork's, the drum arrived with that version of the strainer. My new copper drum, on the other hand, has the Joyful Noise strainer that allows you to quickly retain the snare tension after reso head changes are made. Unfortunately, my drum's snare wires weren't centered. The metal plate on one side of the snares rests over the snare bed's bearing edge while the other end is well away. The only way I can think of to correct this is to try to undo the knot of the snare cord and reposition them. If I can't undo the knot, I'll have to find a replacement cord. It will have to be the same thickness though to work with the strainer. While I appreciate the quick head changes, I'm not especially thrilled with this strainer's setup. Would love to hear suggestions from other Joyful Noise owners as to how you've dealt it and hear your impressions of this strainer.
I'll try to do an A/B comparison of the two drums soon.
As for the sound, though I haven't had much time this evening to run it through its paces, the drum has an amazing tone and presence. I was a bit worried that it would sound too close to my brass TKO but I'm thrilled that it has a very different character when compared to the brass drum. I'm going to do an A/B comparison in a few days but my initial impression is that the copper drum's overtones are much lower in frequency than the brass drum's. A very distinct difference. While copper drums have a reputation of being especially warm, often close to a wood shell, this drum leaves no doubt to the listener's ear that it's a metal drum. Not that it isn't warm but it's metallic nature is unmistakeable. The copper drum is heavier than I expected. I knew that the soared copper shells are a bit thicker than the anchored copper and some of the other models Curt makes. Initial impression is that the copper drum is louder than the TKO. Has a lot of presence and character.
The only thing that will take some getting used to is the strainer. While my TKO has Joyful Noise's proprietary strainer, in the shape of the company's feather motif, the snare wires are attached by traditional drum key bolts and the butt end is also comprised of drum key bolts (see the third photo). Apparently this is an option on Curt's drums and when I purchased the drum new from Fork's, the drum arrived with that version of the strainer. My new copper drum, on the other hand, has the Joyful Noise strainer that allows you to quickly retain the snare tension after reso head changes are made. Unfortunately, my drum's snare wires weren't centered. The metal plate on one side of the snares rests over the snare bed's bearing edge while the other end is well away. The only way I can think of to correct this is to try to undo the knot of the snare cord and reposition them. If I can't undo the knot, I'll have to find a replacement cord. It will have to be the same thickness though to work with the strainer. While I appreciate the quick head changes, I'm not especially thrilled with this strainer's setup. Would love to hear suggestions from other Joyful Noise owners as to how you've dealt it and hear your impressions of this strainer.
I'll try to do an A/B comparison of the two drums soon.
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rep for having amazing taste.
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