Welcome!


A great man (I think it was Mr Miyagi from The Karate Kid) once said:

"There is no such thing as a bad student. Only a bad teacher".

Wise words.

And some that really make sense to me, having been involved in drum and music

education professionally for the past 10 years. In that time I have been extremely

fortunate to have met some truly inspirational teachers and I would like to dedicate

this blog/magazine - (you could call it either a blogazine or a blagazine, depending

on if you think I know what I'm talking about!) - to those drummers who have really

made a difference in the world of drums and drum education.


Monday, December 5, 2011

Custom Drums!

I already interviewed a Cymbal Smith, but now let's talk custom drums...

Drumazine: I would like to welcome Emir & CDS Drums to Drumazine! For those people reading who might not know about CDS Drums, let's find out all about who you are and what you do... 



CDS: First off all hello and thank you for the interview.  CDS is currently based near Ljubljana the capitol city of Slovenia.  We are also opening a small workshop in Brussels, Belgium in April/May 2012. 

Dzn: And how long have CDS Drums been in existence?  


CDS: I did my first customization of my old Pearl kit in 2002.  I noticed that more and more people were interested in custom drums so I built a few test snares.  That was in 2004 I think.  I guess that would be a birth date of CDS drums


Dzn: Why did you start to make drums?  


CDS: As I sad before, more and more people were interested in different looking and sounding drums and there was really no custom company in our country.  The main reason is of course, the love to this instrument.


Dzn: You make "custom" drums Do you make anything else (like sticks or cymbals or bags or hardware or standard "production" drum kits)?

CDS: Basically we are a drum oriented company that tailors the drum to the costumer, so there’s no “production” drum kits here.  We are in the process of making our own drum sticks though - I think we’ll have the first results early in 2012.


Dzn: Do CDS Drums have a signature sound or look, or are your kits specifically designed for/by the artists themselves?


CDS: There’s no signature for now so everything is specially made and designed for/by our customers.

Dzn: Do you make your drums only out of wood or are there other materials that you use? 


CDS: We make drums mostly out of wood. Everything else (acrylic, steel, bronze) is OEM ordered.  


Dzn: How long does it usually take from design through to completion of a drum kit?   


CDS: The drum kit waiting period is for now around 3-5 months.  It really depends on the season. 


Dzn: Do you have a favoured drum skin which you use on your kits?


CDS: Kits are usually equipped with Remo Pinstripe, Remo Emperor or Evans G2 coated.  We put Remo ambassador on snares.  


Dzn: Do you have any particular favourite kits that you have made so far? If so, (can you provide pictures and) tell us who the kit is used by?  


CDS: This one was fun to build:








And then this kit (right) was made for a big punk-rock festival in slovenia (PunkRockHoliday).  This kit was used by most of the bands and is currently used by band Aktivna Propaganda and for recording sessions in a few studios around here.







Dzn: Now, some more personal questions(!): Do you have a favourite band or type of music?


CDS: Two favorite bands would definitely be Snapcase and Raised Fist.  I mostly listen to Hardcore/Punk-Rock music with a few rock exceptions.


Dzn: Do you play drums yourself?


CDS: I am a drummer.  Been playing for about 15 years now.


Dzn: Do you have a favourite drummer?


CDS: That would be Dennis Chambers.  The guy has killer moves.


Dzn: You make a very traditional acoustic instrument; How important do you think new technology is in modern day drumming? 


CDS: Technology is good for many reasons:  Most important is the development of new hardware so things keep on getting better and stronger.  The other is that more that machines are used for mass production, more and more people will understand and appreciate hand built instruments.  That will keep custom companies as ours is alive

Dzn: Finally, people reading who are in the market for some new gear might like to know:
Where can we get your stuff?

CDS: Mostly through our facebook profile (facebook.com/cdsdrums), webpage (www.cds-drums.com), email: info@cds-drums.com, but we are looking for suppliers across the globe.  We are stationed in Slovenia and from April/May 2012 also in Brussels/Belgium.

Dzn: How much does it all cost?!

CDS: Ply snares start at approx. 250euros (£215 UK sterling approx)
Stave/segment from 350euros (£300 UK sterling approx)
3pcs sets start at approx. 900euros (£770 UK sterling approx)


Dzn: Is there anything else you would like to tell us about? (Any other links or information about CDS Drums?)  


CDS: As mentioned before, we are looking for suppliers and also new endorsers so this can also be a public call for all the drummers out there that would like to try out our drums and have some mad skill to prove themselves!  


Dzn: I would now like to say a very big Thank You to Emir & CDS Drums for sharing yourself with us! And good luck!  


CDS: Thank you for this great interview and I’m sure we will talk again soon ☺


Cheers to all your readers!

Emir, CDS Drums Owner/Masterbuilder

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