Limited Editions
The timber used in the manufacture of the drums in the Limited and Single Series ranges is by nature of limited supply.
Here you will find rare or exceptionally high grades of Blackwood as well as drums made using other outstanding Australian tonal timbers.
Serial codes in the inside shell indicate the date of manufacture and the number of drums made from a particular timber.
TASMANIAN MYRTLE (Nothofagus cunninghamii)
Also called Myrtle Beech, the species grows in temperate rainforests in Tasmania and parts of Victoria. It is an undergrowth of Blackwood and not related to the non-indigenous species of the same name.
Due to the restrictions on commercial logging, supply of quality air dried Tasmanian Myrtle is extremely limited at present (DNA testing indicates the species was around 780,000 years ago).
A dense timber with a closed tight grain, Tasmanian Myrtle has all the tonal and tensile qualities to deliver an outstanding tonal shell.
Tasmanian Myrtle Stave Snare 14x6.5”
Myrtle is a strong tonal which is not quite as expansive sounding as Blackwood.
The sound is round and warm and well blended across the frequency range with generous volume and projection.
The tuning range is wide and effective from low to high tensions with a strong open voice at high tensions; punchy and very Fat tuned loose.
An extremely well balanced, versatile instrument suitable for all styles.
As with all our stave shells, the shell is undersized and thin (5-6mm) with discreet sculpted re-rings.
This snare comes with all the standard Fidock parts and hardware: Eight light weight lugs, the Fidock/Trick multi-step throwoff, 20 strand Canopus Silver (wet) wires and Remo heads (Ambassador-batter and ‘Hazy’ - snare side).
Available with solid myrtle steambent hoops only.
POA (price on application).
14” x 5.5” Single 45 degree bearing edge. The bearing edge variation delivers a more compressed snare drum sound, less overtone and a more closed voice. Still FAT and warm, this is a snare for drummers who don’t need all the dynamic range of a double bearing edge snare drum. Ideal for close miking and audio enhancements (stage and studio).
COMING SOON : Blackwood same tree bebops!
FHD will release a limited number of compression timber bebops in 2011. The timber for these kits comes from the first 1.6 metres of fiddleback blackwood tree (hence the term ‘compression timber’).
In effect a tree section is transformed into a drum set whereby all the shells on each kit are sourced from the one tree.
From the outset, FHD has consistently approached drum making with a view to advancing solid timber shell construction to its logical conclusion, "whilst retaining the qualities we first heard in the timber."
FHD is now engaging in what can be described as ‘Timber Engineering.’ The production of these unique instruments commenced at source; selecting the right tree and progressing the timber through careful seasoning to the end result: same tree handcrafted solid timber drum sets.
Stay tuned for release dates.
SINGLE EDITIONS
Satin Box (Phebalium squameum)
Satin Box is an extremely rare timber to find in a musical instrument or anywhere else these days. To date we know only of Maton Guitars making use of it.
FHD was very fortunate to come across a sufficient quantity to make a number of shells and matching hoops. Our stock is well aged and air-dried and some of the lengths feature subtle fiddleback.
The grain is extremely tense ('spring loaded') and great care was taken with seasoning.
The timber was cut a number of years ago without exposure to direct sunlight post felling. As the timber is not commercially available and off-limits to logging, the satin box drums are genuine single editions to the best of our knowledge.
14 x 6.5” SATIN BOX STAVE
We did not feel any need to add another timber in the 14x6.5’ range but we’re sure glad we found this.
This snare is highly dynamic and in sharp contrast in many respects to both the warmth of Blackwood and the more blended tones of Tasmanian Myrtle.
It looks innocent enough... Very pale, almost bone like, and kept so with a clear shellac French polish.
But that’s where appearances are deceptive.
The tight and tense timber delivers a snare that is bright and very dynamic with a hefty bottom end at medium to low tunings.
At high to medium tunings the snare reminds us of the big band snares of the yesteryear: crisp and fast with a lot of snare response and a lot of punch.
As with all our snares, the thin undersized shell prevents the drum from choking.
Slightly out of character for an FHD snare we made sure it was going to be FAT as well as fast. It is.
The inner shell is standard FHD specs: sculpted reinforcement rings, thin shell wall (6mm), 8 lugs.
The snare also features the standard FHD parts: lightweight lugs, 20 strand wires (Canopus Silver model), a silver Trick throw-off and Remo heads.
POA (price on application).
13 x 6” TASMANIAN MYRTLE SNARE
As one said of FHD snare drums: "not for the faint of heart." This is a versatile drum with a lot of capacity. We’ve tried, and even at high tensions, we couldn’t choke it. It just got very loud.
For more delicate snare work, such as press roles and ghost notes, the undersized shell delivers a highly dynamic snare response.
At high tensions this is a powerful tonal cutting snare, perfect for anything from Rock to HipHop.
At medium tensions, it’s swamp time: wide open strong timber tone and cracking tonal rim shots.
At low tensions, a different creature comes into play. This sounds very close to a sampled flat tuned snare from the ‘80s. All FAT and spread with a bright, defined snare response.
The inner shell is standard FHD specs: sculpted reinforcement rings, thin shell wall (6mm), 8 lugs.
The snare also features the standard FHD parts: 8 lightweight lugs, 20 strand wires (Canopus Silver model), Fidock / Trick multi-step throw-off and Remo heads.
POA (price on application)
