The Transformer

This creative yet compact setup comes to us from Westminster, California’s Jimmy Tran, and it marks the second time that one of the drummer’s kits has appeared in MD’s featured spotlight.

Tran, who plays regularly at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, takes pride in being creative with his drum and percussion setups, and he modified this kit to fit his particular current needs. “I wanted it to be practical,”Tran says.“To make set-up easier for the sound engineer and me, in each drum I had internal Shure microphones installed with DW’s MAY miking system. It’s also compact and easy to assemble. And it’s novel to the eyes—in addition to being a unique-looking mini drumset, it can be converted into a cocktail kit.”

The drums, which were made by Parish Drum Designs, comprise a 6.5×13 snare with a Remo djembe batter head and an 8×14 floor tom/bass drum outfitted with Aquarian heads. Tran’s Soultone cymbals include a set of hi-hats, a splash, and a cymbal stack. And the drummer fleshed out the setup with DW and Gibraltar hardware, DW Sidekick and Tambo pedals, an LP cowbell, and a DW tambourine.

Tran tells MD that as he was breaking in this setup during a gig at Disneyland at the same time that the 2017 NAMM show in Anaheim was occurring, an audience member caught his eye in the middle of the performance. “It was Benny Greb, dancing to our song,” Tran says. “During our break he was kind enough to say hi, and he inquired about my setup. I asked him if I could record him testing it out, and he made the kit sing without any effort.”

 

 

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