Download December 2020 Issue
Ten years ago, Sonor introduced the original 5.75x13 signature beech snare for top endorsing artist Benny Greb. Greb and Sonor recently revisited that incredibly popular model to make a few tweaks. The result is not one but two upgraded versions that maintain the tonality and versatility of the original while introducing some clever and functional new features. These two new drums are both 5.75x13. One is made from beech, and the other is made from brass.
The Specs
Both of these drums have 5.75x13 shells and feature vintage-style teardrop lugs and 2.3 mm Power Hoops. Sonor’s Dual Glide snare system gives you great control over the snare response and sensitivity, and a quick-release system enables you to change out the resonant head without having to reset the wires. The wood snare has a 9-ply, 5 mm beech shell with a semi-gloss Scandinavian birch veneer and a bubinga inlay. The brass model has a 1.2 mm shell with a patina finish and a polished center stripe.
Both drums come equipped with a new internal muffling system that Benny designed called the MonoRail. As the name suggests, the dampeners on this unique mechanism are housed on a fixed system that can be raised onto or lowered off the head for very precise dampening. The dampeners are locked in place easily with a finger-tightening knob. Most traditional internal tone control systems either have a side-action lever that only allows for the dampener to be fully engaged or disengaged. Others have twist knobs that tend to rattle when disengaged. The MonoRail system eliminates those issues and offers two independently controlled dampeners. The Sheep is a fluffy muffler that deadens the tone more substantially, while the round felt muffler provides more subtle overtone control. You can use them individually or together for maximum dampening flexibility. These pads are also interchangeable, and more options are said to be coming soon.
Articles in December 2020
Cajon You Dig It?
The owner of this month’s KOTM took the now-ubiquitous percussion instrument to its next logical step. The kit that Luke Ross uses with his all-acoustic band Company of Crows is composed entirely of cajons built by the Croaker Percussion company,…
Drum City Guitarland
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What Now?
The Four E’s As I write this, we are smack dab in the middle of the COVID crisis. This pandemic has affected us all now for many months. I mention this because it’s had a massive impact on musicians working…
Playing to Type
People like to put other people in psychological boxes, and boxes within those boxes: Being an artist takes a certain kind of personality. And among artists, your average actor is said to be like this, while a musician is like…
The D.I.Y. Guide to Drums by Lisa Schonberg
While it was always a quirky addition to pedagogic literature, this hugely expanded 2020 volume retains the handmade charms of the original ’zine and leverages the author’s years of teaching experience to deliver an approachable, delightful roadmap for beginners and…
Dafnis Prieto
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Marla Leigh
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Bill Bruford - Part 1: One of a Kind
Trailblazing West Coast swing drummer Shelly Manne once mused that a true jazz musician never plays it the same way once. Throughout his stellar career, the iconic progressive rock and jazz drummer Bill Bruford had adopted Manne’s paradoxical mantra as…
Dana Hawkins
Drawing on the hectic atmospheres and hyperspeed rhythms of drum ’n’ bass music, the drummer, whose credits include Meshell Ndegeocello, Jeremy Pelt, and Lizzo, is revitalizing jazz with his prickly, seemingly time-altering drumming. The future of drumming, the future of…
Jonas Brothers’ Jack Lawless
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In the Studio with Drummer/Producer Evan Hutchings
Evan Hutchings made the move from Fort Smith, Arkansas, to Nashville in 2006, enrolling at Middle Tennessee State with a plan to be a studio musician. “I wanted to be Steve Jordan,” he says. “That was the goal.” Like many…
Bennie Rodgers II
The Oakland, California, native has been applying his vast skills to a style that originated halfway across the globe—and like K-pop itself, he’s been winning over fans from sea to shining sea and beyond. Bennie Rodgers II is a veteran…
The Classic Recordings of Ginger Baker, Part 3: The Solo Albums
Following a prolific period when Ginger Baker made his name with Cream, Blind Faith, and Ginger Baker’s Air Force, and collaborated with Fela Kuti, the mid ’70s found the drummer setting up a recording studio in Africa, playing polo, trying…
Wood or Nylon Tip?
Nylon! Lasts much longer than wood (so you save cash!), and you never have to worry about a chipped stick tip on a ride cymbal. I also play darker cymbals, so the nylon tips add some extra clarity rather than…
Terry Bozzio
I knew I had to make my own statement or go on for the rest of my life depending on someone else to be the creative genius. I didn’t want to live with myself that way. It’s funny, in the…
Download December 2020 Issue
The Modern Drummer November 2020 Issue – Volume 44 • Number 12, comes in two versions the print version and the extended digital version that includes bonus articles and was used to create our new flipbook. The flipbook experience is…
Vic Firth Re-Mix Brushes
A quartet of interchangeable implements for varying degrees of attack, tone, and volume. Vic Firth recently expanded its catalog with four pairs of uniquely designed Re-Mix brushes/rods made from different types of organic material, ranging from soft and subtle broomcorn…
Remembering Neil Peart
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Childish Gambino’s Dani Markham
With hard-core academic training in her back pocket, the drummer/percussionist has dipped her toes in every imaginable musical scenario—and, crucially, trusted her instincts. Dani Markham lives in perpetual motion. The New York City–based, Louisville, Kentucky–born percussionist/mallet player spent the last…
