Cusdrum are a small company, based in Hull, who make custom drums to individual requirements. They came to my notice via a drummer friend of mine who has just purchased a large, single-headed kit from them.

The man responsible for Cusdrum is Rob Minty, and the concept of making drums came about when Rob was toying with the idea of adding Octobans to his own drum setup but was a little deterred by the prices. This gave him the idea of making a set of Octobans himself, and, after experimenting with different materials and rolling machines, a 6" cylinder that had a good resonant sound was developed. In fact the cylinder had such a good sound that Rob decided to make more drums and, eventually, a full kit. After much experimenting and the acquisition of suitable machinery, he found drum making a full-time career, and Cusdrum has now been in operation for five years. Rob is also quick to point out that at every point along the way he didn't rely solely on his own opinion but consulted other drummers, and in so doing has come up with a pretty good end result!

Cusdrum now have a small workshop and a staff of three, so their output isn't high - this, however, assures every customer of a genuine hand-made drum, and guarantees a quality standard which can sometimes be lacking from mass production techniques. They offer a choice of wood and plastic finishes, and the kit I saw had a wood finish, rather similar to the Sonor Berbingha which some of you might be familiar with.

I must admit here that I went about the review of this kit in a rather unorthodox way. The normal method entails my taking the product home, or sometimes to a gig, and by both playing and physically dissecting the gear I come to a conclusion about quality, construction, sound etc. As Cusdrum only make shells and don't produce any hardware, I thought it would be a better idea this time to go and hear the drums being played by someone else in an environment best suited to judging their sound; i.e., at a live gig. The gig in question was at the Production Village in London's Harlesden, and the band was Cayenne, with Mark Parnell on drums. The kit actually belongs to John Chambers, Cayenne's percussionist, and I'm grateful to him for letting me pull it apart during the interval.

The sizes of the drums were as follows: single headed concert toms (power) 8", 10", 12", 13", 14", 15". The bass drum was 24"x16". Cusdrum do make snare drums, but there wasn't one on this kit. The fittings used were Tama, with the 12" and 13" mounted on the bass drum and the others on double floor stands. The drums were unmiked, so a natural acoustic sound make it easier to ascertain the qualities and volume of the sound. Mark Parnell is a solid player, and he had no trouble making himself heard against the other eight members of Cayenne, who aren't all that quiet when they're in full swing!

The drums sounded unusually full considering they were single headed, and had a warm but solid, punchy sound. The resonance and volume were probably the most impressive things about them, and this is something that might not have been very evident if I had tested them at home in my usual way.

The finish was superb, and beat the hell (pun? - Ed.) out of some of the big manufacturers. The inside was as good as the outside and felt very smooth and clean, with no rough edges on the bottom. The bass drum had wood hoops finished in the same colour as the drums, and was the only double-headed drum in the kit. All the drums were fitted with pinstripes, except for the front bass head which had a Remo CS with no hole.

I must say I was very impressed with the finish and sound of these drums, and I'm seriously considering having Cusdrum make up a kit for me. It would be interesting to see what the double-headed toms sound like, or perhaps smaller sizes - but on the strength of the drums at this gig, they'd undoubtedly be excellent! Cusdrum will build any size from 6" to 26" in double-headed, single-headed, power or standard sizes, and the finishes are either hand-polished wood of varying hues, or have the usual plastic covering, of which there are about 14 colour choices. The shells' thicknesses comprise 12 ply for Toms, 6 ply for Octobans, and 10 ply for bass drums. This would normally be very thick, but as the individual plys used are thin the shells end up only a little thicker than normal. The only drums that I can compare them to are probably Sonor, as they have a similar thick 'roundness' of sound; but even then, Cusdrums are perhaps a little louder.

Customers of Cusdrum often have shells made up without hardware, which will work out very much cheaper if you already have some decent fittings. Alternatively, Pearl hardware is usually fitted; it's strong, and not too expensive. At present they are making an authentic copy of an old Cameo kit, and the customer is supplying his own fittings and original sparkle drum covering. Even the USA has had the benefit of Cusdrum's services, an American customer having ordered a shallow bass drum for an old steam-powered fairground organ!

A typical price for a Cusdrum bass drum would be £99 for a 22"x14" shell only without fittings, including finish; £159 for a 22"x14" single headed with fittings; and £201 for a 22"x14" double headed with fittings. A 14" x 6 1/2" snare drum complete with fittings would be £125, and a full set of Octobans complete with stands and fittings would cost £258.

As you can see, these aren't really that expensive considering the quality and care that goes into these drums - you could do a lot worse (and pay a lot more money!) for an average Japanese or American kit.

Cusdrum can be contacted at Cusdrum of (Contact Details).