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Roger Terrill, Red Rock Drums Australia’s in-house master craftsman.
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Cover photo: Blackwood 22x16 bass drum.
Blackwood 14x6.5 snare drum, 12x9 and 14x11 mounted toms, 16x14 floor tom and 22x18 bass drum.
RED ROCK DRUMS AUSTRALIA
Australian specialists in full stave drum kits. Meshing the most successful design elements of the last 100 years with
unique ones to create timeless world class instruments.
Each Red Rock drum is beautifully formed using between 12 and 50 staves of stunning musical timbers. Red Rock Drums
Australia is one of the first Australian manufacturers to produce stave drums in all standard diameters from 6 through to
28 inches with depths as much as 20 inches.
Special snare beds, bearing edges and interior sculpting of thin shells, give Red Rock owners superior resonance, body,
tone, feel and tuning range. Red Rock Drums Australia put character and flexibility back into drum sounds; designing
drums for musicians who recognise the importance that great instruments can have on music making.
CONTENTS
Why Red Rock?
Construction
Woods and Special Grains
Finishes
3
4-5
6
7
Warranty
Fittings
Mounting, Heads and Hard Cases
Endorsements & Honours
7
8
9
10
CONTACT
Find Red Rock drums in stores around Australia, and as house gear in Bennetts
Lane Jazz Club (Melbourne, Australia). You may like to follow us on Facebook for
photos, videos and news to appear in your newsfeed. For general enquiries email
[email protected] or read our website at www.redrockdrums.com.au
Photos and contents Copyright © 2015 Red Rock Drums Australia. Designed and produced by Red Rock Drums Australia.
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WHY RED ROCK?
Sound
• Red Rock drums sing with long and pure notes
• Our drums sound punchy, big and rich through a variety of tunings
• Red Rock drums naturally sound like they’ve had studio treatment
• There is a true sense of character in the tone of every drum
• We are obsessed with drawing the best possible sounds
Craftsmanship
• Red Rock drum shells are strikingly beautiful
• Our stave joins are perfect and extremely resilient
• We have developed brilliant snare beds and bearing edges
• We have a truly attractive round badge
• Red Rock drums are fitted with identifiable hardware
Fidelity
• Red Rock honors honesty and integrity in its dealings
• We believe the success of a drum is care not technology
• There is a fair price to pay for quality and we know it
• Our customer service and query response time is very fast
• We constantly seek to improve and develop our products
Above: Rosewood 12x8 tom and 16x16 floor tom, Below: Blackwood 13x7 snare drum
Service and reputation are vital to us; it comes natural us that those who contact us get great pleasure discussing their
new, old or future Red Rocks. We are interested in those who show interest in us. We operate in a less traditional manner,
with the same mind-set as an indie band who feels like they have to earn their stripes in order to gain a real following.
We are not seeking overnight success, we are seeking true success and collecting special family members as we go.
We treat every drum that leaves us as one that could (and has on so many occasions) end up in the hands of discerning
and spectacular people. We would not hesitate in giving any of our drums to anyone in the world; we consider them
to all be our best work. We respect that we have good global competition, however we trust that our product features
are different enough to make us individual, and that Red Rock drummers have bought more than just our great sound.
Red Rock Drums Australia
www.redrockdrums.com.au
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CONSTRUCTION
Made with care.
Red Rock drums
are not made in a
mould, each shell
has life breathed
into it under the
watchful eye of
master craftsman
Roger Terrill.
WHY STAVE DRUMS?
The stave construction method has been used in congas and other hand drums for many years. Each segment of wood
is cut to size and carefully angled so up to 50 of these staves form a circle and create the drum shell. Our shells are then
turned on a lathe and hand finished.
Each stave is simply sliced out of nature with no bending or stress points. This allows efficient transmission of the vibrational energy received from each drum stroke; these vibrations can travel along the staves in line with the timber’s grain
direction and not against it as is in ply shells with multiple wraps.
Stave drums are by nature richer and fuller than common ply drums. In comparison to ply shells, a stave shell has less
than 1% of the surface area covered by glue, enabling the wood’s true character to sing with every stroke. As glue inhibits the ability of wood to respond naturally to vibrations we believe that stave drums are a more effective construction
method for drummers seeking ultimate sonic qualities.
SHELL DESIGN
Thin shells producing a low fundamental pitch are our priority to achieve premium resonance, tone and tuning range. To
ensure Red Rock shells remain structurally sound the internals feature reinforcement rings sculpted out of the shell wall.
Reinforcement rings were common in classic vintage era drums literally to reinforce thin shells with the added benefit of
controlling unwanted over tones. The reinforcement rings in our shells are the same thickness as the shell wall.
BEARING EDGES
Red Rock bearing edges feature our special round cuts. They are located to suit modern drum head shoulders perfectly.
The full sized bearing edge created in conjunction with the reinforcement rings is designed to promote skin contact
and shell engagement for terrific sustain on toms and bassdrums, as well as a big naturally EQ’d tone across all drums.
SNARE BEDS
Red Rock Drums Australia’s unique snare beds contribute to a full bodied snare sound, and in our opinion correct years
of imbalance between snare wire and drum tone. They allow optimum snare response at all dynamics without causing
listening fatigue during long periods of playing. Our snare beds are suitable for wires of any width.
Red Rock Drums Australia
www.redrockdrums.com.au
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CONSTRUCTION
The heart and soul of a drum is
undoubtedly its shell. Red Rock tom and
bass drum shells resonate with the same
pure character and beauty of their look.
Red Rock snare shells respond
with a uniquely full balance.
WOOD CHOICES
Red Rock stave shells are offered in four beautiful woods from and
close to Australia; Fijian Mahogany, New Guinea Rosewood, Tasmanian
Blackwood and Western Australian Jarrah. They have been chosen for
their contrasting densities, grains and colours. These timbers are grown
in sustainable forests and plantations. Whilst it is essentially possible
to use any timbers to build stave drums, we believe these are the ideal
staple timbers which provide the breadth of sound qualities sought
after by discerning drummers for all styles.
HOW AND WHY
Wood boards are cut to the drum’s height before being sliced into
staves and given angled edges. Much effort is taken to match stave
colours for cosmetic consistency and (as available) to exploit areas of
special grain or sapwood to create stunning feature. Being a natural
resource, timber supplies can vary in appearance between orders though
each Red Rock drum kit is constructed with wood from the same tree.
We get quite excited about using the grain in each stave to form new
patterns. In carefully allocating each stave, a creative process occurs that
gives every Red Rock drum its individual personality, rather than the
kind of predictable sequence that is expected in a veneered ply drum.
Right: Construction stages and below the finished 13x4 Blackwood featuring black/black chrome fittings.
Red Rock Drums Australia
www.redrockdrums.com.au
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WOODS
Fijian Mahogany
New Guinea Rosewood
Tasmanian Blackwood
Western Australian Jarrah
FIJIAN MAHOGANY: ‘Swietenia macrophylla ‘ is a non-endangered timber, grown in sustainable forests on the tropical
islands of Fiji. This is our least dense wood which favours low tuning, bottom end punch and warm attack. Its density is
approximately 500 kg/m3. Due to its durability and resistance to wood rot, it has been used throughout history in boat
construction and fine furniture, as well as becoming a favourite for guitars in more recent times.
NEW GUINEA ROSEWOOD: ‘Pterocarpus indicus’ is a premium species, well known as a tonewood, from Papua New
Guinea and the Solomon Islands. With an approximate density of 625 kg/m3 it is articulate, full bodied and resonant.
Rosewood by nature possesses an excellent tap-tone, and with its properties has been long identified as a great material
for guitars and marimba/xylophone keys amongst other acoustic instruments,.
TASMANIAN BLACKWOOD: ‘Acacia melanoxylon’ is another great tonewood used by many major guitar makers. With
an approximate density of 650 kg/m3 it is slightly brighter yet produces a broad and balanced round tone. Fiddleback
boards are sought after by musical instrument makers and are available in our snare drum range. The heartwood varies
between golden brown and chocolate with narrow bands of dark colour.
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN JARRAH: ‘Eucalytpus marginata’ is Western Australia’s principal tree both in the extent of
forest and the versatility of its timber. At approximately 825 kg/m3 it is our highest density wood which produces a dark
and brooding round tone with strong mid range frequencies. Traditionally used for railway sleepers and poles it is now
a prized timber. Jarrah produces pure controlled tones with a shorter note length than our other timbers.
SPECIAL GRAINS
Quartersawn, quilted and fiddleback boards are rarely available let alone in enough quantity of consistent colour and
figure to build an entire drum kit. For this reason we store boards with these grains for use in our ‘special’ snare drums.
Below: 12x6 Blackwood snare drum featuring brass/gold fittings (left) and a 14x6 Blackwood snare drum featuring chrome fittings (right)
Red Rock Drums Australia
www.redrockdrums.com.au
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FINISHES
SATIN: A resistant coat of hard Carnauba wax over an oil coating, hand buffed
to a natural luster.
FULL GLOSS: A deep nitrate-cellulous lacquer sprayed and allowed to cure for
one month then buffed to a shine.
INTERIOR: Minimal coatings to protect surfaces and ensure internal vibrations
reflect against natural surfaces. Internal coatings acts as a vapour barrier that will
reduce the affect of moisture on the shell.
SUNBURST: A process made famous on vintage guitars, adding striking visual
effect and dimension to the instrument. Originally designed to imitate aging
French polish on classical string instruments, this gradation can be applied with
any colour fading into black at the top and bottom of the drum shell.
All stained drums come standard with a full gloss finish. Colourful stain finishes
are available in any colour on custom orders. A sample colour is confirmed with
the customer prior to its application. Stains are most effective on lighter timbers
like Fijian Mahogany, Rosewood and some Blackwood.
Left: Blackwood 14x6.5 (full gloss) and 13x7 (satin) snare drum shells.
WARRANTY
Our warranty is testament to the quality of our products and service. Our life time warranty relates to the workmanship of
products we manufacture. We will also promptly resolve any issues relating to the fittings we have chosen to adorn our
drums. We strongly recommend you store and transport Red Rock drums in hard cases and avoid exposing the drums to
extreme weather conditions. Treat your Red Rock drums like fine furniture, love and respect the fragility of a handmade
product and it will serve you forever. It’s that simple. For more information read the warranty information on our website.
Below: Rosewood 14x7 snare drum and 22x16 bass drum.
Red Rock Drums Australia
www.redrockdrums.com.au
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FITTINGS
Red Rock Drums are first and foremost specialist drum
shell builders. Our next priority is to adorn our shells
with the best fittings in the world. We choose fittings
for their functionality, looks and durability.
EGO INDUSTRIES LUGS: Ego lugs feature an axial
alignment system; an inner cross-pin which can slide
horizontally and rotates toward and away from the
drum shell – avoiding any “stiffening” of the tension
rod during tuning. Tube lugs are fitted to all snare
drums as standard but are available on all drums.
TRICK GS007 MULTI THROW-OFF: This mechanism
features a cam operated, helical design providing the
smoothest, quietest, most durable and road worthy
throw-off ever made. There are three stages of the
“on” position, ideal for instant changes in wire tension.
RACK TOM ISO-MOUNTS: Positioned between the
hoop and lugs, the tension rods keep it in its position
allowing the drum to be suspended for total resonance.
Choose an ‘L-rod’ tom arm with or without a clamp.
BASSDRUM HOOPS: Inspired by the vintage style, we
inlay a strip of wood matching the drum shell into all of
our bassdrum hoops as a standard feature.
WOOD SNARE HOOPS: Our wood snare hoops are an
optional extra. Maple hoops are customised in-house
with a matching strip of the drum’s timber inlayed into
its centre. These give our drums a magic openness and
warmth in sound, a beautiful “woody” cross stick, not
to mention a great unique look.
STEEL HOOPS: As shown below, 2.3mm hoops (left) are standard on all snares, toms and floor toms, however you may
also choose from single flanged (centre) with collar hooks or die-cast (right) on custom orders or after-market purchases.
Red Rock Drums Australia
www.redrockdrums.com.au
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MOUNTING, HEADS & HARDCASES
Red Rock Drums Australia offers the full range of products from the following leading brands with any drum purchase.
MOUNTING ARMS
Choose ‘L-rod’ mounting arms with (far left) or without (middle left) a clamp. The full arm has a 1 inch diameter post and
is 9 inches long - it can be easily clamped to a stand, rack system or inserted into the base of a cymbal stand.
GAUGER PERCUSSION FLEX FRAME (TOMS)
If you intend to mount the tom in a snare stand, you should select a Gauger Percussion Flex Frame (middle right). This
allows the tom to float in the cradle avoiding the nasty choking of sustain that occurs from the tightening of the rubber
jaws against the tom hoop. The drum is isolated from the stand and breathes freely, resonating to its full potential.
GAUGER PERCUSSION FLEX TIPS (FLOOR TOMS)
You may purchase Gauger Percussion Flex Tips (far right) with your order, these will be fixed to our floor tom legs to
increase the resonance of the drum. They isolate the drum from the floor to maximise uninhibited natural vibrations.
EVANS DRUMHEADS
We recommend Evans drumheads, the following come standard on all orders.
Toms: G2 clear (batter) and G1 clear (resonant)
Bass Drums: EQ3 clear (batter) and EMAD reso black (resonant)
Snare Drums: Heavyweight coated (batter) and Glass 500 (snare side)
KENTVILLE DRUMS AUSTRALIA’S KANGAROO HIDE DRUMHEADS
We recommend Kentville Drums’ Kangaroo Hide drumheads on our snares. Kangaroos are iconic Australian animals.
The hide is an ethically sourced to produce drumheads which sound raw, full-bodied and have a warmth often absent
in a plastic head. Kentville Drums’ provide a product inspired by the sounds and traditions of the past, with the needs
and desires of today’s drummers kept closely in mind. They are easy to tune, melodic, responsive and free of overtones.
HARDCASE DRUM CASES
Red Rock drums recommend the British made ‘Hardcase’ brand for their materials capable of high impact, general
weight, comfortable carry and pull handles, heavy duty wheels, quick release clips and high tensile straps as well as high
density interior foam padding. Their original black shells and yellow webbing will be the icing on the cake of your order.
Red Rock Drums Australia
www.redrockdrums.com.au
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ENDORSEMENTS & HONOURS
“I have used both snares on tracks for this new Aerosmith album
(Music From Another Dimension, 2012). They absolutely fit the bill. I am
thrilled with them. All my best to you and thank you, you have created fine
instruments.” Jack Douglas (Grammy award winning Producer to the likes
of John Lennon, Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick and New York Dolls)
Red Rock Jarrah 14x6 and Fijian Mahogany 14x8 snare drums
“I was sent photos of my snare getting built but nothing prepared me for just
how phat it would sound and how good it would look. I always use my Red
Rock, the tone is so amazing and it delivers exactly what I want.” Matt Mallardi
“My custom 14x7 New Guinea Rosewood snare from Red Rock is warm,
versatile, and withstands my heavy hitting. The rounded bearing edge
allows more contact between the head and shell, and gives a thicker
punchier sound with full rounded tone. Beautiful drums.” Jackie Barnes
“My Red Rock 13x7 snare is amazing. It is so versatile, I’ve really mucked
about with snare tension and tuning and it keeps surprising me. Crank it up
and it has an amazing live rock sound, tune it down and it sounds like some
deep outerspace hip-hop snare from the 90s. AMAZING!” Joshua Anderson
“I haven’t played a better drum at any price than my Red Rock 14x8 Jarrah
snare drum. The materials and craftwork are excellent. Sound wise, it goes
from classical, to rock, and big band with ease.” Steve Machamer
“The versatility both in tuning and tone of the Red Rock shells allow me
to own a workhorse kit that caters for all situations from club gigs, busking
in the streets, and a variety of recordings in many genres. For a bop sized
kit, they deliver a massive sound that really reflects the care and attention
to detail put into their design and construction.” Julian Steel
Grammy nominated
Best Latin-Jazz Album of the Year 2014
Jarrah 14x6 snare drum (drummer Colin Douglas)
Red Rock Drums Australia
“My Red Rock drums
sounded huge from day
one! I use them in multiple
projects because of the great
tuning range that Red Rock
drums have. I can even play
a string of shows without
touching their tuning, the
drums just hold their notes. I
believe that ‘Made with Care’
is the real reason behind Red
Rock’s continued success.”
Jason Sbriglio
Golden Guitar Award Best
Alt-Country Album of the Year
2014, and Best Country Album
of the Year 2014 The Age
Music Victoria Awards.
Red Rock Fijian Mahogany 10x8
tom, 14x12 and 16x14 floor toms,
22x18 bass drum and 14x6 snare
drum (drummer Mat Duniam)
“Bad-ass” Vinnie Colaiuta
“Red Rock are easily the best sounding
and feeling drums I have ever played.
The tone and response of them is
impeccable. I know that I can execute
and communicate my groove, dynamics,
technique and musicality with absolute
precision every time.” Vish
“I have been blessed with a kit that is
drenched with versatility and reliability.
My stunning Fijian Mahogany kit has
warmth and tone un-matched by any
backline or loaned set up I have played
whilst touring. My Red Rock Drums are
so versatile that they can be applied to
almost any musical situation and grace
it with a unique and appropriate sound.
The drums have been placed in a variety
of dynamic situations passing with flying
colours at large stadiums and intimate
theatre shows. The toughness and
quality of the wood is another aspect
that makes Red Rock one of the most
reliable drum companies around. The
rough nature of touring and travelling
has often tested the durability of my kit,
but the high standard of its hand-made
construction has rendered it virtually
unbreakable! For warmth, tone, quality
and durability, there’s just no beating a
Red Rock kit.” Josh Dufficy
www.redrockdrums.com.au
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