Diamond by Craviotto ~ New for 2021 Product Video with Sam Bacco

[KingLudwig]

Craviotto was known for his lacquer finishes. NOT wrapped.. granted, wrap changes the tome of a shell more than lacquer- but paying that much for a solid shell- seems to demand a lacquer finish... a beautiful finish. I had a Gretsch kit that was sold to me as one of the first Craviotto painted drums in the tobacco sunburst finish that made him famous... nice drums.. traded the kit for cymbals 20 years ago.. both of us were happy. still have the cymbals!!

Imho I don't think their lacquer finishes are as good as when they were done by Mayer bros. Starting not to like the Nashville era of Craviotto...

 

[musiqman]

You did/do always had/have the option for a wrap at Craviotto, even when JC was around.

They make the shell thinner so the wrap doesn’t add up extra to the thickness.

 

[kevinyarger]

Imho I don't think their lacquer finishes are as good as when they were done by Mayer bros. Starting not to like the Nashville era of Craviotto...

I think they(MayerBros)are still doing the lacquers. At least they are still posting pictures of the drums they are finishing on Instagram.

Im trying not to put my foot in my mouth by conjecturing things based off of what I’ve seen and heard as a fan but as the mural says; “I Believe in Nashville“

 

[Jack Means]

Hi all,

My name is David and I work for Craviotto. I want to provide some details about our soft launch this week.

Much of what you're seeing and the pictures circulated out of Nashville are "prototypes". As many astutely pointed out, a couple kits have Slingerland reproduction parts on it. Steve Maxwell offers these to builders and customers alike for restorations, etc... We used them to prototype the shells for sound, fit, feel, etc... in the first couple build-outs. As many can see from more recent images, Diamond by Craviotto will use Craviotto floor tom leg brackets and floor tom legs.

The lug on Diamond by Craviotto is proprietary. We developed it in 2015-16. That lug outfitted over 2500+ Johnny C. snares. In fact, our 2016 catalog features a Walnut kit with that lug on the cover. It has multiple facets and reflects like a diamond making it the logical choice for this product.

Some dealers already have prototype kits in their showroom (Memphis Drum Shop, Fork's, Maxwell IL, and Newcastle Drum Centre in the UK) and we're gaining great feedback. We are also working with prominent artists and producers as these drums are being performance tested in both studio and live situations (where live music can still happen safely, of course).

Regarding the shell, this all Maple-ply shell was developed by Sam Bacco. Sam has been in the ply shell game a long, long time. From the 90's era Slingerlands and beyond, Sam is no stranger to what makes a ply shell great. This shell is Sam's formula and is proprietary to Craviotto. The assembly, finish work, edging, etc... is done at Craviotto in Nashville by our team. This is NOT an import line.

Diamond by Craviotto was not designed to substitute the Center Stage. Diamond is its own animal entirely and was designed to perform differently from the solid shell. That's the point.

Some ask why do this at all ~ Craviotto solid shells are the best? We agree and love our solid shell. Johnny and our team had many, many talks over the years about ply shells. Enter Sam. Sam was able to bring these concepts to fruition as he has nearly 40 years in the ply shell game. Like Johnny (pre-DW), people seek out Sam for his restoration work. It is in that field that you see all there is to see, learn how to fix what went wrong, and understand how to make things better.

Diamond by Craviotto retains that mystique of something uniquely Craviotto, something custom and very special.

I encourage everyone to play a Diamond kit when we officially launch or hit those prototypes at your dealer. A lot of Sam's innovations, after years of R&D, are found in the Diamond line. Remember, both Johnny and Sam were players before they were builders. Sound and performance come first. We're really excited to share it.

So, stay tuned. There are lots of exciting things to come with this line. We always appreciate your support and interest. I hope this was helpful.

Happy holidays everyone and stay healthy. Here's to 2021!

D.

Cant wait!

 

[jaymandude]

You did/do always had/have the option for a wrap at Craviotto, even when JC was around.

View attachment 475623

They make the shell thinner so the wrap doesn’t add up extra to the thickness.

It was done, but not often and I think they preferred not to...

 

[What It Is]

Here's Steve playing the same set with a lower tuning

 

[bellbrass]

Man, those sound really good - wow - and no fancy microphone setup or processing, either.

 

[wayne]

Indeed they do. Steve is a pro and has had years tuning drums to their maximum potential. What a great job he has!!!

 

[JDA]

now, I'm getting a Hayman vibe from them.....
ye the English drum.

"I heard a guy once say a solid shell snare drum was equivalent to a wood block.
It's all tock. ..."

 

[mhernandezab]

I am a big Steve Maxwell and Craviotto fan, and I don't get what they were thinking in launching this product. There are tons of top quality ply maple sets with wraps out there that looks and sound better than the prototypes they are presenting. Bad hardware choice on almost everything (craviotto diamond tube lugs and rims was a better option in my opinion) outdated Slingerland clone holder, horrible badges (very surprise with that, taking in consideration how good Craviotto is in designing things) and wraps you can find everywhere. Even worst, checking the available info so far, it doesn't seem that the shells will be made in the Craviotto factory at all but somewhere else in the States and then finished there (like everybody else) I love the innovation and passion this guys put in drum making but in my humble opinion this doesn't make any sense at all. Nothing in this set is different enough to justify they will cost more than a brand new gretch usa custom. I will get a gretsch any time with my eyes closed.

 

[Alpine]

Hi all,

My name is David and I work for Craviotto. I want to provide some details about our soft launch this week.

Much of what you're seeing and the pictures circulated out of Nashville are "prototypes". As many astutely pointed out, a couple kits have Slingerland reproduction parts on it. Steve Maxwell offers these to builders and customers alike for restorations, etc... We used them to prototype the shells for sound, fit, feel, etc... in the first couple build-outs. As many can see from more recent images, Diamond by Craviotto will use Craviotto floor tom leg brackets and floor tom legs.

The lug on Diamond by Craviotto is proprietary. We developed it in 2015-16. That lug outfitted over 2500+ Johnny C. snares. In fact, our 2016 catalog features a Walnut kit with that lug on the cover. It has multiple facets and reflects like a diamond making it the logical choice for this product.

Some dealers already have prototype kits in their showroom (Memphis Drum Shop, Fork's, Maxwell IL, and Newcastle Drum Centre in the UK) and we're gaining great feedback. We are also working with prominent artists and producers as these drums are being performance tested in both studio and live situations (where live music can still happen safely, of course).

Regarding the shell, this all Maple-ply shell was developed by Sam Bacco. Sam has been in the ply shell game a long, long time. From the 90's era Slingerlands and beyond, Sam is no stranger to what makes a ply shell great. This shell is Sam's formula and is proprietary to Craviotto. The assembly, finish work, edging, etc... is done at Craviotto in Nashville by our team. This is NOT an import line.

Diamond by Craviotto was not designed to substitute the Center Stage. Diamond is its own animal entirely and was designed to perform differently from the solid shell. That's the point.

Some ask why do this at all ~ Craviotto solid shells are the best? We agree and love our solid shell. Johnny and our team had many, many talks over the years about ply shells. Enter Sam. Sam was able to bring these concepts to fruition as he has nearly 40 years in the ply shell game. Like Johnny (pre-DW), people seek out Sam for his restoration work. It is in that field that you see all there is to see, learn how to fix what went wrong, and understand how to make things better.

Diamond by Craviotto retains that mystique of something uniquely Craviotto, something custom and very special.

I encourage everyone to play a Diamond kit when we officially launch or hit those prototypes at your dealer. A lot of Sam's innovations, after years of R&D, are found in the Diamond line. Remember, both Johnny and Sam were players before they were builders. Sound and performance come first. We're really excited to share it.

So, stay tuned. There are lots of exciting things to come with this line. We always appreciate your support and interest. I hope this was helpful.

Happy holidays everyone and stay healthy. Here's to 2021!

D.

The marketing term "All Maple shells" is a bit of a gray area in the drum industry. Who is manufacturing the actual shells? Are the Craviotto Diamond series Keller shells? North American maple?

 

[KingLudwig]

I wish Craviotto would complete the list of back ordered dtums before taking on something like this. It's bad business & doesn't make sense. I know there's a guy who's been waiting over 10years for a solid drum set!

 

[Trilock_Gurtu]

I wish Craviotto would complete the list of back ordered dtums before taking on something like this. It's bad business & doesn't make sense. I know there's a guy who's been waiting over 10years for a solid drum set!

Yikes. Patient man. He must be a Tool fan.

 

[bbunks]

I wish Craviotto would complete the list of back ordered dtums before taking on something like this. It's bad business & doesn't make sense. I know there's a guy who's been waiting over 10years for a solid drum set!

I can't believe that's the case, unless he's been waiting for the tree to reach maturity. I placed my order in March 2014 and had the kit within 6 months.

 

[Stretch Riedle]

I can't believe that's the case, unless he's been waiting for the tree to reach maturity. I placed my order in March 2014 and had the kit within 6 months.

Bbunks, consider yourself lucky that you only waited 6 months. Remember, we're talking 7 years ago, when Johnny was still alive.
The store I work at was the Craviotto dealer that was closest to the original factory. We were only about 20 miles away down the road. One of the main employees used to deliver our orders [as opposed to waiting for them to be shipped] because he lived nearby. Because the company was getting more well known, orders were backing up. Complete kits usually took a year to a year and a half to get finished. Snare drums would be 2-3 months on a good day. It got worse after Johnny died, because those orders that were in process often got pushed back because priorities changed.
We were told we'd get a special order in a couple of months, and more likely it would only take a month to make it. We waited a year and a half for that one drum.
Stretch

 

[zenghost]

The longest I ever waited (after Johnny's passing) was around 8 months for a mahogany kit build, but Greg and the crew nailed it for sure. I did have to message them about it, but received a call from David Victor who was very nice and accommodating.

 

[Jake Gibson]

Hi all,

My name is David and I work for Craviotto. I want to provide some details about our soft launch this week.

Much of what you're seeing and the pictures circulated out of Nashville are "prototypes". As many astutely pointed out, a couple kits have Slingerland reproduction parts on it. Steve Maxwell offers these to builders and customers alike for restorations, etc... We used them to prototype the shells for sound, fit, feel, etc... in the first couple build-outs. As many can see from more recent images, Diamond by Craviotto will use Craviotto floor tom leg brackets and floor tom legs.

The lug on Diamond by Craviotto is proprietary. We developed it in 2015-16. That lug outfitted over 2500+ Johnny C. snares. In fact, our 2016 catalog features a Walnut kit with that lug on the cover. It has multiple facets and reflects like a diamond making it the logical choice for this product.

Some dealers already have prototype kits in their showroom (Memphis Drum Shop, Fork's, Maxwell IL, and Newcastle Drum Centre in the UK) and we're gaining great feedback. We are also working with prominent artists and producers as these drums are being performance tested in both studio and live situations (where live music can still happen safely, of course).

Regarding the shell, this all Maple-ply shell was developed by Sam Bacco. Sam has been in the ply shell game a long, long time. From the 90's era Slingerlands and beyond, Sam is no stranger to what makes a ply shell great. This shell is Sam's formula and is proprietary to Craviotto. The assembly, finish work, edging, etc... is done at Craviotto in Nashville by our team. This is NOT an import line.

Diamond by Craviotto was not designed to substitute the Center Stage. Diamond is its own animal entirely and was designed to perform differently from the solid shell. That's the point.

Some ask why do this at all ~ Craviotto solid shells are the best? We agree and love our solid shell. Johnny and our team had many, many talks over the years about ply shells. Enter Sam. Sam was able to bring these concepts to fruition as he has nearly 40 years in the ply shell game. Like Johnny (pre-DW), people seek out Sam for his restoration work. It is in that field that you see all there is to see, learn how to fix what went wrong, and understand how to make things better.

Diamond by Craviotto retains that mystique of something uniquely Craviotto, something custom and very special.

I encourage everyone to play a Diamond kit when we officially launch or hit those prototypes at your dealer. A lot of Sam's innovations, after years of R&D, are found in the Diamond line. Remember, both Johnny and Sam were players before they were builders. Sound and performance come first. We're really excited to share it.

So, stay tuned. There are lots of exciting things to come with this line. We always appreciate your support and interest. I hope this was helpful.

Happy holidays everyone and stay healthy. Here's to 2021!

D.

Hello David, thank you for the detailed explanation. I wish you and the entire Craviotto family the best of luck with the new product line.

 

[KingLudwig]

I can't believe that's the case, unless he's been waiting for the tree to reach maturity. I placed my order in March 2014 and had the kit within 6 months.

That's great! But was it a Private Reserve kit?

 

[Houndog]

I wish Craviotto would complete the list of back ordered dtums before taking on something like this. It's bad business & doesn't make sense. I know there's a guy who's been waiting over 10years for a solid drum set!

Unless we’re talking solid as in hollowed out , there just ain’t no way 10 years for a kit .

 

[bbunks]

That's great! But was it a Private Reserve kit?

No - Cherry w BB/45 edges and wood hoops.