Just snagged an Odery Cafe Kit

[mtarrani]

Had to have it, which is both irrational and irresponsible. But have it I now do. Too early for a review or videos, or even objective thoughts, but here are three actual photos and one stock photo from an ad. I have the same finish. The bass drum is 11" deep x 14" diameter and is in dire need of tuning (and possibly new heads.) More when I have actual hand's on information.

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[trixonian]

I'll be curious to see what you think of the bass drum. I had one as well and I was not able to get it to my liking. They are very cool though.

 

[mtarrani]

I'll be curious to see what you think of the bass drum. I had one as well and I was not able to get it to my liking. They are very cool though.

I just finished swapping out the stock heads with coated ambassadors. I doubled a felt strip behind the batter head and tuned the reso a little lower than the batter. Using a Vater Vintage Bomber it is a LOT better than out of the box. However, my rehearsal studio is a lot better acoustically than some of the rooms in which I play. That will be the acid test.

For now, though I am OK (not ecstatic, but happier) with the bass drum. The toms and snare drums sound pretty good out of the box. But, I am by no means ready to blindly recommend one of these kits.

 

[Ickybaby]

For 14” bass drums, I prefer the Sonor AQ2 Martini, the maple helps to lend a fuller tone... which a 14” bass drum desperately needs.

 

[mtarrani]

For 14” bass drums, I prefer the Sonor AQ2 Martini, the maple helps to lend a fuller tone... which a 14” bass drum desperately needs.

You are probably right, but the Sonor Martini has a ridiculous rack tom which killed the deal for me. I did check out the Sonor kit, which is in the same price range.

Right now I have the Odery tuned OK for my rehearsal studio, but am withholding judgement until I can play it in some of the more difficult rooms.

 

[Ickybaby]

You are probably right, but the Sonor Martini has a ridiculous rack tom which killed the deal for me. I did check out the Sonor kit, which is in the same price range.

Right now I have the Odery tuned OK for my rehearsal studio, but am withholding judgement until I can play it in some of the more difficult rooms.

Yes, the 8” tom is not the greatest thing to look at. Although it sounds good in a small room if playing with a light touch. That’s what I’ve found to be true with all these “micro kits”, a light touch yields nice results. 14” bass drums will never sound like a 22” or even an 18”.... it will sound like a 14”... and that’s not a negative, it’s just “what is”.

I’ve been using wool or wool type beaters. They reduce the attack which I think benefits the sound of a small bass drum.

Have fun with it. They are cool little kits.

 

[Jordan Blue]

For 14” bass drums, I prefer the Sonor AQ2 Martini, the maple helps to lend a fuller tone... which a 14” bass drum desperately needs.

Do you *really* think the maple Martini is that much better than the original poplar Sonor Martini? I'm curious.

 

[Ickybaby]

Do you *really* think the maple Martini is that much better than the original poplar Sonor Martini? I'm curious.

Well..... what’s your definition of “that much better”? The difference between $400 and $600....for me, yes. The drums “sing” a bit more.

I didn’t buy a first generation after having heard them but did grab the AQ2 version after hearing them.

 

[Jordan Blue]

Well..... what’s your definition of “that much better”? The difference between $400 and $600....for me, yes. The drums “sing” a bit more.

I didn’t buy a first generation after having heard them but did grab the AQ2 version after hearing them.

I guess it's all subjective. I've heard so many people say "it's not the wood, it's heads and tuning". Then I've also heard many say maple is so much better sounding than poplar. I dunno. I guess it comes down to - does it sound $200 better to your ears?

 

[mtarrani]

A progress snapshot: all heads (except the snare side head) have been replaced with with coated Remo Ambassadors, and the kit tuned midrange. The snare and toms are loud and definitely will require a light touch as Ickybaby mentioned in a previous post. The good news about reheading the drums is I had all of the heads that I needed in my drum closet, so no added expense there. If I were to spend more money on heads it would be to outfit the kit with Earthtone calf. Mooo.

The hardware pack that comes with the kit is kind of lame, but is lightweight and compact, so I am hanging on to them. I play heel down, so the pedals are not that big of an issue. I am ordering a Vater Vintage Bomber for the bass drum. I have one, but it is earmarked for another kit, so perhaps I'll order two and keep one around for a spare.

I am going to install another shell mounted clamp on the bass drum right above the one for the suspended floor tom. That will allow me to employ a cymbal L-arm and leave the stand that came with the kit at home.

Here is a progress photo to show how small this kit is. The little amp on the right is a Roland Cube 30, which itself is minuscule and a good reference for the actual kit's footprint.

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I'm still not ready to make objective comments, so bear with me. Also, by Wednesday I should have some videos since we rehearse then and usually take rehearsal videos for critical review later.

 

[mtarrani]

I guess it's all subjective. I've heard so many people say "it's not the wood, it's heads and tuning". Then I've also heard many say maple is so much better sounding than poplar. I dunno. I guess it comes down to - does it sound $200 better to your ears?

I am one who is a firm believer in heads and tuning ... and bearing edges.

 

[studrum]

I've always been interested in Brazilian drums (and drumming!), and I have at least one micro-kit that I gig regularly with, so I am very interested in your thoughts on the Odery.

 

[mtarrani]

I've always been interested in Brazilian drums (and drumming!), and I have at least one micro-kit that I gig regularly with, so I am very interested in your thoughts on the Odery.

I will have a good baseline Wednesday when I have videos of my band's rehearsal with the kit. It's still not sufficient for making categorical statements since my rehearsal studio has good acoustics, but it will be a step towards knowing how this little kit will fit in the mix of live music. I believe Thursday night we will have an opportunity to shoot some videos at an outdoors venue, which will be more telling. Stay tuned.

 

[JazzDrumGuy]

I love the color! I have a 10x14 70's Slingy 5 ply tom that I converted into a bass drum. I added hoops, claws and retractable legs. I wish Aquarian made 14" Sound Kick bass batters, but they only go to 16 (I pretty much use them on all my 16/18 basses). For this bass, though, I use a reso smooth 14" white head and the batter is a coated Emperor X dot - my understanding is its the Emperor but 20% thicker plies) and I have an 8 point asterisk of clear packaging tape on the inside for extra muffling (the bass is empty - no pads, rags, etc.).

Considering it's only 14", it has a nice boomy sound to it....perfect for jazz.
I actually added a vintage WFL snare stand top piece to the drum and run it through the set-o-matic tom mount and have it anchored at the bottom (inside the bass) and it works quite well.......