My new British Drum Company kit is here

[mkelley]

Those lugs are a work of art.

They remind me of the 70’s Beverley/Premier lugs. Love the Art Deco design both BDC and their Premier and Beverley ancestors used

 

[nmosko]

I love that lug, it’s like a Ludwig Imperial, but better! still holding out for a Merlin snare! Will get one soon!

The 6.5 Merlin is the snare I got that turned me on to these guys. Once you get one you'll fall in love. top notch snare in every way dude.

 

[nmosko]

Gorgeous drums!!!
They remind me of vintage Premiers, you will never get tired of their look because they are unique.
What made you choose black? Great choice by the way with that chrome work and unique lugs.

Honestly I was really looking at the carnaby slate color, but I would've needed to get them from Europe and deal with the customs thing. And Black is my favorite color. I already have a black kit that is just a gloss black, but this one has that unique texture and I just really loved it the more I looked at it and just decided it was meant to be.

 

[nmosko]

What is that made of?

COB

 

[nmosko]

I like the hardware for starters, specifically the lugs and the leg holder-thingies (do these have a name???) on the floor tom. Classy and distinctive. Looks like they are very nicely finished inside too. Enjoy the kit!

Floor Tom Brackets I do believe lol

 

[nmosko]

FYI, the lug is called their "Palladium Lug"

 

[karlcrafton]

This is that kit I mentioned... wow wow wow.

 

[flatwins]

Premier lives on! Beautiful drums!

 

[Davo]

Been a few decades since I was in West Coast Drum Shop . I’ve since moved away from the area long ago but it’s good to know they’re still in business .

 

[nickrobotron]

Love those drums! I love that finish too. Exactly what I would order.

I play some old Premier Projector toms that are birch with re-rings. They are among my very favorite drums. I have to think BDC thought about Projectors when they made these.

Projectors were marketed to the gnarly rock drummer wanting slam and punch. But they do so much more. I wonder if these sound similar.

 

[JustSumGuy]

Here’s some pics/info for anybody wondering about BDC! First, big thanks to West Coast Drum Shop. Chris at WCDS was super nice and I couldn’t be happier about the experience with them.

Next, this is a legend series kit (all birch) and I have been told that these have a sound very very similar to all-birch Sonor Drums. They absolutely do. The closest sounding kit to this one that I have heard was an SQ1 kit at Fork’s in Nashville. Keith Keough, the founder, was the master builder at Premier so I’ve also read that they are similar to Premiers, but I’ve never heard Premier drums so I can’t comment on that.

My first impressions were that the drums are absolutely top notch quality (as they should be) and the hardware/lugs/rods/hoops are great. The hardware on this kit is fantastic and very sleek. The finish is gorgeous as well. I’ve always preferred black drums but it’s hard to make black super unique. They really did that with this kit that cause the black finish has a very fine and subtle pearlescent quality to it. It’s called Night Skye. The small details like the stripe going down the drum and the “made in Britain” badges and interior labels really look and feel luxurious. These drums do not feel mass-produced.

BDC claims that the patented cold process they use allows their drums to get a lower fundamental and a very good and balanced mix. I’m definitely drinking the kool aid on that one, because this 12x8 absolutely (with an ambassador) gets to a lower, punchier note than any Gretsch BK tom or Pearl tom I’ve used with the same head. I think the effect of the cold-press process is definitely true. The 16x16 growls and the 16x22 is a beast. Thunderous drums with low-end more reminiscent of maple or mahogany. That birch cut is there in spades too!

These drums are very modern. I would NOT recommend these to anyone going for a vintage sound or a jazz sound. BDC offers the Lounge series for a vintage/jazz sound. I probably would have gotten a lounge series but they only make lounge series kick drums with a 14” depth, and I really really do not like 14” depth kicks. They are just not enough for me.

Lastly, the snare drum. All I’ll say about the snare drum is that I’ve never in my life heard a 6.5 wood snare drum that sounds like Lars Ulrich’s black album snare. This one does except it’s just warmer. I mean damn it’s got more crack, sustain and body than any snare of the same size/material. It truly sounds like a gunshot. I was blown away by the snare. I have no idea how they made a 6.5 birch snare sound like this. My 6.5 Pearl BRX snare isn’t even close to being this strong and tune-able, even though the thickness is about the same as well. The sensitivity is incredible, and it has body unlike anything I’ve ever heard.

Anyhow, here’s some pics!!

I remember seeing this kit over at WCDC and had already seen BDC's stuff at the last NAMM show.....Beautiful! Especially this kit which looks even better in person....I hope they're a blast for many years to come!

 

[mkelley]

Honestly I was really looking at the carnaby slate color, but I would've needed to get them from Europe and deal with the customs thing. And Black is my favorite color. I already have a black kit that is just a gloss black, but this one has that unique texture and I just really loved it the more I looked at it and just decided it was meant to be.

I'm the process of getting a Premier kit from the UK. Customs is more streamlined than what it was 5, 10, 20 years ago. I've ordered a lot of new and used Premier parts from the UK over the past two months and its takes about two weeks to get through their customs backlog. The UK Royal Mail has a fairly streamlined approach, I haven't ordered from the EU in a few years so I do not know if their process has improved.

 

[SAXET]

Congratz! I absolutely love my Legend series! I went with the Buckingham Scarlett for my snare and it not only looks beautiful it sounds AMAZING!
I think they stopped making the finish but they are out there to be had.

British Drum Co. 14 x 5.5" Legend snare, cold-pressed birch 6 mm shell, Buckingham Scarlett | Reverb

14 x 5.5" Legend snare drum, cold-pressed birch 6 mm shell, Buckingham Scarlett finishClean, focused and powerful.Handmade in Great Britain.- Shell: Cold-pressed birch 5.5 mm- Bearing edges: Hand cut, 45-degree- Snare beds: Hand cut, 1.8 mm deep- Batter hoop: Triple flange, 2.3 mm- Snare hoop: Tr...

reverb.com

​

 

[richardh253]

What is that made of?

per BDC website

A classic in every sense, Bluebird’s 14” x 6” chrome over brass shell forms a foundation to the resonant character of this drum, with a stylish double bead to focus the sound. The art-deco inspired Palladium hardware is elegance defined, but is also designed to optimise the connection between the shell and the heads, creating a snare sound that is inherently more musical than metallic.

 

[richardh253]

Congratz! I absolutely love my Legend series! I went with the Buckingham Scarlett for my snare and it not only looks beautiful it sounds AMAZING!
I think they stopped making the finish but they are out there to be had.

British Drum Co. 14 x 5.5" Legend snare, cold-pressed birch 6 mm shell, Buckingham Scarlett | Reverb

14 x 5.5" Legend snare drum, cold-pressed birch 6 mm shell, Buckingham Scarlett finishClean, focused and powerful.Handmade in Great Britain.- Shell: Cold-pressed birch 5.5 mm- Bearing edges: Hand cut, 45-degree- Snare beds: Hand cut, 1.8 mm deep- Batter hoop: Triple flange, 2.3 mm- Snare hoop: Tr...

reverb.com

​

I have one that is mint-new, never been played or even tapped, tags still attached, w/box it shipped in....not sure if it's for sale yet but it might be, if someone is interested.

 

[cobaltspike]

The lugs look like a morphed version of Ludwig Imperials to me. Very nice looking though.

 

[purity]

Beautiful drums you have there, pure class. I've been really impressed with everything BDC has done and like others have mentioned, see them as the heir to the Premier throne (maybe they can bring back those beautiful cast barrel hoops...). I own one of their Bluebird snares and when compared to some of my older Premiers, it seems obvious where they drew the inspiration for the lugs from (like mkelly pointed out).

 

[Pimp-a-diddle]

The only other drums I've seen with that much love on the inside of the shell are the Star line from Tama. That said, BDC understands the value of presentation in a very beautiful way. I was SO bummed when Premier cashed out. They had dropped the Resonator line well before they closed, but I was hoping they would do an anniversary run and give me one more shot at picking up a set now that I'm a bit older and my bank account no longer screams "20-something living on Mac & Cheese"!

 

[MrDrums2112]

Congrats! What a classy looking set of drums!

 

[Snooter]

So nice to hear you're happy with new kit. Looks beautiful by the way. Glad you said things have gotten better for you. Enjoy those drums!!!!!