My name is Paul and I am a self-taught drummer and drum builder based in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles. I started drumming back in high school of 2004, and my first kit was a Tama Swingstar 5-piece kit with Tama cymbals. I began to play in several small local bands, and played every show that came my way just because I enjoyed playing music. The Swingstar never failed me and I still have that kit to this day.
After almost a decade with using my loyal Tama Swingstar kit, I decided that I finally deserved an upgraded kit. The only problem was that I was finding a lot of the kits on the market were very expensive for me, and I was a little hesitant about blowing close to $1000-$2000 depending on what I was looking for. Not to mention that my car was smaller, and I wanted a very minimalist setup of a 4-piece kit with specific smaller sizes (notably a 20″ kick drum).
The DIY side of me then kicked in, and gears began to turn in my head about solving this issues of customization and expenses. I thought if I could attempt to make my own snare drum, then maybe I can actually build the rest of the kit. I didn’t think this was a bad move, as the drum shell I picked up was close to $30 dollars plus the hardware was another $80. I figured might as well give it a shot, and if I messed it up then I’ll just stop there and cut my losses for the failed snare drum.
I was shocked that there was no information online on how to accomplish building my snare, so I spent countless hours digging through woodworking forums and videos trying to find any information I could apply to my project because I didn’t have the first clue. I really wanted to make this happen, but kept at it.
From the day I started playing that drum, I knew I had to do an entire kit for myself. I still had a lot to learn, but I was at least confident that I could at least do a decent job. Then it dawned on me that there are probably others like myself out there who have either built or would like to build their own drums with little information just like me. I decided to then document my findings and progress on Instagram where posted every step of the way. I am still learning this craft, but I plan to continue documenting everything, hoping to help people like myself who want to make their own kits. Cheers!
Fountain Drums 