In 2006, I won a contract with Pro-Mark Drumsticks to design and build a very special snare drum to commemorate their 50th Anniversary in business. Initially, the concept was to produce 50 drums which incorporated the thee woods which Pro-Mark uses in their drumstick offerings - Hickory, Maple and their famous Shira Kashi Japanese Oak. Once my prototype arrived however, the company decided to increase the edition to 100 drums, with 50 of each in a 14 by 5.5 inch and 14 by 6.5 inch dimension.

 

The scope of this project was a departure for me, and necessitated a complete change in approach and location. For the most part I had been working on one drum at a time, and this required that I scale up to a whole new level of production. Fortunately the schedule allowed for enough time to refine my processes, and to build fixtures which would improve accuracy and tolerances. After almost two years and over  10,000 little blocks of wood, I completed the final Pro-Mark 50th Anniversary Snare Drum.

 

The team at Pro-Mark were extremely supportive and helpful, and together we introduced an instrument which is among the finest ever built. I would like to thank Mark, Kevin, Todd, Maury, Tat, Herb, Pat, and the rest of the team in Texas, as well as Jeff, Chris, Scott, Mike and all the great people at Garrison Guitars.