DW have announced a new technical breakthrough for the Collector’s Series, adding their SonicPly construction technology to their topline series of acoustic drum kits.
SonicPly bonds wood and metal layers together for strength and sound, producing drums that offer both huge projection and improved dynamic response. DW promises that drums with SonicPly shells will cut through mixes better, bringing enhanced presence to your playing, allowing every note to be heard with greater clarity whether you’re performing on stage or in the studio.
They’re the company’s first new shell construction enhancement since the introduction of their PurpleCore drumsin 2021 and they’ve been produced in conjunction with a star designer.
John Good has been nicknamed the ‘Wood Whisperer’ by Rush drummer Neil Peart and is the brains behind DW’s latest innovation, having worked as a drum tech with Michael Jackson, Frank Zappa, and many more.
Wood has brought his encyclopaedic knowledge of the science of wood plies and their sonic properties to the project and, following two years of experimentation, has come up with a process for bonding aircraft-grade aluminum and North American maple plies with a special adhesive formula.
The result is a drum shell that balances the optimum qualities of both wood and metal, and gives drummers a whole new sound and presence to play with.
SonicPly drums come in sizes from 10” to 24” in diameter, each fusing eight plies of maple with a 0.6mm core of aluminum.
Meanwhile the snares go multiple steps further, using twelve plies of wood with two aluminium plies to deliver a sound with warmth and resonance (courtesy of that maple) but teamed with the attack, crack and sustain of that aluminium.
The SonicPly drums come with Collector’s Series hardware, including Suspended Tom Mounts (STM), full-sized turret lugs, True Hoops, and standard bearing edge and are available in all of the Collector’s Series finishes, including the more exotic veneers and custom lacquers.
To hear how they sound, check out the video by Thomas Pridgen of The Mars Volta, Trash Talk, and Fever 333 above and a demo by Frank Zappa and Allan Holdsworth legend Chad Wackerman below.
Find out more here. Price and availability TBC.
