Although it was a bit heavy, I managed to take the entire kit in
one trip.
NOT SO LONG AGO, big drum sets were all the rage: power toms,
double bass drums, racks, double-braced hardware, you name it.
Taking up a prodigious amount of space onstage and in the van was a
badge of honor for many drummers. But bigger doesn't necessarily
mean better, and unless you have a drum tech or a roadie, lugging
all those heavy pieces back and forth can make you feel like a
lower life-form.
About ten years ago while in Canada, a certain professional
drummer got those schlepping blues. He commissioned that country's
premier drum manufacturer, Ayotte Custom Drums, to create a small,
easy-to-carry, pro-quality custom kit. Ayotte came through with an
innovative design that allowed the toms to nest inside the bass
drum for storage and transport. With the current craze for tiny
kits in full swing, the manufacturer recently made this small,
portable kit part of its current product line. Simply called the
Travel Kit, this little 4-piece drum set really packs a wallop.
For this review, Ayotte sent an all-maple WoodHoop Travel Kit
sporting a classy Vintage Gold Sparkle lacquer finish. The 12-ply
maple hoops were edged with a black stain, giving the drums a
distinctive look. Consisting of an 18"×16" bass drum, a
6"×10" rack tom, an 8"×12" floor tom, and a 5"×13"
snare drum, the kit was petite but not exactly lightweight. All of
the drums were 6-ply wood with 6-ply reinforcement rings, except
for the 10" tom, which was 5-ply with 5-ply reinforcement rings.
The snare and the bass drum both had eight TuneLock lugs per rim;
the two toms had six TuneLock lugs per rim. With the tom mounts
included, the entire kit weighed in at 40 pounds.
NUTS AND BOLTS
Ayotte's TuneLock Tension System makes changing heads quick and
easy, because you don't need to separate the tension screws from
the lug to release the head. A few turns of the drum key, and the
TuneLock cylinder slips readily out of the clamp. On WoodHoop
models, claw hooks hold the rims in place, so you must remove the
lug assembly to take off the heads. Ayotte provided a small packet
of spare parts, containing a hex wrench, extra washers, TuneLock
cylinders that have nylon plugs secured with metal set screws,
tension screws, and one each of the tom, bass drum, and snare claw
clips and collars with the TuneLock System attached.
The toms came outfitted with suspension bridge mounts fastened
to two lugs on each tom. The kit included separate L-arm brackets
to mount the toms on cymbal stands. The apparatus was fairly easy
to use, albeit a bit cumbersome in some situations where I needed
to adjust the height of the tom. In such cases, I had to remove the
tom to readjust the bracket on the cymbal stand. The ball-joint
socket design was otherwise very flexible, allowing positioning of
the tom at just about any angle. I found it somewhat inconvenient
to have to use a drum key to fasten the toms to the L-arm brackets
(Ayotte says T screws are now available).
A special rack-and-pinion snare throw-off allows continuously
variable tensioning of the snare wires, from no snare to loose and
rattling to tight and snappy. The 16" kick drum uses regular
floor-tom heads. Depending on the type of head you use, you can get
different sounds for different playing situations. For instance,
Pinstripe and Powerstroke3 heads provide a thicker sound for rock
applications. The kick came with an Emperor head on the beater side
and a coated Ambassador on the front head, giving the drum a jazzy
tone. The toms and snare had coated Ambassador batter heads and
clear Ambassadors on the bottom.
You can easily remove the front portion of the bass drum via
three quick-release clamps, making it simple to nest the two toms
inside for transport. The loose parts of the clamping mechanisms
stay with the removable section of the drum, meaning there's no
rattling if you opt to play the kick drum without the front head.
Adjustable spurs attached to the main body of the bass drum hold
the front end suspended. There is no reinforcement ring at the
front of the drum's main body, so the spurs pull the drum ever so
slightly out of round. A riser attached to the beater side
accommodates a kick pedal and elevates the drum so the beater hits
the sweet spot just above the center of the head.
ON THE ROAD
To test the kit, I used it at several rehearsals and took it out
on a gig with my band, the Tenth Planet, an improvisational
instrumental rock group with two drummers. I was duly impressed.
The rehearsal space lies up a flight of narrow stairs and down a
maze of hallways, and the Travel Kit's compactness served me well
as I was getting the drums to the room. Although it was a bit
heavy, I managed to take the entire kit in one trip and returned to
the truck for the cymbals and the hardware.
I used Tuxedo bags to transport the drums — before nesting
the toms inside the bass drum, I wrapped them in towels to prevent
dings and scratches. Ayotte is currently designing a special drum
sock system for the nesting toms and a padded, soft case for the
Travel Kit. Shoulder straps let the drummer carry the kit on his or
her back; the snare drum case clips to the kit case's top.
According to Ayotte, this allows you to carry the whole kit, a
cymbal case, and a small hardware bag in one trip. I have a hard
time picturing the addition of a small hardware bag to my burden,
though.
THE SOUND'S KILLER
This kit inspired me the moment I sat down to play it. The drums
were very responsive to sticking, tuned easily, and had a versatile
sound (albeit predominantly jazzy with the Ambassador heads). I
found the WoodHoops great for side sticking; they enhanced the
drums' resonance and upper harmonics, and they provided an
excellent surface for rim shots.
The live-sound engineer at the Tenth Planet gig loved it, as did
the rest of the band. The drums delivered a bright yet beefy sound
through the P.A. The small bass drum performed admirably for a
little feller; when miked, it presented a solid, punchy sound. As I
pounded out the requisite thump, thump, thump during the sound
check, everyone in the band looked over in surprise and gave it a
nod.
GOOD THINGS, SMALL PACKAGES
The travel kit is available with either Ayotte's WoodHoops or
conventional steel hoops. The WoodHoop model lists for $4,867,
while the steel hoop model goes for $3,604. The price tag may make
a drummer with a humble wallet inhale sharply (I did), but Ayotte
offers these drum kits direct on the Internet for about 45 percent
below list ($2,676.85 and $1,982.20, respectively). That's good
news for drum junkies everywhere. Ayotte specializes in custom
orders, so the drums are available in any of the lacquer
finishes.
The final word: this kit rocks. Ayotte may have reduced the drum
size, but it didn't scrimp on sound or quality. The Travel Kit
looks sharp and is well constructed, and the clever design should
appeal to those with space limitations or anyone who wants to
minimize the schlepping blues. The drums are sensitive, responsive,
fantastic sounding, and inspiring to play. Although it's a bit on
the heavy side, both in weight and in price, the Travel Kit is a
real winner. If you're serious about professional quality and great
sound — and if you have the ducats — this kit may be
the one for you. I reckon I'm in trouble.
TRAVEL KIT SPECS
Bass Drum 18"×16"
Rack Tom 6"×10"
Floor Tom 8"×12"
Snare Drum 5"×13"
Construction 6-ply maple with 6-ply reinforcement rings
(rack tom is 5-ply with 5-ply reinforcement; WoodHoop has 12-ply
maple hoops)
Lugs TuneLock
Weight 40 lbs.
PRODUCT SUMMARY
Ayotte
Travel Kit
WoodHoop, $4,867 ($2,676.85 from Ayotte's Web site); steel hoop,
$3,604 ($1,982.20 from Web site)
Overall Rating (1 through 5): 5
PROS: Compact. Great sound. Excellent stick response.
Good projection for a small kit. Inspiring to play. Fairly
versatile; can adapt to various musical styles via tuning and head
selection.
CONS: Requires a drum key to tighten down spurs and tom
brackets. Bass drum spurs pull the shell slightly out of round.
Although compact, the kit is a tad heavy. Pricey for the average
club musician.
Contact:
Ayotte
tel. (877) 736-5111
e-mail ayotte@ayottedrums.com
Web www.ayottedrums.com
