Here we have an extremely special drum kit made by Drum Workshop. This is Number 91 out of 200 drum kits produced to mark DW's 30th Anniversary in 2003. For the 30th Anniversary DW made these Timeless Timbre kits with over 500+ Year old birch stocks recovered from Lake Superior. Every kit was hand numbered out of 200 and individually hand signed, numbered and dated with signatures by DW's John Good (President) and Don Lombardi (CEO) inside each shell.
This 500+ year old Birch used to create the shells for this drum kit is an ancient wonder-wood from old growth forests. These logs originally harvested in the 1800's sat at the bottom of Lake Superior at such low temperatures and oxygen deprived that it perfectly preserved the wood, as well as leeching all the sap from the cells in effect turning them into millions of tiny resonating chambers - perfect for drum shell construction. The result is similar to the process of soaking the wood as made famous by Stradivarius. These Timeless Timbre Birch sets are notorious for their phenomenal sound quality and continuously accrue in value too, there will never be kits like this again!
The kit we have here is quite unusual in terms of its individual finish and size specs. Most of the series was split in to two standard colour offerings with the choice of with or without rose banding. One standard 7 piece configuration over a 22" bass drum is the way most of these kits appear to have been supplied, Satin Chrome hardware was also standard to accompany the Timeless Timbre aesthetic. This set is finished in Purple Magenta Burst and in a smaller set of sizes and configuration making this kits specs potentially a one of a kind within the 200 sets. The original customer ordered the kit to feature the regular DW badges of the period as apposed to the Limited badges offered as standard, the limited run badges were certainly not visually as nice as the Gold DW badges of the time so we assume this was purely a cosmetic decision. The kit is accompanied by e-mails from DW confirming all the specifications and authenticity of the kit.
- 20 x 16 Bass Drum
- 10 x 8, 12 x 9 & 15 x 13 F.A.S.T. Toms
- Purple Magenta Burst
- Satin Chrome Hardware
- Number 91 of 200 kits
- 500+ Year Old Lake Superior Birch Shells
- STM Mounting Systems
- Timbre Matched Shells
- True Pitch Tuning
- Hand Signed and Numbered by John Good & Don Lombardi
- Hand Built October 1st 2003 in the USA.
- Pre-Loved - 9.5/10 Condition - Very Slight Marks on the Satin Chrome Bass Drum Spurs - Typically age related - The kit is fitted with New Heads.
- This will suit both Players looking for an incredible sounding drum kit and/or serious collectors!
Please Note:
Pictured with Craviotto Timeless Timbre Steve Jordan snare drum, Paiste Cymbals and Sakae hardware. These items are not included in the sale.
Drum Workshop 30th anniversary Lake Superior Birch Timeless Timber drum set Press Release information from 2002:
"In 1999, when Drum Workshop first unveiled its Timeless Timber drum sets, a unique quality of sound as well as a new standard of visual beauty was created from the 500-year old hardwood discovered on the bottom of Lake Superior. DW's original Lake Superior Maple drum sets were prized by collectors and professionals alike. In 2002, to celebrate the drum company's 30th Anniversary, another limited edition of the popular yet rare drum sets will be produced out of Lake Superior Birch.
According to Drum Workshop's vice-president and drum designer John Good, the new Lake Superior drums are just as unique as their predecessors. 'This highly-figured Birch has many of the same characteristics as the Birdseye Maple we found in the late 90s' comments Good. 'But, it also has a richness of tone and appearance of its own. In this regard, the drums are not only different from every other drum on the planet, the wood is also different from the Maple logs that were raised from the lake earlier.'
The bonanza of slow-growth trees found on the bottom of Lake Superior was harvested by under-water treasure hunters who came across the sunken forest almost by accident. As they were clearing their view, the divers discovered thousands of logs that had sunk during the trip to local sawmills over 100 years ago. By inspecting, measuring and researching the trees, historians were able to determine that many of the trees had been growing for 500 or more years before they were felled. In addition to their advanced age, more intense figuring and greater density, the years in the deep, cold water had also cured the wood, thus providing an uncommonly musical temperament when used to create drums.
DW's Lake Superior Birch kits are available in a standard seven-piece configuration including 7x8 ", 8x10", 9x12", 12x14" and 14x16" Furthermore, only 200 of the 30th Anniversary Lake Superior Birch Timeless Timber drum sets will be produced- giving a handful of drummers a rare chance to be part of musical history."