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| Topics | Product | Policy | Endorsers | Price List | Color | Link | Online Store |
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| Modern Drummer Review | Zelkova review | |||||||||
Modern Drummer Review !! |
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 Canopus Zelkova Snare Drums (Review 1) |
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| "Rare beauties from the mysterious East" | |||||||||
| by Rick Mattingly | |||||||||
| Modern Drummer September 2000 | |||||||||
| Canopus Toms And Bass Drums (Review 2) |
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| "Designed To Be Different" | |||||||||
| by Rick Mattingly | |||||||||
| Modern Drummer June 2001 | |||||||||
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| Canopus Zelkova Snare Drums "Rare beauties from the mysterious East" by Rick Mattingly |
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| According to Canopus, this process creates a shell with a 9% moisture content, compared to 12% on typical drum shells. The result is a snare drum with a wide spread of overtones. With the depth and body one would expect from a wood-shell snare drum, it also has the high-end ring that's more typical of a metal-shell drum --- and that helps the sound project. This was true of all three Canopus snare drums that MD received for review: a 6.5x14, a 6.5x13, and a 4x14. |
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| Getting In Shape The outside of the Canopus shell has a very slight vertical curve to it, making it fatter in the center and slightly thinner at each edge. This allows the head to extend out from the shell slightly, much like the heads on timpani. Such mounting tends to increase a head's resonance. On the inside, the shell has a 7/8" taper at each end, culminating in a thin, smooth bearing edge. At its fattest point in the center, the 6.5" shell is nearly l/2" thick, gradually thinning to about l/4" where the sharp taper on the inside of the shell begins. The single element of the drum that has a somewhat raw, unfinished look is the air vent. It's simply a hole drilled through the shell. There's no grommet around it, and the logo badge is attached elsewhere on the shell. But the vent doesn't have a particularly unsightly appearance. In fact, it's hardly noticeable at all except close up at certain angles. The drums are fitted with die-cast rims and classic, double-ended brass tube lugs (with no springs or other parts that can rattle). Each drum has eight lugs attached to the shell with a single screw. Lugs are isolated from the shell by leather washers. Likewise, the tension screws are isolated from the rim by two leather washers with a metal washer sandwiched between them. The snare-release lever is a standard vertical throw-off design. Snare-tension adjustments are located on the butt plate as well as the throw-off. The screws with which the snare unit is attached to the throw-off and butt plate are drumkey operated. The snares themselves are standard spiral wire. The drums came fitted with Remo coated Ambassador batter heads and clear Ambassador snare-side heads. The drums come finished in a stained gloss over the natural wood (which has a striking grain pattern). This will appeal to some drummers and not to others, but it' s certainly distinctive. |
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| Solid Sound The integrity of the bearing edges and the rigidity of the die-cast hoops make the Zelkova drums easy to get in tune with themselves. Snare response was excellent: The drums sounded crisp and articulate when cranked up tight, and fat and gutsy when the heads and snares were loosened a bit. Rimshots were bright and powerful. The 6.5x14 model combined a bright, cutting attack with a warm, full-bodied tone that could work in a wide variety of musical styles. It also had plenty of projection for unmiked settings. The 4x14 version had similar tonal qualities, but the shallower shell gave it a slightly more contained sound with enhanced crispness and response. This would be a good choice for acoustic or softer electric settings, as well as for situations where the drum will be miked. The 6.5x13 drum was a pleasant surprise. In general, 13" heads work better with shallower shells. A deep snare drum with a small diameter can often sound like a tom-tom with snares. But the Zelkova 6.5x13 produced a clean, high-pitched sound with plenty of body and projection. It would be especially good in live, unmiked situations where you want the high pitch of a piccolo snare drum but need more sheer sound than a 3" or 4" shell can typically deliver. |
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| Worth A Search Zelkova snares have been a well-kept secret among top international drummers for several years. In fact, Canopus may have been the first company to offer one-piece, bored-out drums. Whether or not that' s the case, the point is that these drums are not new and trendy. They're well-established, with a deserved reputation among those familiar with them. After playing them myself, I can understand why. The drums feature unique, Iabor-intensive construction, and they are imported --- so they aren't cheap. But they have a design unlike any other, and they sound terrific. So you definitely get what you pay for. Canopus drums aren't on the shelves in every local drumshop. But they are available through a few selected dealers across the country or directly from the manufacturer in Japan. The company's web site is canopus.inc.co.jp/, or you can email them at canopus@tkh.att.ne.jp. |
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| Modern Drummer September 2000 | |||||||||
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Canopus Toms And Bass Drums
MISSES
by Rick Mattingly |
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| A short time back I reviewed the solid-shell Zelkova snare drum made by a small Japanese company called Canopus. It was a unique drum in terms of its sound and construction. Canopus has also offered a variety of metal and ply-shell snares for quite a while. But now the company has entered the US market with toms and bass drums to create complete drumkits. |
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| Ring Around The...Drum In the 1960s and '70s, reinforcement rings in drumshells were the norm (with the exception of Gretsch). But in the 1980s several drum-makers besides Gretsch started offering shells with no reinforcement rings, claiming that a quality drumshell doesn't need them. Pretty soon, reinforcement rings became the exception rather than the rule. Canopus has taken a fresh look at the situation and decided that reinforcement rings are desirable in toms and bass drums. But the rings they use are quite thin. While they do add strength to the shell where it's most needed, they are also designed to enhance the vibrational capabilities of the shell by addressing a basic conflict in drum-making. It is generally agreed that the thinner a shell, the more resonance the drum will have and the warmer the tone will be. But if the shell is too thin, the drum won't have the strength it needs to withstand the tension of the heads and to stand up to forceful playing. Because they use reinforcement rings, Canopus is able to start with a thin shell. From there, they use nine different "formulas" of shell plies + ring plies + ring width to create their eleven tom and bass-drum models. The rings vary in thickness from 3-ply to 5-ply, increasing the shell thickness at each end of the drums by 60-100%. The rings also vary in width from 1/2" on the smallest rack tom to 1.25" on floor toms and bass drums (except the 12x15 bass drum, on which the ring is only 1" wide). Canopus explains all of this by comparing the shell to a guitar string and the reinforcement ring to a guitar bridge. If you're curious, read all about it at the company's Web site, www.canopusdrums.com. |
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| The company also matches the bearing edge to the type of drum. Rack toms, floor toms, and bass drums each feature edges with slightly different profiles. According to the company, this is done to control high-pitched overtones so that no muffling is necessary. This all sounds good in theory, but how do the drums sound to the ears? We'll discuss them by category. |
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| Bass Drums We received bass drums in all four sizes that Canopus makes. I started with the 15x22 drum, and immediately came to the conclusion that it was everything a bass drum should be. It had plenty of punch, but it also had a warm tone. The sound was dry enough that I didn't feel the need for any additional muffling, yet it had enough resonance and sustain to make it sound rich and full. |
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 The 15x20 drum was equally impressive. Because of its diameter, it favored a slightly higher pitch, but it still had plenty of bottom. And while it understandably didn't produce quite as much volume as the 22" drum, it had more power than I expected. As such it would probably be the best choice for those needing a drum that's strong enough for rock but that wouldn't overpower pop or even jazz settings.Having played quite a few jazz gigs over the years, l've heard many 18" bass drums that sound more like large toms. (You might call them "baritone" drums.) But the Canopus 14x18 bass drum got a credible bass sound with good punch and a warm tone. In fact, it compared favorably to some 20" bass drums l've worked with. If an 18" bass drum is a "baritone," then you'd have to call a 15" bass drum a "tenor." Anyway, that was my take on the Canopus 12x15. Tuning it as low as possible without the heads flapping, I was reminded of the way Elvin Jones tunes his 18" bass drum. l've heard other jazz drummers use similar tunings. So the Canopus 12x15 drum might find favor with drummers who want to keep their "bass" drum above the range of an acoustic bass player. This drum could also work for those who pad their bass drums so as to get a dry "thud" rather than a "boom." Of course, even a thud has some pitch to it, and there is no way that this drum will ever be mistaken for a 22" or even a 20", On the other hand, it could be quite adequate for triggering applications, and it certainly is easy to carry compared to a traditional bass drum. I'd suggest a drier batter head than an Emperor, though...such as a Pinstripe. |
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| Floor Toms One of the company's stated goals is to reduce "undesirable" high-pitched overtones by shaping the bearing edge.  They've certainly achieved it with the floor toms, although from prior experience with floor toms on which the shell depth is less than the head diameter, l'm not sure all the credit can be given to the bearing edge. Nevertheless, all three drums had a considerably dry sound. But they also had quite a bit of sustain, which you don't always get with such a narrow range of overtones.Of the three drums, the 12x13 had the best tone, with the 13x14 a close second. But try as I might to tune, the 15x16 remained dry to the point of sounding brittle. This is not the drum for those who like boomy floor toms that sound like you're playing in a bathtub. But for those who prefer a contained sound with strong attack and good sustain, all of the Canopus floor toms are worth investigating. |
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All Together Now |
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| Conclusions Canopus drums feature quality workman-ship, and they are professional in sound and appearance. But they're not just a carbon-copy of all the other drums on the market. What sets them apart is that elusive quality called "personality." The dry sound of Canopus drums won't fit everyone's taste or playing style, but then neither does the K" style of hand-hammered cymbals. Buddy Rich said that the best thing you can say about any drummer is that he has his own sound. Perhaps that same philosophy should be applied to drums themselves, If you agree, you should check out Canopus drums. They're available through various dealers in the US, and can also be ordered direct from the company's Web site: www,canopusdrums.com. |
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| THE NUMBERS | |||||||||
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Drumheads: Shells: 100% American maple Finishes: Standard colors: sparkles in red, blue. green, black, silver, gold, and champagne, solid black. Custom colors (10% extra charge): black oyster, white marine sparkle, and black diamond. |
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| Modern Drummer June 2001 | |||||||||
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Rack Toms