The Original, Sophisticated Canopus sound.
While developing the R.F.M. series, we first visualized what a maple shell should sound like. The modern maple drum shell has a solid, bright sound, but there are also some shortcomings that we believed could be improved upon. The shell itself does not resonate enough, the mid-range does not sustain enough, and there are often unwanted overtones.
We concluded that it must be possible to develop maple shell drums that maintain the existing desirable traits, yet also address these issues. With this in mind, CANOPUS has moved forward with an ongoing research into maple-shell construction, closely examining problems that arise as we experiment. For example, when we make a thin shell for greater resonance, we lose sustain and cannot feel the power of the drum. We know this through our experience and accumulated observations.
Reinforcement quickly drew our attention as a means to achieve a better sound. Reinforcement was originally meant to reinforce the shells, but we decided to use it proactively as a tool to shape tone. Through rigorous testing of all combinations in width, thickness and numbers of ply we have established our unique approach to reinforcing shells. Depending on a shell’s diameter and depth, we utilize different reinforcement construction as well as different shell construction. The result is our R.F.M. series that has a bright, solid sound with enough mid-range tone and resonance. We achieved a fantastic core drum sound as well; our maple drums have a wide tuning range, plenty of resonance and an excellent balance with the drum-set. We highly recommend our maple drums for all genres of music.
Club Kit
Rich Sound from a Compact Size Drum
The Club Kit was the first series CANOPUS introduced, and later it became the foundation of the current R.F.M. series. The Club Kit is characterized by the 15 inch bass drum, which is the smallest size that allows the use of a bass drum beater. Our challenge was to gain enough bass drum sound out of the smallest shell.
Although a 15 inch drum is usually only considered for a tom-tom, we succeeded in gaining a surprisingly rich and low bass drum sound. People trying the Club Kit for the first time are impressed by the rich sound from its compact size.
To achieve the rich sound on such a small drum, we use a standard tom-tom head. The difference between the bass drum head and the tom-tom head is the shape of the collar. On a 15 inch head, a standard bass drum collar is much too strong. It absorbs the energy on the head and even muffles the drums natural resonance. After comparing a bass drum style head with a standard tom tom head, we found the latter to be much more resonant on such a small shell. This is a small example of the attention to detail that CANOPUS brings to the table. Rather than relying on simple theory or common sense, we take the time to think outside of the box to ensure our products achieve the ideal sound we strive for and our customers demand.
Size and thickness of reinforcement rings varies with the size of each drum.
Canopus is fully committed to the quality of their products, I’ve had first hand experience. In addition, they treat their customers with the utmost respect. I feel very confident owning their drums, because I know Canopus stands behind their products.
– William Lue – The Pantones, Washington D.C.