Batch Processing the 'U Snare'

We’re thrilled to bring you a new era of Noble & Cooley - an era in which we have our first signature snare drum.

Introducing: The ‘U’ Snare, a collaboration between us and Ulysses Owens Jr, a three-time Grammy Award winning drummer and Juilliard educator.

The story of how it came to be is pretty simple. We’ve been working with Ulysses for over three and a half years now as a snare drum artist. He’s a wonderful person to work with and he’s the perfect fit for us as a company. We appreciate artists like him that understand what it means to be a boutique custom drum shop in an industry where it’s tough to compete with the artist programs of the behemoths. Couple that appreciation with our shared desire to favor ‘sound above all else’ when it comes to the instruments we choose to play, and you have a match made in heaven. Now back to the story - Ulysses approached us one day to see if we were interested in collaborating with him to make a signature snare. Within days we were on a Zoom call together hashing out what we’d all be excited to achieve with this project, and by the end of the call there was strong consensus on how to move forward.

The vision for the U Snare was pretty straight forward - create a drum that is:

1. Great sounding and versatile

2. Well made using quality parts & craftsmanship

3. Accessible to both professionals and aspiring professionals at the collegiate-level.

Now we have to admit that the third part of that vision was the most challenging for us. In the instrument world, the term ‘accessible’ is easily a synonym for ‘affordable’, and we’re very aware that our drums are not known for being the most affordable snares on the shelves at your local drum shop. This is by design. We want to make great drums, we want to use high quality parts, and we want to make them right here in our factory in Granville, Massachusetts. We don’t think of a price point and then make drums to fit that price point. We do the opposite. We make amazing instruments and then calculate a price that allows us to continue to be an operational business. The prices that we sell our drums for allow us to continue to be a company governed by principles.

So we challenged ourselves to think of all the ways we could achieve a level of accessibility. After all, this snare doesn’t need to be the most accessible snare drum out there. It just needs to be a more accessible Noble & Cooley snare drum.

There were a few things we first played around with, such as less parts and a simple finish. Those were small levers to play with, but levers nonetheless. So we worked on an 8-lug design, chose a Woodburn logo over badges (less materials), and gave it a natural satin finish. Those moves were a good start, but we needed something more profound to significantly alter the price. And that’s when we turned to the manufacturing process in general.

Those of you that know Noble & Cooley well know that every drum we make is to order. Meaning, we don’t have drums sitting on shelves. We make each drum one at a time based on a customer’s order. This approach is great in the sense that we allow customers to customize almost every part of their drum, but it’s a more time-consuming process that ultimately gets factored into our costs. 

So the answer became clear: in order to achieve a higher-level of accessibility, we had to batch process this drum. We had to make them in bulk doing each step for the batch all at once throughout every part of the process. This probably doesn’t seem like a novel idea if you have images in your mind of a Henry Ford-style factory assembly line, but for a boutique drum company, this is a completely novel thing for us to do. There’s 4 drum makers here and upwards of 80+ stations they could be working at on any given day. So doing one step over and over is completely out of rhythm (pun-intended) for how we normally build drums.

The key to doing a batched process approach for us was in the planning. We had to decide a specific number: 30 drums for the first batch - 25 for customers and 5 for promotional purposes. We had to acquire any parts we needed up front. And then we had to schedule when each step would happen without compromising our flow of making custom drums (yes… we still had to make many other drums during this process). So we chose a month-long window, averaging 2-3 steps in the process per week. Here is a glimpse of what the process looked like, condensed into a nice short and palatable video for you.

And of course, the result is one of our most accessible snare drums available without a single principle compromised. We invite you to reach out to your dealer to pick up one today.

The Reality of Custom Drums

Written by Lou Scalzo, Manufacturing Manager

Building custom drums is an art form that requires skill, creativity, and patience. As a drum builder, I have seen many customers come to me with unique ideas and visions for their dream drum kit. It's always exciting to bring their ideas to life, but it's not always an easy process.

These days, personalization or customization feels like it’s just one click away for any online order. Without ever picking up the phone or talking to someone live, you can buy a couch with a thousand different fabric and size configurations; make custom tee shirts for that celebration coming up; create your own sneaker designs; or put your name on just about any product.

Consumers have grown accustomed to being able to easily incorporate their unique vibes or add finishing touches to their purchases – never really having to think about what goes into it, or how that process might differ when the maker is a behemoth, factory-driven company versus a small, boutique shop, largely crafting things by hand.

Since custom is something we live and breathe, and very literally hold in our hands every day at Noble & Cooley, I wanted to share a little more about our approach to customization and how it makes us different.

We’re the Opposite of Automation.

We get very involved in translating customer visions. The process begins when customers share a vision of their dream drum. This vision is often an abstract concept – the sound, look, and feel they desire. It's a collaboration between myself and the salesman to translate this into a tangible plan. These conversations are an art in themselves, as we strive to understand and align with the customer's creative ideas. Every customer is looking for that perfect blend of great sound with a great look, and we're here to help them find that. And ultimately, every customer is going to get something unique, since nature ensures that each shell is a different slice of sound. While we make a lot of drums, we don’t do mass production.

We Favor Art over Speed, Every Time.

In the world of custom drum building, speed is often a point of contention. Customers eagerly anticipate their prized drums, and they understandably want them as quickly as possible. However, as artisans, we know that true craftsmanship cannot be rushed. Each drum is a unique piece of art, deserving the time and attention it takes to reach its full potential.

Managing this demand while maintaining the integrity of our craft is ongoing. We constantly balance artistry with efficiency, and customer expectations with the limitations of our vintage equipment. And when I say vintage, I mean it in the best way possible – because that’s a key part of building the drums our customers and fans have loved for decades.

We still prefer using our bare hands over fancy CnC machines or digital equipment for several parts of the process. It’s that personal touch that gives our shells the unique qualities they posess. And there’s just some shortcuts we’ve learned to avoid, like speed-drying shells.

We’re Constantly Balancing Old with New.

For those who haven’t visited our factory in person, the best way I can describe it is “a time capsule.” It’s filled with tools and machinery from the late 1800s and early 1900s, with well-worn wood, aged metals, and leather belts running on pulleys telling stories of countless drums crafted over the years. These tools, although aged, are a testament to the enduring craftsmanship that has been passed down through generations. They may not be the most efficient, but they hold beauty and character that newer machines can't replicate.

What also sets our factory apart is the dedication and passion of our employees. Each and every one of us is not only a craftsman but also a drummer. We understand the soul of the drum, its rhythm, and its role in music. This shared passion infuses every step of the drum-building process. We aren't just making drums; we're creating instruments that we’d love to play ourselves.

In the end, for Noble & Cooley, crafting custom drums is a journey that weaves together the past and the present. It’s a harmonious blend of tradition and innovation, craftsmanship and customer service, and patience and passion. The drums that leave our factory are not just instruments; they are the embodiment of countless hours of labor, creative energy, and unwavering dedication. It's a reality we embrace, and a journey we're proud to be a part of.

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About Lou Scalzo

Lou is a musician, carpenter and drum builder with 25+ years of experience in the industry. He leads all manufacturing at Noble & Cooley and is a key player in our Research & Development efforts. A skilled craftsman, Scalzo began working in carpentry in the late 90’s, honing his creativity over time to become a fine finish carpenter and furniture builder. Prior to that, he worked in the music sales and recording industry, becoming a well-rounded recording and live sound engineer.

You can follow Lou at Instagram @lou_scalzo1

Best Job Ever

Written by Luke Garro, GM

Luke Garro, here. For those of you I haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting, I’m the General Manager of Noble & Cooley.

In Fall 2020, I joined the Noble & Cooley team to take on what’s very likely the hardest, most rewarding, best job I’d ever experienced -- helping to lead the next chapter of growth for a historic – yet boutique – drum company I’ve been a fan of since the 90’s.

Why am I reinforcing the word “boutique” you ask? (Maybe you didn’t, but let’s talk about it anyway.)

Because the truth is, we’re as boutique as “boutique” can get. And a lot of people have the impression that because Noble & Cooley has been around forever, we’re a lot bigger than we actually are. (For better or for worse. Hopefully more for the better.)

And to us, “size matters” when it comes to the companies and people crafting drums for the next generation of drummers. To be fair, there are benefits to both sides of the equation – with behemoth parent company-owned drum manufacturers providing scale, speed or pricing perks, and boutique independent makers offering customization, innovation and intensely personalized service solutions. The balance of having both small and large options for drum enthusiasts can make the market and product innovation perpetually exciting and enticing.

But back to Noble & Cooley, I don’t think most people know that there are five individuals that come to this factory every day to work. Four of them make drums, and then there’s me. As the GM, I get to wear many hats. Many, many, many hats. In fact, a wise friend of mine once said, “You wear so many hats, you need another closet to keep them all in.” My role typically requires getting as many things done as I can in a day. From speaking with our amazing customers, to organizing the team, to inspecting or prototyping products, to managing marketing efforts or online order fulfillments, and more – I can confidently say that “a day in the life” of a General Manager at a boutique drum company sure looks a lot different than it would within our much-larger brethren.

Here’s a sampling of what any given day could look like, and the quick shifting of gears and juggling that occurs to be able to bring our very best to Noble & Cooley fans at all times:

If there’s any doubt in your mind why someone would sign up to do all these things in a day – it’s because I love it and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Our powerhouse team of five have never been ones who’d want to get caught up in the jurisdiction of a bigger company, and several of us have even run away from that. We love the benefits of being boutique and it’s our mission to keep those alive -- the agility to pivot from one thing to the next, the personalized attention we can offer, the way we can innovate on the fly, and the niche expertise we have and continue to develop. These drums – these works of art – and the people who love them as much as we do, fuel our drive and efforts every day.

As I’m writing this, I also can’t help but reflect on the strong parallels between drumming and business and the sheer amount of multitasking that needs to happen in both areas. With both, you have many individual things happening simultaneously, with the goal of it all working together in a symphony of sorts. Whether that means performing several tasks on the job all at once, or having all four limbs (and brain) working in unison to create a successful outcome. And that success comes from finding the right rhythm, staying focused, and maintaining a high level of performance in all that you do.

So, from one multitasker to another, cheers to all our drumming fanatics out there, especially those who have chosen to be part of something different with Noble & Cooley. I hope you’ve enjoyed a glimpse into our days and what it means to be boutique.

About Luke Garro

Luke is a seasoned entrepreneur, drummer for 25+ years, and the General Manager at Noble & Cooley. Having founded and run two successful boutique marketing agencies beginning in 2000, he now brings his creative and operational experience to the oldest drum manufacturer in America. Luke grew up as a touring and recording drummer for various bands in Connecticut and Massachusetts, which in 2001 led him to his current gig as the drummer for indie rock staple, Piebald.

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You can follow Luke at:

Instagram: @lukegarro