Hello Craviotto

So, another pandemic blog post here, not a great deal happening aside from the teaching and home studio work, but a perfect time for a new addition to the family!

This particular drum is one i’ve long lusted over, made by arguably the best wooden drum shell maker of the modern age, Johnny Craviotto (1946-2015). The 14x5.5” steam bent, solid maple shell was made in July 2000, while Johnny was in partnership with Drum Workshop (DW Drums), and is the result of that collaboration. It has a beautifully figured, natural maple finish has a beautiful grain, subtly sealed by the satin lacquer, and complimented nicely with 24k Gold plated hardware.

“I had my own facility, which allowed me to stay in the Monterey Bay area, and they had the rights to the shells; a co-branded DW/Craviotto drum.” (Johnny Craviotto, 2015)

*Johnny C’s signature on the inside of the shell.*

Sound wise the drum has a wonderful tuning range, and sings beautifully in all areas, though i’m currently favouring the mid-high range. Solid shell drums are known for having a wonderful amount of body and depth, and this one is no exception. The thickness of the main body of the shell is 3/8” with solid maple reinforcing hoops top and bottom, and 45° bearing edges. It is fitted with 10 of the instantly recognisable DW turret lugs, 2.3mm triple flanged hoops and a DW branded Nickelworks strainer (though that will be getting upgraded to the new DW Mini MAG design soon, along with the DW 3 Position Butt plate - both in the same 24k gold plated finish).

Listen (and watch) below for a rough sound demo, just recorded as it arrived to me, with the heads that came on it, through the camera mic on my iPhone. There’ll be a proper sound file put on Youtube in the not too distant future!

Head choices for this drum are an Evans UV1 coated batter head, and a Hazy 300 resonant head. Alongside this, a set of 20 strand Puresound brass snare wires, which will give the best out of this drum, allowing the shell to sing and resonate nicely. Craviotto was a true master craftsman, and had meticulously high standards, nothing short of perfect would pass muster. This is about as good as it gets for the DW era of Craviotto, and I’m honoured to have such a drum in my collection. Expect to see and hear it on many upcoming sessions and shows through 2021 and beyond.