PDP LXE Kurillian Birch A to EZ Conversion Phase 1

[JmanWord]

Prolly should be more mature and all.... But I realize as I get older ... it's still not so different.... I'm a kid at Christmas .... all over again... only I'm not a kid and it's April.

The 5 Pc. PDP LXE Kurillian Birch kit came in today. The additional toms won't be in until mid May. I began converting the kick while I was on line here...
I'll share some pics of the kit as it arrived... and the converted A to EZ...
1st thing the counterpart had to say.... "I like the blue one better".... then she changed her mind and decided my aux. snares will match better with the new kit... She gives me till the end of summer till I start to concider the next kit... I can't believe she thinks I'd ever even concider that


So let the fun begin..... again... J

[JmanWord]

Convering back to acoustic is actually quick and easy with the A to EZ conversion... I pulled the trigger and mesh head from the Gretsch kick ... and put the Gretch acoustic head back on... 5 to 10 minutes. I decided to use a dif. jack on the LXE as the vent hole is slightly wider than the Gretsch.. a perfect fit for the in line jacks I already had on hand...
Some pics of the Converted LXE kick jack and the Gretsch kick conversion reversal, I really like the way the jacks are turning out... looks like a factory job on the outer drum :

[JmanWord]

OK... it isn't a great color match... But I will pull off 1 Gretsch drum... pull the triggers, reverse the conversion to Acoustic in the Gretsch and convert the LXE to A to EZ.... so until the final toms come in a mo. or so down the road... she'll be 2 tone! I hooked up the LXE kick... and .... OMG... it triggers better than any edrum ever made ..... Just kidding... It triggers just like the Gretsch did.... great! J

[hiroshi]

Dang, J, those shells look nice. Nice in a different way from the Gretsch. Maybe classier, smokier? Hmmm, I'da figured the WAF for the PDP would be higher than the Gretsch? But then I've never claimed to have figured women out: trickier than understanding module settings.

Chris

[JmanWord]

Originally Posted by hiroshi

Dang, J, those shells look nice. Nice in a different way from the Gretsch. Maybe classier, smokier? Hmmm, I'da figured the WAF for the PDP would be higher than the Gretsch? But then I've never claimed to have figured women out: trickier than understanding module settings.

Chris

Yeah, I'm really lovin that finish/grain...

Impossible to completely figure out the opposite sex... but as far as WAF ... the appeasement fees are not necessarily collected upon delivery... could come due anytime... and as always they are retroactive

[Michael Render]

I think you lucked out with Mrs. Word. She sounds like an angel.
Beautiful looking kit. It's so cool when doing AtoE that you don't have to worry about how the drum sounds. Just how it looks. To paraphrase Billy Crystal doing Fernando Lamas, "It is better to look good than to play good. And you look Mahvelous."

[JmanWord]

Originally Posted by Michael Render

I think you lucked out with Mrs. Word. She sounds like an angel.

Well she certainly has been hiding her horns well lately making me wonder about the plot... gotta be an angle or motive.... Nah... she's been really understanding in the last year or so... Actually seeing me work so much on all the DIY projects and realizing I've built quite a few trigger kits and an A to EZ drumkit for other drummers, she's become a lot more understanding... even she realizes there ain't no stoppin me, so she's kinda givin in.... She's pretty much accepted the fact that there is usually a stack of drums and various extra percussion items in the corner...

[JmanWord]

Here's a few more pics. I finished the 10" tom conversion in the wee hrs. of the morning.
I've been impressed when I pulled the triggers out of my Gretsch kit just how well they have held up and haven't budged a bit. The Gretsch was the maiden voyage for my conversions. I didn't really know all the features that would be optimal for conversion when I bought that kit... Many of the drums are 5 lug per head.... meaning that the crossbar design has no 2 lugs 180 degrees apart for mounting... Looking back I am glad for this as it pushed me to invent new ways to mount the triggers. I've actually used 3 methods of bar installation so far.. Velcro mount, lug mount, and a mount in a couple snares where I moved the strainer mount bracket to the inside of the shell and used it as a clamp to hold the L bracket on one side... and lug screw in the interior from the opposite bracket for the other L. So actually with the exact same bar and brackets .... it will mount to virtually any A drum shell... it is with few exceptions a Universal mount system.
When I pulled the triggers from the 10" Gretsch tom... I had to do a little prying to get everything out... those vecro mounts are very sturdy/secure.
But after the triggers are pulled and the acoutic heads put on.... it's back to the acoustic kit I purchased originally... J

[Rain Man]

Hey J!

Which jacks are you using again?

I have to redo my snare and I think the Radio Shack jack that I am using is part of the problem.

The kit is already looking sweet! But you definitely have the worst case of GAS than anybody I know.

Man! I wouldn't mind having that Gretch kit for an A kit!

Ray

[JmanWord]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Hey J!

Which jacks are you using again?

I have to redo my snare and I think the Radio Shack jack that I am using is part of the problem.

The kit is already looking sweet! But you definitely have the worst case of GAS than anybody I know.

Man! I wouldn't mind having that Gretch kit for an A kit!

Ray

Hi Ray... on the Gretsch I was using just a very inexpensive SPHJ-2 jack from Allelectronics ... I used those for 6 mos. with not one problem, but had to modify the plug to be able to insert deeper since the jack didn't quite extend all the way through the drum:
http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bi...rter_Inch.html

On the LXE ... because the fit didn't work out well with that one.. I am using the inside part of an in line audio jack ... it fits really tight through the vent hole...hand in glove.. SPJ-17 on that same Allelectronics page.

Normally as long as the jack gives a tight fit with the audio plug .... it will work fine.... cheap jack or not... One important key though is to tape off all your connections... the wires are in close proximity on those jacks... and it important to be sure they can't come in contact with one another from vibration/time... I do a continuity test before and after taping the contacts.. just last night on the tom... I tested the jack after it was taped and I had continuity between the tip and sleeve... took it apart... retaped all and now it is fine... so just a tiny bit of contact between wires or connections is a problem. I think I know which jack though at Radio Shack... if it is the all metal one... I don't like that one much cause all the connections are wide open... I actually like the plastic encased ones better...

All that being said though.. the last batch of mono jacks I got from Allelect.... 2 or three of them would not give good tip contact... I threw em in the trash... unfortunately I had wired one up in a splitter before I realized it was a bad jack... nothin like pullin all apart again after it was encased in shrink tubing and taped off.... and startin over to teach me a lesson... now I check all the jacks for a good fit with a male plug before I install em


By the way Ray... this LXE kit is a 7 PC. .... the Gretsch is an 8 PC. So technically I am doing my part to nip the GAS in the bud.... downsizing my kit..... sounds good anyway with all the drum sizes taken into account .... that will give me an extra 12" of floor/rack space.... wonder what I could put there?? J

[mike323]

Wow, beautiful color. You're making me want to pick up a new bass...

Originally Posted by JmanWord

Hi Ray... on the Gretsch I was using just a very inexpensive SPHJ-2 jack from Allelectronics ... I used those for 6 mos. with not one problem, but had to modify the plug to be able to insert deeper since the jack didn't quite extend all the way through the drum:
http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bi...rter_Inch.html

Used the same exact jack for my snare...the SPHJ-2. Thanks for mentioning to tape the terminals...I think i'll go do that now.

[JmanWord]

Finished the 12" tom... tonight I'll work on the 14" rack tom. After that the snare. After that... the wait begins... the last two add on toms (8" rack tom and 16" floor tom)ordered from DW/Pacific Drums by my buddy Shawn at GC(Thanks Shawn!) aren't due in till mid May ... something to look forward to! J

[JmanWord]

4 Down.... 3 to Go 14" LXE tom... now 14" A to EZ LXE tom.

[tamaman883]

I love those drums JMAN. It is such a beautiful finish. By the way, what the heck do you do for a living to be able to afford all these kits without having to sell one first. You should feel very fortuanate that your counterpart(wife or girlfriend) is so supportive of you building these kits. Its hard for me just to get in a half an hour before I hear griping about all my time being spent on those drums. She just doesnt get it, its a passion. I am in the process of building my second e-kit based on the Rolands, meaning, short shells not full size like yours. I hope to be done in a few weeks. My main kit at church is a TAMA ARTSTAR ES 7 piece kit. I have toyed with the idea of converting them, but I think I will wait until I get a TD-20. I have a TD-10 now.
Hope to see new videos of the new kit on your site soon.

[Myrk-]

I was under the impression Birch was not the same wood as maple... In all your descriptions you say your new kit is birch, but on all the shells it says "All Maple Shells"...

I'm confused