DrumFrame with V-drums?

[marksil1]

Hi,

I have looked at one of these several times at a local music store. While the concept is good it seems counterintuitive to play "up hill". I was wonder if anyone had any experience playing on one of these things that he or she could share. It's a lot of money to plunk down for something so radical unless you could be pretty sure you'd like it. I know Omar Hakim is an endorser but I was wondering if anyone on here had one or had regularly used one.

Thanks.

Mark

[Jaay]

I don't own one personally, but I play on one regularly at a drumshop near me. The playing uphill thing might be an adjustment you could fix. I know there's a lot of adjustable points near the throne you could tinker with. I think the bigget problem with it would be portability. I know that it is collapsable and has a case for it and everything, but it seems to me it's a lot more weight to carry around, unless you're using it for home practice or at a gig where you can leave your equipment.

As far as I know, the DrumFrame was constructed for ergonomics and feel. Ergonomically speaking, the reclined position of the seat means you use less muscle energy in your back which means you can put it toawrds your limbs. The location of the drums puts everything towards you so you can reach everything easily. Feel-wise, it's built on the principle of Shared Vibrational Energy, which comes in two parts: 1) The vibrations of the drums transmit throughout the rack, "priming" them when not being played. This is kind of like tapping a suspended cymbal before you do a swell so you don't roll cold. NOTE: This isn't the same as the sympathetic vibrations that plague us all. 2) Since the entire 'Frame is one big pice, the vibrations from the instruments, especially the kick and snare transmit through the rack so you can feel it in the seat. It's kind of like a built-in, acoustic version of the rump-shakers we've all seen people attach to the bottoms of their thrones.

A nice little side-bonus of the DrumFrame is that because EVERYTHING is a part of the rack, the kit stays exactly the same. That's one of my problems with rack systems, even though most of the drums and cymbals stay the same, the throne, kick, and hi-hats are still freestanding. You wouldn't have this problem with a DrumFrame.

I love the concept, and I love playing on the 'Frame, but it seems to me, except for the ergonomics, there's not much of an advantage in using the 'Frame over a more conventional rack, at least in the case of electronics. Since pads don't transmit as much vibration as drums do (except kick pads on the floors of your apartment )the SVE principle doesn't seem like it would be much of an issue. Also, since vibration is meant to traverse the rack, and vibrations are what e-drummers seek to avoid, you might be setting yourself up for some problems. If you have a dealer near you, I'd suggest maybe asking them to set up a V-kit on the 'Frame and try it out.

Don't take this as knocking the DrumFrame. Trust me, if someone offered one to me, I'd snap it up in a heartbeat. But for E's? A little impractical, I think.