Latin Percussion Drum Kit AddOns
GEARREVIEWS
104 RHYTHM SUMMER 2006
Like the Black Beauty, the Rock
Ridge Rider Cowbell is made from
black painted steel, but it’s bigger (8",
or 20cm), heavier and has a deeper
tone. It also has a ridge of red Jenigor
plastic riveted onto its top lip. The
Jenigor dampens the resonance of
the bell a little and also reduces the
likelihood of denting the bell’s mouth
with constant playing.
Inbetween the cowbell and the jam
block (in both looks and sound) we have
the Green Blast Block. This has a ‘D’
cross section offering both curved and
fl at striking surfaces. It’s made from
another plastic formulation which LP
calls Bellastic. The sound is sharp and
biting with an explosive, almost rim
shot-style punch.
Gajate’s new gizmo
The Gajate bracket is an ingenious
gizmo, designed in collaboration with
percussionist Richie Gajate-Garcia. It is
a fl oor bracket designed for mounting
cowbells, jam blocks, or what-have-
you, for playing with a foot pedal in the
manner fi rst made famous by Horacio
Hernandez. The bracket comes in four
sections, including an ‘L’ shaped steel
mounting rod.
It took me a few minutes to fi gure out
how to erect the thing from the pictures
on the box, but once I did I could see
the logic in the construction. The four
KEY FEATURES
L
P’s new range of add-ons is
extensive to say the least. There’s
a pretty pile of items here, so let’s
skip the chit-chat and dive straight in.
First up is the Stealth Jam Block. The
jam block is the modern equivalent of
the woodblock, the difference being
that it’s made from a fantastically tough
plastic called Jenigor. The block itself is
conveniently designed so that it can be
mounted centrally or from either side. It
is secured via a threaded steel bolt with
a mini-clamp which has two small spikes
to prevent it from swivelling.
Jam blocks produce a shrill and
penetrating ‘clock’ sound, similar to
that of a real wood block, but with the
advantage that you can smack the jam
block as hard as you like and the only
thing that will shatter is your stick. Jam
blocks can double as claves, or for snare
drum cross-sticks, depending on the
musical context and where and how
you strike them. The Stealth Block is
a funky black version which comes with
a co-ordinated black powder-coated
mounting rod and multi-clamp.
Latin Percussion
Drum Kit Add-Ons
From £14 | Bored with conventional kit sounds?
Geoff Nicholls discovers LP’s new accessories.
ESSENTIALS
PRICES
Rock Ridge Rider £43
Gajate Bracket £42
Joey Castillo Pack £60
Mini Rack £50
Bass Cowbell
Bracket £14
Stealth Jam Block £40
Black Beauty £26
Green Blast Block £18
CONTACT
Arbiter Group Ltd
Telephone
020 8207 7860
Website
www.arbiter
group.com
Queens of the tone age
Endorsed by the hard-hitting QOTSA
sticksman himself, the Joey Castillo
Drum Kit Pack is a two-in-one set
pairing a mounted Cyclops tambourine
with a red, relatively low-pitched jam
block. The two items clamp one above
the other on a vertical rod that can be
fastened to any convenient stand using
the included Gibraltar accessory mount
multi-clamp. Temptingly, it comes with
a free Queens’ CD single (‘Little Sister’),
on which you can hear Joey belting out
fours on his jam block.
The tambourine’s elliptical shape
means you can slot it in next to or above
your hi-hats to add a tambourine back
beat along with your snare, play 16th
notes, etc. The Cyclops also has
rounded edges for stick comfort.
There is one concern though.
Because the two instruments are
clamped to the same bracket, when
you strike the jam block the tambourine
jingles inevitably join in via sympathetic
vibration. I don’t think there’s any
solution to this, and it may not trouble
you, but you have been warned.
Cowbells and mounts
The Black Beauty is the classic cowbell
for all-round pop or rock use. In fact, LP
claims this 5" (12.5cm) bell is the most
recorded cowbell in history. It has a
high-pitched note and the rounded
edges make it easy to get a decent
sound whichever way you strike it.
All LP mounted cowbells have a
forged eye-bolt clamp assembly welded
to the back of the bell at an angle. When
used on a bass drum with two top toms,
I found the angled bracket meant the
wingnut was out of the way of the
second tom, and you can pull the
second tom in closer than you would
be able to with a straight mount.
The eye-bolt clamp slots onto a
3
/8"
diameter mounting rod, and the large
wing nut is easy to grasp. The bracket
is also equipped with rubberised pads
in the clamp jaws so that it won’t gouge
notches out of your beautiful bass
drum hoops.
LP’s Stealth Jam
Block, made
from super tough
Jenigor plastic,
is one of the
company’s great
achievements.
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