"You will see 124 several Trixons sets!!! That's great, isn't it?"

August 14, 2006 11:42 PM

Hey, that drum set looks like it's melting! Acid starting to kick in? No! It's a TRIXON drum set! Trixon is exciting! Incontrovertible evidence that when it came to funny looking drum kits, the Germans had it down. Well, maybe with the exception of these.
posted by flapjax at midnite (14 comments total)

Just a note: I would've provided direct links to some of the more interesting pages (for example, the "Catalogs" page) if the site designer had provided us with separate URLs. But NOOOOO... Anyway, if you wanna see some fantastic old kits and some hilarious period advertising, I'm sorry to inform you that you'll also have to wade through some photos of geeky drummers and such. Anyway, have fun!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 11:43 PM on August 14, 2006

These are nice alright but they only look like they're melting or flaming. Reminds me of the story about a Rory Gallagher show in Belfast where some excessive lighting combined with some shall we say over-enthusiastic drumming from Rob deAth caused the kit to actually catch on fire!
posted by TwoWordReview at 1:46 AM on August 15, 2006

So those must be North drums in this kit. I had always wondered about that.
posted by TedW at 4:46 AM on August 15, 2006

I'd never seen those Trixons, trippy. I wonder what one of the Speedfire sets go for, and how you get heads for it. I thought Prairie Prince played Norths back in the day, but he says he's been playing Yamahas for 30 years. Coulda sworn I saw him playin Norths with The Tubes at Magic Mountain back in, like, '84...
posted by toma at 5:17 AM on August 15, 2006

There are direct links to pages like the catalog page, they're just buried in a frameset. It doesn't help much though.
posted by bob sarabia at 6:27 AM on August 15, 2006

Seriously cool lookin kits, but I imagine they really limit your options in drum heads.

I want that half-melted bass drum tho, so I can mess with the roadies: "Awww, man -- you let it sit in that hot trailer too long!! Oh well, guess I'll haveta try to play it that way..."
posted by LordSludge at 6:28 AM on August 15, 2006

Doesn't the fact that a drum head is usually round have to do with the way it vibrates? Wouldn't anything other than round vibrate less? Isn't that why you don't see triangle drum heads and such?
posted by Balisong at 7:22 AM on August 15, 2006

cool post, props.
posted by fungible at 7:37 AM on August 15, 2006

Here you can see a photo of Roger North, inventor of the North drums. He still plays 'em, too! I'm pretty sure he's the only member of the Holy Modal Rounders who has a degree from MIT, although he isn't actually their most famous drummer, having replaced playwright Sam Shepard behind the kit.
posted by snofoam at 7:40 AM on August 15, 2006

"Doesn't the fact that a drum head is usually round have to do with the way it vibrates? Wouldn't anything other than round vibrate less? Isn't that why you don't see triangle drum heads and such?"

Actually, no, drums don't have to be round. There are drums from various countries around the world that are square (I've seen Native American square ones, for example). The percussion company Remo has a line of small hand-held frame drums that are shaped in triangles and whatnot. As to whether non-round drums vibrate less... hmmm... that may well be. Nonetheless, they do resonate and can sound quite good!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:43 AM on August 15, 2006

way to corner your own market (better buy multiple kick heads, because you're sure as shit not going to find them on the road)
neat, though.
posted by Busithoth at 8:36 AM on August 15, 2006

Wouldn't it be easier to just take some hallucinogenic drugs and then look at your old drums?
posted by wavespy at 11:43 AM on August 15, 2006

I seem to recall a Feynman story about "hearing the corners" on the sound of a certain drum, but can't find anything on th'internet; could be imagining it. Anyway, different shapes exist and do sound different: how exactly? There's lots of math on this, and now I see some by Marc Kac, who knew Feynman, so maybe I am remembering right. Check this W'pedia article involving 16-dimensional toroidal "drums." That's trippy.
posted by Xelf at 12:09 PM on August 15, 2006 [1 favorite]

North drums look loud.

I would like to personally hear the difference between a North set and a set of Tamas, for instance.
posted by Enron Hubbard at 7:56 AM on August 16, 2006