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December 2005

December / January2005

As the end of 2005 approaches I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my clients, dealers and the drumming community at large for all of your support. Looking back it's been an incredible year for DCD - by all accounts the best ever. Truly, I could not have come this far without such support. I'd also like to thank my family & friends for your infinite patience and understanding. I know it's not always easy, but I do hope it's always fun.

6514 Ti CR in translucent red.

I can't think of any drummer - myself included - who wouldn't be stoked to find this little cherry under the tree. This festive little package is a 6.5" x 14" Titanium that has been polished and powder coated in translucent cherry red. Fitted with CR steel hoops, Aquarian heads and of course the famous R Class throw off, "Rudy" carries enough qualities to make everyday seem like Christmas. This particular drum is owned by drummer Gomezz (Reamonn).

The 2006 Winter NAMM Show

I've been hard at work on a number of projects that will make their debut at the 2006 Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, CA. I'm very excited about what's new this year - some very cool stuff that I think you're going to like. On the evening of January 18th there will a special announcement regarding some of these new products and I can tel you right - SOME of the drums are rare one-offs or prototypes and you will have the opportunity to purchase them (through a Dunnett dealer) in advance.

And don't forget to check in at drumsmith.com for the annual NAMM show pictorial. Drumsmith produces the finest and most in-depth NAMM show pictorials available on the internet - it's the next best thing to being there!

The Sum, the drum and the hearts of some good men.



Over the past year it has been my pleasure and honor to make the long distance acquaintance of two U.S. soldiers who were serving in Iraq. You might well wonder how something like that came about, and the answer is of course, drums. Justin T. Scott and Justin Sivertson (pictured) - both drummers and fans of Carter Beauford - sent messages and inquiries via email and through our correspondence I got to know them a little. I spent a fair amount of time wondering how each of them were doing and hoping they would make it back home - soon, alive and in one piece. The good news is that they did in fact make it home safe.

Justin Sivertson decided he wanted a 13" Ti and a matching timbale similar to Carter's and was happy to build those for him. He had a special request for engraving - one that I couldn't refuse and thus... "Firedancer".


I wanted to honor these two soldiers in some small way. I wanted to find a way to keep that...simple and pure. It was difficult to find the words. Ironically, I think the best way is to share with you part of an email Justin Sivertson sent me a few days ago. It touched me and it enlightened me. With Justin's permission...

"...War sucks and with any war there is going to be casualties and death etc. But at the same time there is still the humanity that is involved, namely the innocent children that are born to all these impossible odds, and lifestyles that you wouldn't wish upon anyone. What I've learned from my travels to various countries is that for the most part the people like us - meaning soldiers or simply citizens - they just hate our president or some of our strong armed policies. In Iraq, we would find ourselves swarmed with little kids and some young adults almost like we were their heros or rock stars for that matter. Of course the goal of peace over there will never happen over night, and that's where a lot of the older members of their society find anguish in what we are doing. They don't look at things as getting better over time, they see each day as though it was yesterday and that the grass is no greener than it was the day before. We are not the first group to try and figure out their problems, so they have been faced with failed attempt after failed attempt. When I spoke with some of the older sort of tribal leaders in some of the villages they would always say the same thing....you will never change Iraq, it will always be a place of war, of hate...it is God's will. Unfortunatly they try to pass that off on their children as their fathers had done to them and their fathers before them for generations. What works well for us is that the kids do see some of progress, they see things from a different perspective and are not so judgmental of how things are getting to that certain end goal. Thus, you get pictures like this one where children and Iraqi soldiers want to be with us, want to help us help them make Iraq a better place for everyone. I'm sort of passive on the†deployment. In some ways, I wish I was never there because of all the hardships it placed on my family and all the things that I had seen that affect me in some†internal sort of ways. However, on the other hand, I'm glad that I went. I was or still am a part of history that hopefully can write itself a happy ending over there, for our sake, for Iraq's sake, and for the sake of all those who have†been killed, wounded, or lost a part of their soul over in the land of civilizations birth. Although I think that I now understand life much better than I ever could, I would never want to return. And I certainly don't find joy†in watching others go over for their first, second, or even third trip. At some point, they are going to have to grow up and become responsible for themselves. We've done a lot for them, and in my mind, staying over there too long will do more harm than good. "
I would also like to salute Josh Key, who now lives in my province. You can read about Josh by clicking here.

I am reminded of an Ambrose Redmon quote: "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear."

Many thanks to you my friends. Ronn.

New from Dunnett!

Introducing the R Class Rail Mount system (U.S. and foreign patents pending)

Being a drummer always presents some unique challenges - I think you probably know what I'm talking about. It makes us all innovators. Sometimes a simple idea can make all the difference - and that's how this little innovation came about. The R Class rail mount system is designed to allow you to do several things: allow you securely attach a tom, cymbal arm or any accesory to your converted floor tom-to-bass drum. Used with an isolation mount it also allows you to mount a tom, cymbal or accessory to your virgin bass drum without drilling. The R Class rail mount system provides solid, secure support for anything you might want to add onto a bass drum. The R Class Rail Mount is currently available direct for $49 plus shipping. The kit includes the rail, bone clamp and L arm.




In my ipod

Billy Ward's Holiday Gift



How cool is it having a pal like Billy Ward to send the wonderful gift of music? Billy worked with Joan Osborne on a very special Christmas album and it's a welcome alternative to Dean Martin and Bing Crosby. Contact Billy at www.billyward.com. Thanks Billy!



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