Hi. My name is Robert Delgardo and I am obsessed with drums! I own 6, going on 7 drum sets, as well as countless cymbals and pieces of hardware. I have built one drum set for myself using pieces and parts obtained from various web retailers, and am currently in the process of building its companion set. More on my pursuits in the drum world later.
What I Do
When I'm not playing around with drums, I'm usually either at my day job or at school. My day job consists of cutting meat at a local natural foods store called S&S Produce. I've been working there for about 2 1/2 years now, and am still going strong. When I'm not there, I can often be found at CSU Chico, where I'm a senior working on my Bachelors degrees in Business Administration and Jazz Studies. I'm in something like 6 performing groups including:
Wind Ensemble
Jazz Xpress
Percussion Ensemble
Symphony
Pep Band
Jazz Combo
Needless to say, I'm a very busy man, and must remain that way to feed my drum "habit".
I had the distinct privilege to be invited to Telluride, Colorado along with the Jazz Xpress for the 2008 Telluride Jazz Celebration. We were able to play on the main stage for hundreds of people and were broadcast live in New Orleans, as well as having one of the pieces we played be recorded for the Official 2008 Jazz Celebration CD. Below is a picture of the beautiful Telluride Valley, where I got to spend 5 days wandering around.
My Drums
As I mentioned before, I have a few drum sets. I will present them here in chronological order and try to give a bit of a story about each, along with plenty of pictures, of course!.
Concepts
To avoid having to answer all sorts of questions about heads, setup, tuning, and so forth, here are a few ideas about concepts that I apply to all my drums.
1. Heads
I've gone through a lot of heads over the years... Whether by breaking, wearing out, or simply wanting to try something new. I use only coated heads, as a major part of my playing is jazz, and clear heads simply do not work for it. I've come up with a sort of concept of head selection that works for any brand, although I have come to the point of using only 2 brands of heads that I find I can rely on:
Evans and
Aquarian.
Yes, I have tried Remo heads, and I find them to be inconsistent from a quality standpoint and to have a less desirable sound for what I'm trying to do.
The other part of my head concept has to do with drum sizes. The success of the Pearl Reference series has confirmed in my mind that people like drums that sound the same. They want an even sound across the whole spectrum. So, I decided to do my own little Reference series set, using only head choice. I used Evans G1s on my 8 and 10" toms, G2s on my 12 and 13" toms, and Ec2s on my 14, 15, 16, and 18" toms. The result I achieved was satisfying, so I have begun using that concept on all my drum sets. Basically, use whatever will sound best for the drum and the set, rather than using one head for all your drums.
2. Tuning
I tune all my drums relatively high. I have no use for the "cardboard box" bass drum sound. I like my drums to sing, and I tune them as such. I strongly reccomend
Professor Sound's Drum Tuning Bible. I tune the resonant heads of my drums higher than the batter heads in all cases, and I never tune to a specific pitch. I use a very non-scientific method of tuning, but my drums sound good and I've never had someone complain about how my drums sound.
3. Setup
I set up my drums high up. I sit high up. I'm 6'4" and have long legs and arms. I set up always in a "jazz-style" configuration, that is, a 4-piece setup, no matter how many other drums I have in the set. I always keep my ride cymbal close enough that I don't have to reach out of my way for it. I've recently developed the habit of tilting my snare drum away from me, as it allows me to lower my rack tom and at least through now, feels better to me.
Now on to the drums!
1. 2001 Vintage Fade Pearl Session Customs
First came the Pearl Session Customs. My parents gave me the 5-piece Fusion pack with Zildjian ZBT cymbals for my 8th grade graduation / 14th birthday / Christmas present in 2002. Needless to say, I've expanded on that a little. I started by adding a few cymbals, then got the Pearl Icon rack a couple of years later. From there, I started adding toms until it has come to its current incarnation, set up with a little bit of a Neil Peart style.
Or here they are in an earlier picture, with tri-tom style arrangement...
Overall specs then are:(Diameter by Depth)
Toms: 8x8, 10x8, 12x9 (2 of these), 13x9, 14x12, 15x14, 16x16 Floor, 18x16 Floor
Bass: 20x16
Snare: 14x5.5 upgraded with Die Cast hoops.
2. 1958 Slingerland Chicago White Marine Pearls
This set was purchased via Craigslist from a local guy. I got it in a condition that can only be described as horrible. It had a large amount of missing parts and was not in really playable condition. So, over the course of several months with assistance from my Grandma and the wonders of eBay, I cleaned it up, removed all sorts of red paint and other gunk from the shells, and assembled the drums into a useable set. I have used them on a few big-band gigs, and they provide a great sound. That said, a similar set came into my possesion not long after this one which is in better shape and slightly older, so I am currently trying to sell this one.
Specs are:
Toms: 13x9, 16x16 Floor
Bass: 22x14
Snare: (Not original, not included) 14x5 Black Diamond Pearl Student Model
3. 1960's Keystone Badge Blue Sparkle Ludwigs
This set was purchased from the same guy I go the Slingerlands from. Unfortunately, I paid way, way, way too much for it. So now, I make sure to use it all the time so that I can get my money's worth out of it. I use it at basically any rock gig I play, and it's always present at the Chico State basketball games where I play with the Pep Band.
Specs are:
Toms: 13x9, 16x16 Floor
Bass: 22x14
Snare: 14x5.5
4. 1960's Keystone Badge Champagne Sparkle Ludwigs
These were an eBay find I got that came in totally useable condition for $600. Only flaw is a couple of extra holes on the bass drum. This set was the beginning of my "Everyone should own a Champagne Sparkle set" phase... We'll see the continuation of that later. I set this up to be my "Whatever needs doin'" set. That said, I've basically only been playing jazz, so this set hasn't seen much action outside the bedroom. It sounds great and looks awesome, and is in great shape for its age.
Specs are:
Toms: 13x9, 16x16 Floor
Bass: 22x14
Snare: 14x5.5 60's Supraphonic (Didn't come with the set.)
5. 1955-56 Slingerland Chicago White Marine Pearls
This is the latest vintage set I have purchased. It is in absolutely great condition for its age (almost 55 years). It has the wider reinforcing rings than the later models and the wood on the inside of the shells is just gorgeous. It's missing a lot of parts, however, and because it's so old the parts are very rare and hard to come by. I'm always checking eBay, but til now haven't had much luck. I'll get it together one day, though. Maybe after I sell the other Slingerland set.
Specs are:
Toms: 13x9, 16x16 Floor
Bass: 22x14
6. 2007-08 Robert Delgardo Custom Drums (RDCD) Compact Bop Kit
These are my pride and joy. This is the set I built myself. It was fashioned after the Yamaha Hipgig, but is made with better quality Keller Maple shells, the best hardware and wraps I could find, and is built to my own specs, to fit my own body. For example, at a normal Hipgig, I have to sit so far away from the bass drum to make my legs comfortable that I can't reach anything on the bass drum. So, I mounted the things on the bass drum so that they would fit me and be close enough to reach. It is a truly custom set (aside from the shells) that is very much one of a kind in the world.
Specs are:
Toms: 10x6, 13x7
Bass: 16x16
Snare: 12x5
7. 2008-09 Robert Delgardo Custom Drums (RDCD) Standard Bop Kit: Under Construction
This is the set I'm building to be the previous set's bigger brother, for larger venues and concert jazz. I'm currently assembling all the parts and will post more pictures as I accomplish things. Here are the shells:
Specs are:
Toms: 12x7, 14x14
Bass: 18x14
Snare: 14x5.5
My Favorite Sites
Check out Drummerworld...
Or their Message Forum...
Or find me on Facebook.
Or MySpace.
Or even check out my videos on Youtube!
Or if you want to know more about me, you can contact me Here!
