My name is Donavan and I build drums
I tend to ramble on about a given topic at length, usually arriving at the point eventually. If that sounds like your cup of tea, by all means, read on.
At the age of 12, I sat down at a drum set and I was instantly in love.
I communicated to my parents that I should have my own kit by using the time-honored method of banging on any nearby object with anything even remotely resembling a drumstick. My parents surprised me with a CB 700 kit for Christmas and I immediately got to work on learning how to play and just as importantly, on growing a mullet.
My teens and 20s were a constant musical journey, delving into many types of music (with the accompanying hairstyles: the aforementioned Bono mullet, the Eddie Vedder/Dave Grohl look, the obligatory Smiths pompadour, the huge Cure hair until, alas, God decided I couldn’t be trusted to do sensible things with my hair and took it back. As a compromise, I was, however, allowed to continue drumming).
I played everywhere I could with whoever I could from backyards and garages to churches to sold-out shows at some legendary venues.
My love for playing and for drums never waned as I explored other instruments and recording/engineering. I continued playing and touring even as I owned and OPERATED a music venue/recording studio for nearly 10 years.
I admit that I am a gearhead, always in search of the perfect snare both for recording and live playing. For me, that moment came when I heard a stave snare.
It was the sound I had been looking for. I spent a long time researching them and decided to build my own.
There was some trial and error, some battles lost to the forces of physics (namely gravity, the acceleration of a falling object from a significant height, and the sudden deceleration caused by a concrete floor), a refresher course on the Imperial system of measurement, etc.
But eventually, I got it right
My Stave sounded great tuned low, high, or anywhere in between. It could have a huge attack while still retaining sensitivity for quiet playing without any annoying overtones, even without dampening.
It was my dream snare.
I also discovered in the process how much I enjoyed building drums.
I continue handcrafting solid wood snares using hardwoods that I find to be beautiful. I want each snare that I create to be as visually distinctive and stunning as the sound it makes.
