​From the list of nearly 50 Compact Nesting Kit configurations on the TreeHouse Drums website, here we have the #7 option. Sporting grey hoops with stunning ocean blue shells, two cymbal arms, and rim clips for floor tom legs, this kit is practical, beautiful, and all nests inside the bass drum.  8x12, 10x15, 16x18; 4½x14; plied maple; Hardmatte wax.

​Built to compliment this customer’s acoustic set up, this snare drum and single-headed timbale feature a two-tone dark brown/light caramel color and ⅞” brackets for quick and easy set up.  5½x12, 6½x12; plied maple; satin wax.

"The design/build experience:
In late 2019, after years of playing an assortment of digital kits, I started looking for a company that could build what I wanted in a dream acoustic kit, without breaking my budget. In March 2020, my research into drum makers finished, I reached out to my top few picks to discuss what I thought I wanted. In the process of talking with each, I found that Jason at TreeHouse Drums responded with enthusiasm about the project and offered a number of suggestions on how best to proceed. Every step of the way, Jason and the TreeHouse team kept an eye on every detail, offering suggestions where I was uncertain and consistently following up to ensure the best possible outcome. The result was a design that not only met my budget but also exceeded what I had been dreaming for years about creating. I have to add that all of this was going on as the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic was ramping up, with some suppliers shutting down or reducing output (drum head makers, especially). Nevertheless, at each step, Jason and the TreeHouse team set expectations and offered options to meet my needs and stayed in contact on their progress. My place in the build queue secured, and the team keeping me updated on progress, I eagerly anticipated the day my dream kit would arrive.

The visual experience:
At last, the delivery day arrived: 9 very large boxes packed full of drums and hardware! Each drum is a work of beautiful form and function - stunning craftsmanship! I adore the simple beauty of natural maple and the Hardmatte finish further enhances the beauty, I feel. The set of tube toms look like they were carved out of solid trees - gorgeous! They are matched in beauty by the set of concert toms, the pair of concert bass toms, the 2 snare drums, and the awesome kick drum. I’ve spent a few weeks playing with several configurations - settling on what works best for me: a hybrid of the traditional and symmetrical layout. I will likely continue optimizing the layout by switching to a rack system in a few months - for now the stands work fine.

Most importantly: the sonic experience!
With 21 drums in this kit, it takes a bit of time to tune the drums, but oh boy!, they reward you for the effort !!! The 24” kick drum has a boom you feel in your chest. The concert bass toms at 18” and 20” provide an impressive compliment to the low end. The set of concert toms have the sharp attack I remember fondly from Kiss in the 70’s and Phil Collins in the 80’s. The set of 8” tube toms provide that unique crack in the attack accompanied by a lovely, warm tone behind it. And those snare drums!!! at 14 and a 12 inches respectively - with snares off they sound like the best timbales I’ve ever owned and with snares on they have a crisp response, clean articulation for jazz, and a mean punch when you lay into them for rock/metal. Using a hybrid symmetrical layout, I have high, mid and low tonal palettes on both right and left sides - opening up new options in rhythmic expression.

Bottom line:
I am delighted!  This was worth every penny, and well worth the effort. The TreeHouse team are awesome at their craft and are so easy to work with. I have some ideas for a few more things I’d like to add to this dream kit in the coming year and I will definitely be working with the TreeHouse team to make it happen.
I’ve included 2 pics of the kit in my home studio, all in a big circle with my current digital kit, keyboard, malletKat and effects rack.  
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I love it!"

Matt Turner
San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA

​Can you believe it?!? 21 drums: a set of 8" Tube Toms AND a set of Concert Toms AND a set of Concert Bass Toms AND a kick drum AND two Snares!  This kit sports our new custom-logoed Aquarian heads. 9x8, 10x8, 11x8, 12x8, 13½x8, 15x8, 16½x8, 18x8, 6x6, 7x8, 8x10, 9x12, 11x13, 12x14, 13x15, 14x16, 10x18, 10x20, 18x24, 5½x14, 4⅞x12; plied maple; satin wax.

​½“ thickness of Solid Stave Bubinga Goodness radiates outta this grand instrument!  For a fun project, we made two at the same time featuring the same hardware and same 24-stave tongue-and-groove construction shells.  If your snare doesn't offer enough girth or puncture your audiences' eyeballs enough, get one of these (add diecast hoops if you need to evaporate your audiences' eyeballs...) 7x14; solid stave bubinga; shiny wax.

​Need a Tambora Sinaloense for your Mexican Banda Sinaloense, Tamborazo Zacatecano or Duranguense? This bass drum features a fun 2-color dyed look on a thin Maple shell with satin wax finish, a thin Maple shell with rounded Bearing Edges to bring out all the lows, all chrome hardware, 14 lugs per side with T-rods, metal hoops, and cymbal holder on top. It includes an authentic hand-made felt mallet (Bolillo Temo), top cymbal handle and sounds HUGE! 24x24; plied maple; satin wax.

​I asked Jason about creating a drum that matched the look of my kit, and provides a deep, resonant boom that could approximate an Odaiko/Taiko drum sound in my acoustic kit, without the weight, space and expense of the real thing. We discussed shell diameter, thickness and depth, kit placement, and heads selection to arrive at the design that made most sense. 

The result is beautiful, fits perfectly in the kit, and sounds SO DARNED GOOD! In my big acoustic kit (22 pieces), all made by TreeHouse, this beast of a drum is my current favorite. It allows me to add a massive bottom end to some arrangements, add taiko-like elements to others, or just create a brooding tonal atmosphere. So much fun!!!!

​Need a Tambora Sinaloense for your Mexican Banda Sinaloense, Tamborazo Zacatecano or Duranguense? This bass drum features a black dyed thin Maple shell with mottled satin wax finish, rounded Bearing Edges to bring out all the lows, all chrome hardware, 12 lugs per side with T-rods, metal hoops, and cymbal holder on top. It includes an authentic hand-made felt mallet (Bolillo Temo), top cymbal handle and sounds fantastic! 20x24; plied maple; satin wax.

​Need a Tambora Sinaloense for your Mexican Banda Sinaloense, Tamborazo Zacatecano or Duranguense? This bass drum features a stunning Maple grain with natural wax finish, a thin Maple shell with rounded Bearing Edges to bring out all the lows, all chrome hardware, 12 lugs per side with T-rods, metal hoops, and cymbal holder on top. It includes an authentic hand-made felt mallet (Bolillo Temo), top cymbal handle and sounds fantastic! 20x24; plied maple; satin wax.