Wanted to begin by thanking the many that reached out regarding our Inaugural Blog featuring Gary Tomlin. Was heartwarming to hear so many of you had been impacted by his teaching and playing.
We have started our YouTube Channel featuring the 3 Minute Lesson Series and focus on some of the rare, custom and vintage kits we have for sale at the shop.
Hope that you will check out the channel and consider subscribing.
We have also set up the teaching room for remote lessons. We are enabled for full recordings and can offer any drummer a space to record songs, samples etc on vintage and custom drums.
This issue, we cast the Spotlight on Seppo Salminen of TRS Custom Drums.
Seppo has been highly sought after by many drummers and artists for various reasons. He is known as a custom drum builder and vintage restoration expert for a host of well known professional drummers. His shop is located in Newmarket, Ontario, (just north of Toronto), but sells and ships products around the world.
His showroom hosts new and used, and vintage drum kits and snare drums.
I’ve personally had the honour of being signed on as a TRS Custom Artist and am very pleased with the Ebony Macassar Exotic Series Kit I have. I have coupled that with a ‘Dimension X’ – 14 x 6.5” Black Nickel over Copper with a Steel Base. Seen in the picture above.
I first met Seppo as I had purchased that snare used and fell in love with it. When the idea of Bang On Drum Shop was birthed, I immediately approached Seppo to represent his numerous lines of drums at our little store. From there, a friendship ensued. Seemed only appropriate that I interview him and allow our readers to learn about this super high quality drum company.
The Rhythm Section – TRS Custom Drums.
Canada isn’t originally your home though, it has become home now. How did that play out?
I was born in Helsinki Finland. My family emigrated to Canada when I was a child. As I grew up, I had some friends with older musician siblings and got a taste for music at a young age. I always noodled around on various instruments, guitars and keyboards, and I still do… I played saxophone in high school for four years… they wouldn’t let me play the drums. However, I started picking up the sticks around 12 years old and have been involved in music and drumming ever since.
When did the company start?
Well, It all started in a small Drum Shop a little north of Toronto almost 40 years ago.
That’s where I started fixing and repairing drums, parts, and pieces… even started refinishing them! Then slowly got into making some matching snare drums, toms and bass drums for customers and local artists. I remember even cutting bearing edges and snare beds by hand with a file, if you can believe it. And that’s where this all started, this small company called The Rhythm Section.
As my business evolved, I began building snares and kits. My goal was always to make a kit that sounded amazing with any set of heads and could be tuned well into any tuning range.
I always hated hearing that this kit or that sounded best with those heads but not good with others.
I want to build a legacy, not just a drum kit.
You offer various Drum Lines. Can you give us a little run down of them and the nuances between each one?
It all starts with the shells. TRS Custom Drums offers four distinct shell types for a wide variety of tonality, diversity, and styles;
Maple Shells
– Classic 100% A Grade All Canadian Maple shells – These consist of our 5 and 7 ply and/or our 6 and 8 ply All Maple Shells.
The Maple Shells make up the following three series:
Studio Series – Classic Maple Shell — 5 Ply toms and floors and 7 Ply Bass drums – These shells are clear shell types with no reinforcement rings.
Savant Series – Classic Maple Shells — 6 ply Maple shells with 6 ply top Re-ring only. Bass drum consists of 8 ply with 8 ply Batter side Re-ring only.
Vintage Series – Classic Maple shells in 6 ply as standard. Clear shells no re-rings – Vintage Round over Edges, Vintage Spurs, Rail Consolette, Antique White Interior Paint Sealer, and Stick Saver Hoops.
Both Series can be finished in a variety of Custom Wraps, Exotic Veneers, or Brilliant Lacquer Finishes. Custom hand-laid Inlays and custom hardware also available.
Custom Craft Shells
– These are our own Exclusive Shells. They consist of Vertical Grain 100 % Canadian Maple Exterior, and a Vertical Grain African Mahogany Interior – 7 and 9 ply. Top Sound Ring optional (same as the Savant Series) with 4 Custom edges per kit! Top and Bottom heads have slightly different cut edges, and the bass drum front and back are different from one another.
Kind of a pre-eq’d shell.
This is our Custom Craft Series!
Elite Shells – Custom Mahogany / Poplar blend. 5 ply shells with thin 6 and 8 ply Maple re-rings. These are truly Vintage and Warm. Not straying too far from those sweet old Radio Kings of yesteryear.
This is our Elite Series!
Exotic Shells – Our Exotic Series consist of shells of various types, including Solid Shell Steam Bent, Stave, and Segmented Shells of various woods and descriptions.
Also represented are Exotic Wood Veneers on our Classic Maple, Custom Craft, or Elite Shells.
All shells are selected and finished for their tonal qualities and visual appeal.
You have worked with some pretty serious player in the industry. Can you do a little name dropping for us?
Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones would be the one guy I loved working with. I completely built him his Black Gretsch Big Band Kit.
Some awesome old vintage Gretsch shells that were completely reworked, fixed, sealed and wrapped in a Black Nitron Finish.
Also included in that tour I made some cool accessories for Chuck Lavelle for his B3, and some cool Oak stands for mics for Keith Richards.
Other notables current and past include.
John Lum – The Allman Betts Band and Devon Allman. Three TRS Custom Snare Drums – two complete TRS Custom Drum kits.
Graham Lear – Santana
Johnny Fay – The Tragically Hip – custom cocktail kit build consisting of a vintage Gretsch cocktail kit. Set up internal mics – built custom triggers – and supplied my own custom library of sounds to trigger.
Have worked on drums supplied to Phil Collins, Lenny Kravitz, and some other notables.
Charlie Cooley – Complete Refinish of vintage Gretsch drums – (Manteca, Sass Jordan)
Emedin Rivera – (La Toya Jackson)
Sascha Tukatch – (Platinum Blonde)
Davide Direnzo – (Tom Cochrane)
Vito Rezza – (5 after 4)
Paul DeLong – (Session Great, Humber College, Kim Mitchell, Gowan)
Graham Lear – (Santana)
It would be unfair to not mention all the TRS Custom Drum endorsers and top class players in the Toronto area and Canada and abroad.
But the list is pretty extensive as you can guess.
What made you decide to work with Bang On Custom and Vintage Drum Shop?
I don’t really look for dealers as a norm, the main reason is that i don’t want to be just another drum on the wall. I need experienced drummers that know drums and what makes up tone and sounds.
Needs to know shells and tuning, and have a wide product knowledge of not just drums, but of all the various brands.
Bang On Drums is an awesome fit for the TRS Custom Drums brand.
Great knowledgable staff and drummers and teachers.
Very much appreciated!
And very pro in every aspect!
Seppo’s Partial Bio
Drummer/Percussionist and Producer/Engineer.
Seppo is an award winning drummer/percussionist and Producer Engineer.
His work has spanned and touched pretty much every aspect of the drum industry… from teacher/clinician/educator to award-winning engineer and producer, to drum builder/tech/ and drum-smith.
Has won awards for album production, nominated for Juno with his band The Penny Merchants, won a Crystal Award for a series of radio ads, with music and voice-overs.
Worked on over 50 albums.
Wrote music for Sony Music for their stores for three years.
Drum Teacher for over 35 years.
Drum Technician
Drum Builder
Vintage Drum Restoration Specialist
Product Specialist for various companies
RNM Productions – Full Recording studio
Joe’s Conscience is my solo project – Third album in the works.You can find footage on Youtube as Joe’s Conscience, Christie Ulicny,
The Lochs (my students band),
The Roaming Coyotes.
We here at Bang On Drum are proud of our association with The Rhythm Section, TRS Custom Drums.
We can supply all your needs for custom kits and snares, and can provide vintage restoration services.
We are THE drum shop for all your drumming needs, and wants.
Come visit us.
Our partnership also includes a December Promotion:
This month, come in and mention this interview and received a free Evans Tune up Head Kit with any TRS Custom Snare Drum Purchase.
This kit includes:
Batter Drumhead
Snare Side 300 Drumhead
Puresound Custom Pro Steel Wires
ProMark Rebound 5A drumsticks
Drum Tuning Key
Lug Lubricant
Metal Polish
EQ Pods
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Also, This month, we are featuring Vintage Rogers Drums at Bang On. They carry a rich history and have begun producing some of their iconic lines (Dynasonic, Powertone) as re issues.
We have some great deals on this highly coveted brand (played by the likes of Neil Peart and Buddy Rich).
Thanks Shan. Glad to hear of the potential of recording a drum track at your space. I may have application for this in the new year and could use your help. Will keep this in mind. Andy