Beautiful! Bet it sounds great too!

I know Jenkins-Martin shells are available in a variety of finishes, but nothing is more elegant than black. I'm with Henry Ford, "Give them any color as long as it's black".

Agreed.

This kit has so many special meanings to me.

First of all, I got to build this kit with my dear friend Jerry. We built my first original Blaemire kit together, which was a great experience in itself. There is alot of labor that goes into building a Jenkins-Martin kit, with the sanding being the most laborious part. The prideful feeling you have, after seeing it all done, is immeasureable.

I came up with the color and sizes for a few reasons. When I saw the first Black shell that Dave spun-up, I knew that would be what I wanted. Plus when I saw that Dave could spin a different color on the inside of the shell, this was just too cool. I also wanted something completely opposite of my white Blaemire kit.

I wanted this to be an all around kit, that I could use in many gig situations. I've always been a 24" bass drum player, but because I'm not very tall, the 22" brings everything down to a more comfortable level. Plus, the J-M 22's are killer! I love playing two-up, and have always liked having a bigger 2nd tom, so I went 7.5x12, 8.5x14, again with the ability to fly the toms lower. The floor is 14x16, which I wanted to differ from my 16x16 original Blaemire floor. Bass drum is 16x22. I was going to go 15" on the bass drum depth, but 16 was just too good to pass up. I went with 6x14 on the snare, to give me something inbetween, depth wise.

The color of black, with white interiors, also has a special meaning to me. My very first drum kit that my Father bought for me, was a Ludwig Black Panther, with white interiors. This kit is a culmination of my personal drumming journey, which has now come full-circle.

I want to thank Jerry and Dave for reviving the Blaemire drum/sound, and taking it to a whole other level. Bravo!

The pic is of my very first kit.

Congratulations on another fiberglass beauty! You and Jerry do some amazing work together in that shop.

Yes sir! Black is the new black! Here is a shot of my Blaemire 'Blackies' that Allen made back in 72'.

[IMG]http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n632/PurdieShuffle/bm1_zps6c098ade.jpg[/IMG]

We have *twin kits! (*same color, but mine is covered in wrap, yours is natural.) Love the size of the second rack tom! Interesting size/looking drum. The floor tom on my kit is 15"x16" because Allen wanted to make it that way. The guy that ordered the kit from him asked for 16"x16", but Allen insisted the 15"x16" would be better. I wonder why he felt that those dimensions would somehow make it a better drum. He must have known something we don't know...

Again, congrats on a wonderful drum set that will only increase in value with time.

Guys, nice job with those drums! Very classy looking. Awesome to keep alive the Blaemire process and memory. The technology, as described on your website, is very interesting. Before VDF, I never even heard of Blaemire. Foolishly would have guessed they were a MIJ brand. VDF is cool because you learn a lot here.

Speaking of MIJ, I've been playing Pearl fiberglass for 30+ years and always enjoyed the unique sound and loud projection. Your M-J "sound" may be even better!

Best of luck with your line of drums. I hope you make millions. Cool1

Those look gorgeous! Love the badges. Nice classy hardware.

This is a brand new kit. But, the shells are recreations of the vintage Blaemire shells. Plus, the lugs are also based on Allen Blaemire's original lugs. There is definitely a vintage vibe to these kits.

The J-M drums are completely different than the old Pearl shells. These are spun fiberglass, compared to a chopped fiberglass used on the Pearls. Warm, melodic, sensitive. Yet they have the power/projection when you lay into them.

Very nice!

Those are some SERIOUS points on the spurs! Would they fit other brands?

Thanks John. Can't forget about Dave though, he gets the ball rolling by spinning up these incredible shells.When you picked up your Blaemire kit, I wanted to mention this black kit was already in the making, but I held my tongue. ;)

Love that minimalist look: satin/flat black and chrome, like a stripped down Harley.Also, you can borrow my orange JM snare for any Halloween gigs you might be playing.