Josh Touchton, National Sales Manager USA for Natal Drums, gives a booth tour at the Winter 2014 NAMM Show and explains all that's new for 2014, including Natal's full line of Originals drums in Ash, Walnut, Maple, Birch and Bubinga, Pro series hardware, a full line of hand-hammered snare drums, and their range of Pure-Stave snares.
Natal Original series All ranges of Natal Original wood shells use quality tone woods with sharp, even 45° bearing edges for brighter overtones and effective sustain.
All Original wood bearing edges are hand finished with bees wax. The plies have staggered butt joints and the shells have an excellent interior surface which remains untreated for a smooth, silky finish – the finer a shell’s inside finish the greater the resonance.
Every Natal Original drum carries an impressive heavy die-cast badge which incorporates Natal's iconic Sun logo. Each Natal Original bass drum carries a wood identification badge too. Like all Natal Original shell fittings badges are insulated by a rubber plinth for optimum resonance.
Exclusive for the United States is the sleek looking black nickel hardware on a six-ply Walnut set that fits its dark tones and heavy saturation. The set is also available with chrome hardware in multiple configurations.
Pro series and Standard series hardware Pro series hardware is Natal's top-of-the line: heavy duty and very good for drummers who are touring/gigging a lot. Standard series is a little lighter weight and available for a little less money, but still sturdy and a safe bet for any drumner. In fact, unlike most other drum manufacturers, it is made in the same factory as Pro series.
Hand-hammered metal snare drums The range hand-hammered metal snares contains everything: chrome, brass, nickel and copper in different finish options (brighter or darker, whatever your preferences). Sizes range from 10" to 14" wide and from 6.5" to 5.5" deep.
Pure-Stave snare drums Natal's new line of Pure-Stave snare drums from Italian woods are made in small runs at the Marshall factory in Milton Keynes, England. Each stave snare is made like a conga where twenty different staves are cut and then formed into a circle. In the end you get a drum that's about 0.75" thick with a dryer, more focused tone. The new Pure-Staves are available in Ash, Walnut and Maple, and finished with 100% natural bees wax. This means that no chemicals have been used in the finishing process. The wax is applied by hand to the shells without the use of solvents. It is then brush polished to increase the temperature allowing it to take to even the smallest pores in the wood. Available in sizes 6.5x14" and 5.5x14".
Tri-Throw snare throw-off Natal snare drums come with a tri-point throw-off. Instead of the standard two positions (off and on) found on other throws, Natal's Tri-Throw mechanism has three positions: on, off and ‘loose’. This comes in very handy when you want to switch from a crisp snare sound to a more traditional, New Orleans kind of sloppy sound. You can change your snare sound quickly and easily, even during performance, with the flip of the lever.
