Initially, it was one drum, them two, then fifty, then
hundreds, thousands and counting.....
The birth of Willoughcraft drums really began with the birth
and inception of Repercussions.
I have always been interested in drumming and the
fundamentals of good percussive sounds. I could always
appreciate a "good" sounding drum versus a "bad" sounding
drum and sought out the finest drums for my drumming and
recording pursuits. In 1997, I severely broke my leg and was
not able to actually play drums for some time. I also around
this time met Charlie Donnolly in his wonderful little "Charlie
Donnolly's Vintage Drum Shop" and began to see more of the
total history of drum building, as an art form, both ascetically
and sonically. So, my collecting and research began. And as
my thirst to know anything and everything there is to know
about drums and how they are built grew, I built the company
called Repercussions. This company's primary presence was
on the Internet and truly was one of the pioneering Internet
vintage drum sites. Over time, Repercussions grew to
enormous proportions and is now one of the premier vintage
shops on the planet. Thousands upon thousands of satisfied
customers along with millions of dollars worth of drums are
encompassed in this company's history.
Right about the same time and in conjunction with my vintage
drum studies, I also began to build my own drums. I wanted to
apply the practical knowledge I was learning through my
studies of vintage drums to real life examples. I did this on a
small scale, building for local musicians and selling drums as I
built them for my own pursuits. I especially enjoyed building
cocktail drums and have numerous examples of them on the
archives page.
Inventing the C.A.T. Lug design was a proud moment for me
and while it was challenging to figure out the necessary
components to build a perfect machine, from metallurgy to
casting to technical drawing and intense involvement in every
step of the process, I did what it took to produce my dream lug
for my own drum company. And, similar to my predecessors of
the past, my lug not only provides extreme functionality, it also
presents a beauty and flair that identifies my business and
drum company as unique. I am so proud of my lug in fact that I
offer a lifetime warranty on it against defects and malfunction.
The Generation true brass hoops are another proud offering.
Knowing the sonic principles of brass as well as having had the
opportunity to enjoy many vintage brass hooped drums, they
were an obvious sonic must for my own drums.
Future projects include building my own mounts, throw off, butt
and a series of cast shells.
