M drums produces the ultimate hand-crafted instrument built by a seasoned craftsman who knows everything there is to know about drums. No common plywood is used, using only select natural solid wood to construct drums on a build-to-order basis with the mindset of building the ultimate drums. A prototype of the original snare drum was constructed in 2013, and M drums was established in April 2021 after much research and development.
We believe hollowed-out shells and single-ply shells made stress-free from a single material is ideal for a pure wood-sound. The use of plywood and conventional single-ply shells force the material into a cylindrical shape through heat and steam which applies stress to the material. Such methods do not maintain the original condition of the wood used. To realize the ultimate drums, M drums implements the reinforcement rib method (application submitted for Japan utility model registration) for the KURINUKI series and the block-solid method (Japan registered utility model) for the BLOCK series. Materials can now be formed into a drum shell stress-free. Enhanced drying and seasoning processes are implemented to prevent age deformation.
Conventional hollowed-out shells have thick walls to ensure strength, but these drums have a hard sound that lack resonance. M drums succeeded in reducing the basic shell thickness (8-10mm) by maintaining strength using reinforcement rings for both edges and reinforcement ribs (bead reinforcement of the outer shell center). The one-and-only design opens new possibilities for wood shells. The reinforcement rib is a product developed in collaboration with Mr. Hiromi Yamanoue, the 154th traditional craftsman (Miyazaki Rokuro craft objects) of Miyazaki Prefecture, and is carved out under the supervision of Mr. Yamanoue.
This method joins two to ten blocks to be carved out into the shape of a drum shell. A splined miter joint was implemented at the joints to minimize the thickness. This allows an ideal shell build where the wood material remains stress-free while achieving thickness (8-10mm) and strength equivalent to a single-ply shell.
The dynamic nature of wood means that the material breathes constantly and could contract depending on temperature and humidity. To minimize its impact on the instrument, M drums considers factors such as the moisture content of wood and age deformation during the drying process when manufacturing each drum. However, the instrument could still be affected by these factors depending on the condition of use. We will repair any instrument purchased new within a time frame of three years that have been affected by the factors mentioned.
Makoto Horiuchi is a qualified first class architect and an active, gigging jazz drummer. He was already making modifications to his drums such as paint-jobs and shell cuts in junior high school, and has collected and researched various vintage and high-end drums considered to be exquisite around the world. The secret of the structure, traits and sound of such instruments were discovered by repeatedly disassembling and reassembling them. With the launch of M drums in 2021, Horiuchi began his full-scale production of instruments as a drum maker.