Successfully launched onto the US market at Summer NAMM, EMD is using Winter NAMM to launch Kuppmen carbon fibre sticks, rods and other drum products on the UK market.
Created by drummer Wouter Menken, Kuppmen began, Menken says, when he went searching for the people behind the ‘forgotten company’ Carbostick. ‘My drumming career has spanned venues from pubs to theatres and from festivals to pop venues. For the more intimate venues, I’ve long preferred using wooden drumrods; they’re quieter, which is good news for both me and the band. The only disadvantage, I’ve found, is their flimsiness. That’s why I changed from wooden to carbon rods. They’re practically indestructible.
‘Carbo-Rods were made by a company called Carbostick, who also made carbon sticks. I’d known about them for years, but I never played with them. I’d heard that they could damage your cymbals and cause injuries. And they were black. Not cool.
‘Then by chance, I ended up with a set of Carbosticks. And what do you know? They were a revelation. The control and rebound were every bit as good as my wooden sticks. They sounded clear on the cymbals and the risk of injury turned out to be a myth. I even started to find the black color quite cool. Plus, wooden drumsticks usually lasted me about 4 hours; the Carbosticks over 40. I was a convert!
‘Everything was great until January 2014 – when Carbosticks and Carbo-Rods suddenly disappeared from stores. I just didn’t understand it. Why were such great sticks no longer being sold?
‘After a long search, I discovered the name of the man who invented Carbosticks and Carbo-Rods. Peter Kuppers, residing in eastern Bavaria, turned out to be someone with brilliant ideas, golden hands and an enormous love of drums. His sticks and rods had been hugely successful in the drumstick market for many years. But in 2013, he’d been forced to close his company for personal reasons’.
To cut an intriguing story short, a new venture Kuppmen (Kuppers and Menken) Music was formed to get these innovative products onto the market once again.
EMD says Kuppmen Music can supply sticks in 5A – 5B and 7A models offering the same weight, shape, size, balance and rebound as wooden sticks but lasting up to 10 times longer than wood. Of the drumrods, EMD says they are much stronger than wooden drumrods, offering at least 30 times longer lifespan, while offering the same feel as a traditional drumstick, but with up to 20db less volume and being suitable for all musical styles. Models available will be 5A, 5B, 7A, 2B
Also on the way are RebounControl Drumsticks which EMD says give an acoustic feel from an electronic kit. They are the same weight, shape, size and balance as regular drumsticks and are available in the 5A – 5B and 7A models.
RRPs will be typically £28.90 for a set of drum sticks to £39.90 for a set of RebounControl sticks.
Info: www.emdmusic.com