C&C Custom Drums Europe

Gladstone Shells

Our 6-ply Maple/Gum shell is in-house produced by C&C. When designing our shells, we wanted to focus on one main objective: less glue, more wood. This leads to the one of a kind sound of our drums that makes our drums sound different from other in the market. As an example: Our standard for example 6-ply Maple shell contains over 30% more wood than a typical 8-ply Keller Maple shell. These thicker plies give a lower fundamental tone, which in return provides a warmer sound. Gladstone’s objective is as simple as it is convincing – and we have started our own shell production to bring back all these amazing vintage sound back to the drumming world of today. To learn more about the production process of our beautiful Gladstone Shells, click here.

4 Sizes

Like all other lines, our Maple/gum series is offered in four standard size configurations. The Bebop, Big Beat and Bonzo setups are completely different in sizes, while the Big Band configuration is a mixture between a Big Beat and a Bonzo (combining Big Beat-toms with a Bonzo kick and snare drum) — which has become a very popular and a much demanded C&C set-up within the last years. Here you can find all four configuration setups at a glance and compare sizes:

Bebop: 20“ x 14, 12“ x 8, 14“ x 14 (& optional 14“ x 5.5 snare)
Big Beat: 22“ x 14, 13“ x 8, 16“ x 15 (& matching 14“ x 6.5 snare)
Big Band: 24“ x 14, 13“ x 8, 16“ x 15 (& optional 14“ x 8 snare)
Bonzo: 24“ x 14, 14“ x 9, 18“ x 15 (& matching 14“ x 8 snare)

High Gloss & Mat Paint

The Maple/Gum line offers a variety of high gloss and mat finishes. Some of our favorites you can find in the gallery, like Cadillac Green, Tweedy Blue, Menta Green, Solid Yellow, Egg Nog or Sea Foam. If you’re desired option is still missing, feel free to contact us and let us know. We’re always working steadily on a round and matching selection of finishes. If you have something special in mind, we’d love to realize this for you on a Custom base.

The perfect wood

All our drums start from wood — the essential basis for anything in respect to tone. Not round, perfectly formed pre-fabricated shells, but flat sheets of the most beautiful, perfect wood one can acquire. Since 2011 we’re able to produce our very own, in-house made shells, which complies us with pride, and thus bring back many classical and unique vintage designs of the past. The Player Date, our first line of drums, comes with a very warm, musical and rich sounding 7-ply Full Mahogany shell. With its Full Contact Bearing Edge, cut by the master Bill Cardwell himself, it provides an outstanding tuning range you can hardly find anywhere else. If you want to know more about how our drums are made, we’d love to invite you to take a look at the link of our Gladstone Shells page.

C&C Hardware

We are very pleased that — after having started producing our own shells — we are now also able to provide the Player Date with an in-house lug design. Being inspired by many of the classics, it marks the bridge between a bit of a modern Kansas City architecture with aspects of many of our favorite lugs from the past. Our single-ended „Art Deco“ lug is found on all Maple/Gum and works greatly in combination with Vintage „Heavy Duty“ spurs. This combination provides the drums with a beautiful vintage look, it round ups the aesthetics of our lines and makes them thus real C&C originals.

Matching Wood Hoops

In contrast to our Player Date kits that all feature inlayed Wood Hoops on the kick drum, the ones of the Maple/Gum line are kept simple and one-tone on purpose. As a result, these great paint colors – whether it’s mat or high gloss – work greatly in combination with the classic Die Cast claws and thus become especially visible. On special demand we can of course get you a desired inlay with your pair of Maple/Gum kick drum hoops. No problem, contact us anytime.