Jump to content

Craviotto drums

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Craviotto Drum Company
Company typePrivate
Founded1999; 26 years ago (1999)
FounderJohn Angelo (Johnny C) Craviotto
Headquarters
Nashville, Tennessee
,
United States
ProductsDrum kits
Websitecraviottodrums.com

Craviotto Drums is a drum kit manufacturing company, based in Nashville, Tennessee. [1][2][3][4][5]

History

[edit]
Craviotto's first band in Santa Cruz, c. 1962

Craviotto Drums founder and CEO, John “Johnny C” Craviotto was born to Italian-American parents (mother from Florence, father from Genoa) in San Francisco, CA. Johnny began playing drums at an early age and he started playing professionally as a teenager. In the 1970s, a young Johnny Craviotto started off his musical career as a professional drummer playing with artists such as Arlo Guthrie, Ry Cooder, Moby Grape, Neil Young, and Buffy St. Marie. At this time, he had also become a collector of vintage drums and developed an interest in the work of early drum builders.[6][7][8][9][10]

Johnny Craviotto founded the company in 1999

Craviotto had the opportunity around 1979-80 to work in a boatyard with a master boat builder. As an apprentice and helper he began applying this technique to drum shells. So with the help of the master boat builder, Johnny began making one-ply drum shells. By 1984-85, Craviotto teamed up with Billy Gibson, drummer of Huey Lewis & The News. They launched a drum company, Select Drum Company (later changed to “Solid”) Drum Company.[11]

Craviotto developed a steam-bending technique which led to a partnership with Don Lombardi of DW Drums in 1993.[12] For about a decade beginning in the 1990s, Craviotto’s snare drums were available as part of Drum Workshop's catalogs.[13]

Around 1999, Craviotto started a new venture, which was to build drums from ancient, old growth wood recovered from sunken timber. He launched a limited-edition series of solid-ply drums made from 600-year-old wood rescued from the bottom of Lake Superior. These drums were adorned with hoops engraved by engraver, John Aldridge – the “Lake Superior Timeless Timber series.” Several years later, these were followed up with the Lake Superior Timeless Timber birch series of drums.[14] followed by The Lake Superior snare drum (1999). The logs were found by divers, who were searching for a treasure, and they were blocked by these logs.

[15] On July 15, 2016, John Angelo Craviotto died of cardiac arrest.[16]

Solid Shell Maple, Matte Black Lacquer with Maple Inlay

Collaboration with AK Drums Italy

[edit]

In 2007, Craviotto Drum Company teamed up with Adrian Kirchler (AK Drums Italy) to introduce a series of limited edition, handmade metal snare drums. Models released were:

  • 2008: Diamond Series Nickel over Brass, featuring a fully engraved, nickel-plated brass shell. (50x) 5.5x14” and (50x) 6.5x14” were produced.
  • 2009: Copper Diamond Series, featured a raw copper shell. (50x) 5.5x14” and (50x) 6.5x14” were produced.
  • 2012: Masters Metal Brass/Copper, featured a hybrid shell with raw brass on the batter side and raw bopper on the resonant side. (50x) 5.5x14” and (50x) 6.5x14” were produced.
  • 2013: Masters Brass, featured a raw brass shell. (25x) 4.5x14”, (40x) 5.5x14”, (60x) 6.5x14” and (25x) 8x14” were produced.
  • 2014: Craviotto Black Diamond, created in celebration of the Craviotto Drum Company's 10th Anniversary. This drum featured a black nickel-plated, fully engraved brass shell. (25x) 5.5x14” were produced.
  • 2016: Craviotto Masters Bronze, featuring a raw bronze shell. (25x) 5.25x14” and (75x) 7x14” were produced.
Plaque on a "Private Reserve" snare drum

Company Relocation

[edit]

In 2019, the company relocated to Nashville, Tennessee. The company hired Sam Bacco as the new Executive Vice President. With a history of being involved with other drum companies, Sam Bacco brought his expertise in quality drum manufacturing to Craviotto and enabled the company's aspirations to continue Johnny's legacy.

Creation of Diamond Drums

[edit]

In 2021, Craviotto announced the company's first subsidiary brand of ply-wood shells, Diamond Drums. This particular product was the result of Sam Bacco's involvement in the company. Also in 2021, Craviotto trademarked the phrase "Ply Shells Perfected™". These drums feature Craviotto's Maple-Ply Shells, Gold Tone Interior Sealer, Straight-Shot Edges, Marquise Lugs, and Stick-Saver Hoops. In Q2 of 2022, David Victor (Craviotto VP of Marketing, Sales, Production, Web Design, Product Design, and Customer Service) confirmed through a Craviotto Owner Facebook group that Bacco had decided to leave the company. It was later announced that the company's focus would be shifted back to Solid Shell Drums and the Diamond Drums brand would be discontinued in 2022.

Artists

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Guitar Center Interview with Drummer Josh Freese". Archived from the original on 2016-08-10. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  2. ^ "Modern Drummer Magazine Product Review September 2015 Issue".
  3. ^ "MusicRadar.com Product Review March 2008".
  4. ^ "Lone Star Percussion Product Review of Craviotto Snare Drum December 2015".
  5. ^ "Ringo Starr sitting in on Craviotto artist Chad Cromwell's solid shell maple Craviotto kit this past Friday night in Los Angeles with Joe Walsh.publisher=". Archived from the original on 2017-01-06. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
  6. ^ "Neil Young & The Ducks - Johnny Craviotto".
  7. ^ "Neil Young and the Ducks".
  8. ^ "Namm Show 2010 Interview".
  9. ^ "Neil Young Book a memoir of Life and Cars".
  10. ^ "Moby Grape with Johnny Craviotto SF Great American Music Hall 1974".
  11. ^ "Reverb Article on Select Snare Drums Billy Gibson and Johnny Craviotto".
  12. ^ "Reverb Magazine -Article DW Craviotto Diamond Series Snare Drum".
  13. ^ "Snare Drums Review Article DW Craviotto".
  14. ^ "Drummer World Article on Lake Superior Snare Drum".
  15. ^ "Not So Modern Drummer Article".
  16. ^ "The World loses a drumming master with the death of Johhny C - Santa Cruz Sentinel 7/21/16".
  17. ^ "Ronnie Vannucci - Modern Drummer Magazine Article -Craviotto Drums-January 23, 2009".
  18. ^ "Jason McGerr- Mr. Movie Times -Craviotto Drums-January 23, 2009".
  19. ^ "Chad Cromwell - Linkedin - Craviotto Artist".
  20. ^ "Bernie Dresel - The Herald - Craviotto Drum Artist".
  21. ^ "Chris McHugh joins Craviotto Drum Company-Drum Forum May 11, 2009".
  22. ^ "Lesson Shark - February 26, 2013 - Jerry Roe - Craviotto Drums artist".
  23. ^ "Dadarrio - Chris Tyrrell of Lady Antebellum - Craviotto Drums artist". Archived from the original on 2016-08-16. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
  24. ^ "Scott Amendola- Gear - Craviotto Drum Artist". Archived from the original on 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
  25. ^ "Headliner Magazine - Issue 7 - Keith Prior drummer - David Gray -Craviotto Drums artist".
  26. ^ "Paiste Magazine - Feature Chris Knight - Craviotto Drums artist".
  27. ^ "Matt Wilson Drum Magazine December 26, 2009- Craviotto Drums artist".
  28. ^ "Jerome Jennings - Craviotto Drums artist".
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Craviotto drums.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Craviotto_drums&oldid=1287027452"