I think this is the rarest drum I have as far as production runs go: it's a 14x6.5" Dunnett solid shell Ancient Kauri and it's named Ashlyn. The shell is a single piece of 45,000+ year old wood, the hoops are titanium and it has an R2 strainer and a hypervent. Forty-two strand wires compliment the setup.

The drum was purchased new from Poole Percussion in the UK in 2007. I'd seen it on their website about 1am on a tuesday morning and by mid morning the following day it was at my house. Wonderful service from Poole and I recommend them.

This particular drum was number four out a run of five. There are apparently only two other 6.5" drums and a 14x4" and a 13" making this a rare item. I haven't really played it much, although I did put the Remo head on you can see to keep the original logo head in tact when I did play it. You can hear it on the track 'Georgia On A Fast Train' here.

A friend of mine told me he'd love to have a guitar finished in this wood. Whilst it may not be quite as multi dimensional as something like birdseye maple, it still has a regalness about it which is stunning. I have a great fascination with old drums and old wood and although I'm not a huge fan of the large clips over the hoops, it's a small thing against what this drum represents.

Extra photos here.

About Ancient Kauri wood.