QUINTRON DRUM BUDDY ANALOG SYNTHESIZER DRUM MACHINE

via this auction

"The instrument you see here is the Curly Maple Drum Buddy, built by Quintron for his 2010 "NOMA series". Only five Drum Buddies were built for this series, four of which were recently shown in a major exhibit at the New Orleans Museum of Art entitled, PARALLEL UNIVERSE - QUINTRON AND MISS PUSSYCAT LIVE @ CITY PARK, (Jan, 29 thru May 2, 2010). Three of those four Drum Buddies will be sold during the remaining months of 2010 and one will be kept by Quintron. The fifth went to SNL comedian, Fred Armisen, and was not on display at NOMA. Each one of the five in this series is slightly different. Less than 30 Drum Buddies have been produced since its invention in 1999, and no more Drum Buddies will ever be produced like the 5 from this series. This is the finest and best sounding Drum Buddy yet! No expense was spared.

All NOMA series Drum Buddies feature mirrored tops and anodized metallic pipes.
All NOMA series Drum Buddies feature a lighted inside and back panel as well as a glowing platter mount.
All NOMA series Drum Buddies feature a key switch to turn the instrument on and off.

Every instrument in this series also features a one-of-kind dovetailed cabinet, each built from a different wood by expert craftsman and artist Hunter Roth.

The wood on this cabinet is called "Curly Maple", also known as flamed maple, fiddleback or tiger stripe. The wood fibers in curly maple are distorted in an undulating pattern, producing wavy lines known as "flames". Because of its beautiful almost 3-dimensional appearance, this wood is used frequently in the manufacture of furniture and musical instruments, most notably the legendary Gibson Les Paul. Curly maple was also often used for making the stocks of "Kentucky Rifles" used in the American revolutionary war.

For general information, additional photographs & video demonstrations of the Drum Buddy, please visit: www.drumbuddy.com & www.freshkillsflagship.com

To peruse links reviewing the 2010 Drum Buddy exhibit at the New Orleans Museum of Art please visit [link]

This instrument is a one of a kind beat and noise making machine which uniquely replicates Kick, Snare, Bass, and Space sounds. The individual oscillators are triggered and/or filtered via light sensors that are located in multi-colored tubes surrounding a rotating can with holes in it. As the can rotates the frequency of light holes creates a rhythmic pattern, much like an old music box rotating and plucking metal tines. The can may also be spun and worked with your hands much the same way a vinyl DJ would spin and scratch records. In addition to the synth part of the Drum Buddy, this model also includes a "Wobble" feature which allows the user to plug any instrument into the back and then control the sound by moving the light holes in front of the yellow pipe. The effect is similar to an "Auto Wah" but with much more control. For instance your friend could be doing an organ solo thru the Drum Buddy and you can scratch and spin their notes as they are playing them, giving you fun god-like powers over your band-mate's sound! The "Wobble" feature is a completely separate circuit from the standard Drum Buddy sounds and can be used simultaneously with the synth.

In addition to the above features, this instrument will also come with a Speed Pedal switch allowing you the option to either control the can rotation speed (BPM) with the console knob or with your foot. The console knob is a 10-turn 10 K pot that can make the can go faster or slower in very small increments. This is great when you want to match beats with a record or drum machine or live band. The speed pedal lets the player go from slow to fast with one whoosh of the foot. This is awesome when you have it in wobble mode and you want to vary the wobble effect while playing your instrument with both hands. This custom designed speed pedal is of course included.

This Curly Maple Drum Buddy will include SIX BEAT CANS with six different rhythmic patterns - all made by Quintron specifically for this particular instrument. Every instrument is different, every can is different. This is Curly's special six pack:

1. Two Step Wobble
2. Slow Ride
3. Happy Beat
4. Latin Flavor
5. Random Wobble
6. Jungle

You will also receive an instructional video on how to paint and cut your own cans as well as essential measuring tools for spacing the holes and a mount to hold the cans steady while drilling.

In summary, these three instruments from the NOMA series are each one of a kind and no more like these will ever be produced. This is a hand made instrument, rough-hewn and refined at the same time. The instrument is 100% unused. All electronics except motor and light were disconnected for the museum exhibit. Any small scratches or imperfections are the nature of this beast. Every single step in the construction of this instrument was either executed by or overseen by Quintron. He personally did all of the wiring, calibration, tuning, can cutting, and painting. There are no "bent" or used circuits here.

The Drum Buddy has been issued in three separate series: 1999 - Russian Birch Series (10 instruments), 2005 Cypress series (10 instruments), and now the 2010 NOMA series (5 instruments).

This creation has come a long way since the 1999 model. Yes, these may now be considered fine art, but make no mistake, the Drum Buddy is still a kick ass, weirder than weird show-stopper of a musical instrument! Good luck and happy bidding. For questions or more information, email Fresh Kills at people at freshkillsflagship.com. Technical questions will be forwarded directly to Quintron and will be answered immediately."

Update: see this post for video of the Drumbuddy.