Drummers Service

[Robbie Robinson]

A few weeks ago I placed an order for a pair of the "Healy" sicks from Drummers Service. I'm sure someone on this board knows someting about this company. I can't seem to get in touch with anyone by phone or email about te status of my order. Any suggestions?

Robbie

[Rick Beckham]

A few weeks ago I placed an order for a pair of the "Healy" sicks from Drummers Service. I'm sure someone on this board knows someting about this company. I can't seem to get in touch with anyone by phone or email about te status of my order. Any suggestions?

Robbie

Never heard of them. Do they have a website? How did you order, over the internet, phone, or through a catalog?

[Robbie Robinson]

The website is " drummersservice.com " They are sticks made by Reamer. My Dad used these in the 1950's. As best I can tell, the son of Bill Reamer has continued the business.

[CPerna]

The website is " drummersservice.com " They are sticks made by Reamer. My Dad used these in the 1950's. As best I can tell, the son of Bill Reamer has continued the business.

Robbie,
I just spoke with Andy Reamer, nice guy... number is 412-323-2863. He said he is going on vacation for 2 weeks starting July 13th and is trying to get all orders out before then.

Let me know how you like the stick when you get them... I may try a pair.

Perna

[antizen]

A few weeks ago I placed an order for a pair of the "Healy" sicks from Drummers Service. I'm sure someone on this board knows someting about this company. I can't seem to get in touch with anyone by phone or email about te status of my order. Any suggestions?

Robbie

Steve Chorazy turned me on to their site. Kinda strange they don't comunicate by e-mail. Steve did mentoin they take a while though. Let us know if you get them by phone, as well as how the order goes.

Steve had this precious pair of Soistman's <sp?> that look like the design behind the "Air Force Bold" models. I'll try a pair, when I can get over not being able to roll a pair for myself.

[Don Worth]

Hello, I still have 3 pair of the Soistman sticks. One pair being the back sticking model and the other 2 pair are the ones with the long acorn style tip. Tell Steve hello for me since I am a name from the way past in the Northwest. I am the younger Don that competed in those days and not my Dad who taught the Hawks and judged in those days. I am sure he has not heard my name in years or my Dads.

[Robbie Robinson]

The sticks showed up on my doorstep yesterday. I must say, they are very nice. I purchased a pair of the "Healy model" for my Dad. They are the ones with the long acorn style bead that Don spoke of. In the mid 60's, when I first picked up sticks, these were the ones I played with. I was only 4 years old at the time but I remember the carved rings at the butt of the stick and the Reamer signature. At that time, Bill Reamer was making them in a shop located in Broomall, PA which is just outside Philly. I spoke to his son Andy the other day (thanks Perna) and he told me that Bill was still making the sticks but had relocated to Lancaster quite a while back. I am thinking of getting a couple more pair for my self.

[VALSCHAFF]

Robbie, Those Reamer's are very nice. I really enjoy the Mitzel and the Mitzel Canes, very well balanced for my style of playing. The last pairs I ordered I had to get in hickory, the high quality persimmon they use is
getting harder to find from what I understand.

[antizen]

Hello, I still have 3 pair of the Soistman sticks. One pair being the back sticking model and the other 2 pair are the ones with the long acorn style tip. Tell Steve hello for me since I am a name from the way past in the Northwest. I am the younger Don that competed in those days and not my Dad who taught the Hawks and judged in those days. I am sure he has not heard my name in years or my Dads.

I cannot tell you how intriqued I am by this thread. The only pair I ever saw were Steve's. It was more drum corps legend by the time I was in a real corps. What was the story behind Soistman? Did he/they make multiple models like "Drummer's service"?

Did Drummer's Service buy "the rights" as it were to those sticks?

Don, are you tech-friendly? Any chance you could take some pictures of your sticks and post them or share them over e-mail? I'll let Steve know you said hi, but he reads this group so he may have already got your message.

[Joe]

A few weeks ago I placed an order for a pair of the "Healy" sicks from Drummers Service.

Are these by any chance the same sticks that were made by a guy in western Connecticut back in the late '50s? My sister (who was a CT and NE states solo champion for a number of years) had three pairs of what look like the sticks in the picture on the Drummer's Service web site made years ago. One pair was hickory, one was rosewood. I don't remember the composition of the third. But I do remember going to the guy's shop when I was eight or nine and watching him hand-carving the sticks on a lathe.

I know my sister still has a pair of these hanging in her family room. I'm sure she must have the other two as well.

Joe

[saxodoc]

Hey Joe, I think the sticks you were talking about was a "Crocken" model. But I have seen those sticks at some of the booths at the musters.

Bobby Thompson gave me a pair of the first BTS sticks (Bobby Thompson Specials) that were made by Reamer about 25 years agao. I thougt they were very well balanced, and allowed me much better control. Unfortunately, over the years, they warped. I ordered a few more pair from Reamer about 6 years ago, and sad to say, they just didn't feel the same as the original BTS. I don't know if it was the type of wood, or perhaps they were cut a little thicker. Oh well, the quest continues for the perfect stick.......

[Danny Raymond, Jr.]

Javier,


Although I never played with the original BTS, I did order a pair a year or so ago and I like them. The sticks I prefer to use are PRO-MARK DC4. A bit lighter than most sticks, but nice balance. I tape them as well.
Hey Robbie, how goes it? Nice to see you post and I'm glad you got your sticks. I remember it took a while for me to receive mine.

[Cliff Barrows]

Here is the history of Drummer's Service that I know. Gus Moeller started his drum making in NYC, and the business was taken over by Buck Soistman and moved to Maryland. Bill Reamer took over the business after Buck Soistman in the early 70's. Bill's son, Andy, and another drummer, Mark, from the Independance Fife and Drum Corps worked there too. I remember that Mark did the painting. They are all nice people, and last I knew, the shop was in Bill's basement in Broomall, PA. I have played with their sticks since 1976 or so, and have loved the style and feel. My only bad experience was in the early to mid 80's when I ordered a drum. I was told that it would take 6 months, and after 3 years, the order was never started. so, needless to say, I never got one.

[Dominick Cuccia]

Mr. Reamer is now located in East Earl Pennslvania in the middle of Amish country. My family went to visit him a couple of months ago. His shop is on a Menonite farm. As you drive into the farm you'd never believe some of the greatest rope drums in the world were built there. You can smell the cow crap long before you see his workshop.

Suddenly you go in and its like walking into a museum of sorts. It's not set up like a museum, but he has all kinds of stuff going back to the days when Moeller had the business. Pictures all over the place of legendary corps like the Connecticut Yanks featuring a young Charley Poole and The Charles W. Dickerson Field Music featuring Dave Boddie and Cecil Andrews, both who were taught by Moeller. (Cecil still drums today on a limited basis)

Mr. Reamer and his wife Renie are two of the nicest people on the planet!
I've stayed over their house a few times and it is an incredible experience. One time we stayed up until like 2am watching videos of Buddy Rick (compliled by Mark Beecher) then around 6am I hear a John Phillip Sousa recording blasting through the house. Although I would have loved more sleep it was incredible seeing the energy he had so early in the morning...the prankster!

The way the business works now is Mr. Reamer does the drums in East Earl. He also does the sticks, but ships them to his son Andy in Pittsburg. Thats where they get checked for pitch & weight. Andy teaches percussion at Duquene (sp?) and plays with the Pittsburg Symphony. But don't let that concert stuff fool you, the man is a badass rudimental drummer!

I know I've share a number of links to my site today, but here are a couple more. They are pictures of my family's set of Reamer drums.
http://www.dreadeddrummer.com/reamerphoto1.htm
http://www.dreadeddrummer.com/reamerphoto2.htm

I know I talked a bit here, but as genuine and awesome a man as Mr. Reamer is I could probably go on for hours!!!!!!!!!!!!
DC

[Don Worth]

I have been in and out playing gigs this weekend and will try to post a pic next week when I am back home. Off to Renton to play a gig from 5-6 and then off to Seattle for a gig at Doc Maynards in dowtown. Well, will try to get some pics soon.