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- Last Updated: Saturday, 06 June 2026 22:29
A&F CUSTOM KIT 2016-2024
DRUMS
A&F DRUMS
22” x 10” Single Tension Raw Brass Bass Drum / Mahogany Hoops #11230
16” x 10” Single Tension Raw Brass Floor Tom / Mahogany Hoops #11225
13” x 6” Single Tension Raw Brass Tom Tom / Mahogany Hoops #11226
14" x 6.5" Raw Brass Snare #11054 12" x 3" Rude Boy Unique Custom Untreated Matte Brass Finish Snare #16056
10” x 3” Rude Boy Brass Snare #12487
6" x 4" Raw Steel Micro with Internal Snares, Brass Hoops #14013
Additional Snare
14" x 4" Dual Tension Mahogany Club 10 lug Snare # 11112
THRONE
A&F Jonesy Brown-Diamond Tufted Brown Italian Saddle Leather Throne.
PERCUSSION
Matt Nolan 27" Batwing Gong
Melanie Tri-Fantom drums 6", 8" & 10"
1920's Temple Blocks
Remo Roto Toms
ELECTRONICS
Yamaha EAD10
Yamaha XP100SD 3-Zone 10" Snare Drum Trigger
Duaz 6" Pads x 2
CYMBALS
M.Yamamoto
20" Crash Ride 1783g Custom Signed 'Spizzclone' (25/10/17)
UFIP
19" Bionic Crash 1876g 2704583
14" Bionic Hi-Hats 1212/1408g 26000834/2600083
12" Class Hi-Hats 310/1000g 2704439/2704440
8" Class Splash 210g M 2300505
8" Class Splash 165g L 2304289
Ibrahim Diril
7" D Series Bell
6" Rawbell Shiny Series Splash
Zildjian
18" Spiral Trash Crash
Stagg
DH 12" China
BACKGROUND
I do know that I am truly blessed to own an incredible collection of vintage, classic and modern drum sets.
However, there is something very different about the sets from the old days when production numbers were not as important as creating something special.
I have owned and played many modern sets of drums, and only one had ever come even remotely close what I considered to be what I wanted as my own 'signature' set - The trouble was, I didn't even really know myself what it was that I was missing.
Over the years, a lot of very unusual cymbals and percussion items have been acquired and some have left a clear mark on me to the point that they appear on lots of sets, but I never could find the missing element from in the drums.
Vintage sets offered many of those unusual qualities that I like, but they were either too rare or fragile to ever consider anything but studio use.
In 2016, a new drum company appeared on the scene and from the outset, the A&F Drum Company came at drum building from a whole new, retro angle with many complete drum sets made from metal.
Despite absolutely loving what I was seeing in their beautiful ornate and very original pieces, my thoughts were "Wow, would those drums sets ever be heavy!"
By 2020, A&F's 4th birthday rolled around, a friend re-posted an A&F giveaway on Facebook, April 25th to be precise*, and I chimed in and posted about my concerns over the weight.
To my total surprise, Ramy Antoun, owner of the company replied to me to explain that these brass, bronze, and steel sets were in fact lighter than almost every wood-based kits!
That showed class and a professionalism that you don't often see and hear, especially from a company owner!
*April 25th also happened to be my late father's Birthday, so it now seems fitting that ever since that day, I started to extensively research and closely follow A&F drums from afar, that was until October 2021!
I was working with the legendary drummer Nick D'Virgilio and his band Big Big Train. We got talking about my drum collection and I asked him about A&F who he had reviewed extremely favourably for Sweetwater.
Working at Sweetwater, Nick also had access to A&F drums, so he kindly agreed to bring over one, a tiny 6" x 4" Raw Steel Micro with internal snares, and brass hoops.
Needless to say, I fell in love with it, so I started to look more closely about which of their kits matched what I wanted from my own 'Signature' set. There in lay the beauty, you can in effect, build your own set and they will custom build it for you.
December 1st, I was at home with some unexpected time on my hands, so my thoughts were again on A&F, and I was viewing items, reviews and generally doing research on the drums.
Suddenly my eyes stumbled upon an advert from a UK based drum shop (that I had somehow never heard of?!) and to my amazement, featured was a pre-owned A&F set in the exact configuration and brass series that I was already, (as a seldom playing drummer,) trying to justify to myself.
A fraction of the cost, (especially as there would be no shipping, VAT and import charges!) there was a rush of adrenalin as I contacted the store to see if the set was still available!
To my amazement, the kit was indeed still available, so I instantly hit the buy it now button, and within minutes, I was in my car and headed to London. By midnight, I was back home and setting up the core of my new A&F set!
Now seriously, come on. Honestly, have you ever seen a more beautiful work of art drum set?! No is the correct answer!
These single tension Raw Brass drums are not only packing a hefty dose of pre twentieth century wood drum design, but the styling is also ultra-modern chic, with the raw brass just oozing class and that's even before you play them!
Sonically, oh my, the tones simply melted in my ears! Wide open, they sang like nothing I had played before, and I instantly knew my mind & creative genes were in total overload.
A rich timbre of sound—full-bodied, warm, and complex, with velvety harmonic overtones - the set feels like an extension of my own personality.
This stunning A&F custom Raw Brass / Steel set with a Mahogany Club 10 lug snare would now form the heart of my 'signature' set and truly, I felt blessed and honoured to own such a beautiful set of drums.
After owning and often being frustrated by many kits, I never expected that moment to come, yet there I sat well into the night, just noodling and each time I stopped and walked away, I would look back, audibly gasp, and sit right back down and play again. That has never happened before.
Fast forward, and I naturally had to add some Raw Brass snares to give me options in that department. These were a 14" x 6.5" Raw Brass and a 10” x 3” Rude Boy Brass.
I continued to talk privately with A&F's founder, Ramy Antoun who some of you may know had previously worked and toured with the Black-Eyed Peas and Seal, along with sessions for Paul Simon, James Taylor, Willie Nelson, and Bonnie Raitt, among others.
Ramy's passion for vintage drums matched my own and following a number of discussions, he kindly invited me to visit the factory just outside of Austin, Texas.
We met on a beautiful day in late November of 2022. Both he and his staff, could not have made myself and my girlfriend more welcome, and of course, I knew I would not be able to leave empty handed!
Following spinal surgery at the start of the year, for me, one of A&F's signature elite drum thrones was a must!
The Jonesy Brown-Diamond Tufted Brown Italian Saddle Leather (inspired by the old Harley Indian motorcycle seat) was my choice.
Handmade with Italian Saddle Leather and reinforced with heavy-duty thread stitching, the sides are meticulously stitched and with the logo embossed on each side.
A solid piece of high-density cooling tempurpedic foam is at the core, making it extremely breathable with extra rebound to retain the Jonesy's shape. It is without doubt, the most comfortable (not to mention beautiful) drum throne I have ever placed my derrière upon!
Before we left the factory, I was given the opportunity to play Ramy's own exceptionally beautiful and creatively inspiring A&F set featuring the incredible North Star cymbals.
To be completely honest, I was overwhelmed. Massively aware of my lack of talent / practice (I hadn't played in 2 years) and in total awe of the kit and its owner. It must have sounded horrible, but Ramy remained as gracious as ever though and what an absolute honour and rush to play that incredible set!
One last surprise was in store, as Ramy had also kindly arranged for me to visit their showhouse in the centre of Austin, so we departed after an amazing few hours, both stunned by our host's kindness and wonderful hospitality.
Downtown, we met with Chris Mead, who again, could not have been more welcoming to us.
There were many A&F sets on display, and I was invited to try whatever I wanted, however, not wishing to take up too much of Chris' time, I made a direct line to try out the then, hot of the production line, proto-type Featherweight kit!
The Featherweight Series is A&F's lightest set of drums made from a special mix of aluminium. Snares and Rack Toms weigh 3.6-4.5lbs, Floor Toms 7-8.5 lbs and bass drums 10-14lbs - That is roughly half the weight of a normal wood set!!!
I enjoyed the kit immensely. It was perhaps less open than my A&F making it slightly more defined in the attack. On a personal level, the weight given my spinal issues, it is a kit made in Heaven and something very much on my radar! It is even in my favourite (Texas) burnt orange natural finish !
Through 2023, whenever my extensive tour work allowed, I was back behind my now 'signature' A&F set, and with the additions that I have made around those beautiful A&F drums, it remains the most inspiring set of drums that I have owned.
UPDATE
In early April of 2024, Ramy and I were again in contact, and I was kindly offered this truly unique snare that had just been made. There was no hesitation in my mind about adding it to the collection.
A beautiful totally one off 12" x 3" Rude Boy snare in a stunning untreated matte brass finish and I can't wait to receive it.
As I will also soon to be back in Texas, I look forward to meeting up with Ramy once again, especially as there could be another A&F set on the horizon!
Please do go and check out A&F Drums. Sonically and aesthetically, there are no other drums on offer at this level of retro modern chic design and sonic brilliance! www.anfdrumco.com
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- Last Updated: Friday, 15 May 2026 19:44
- Details
- Last Updated: Friday, 27 March 2026 23:08
SLINGERLAND
ROLLING BOMBER DRUM SET
DRUMS:
26x14" Bass Drum - Rolling Bomber
14x6.5" Snare - Rolling Bomber
13x9" Tom - Rolling Bomber
14x12" Floor Tom - Radio King (1940's but not with the original set.)
PERCUSSION:
Wood Block
CYMBALS:
11" Hi-Hats
13" Crash
10" Splash
HARDWARE:
Slingerland Hi-Hat Stand
Slingerland Snare stand
Wood Block Holder
Cymbal Arm
Cymbal Arm
Slingerland #7272 (Walberg & Auge) 1940s nickel drum throne & corduroy seat
BACKGROUND:
For those who don’t know the background, my drum collection started in 1977 but was formerly established in 2008, although it took until 2014 for the name to be born out of the personal loss of my father, Frank Collins.
Like his father before, Frank Collins Snr, my father had been a drummer, not professional, but even in his last days, he would still tap the change in his pocket like he was riding the cymbal in a big band and we would raise a smile whenever he uttered his favourite phrase, “Quite frankly son…..”
Quite Frankly Drums seemed fitting as the name of the collection as Quite frankly... it’s all about the drums!
Early in 2025 while prepping for a tour, a rare kit came into my sights, one that would be the perfect replacement to this SLINGERLAND SET that I sold to a very famous individual, but yet still missed greatly due to its total completeness some 77 years on.
At the start of the year, I purchased a new vintage 1945 Slingerland Radio King set because once again, it was so complete and in excellent condition, but to add further sentiment, it came from the legendary Frank’s Drum Shop in Chicago. How very fitting!
Over the decades, while travelling and working in America, my name has been spelt incorrectly almost every time in is written, so much so, that twenty or more year back I adopted using just my initials, GC and many call me by that when on tour.
I even made a banded logo of GC that appeared on a few drum videos all those years ago.
My fondness for vintage Slingerland drums is documented in many places on this site, and in keeping an open eye on sets, I almost fell off my chair when this kit particular came into view and the more I discovered, the more it was naturally destined to be a centre piece in my collection.
Somehow, the initials GC have been on this rare Slingerland Rolling Bomber set since 1942. While crudely painted on, whether they are the first owner’s initials or perhaps the initials of the band they played in, sadly is lost to time.
What is not lost to history, is that the second owner of the set was gifted the drum set in 1948 by his parents when aged just 14. His name is Michael Levine and today is aged 91 and still carrying many wonderful memories of the set.
It remained in the family from 1948 to 2025, passing first to his son, and then to his Grandson, Reuben and never did they consider removing the GC from the original Slingerland calf head.
Now, not only do I own Phil’s drum (my middle name is bizarrely truly Phil making me another Phil Collins), but now I have some of Frank’s drums to commemorate two generations, my Father and Grandfather, and finally, I now have my own GC vintage set.
The universe does indeed work in strange ways!
More to follow....
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- Last Updated: Saturday, 28 March 2026 22:53
1930's Weaver & Dickson Traps Set
DRUMS:
28" Bass Drum
Snare
Traps
Traps Table (A replica as the original had broken, but the build was based on the original.)
Besson Snow Shoe Hi-Hat
Bass Drum Pedal
Sticks and brushes
Carry Case
BACKGROUND:
Purchased September 6th, 2014
This kit is in an incredible condition for a 1930s Traps set with myself being only the third owner from new.
The original owner was part of a marching band, but had this traps set from the 1930s until his passing around 1960.
It was sold by his widow to the second owner who kept the kit until just a few years ago.
I have yet to find another Weaver & Dickson kit that has survived, having only been able to locate just a few odd drums, some of which are in the drum museum in Edinburgh.
This is an amazing time capsule Traps set and if treated with respect, certainly a players kit!
If you have any information about the kit or indeed any questions, please contact me.
- Details
- Last Updated: Tuesday, 17 March 2026 21:13
A&F FEATHERWEIGHT SERIES
DRUMS:
22” x 14" Featherweight Bass Drum #15466
16” x 14" Featherweight Floor Tom #15467
12” x 8" Featherweight Tom Tom #15468
SNARE
14” x 5.5" Featherweight Snare Drum #15469
CYMBALS:
26” Masterwork Prototype Swish China Pang 2617g
23” Bosphorus Lyric Ari Hoenig Ride Crash 2320g
15” Avedis Zildjian 1950’s Hi-Hat Cymbals “small stamp” Light T901g & B931g
HARDWARE:
TBC
Acquired March 1st, 2026.
BACKGROUND:
On November 18th, 2022 Ramy Antoun formally launched the latest innovation from the A&F Drum Co, The Featherweight Series.
Quite likely to be the lightest standard size series of drums ever made, with Snares and Rack Toms weighing 3.6-4.5lbs, Floor Toms 7-8.5 lbs and the bass drums 10-14lbs!
The drums came about via a commission to build the ‘new’ Big Bertha for the University of Texas in Austin. A massive 9 feet 6 inches x 55 inches, not only does it provide the beat that serves as the rally cry to the football fans of the Texas Longhorns, it is also the world’s biggest bass drum!
The Featherweight drums were born from this project with the drums made from A&F’s proprietary aluminium shells, hoops*, lugs and hardware, and left with a natural ‘Mother Nature’ patina which happens to match the team colours of the Longhorns! *The bass drum features Whisky Maple Hoops.
A&F hand cut, roll, weld, and sand the shells and hoops, then expedite the aging process with the company’s proprietary patina method.
Bearing edges are hand cut prior to adding their patented aluminium centre-mounted lugs and hardware.
This new series of drum immediately caught my attention. Firstly, the tone was literally music to my ears, but the weight (or lack of!) instantly had my attention as I was just 11 months of from major spinal and back surgery.With the warnings from the surgeon still ringing in my ears about my future limited lifting abilities, the timing of the announcement was perfect to help me resurrect any possibility of playing the drums away from my studio.
Ramy and I had already been talking back and forth, and he kindly invited me to visit several A&F locations just 10 days after the launch of the Featherweight series.
After a wonderful, guided tour of the A&F factory and meeting the team, we moved on to Ramy’s home where he kindly showed me some of the first A&F drums made, talked about vintage drums, while he also very kindly allowed me to play his personal A&F set which was a huge thrill.
From there, I headed to the A&F showroom in downtown Austin where I met with Chris Mead who kindly gave me the run of all the sets there.
Due to my back surgery, it had been a long time since I’d sat at a set of drums for any period, so I proceed with extreme caution and a heap of embarrassment at my poor standard of playing these beautiful kits.
Chris was extremely gracious and I certainly didn’t abuse my time, choosing to play just two sets.
The first was a stunning nickel over brass that deserved a place in a world class art gallery, while I didn’t play the fabulous Ankh series (a collaboration between the A&F Drum Co. and Sabian) and a beautiful Royals raw brass set.
My time was naturally focused on the Featherweight series set, the actual one used in the company launch videos, 24/16/12/14.
Set up with it were a raw brass Gong snare and a 13” x 3” Rude Boy (which was immediately added to my wish list!) but it was all about the Featherweight - it didn’t disappoint!Some A&F sets do sit more comfortably at a lower tuning (my Single Tension Raw Brass set being one), but this Featherweight set tuned super high, medium, and low, retaining great resonance through each tuning.
I knew as I sat there and played that I’d be buying a set, however, there were a lot of moving parts ahead for me with touring, so it took all my will power not to place the order there and then.
However, I did leave A&F that day with a beautiful Jonesy Brown-Diamond Tufted Brown Italian Saddle Leather (inspired by the old Harley Indian motorcycle seat)! Hands down the most comfortable drum throne I have been fortune to own.
In the end, the touring took over my life for the next three and a half years, so many plans I had in my personal world all went on hold.
While out on the road, I did secure the following A&F snares to add to my collection.
14" x 6.5" Raw Brass Snare
12" x 3" Rude Boy Custom Untreated Matte Brass Finish Snare – A one off that I got directly from Ramy.
10” x 3” Rude Boy Brass Snare
These compliment the two snares I already owned; the 14" x 4" Dual Tension Mahogany Club 10 lug that came with my Single Tension Raw Brass set, and my original A&F purchase, a 6" x 4" Raw Steel Micro with Internal Snares, Brass Hoops.
In 2026, I finally stepped away from the road to focus on my own life again, which has allowed me to reconnect with my long-standing passion for collecting and playing drums.
During 2025, I added two remarkable 1940s Slingerland kits to my collection, including a stunning 1942 ‘Rolling Bomber’ set that remarkably carries my own initials which were hand-painted on the bass drum in 1942!
The second was a historic set from the legendary Frank's Drum Shop and that addition replaced a very similar set that I had previously sold to Tom Hanks after it appeared in the TV series Masters of the Air.
A year later, I recently added another classic: a 1964 Slingerland Stage Band kit in the sizes I had long been searching for.
However, the one piece that I was still missing from my collection—the remarkable Featherweight series from A&F Drum Co.
If I was ever going to return to playing live again, that gap needed to be filled.
I’m delighted that finally, that gap has been filled.
Just two days after purchase, I took delivery of a four-piece A&F Featherweight set purchased from Mark's Drum Shop with the help of the owner Mark Smith. 
To complement the kit, I wanted something sonically distinctive in the cymbal department. After years searching for the right ultra-thin, dark and warm swish sound, I finally found it through Hazelshould Drums and Cymbals—a remarkable 26″ hand-hammered prototype from Masterwork Cymbals.
Its dark, complex voice and responsiveness immediately stood out.
Soon after, I added a beautifully thin 23″ ride-crash from Bosphorus Cymbals, whose warm tone perfectly complements the Masterwork piece.
Together with a pair of vintage 1950s Avedis Zildjian “small stamp” hi-hats, the result is an exceptionally warm and expressive setup.
This Featherweight kit will become my primary live set, while my custom A&F brass single-tension kit remains my personal “signature” instrument—the one that truly does everything I need to express myself fully at a drum set, and that I feel is an extension of my own personality.
For all that, the A&F Featherweight offers me something different….
