In an improvement that is more than meets the eye, Mapex marching percussion and Randall May International have introduced a new system that they believe will revolutionize the way tenor drums are carried. The patented Free Floating Lug Bridge will reduce the weight and improve the sound for tenor drummers.
The FFLB requires no additional drilling to mount the drums. The mounting pieces utilize the existing lug casing holes and in some cases replace the lug casing altogether, thereby reducing the weight carried.
“Usually you have spacers that connect the drums to the back bars or connect the drums to one another, … and when you tighten everything down, it puts some stress on the shells,” says Chris Hankes, school music business unit manager at KHS America, Mapex’s parent company. “The FFLB allows everything to fit naturally into place, and therefore [the drums are] more open and will resonate more freely.”
In addition, the playing position of the drums stays the same when switching back and forth from small and large array configuration, aiding in muscle memory.
The FFLB will be standard on all Mapex Quantum series multi-tenors by April 2016. Retrofitting kits—including one specifically for the shot drums—are also available.
“Even if people decide that maybe retrofitting the entire set isn’t for them, the method of mounting the shot drums alone is revolutionary enough that we’ll have packages available specifically for that,” Hankes says.
Visit quantummarching.com for more information.