Vistalitedrums.com is pleased to share with you an interview with
the CEO of Percussion Kus-toms Kevin Willis.
the CEO of Percussion Kus-toms Kevin Willis.
VLD: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us Kevin. I'd like to say you have quite a variety of styles from which to choose. Very classy as in the smoke and brass, fun i.e. the Coca Cola and J.D. Whiskey models and far out like the fluorescent green and that's just your snares. Where do your ideas for this veritable plethora of designs come?
Percussion Kus-toms: It's my pleasure Ken. Most of my ideas just pop in my head usually inspired by a color I want to do and it just sort of grows into a theme, I'm currently working on a Budweiser snare a Coke bottle from hell snare, a Corona beer snare and a Jelly bean kit with a few twists. I don't like doing the same old thing , I don't want to be a "Ludwig" copy , but would rather be a unique company that pushes the limits. 
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VLD: Do you work with other materials besides acrylic?
Percussion Kus-toms: Before Percussion Kus-toms was formed I have built a few wood sets but only for my own use, But at present we are only working with acrylic, However we may include some top end exotic woods like tiger maple or zebra wood later, but only exotic as that was why Percussion Kus-toms was formed in the first place. To do something different, not just the run of the mill prepackaged drum set.
VLD: Why acrylic?
Percussion Kus-toms: I picked acrylic because it seemed to me the market was very poor as far as choice in this area, Either you had an old Ludwig usually in poor condition or you got a cheap rip off of Ludwig, Since the original Vistalites had come out a lot of improvements have been made in hardware, heads and even the shells, and once I saw how limited the color selection was out there and how many possible colors there are. I knew I had to do this.
Percussion Kus-toms: Before Percussion Kus-toms was formed I have built a few wood sets but only for my own use, But at present we are only working with acrylic, However we may include some top end exotic woods like tiger maple or zebra wood later, but only exotic as that was why Percussion Kus-toms was formed in the first place. To do something different, not just the run of the mill prepackaged drum set.
VLD: Why acrylic?
Percussion Kus-toms: I picked acrylic because it seemed to me the market was very poor as far as choice in this area, Either you had an old Ludwig usually in poor condition or you got a cheap rip off of Ludwig, Since the original Vistalites had come out a lot of improvements have been made in hardware, heads and even the shells, and once I saw how limited the color selection was out there and how many possible colors there are. I knew I had to do this.
VLD: I notice many of your drums use an offset lug design. Is there a specific reason for this or are you just having some fun?
Percussion Kus-toms: Most of my snares have off-set lugs just because I think it makes them stand out and I prefer to use a separate lug for each head as it is richer and more expensive looking, The last thing I want to do is make cheap drums. Also with a 5" snare it becomes a must if you use separate lugs as there is just not room, it's either that or use a single double ended lug or tube lug. |
VLD: Tell us a bit about your Latin percussion products.
Percussion Kus-toms: I live in South Texas, as a result there are a lot of Latin or Tejano type bands here and some drummers wanted timbales to match there sets, So the Timbale market opened, We make our timbales to fit a Matador L.P. stand since L.P. has sort of cornered that market and a lot of guys already have that hardware. The timbales come in a set of 6.5" x 14" and 6.5" x 15". They are louder and more responsive than Matador L.P.'s with a higher end since we use an 8 lug pattern where L.P. only uses a 6 lug pattern and we have a better bearing edge. Timbales can be made in a multitude of colors, We are currently working on a set of American flag timbales. 
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VLD: I really like the idea of customizing the drum heads as you've done on the grape and J.D. snares to name a few.
Percussion Kus-toms: This idea came from the old black and silver dot heads, which were really a vinyl decal to dampen the head and as we all know acrylics ring a lot so instead of putting a hydraulic head on or a coated snare head we some times on a theme snare put a 2 ply Evans G-2 and add our own theme vinyl decal on the bottom side of the head and make a little eye candy and it sounds really good sort of like a coated head. 
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VLD: You've mixed a lot of medias on some of your drums. Acrylic shells with wood rims and metal hardware. Tell us a little about this.
Percussion Kus-toms: We like to do unusual things like mix wood rims or custom powder coat which we offer in any color of the rainbow or brass etc.because we want to be different. This whole company was started simply because I wanted a purple be-bop acrylic set with brass hardware and found out no one would make me one. And I said to myself that just isn't right that I have to buy what someone else thinks is cool. I was so tired of seeing Amber Bonham kits and scratched blue vistalite kits which seem to be the bulk of surviving Vistalites that I said I will make my own. After doing a lot of research and finding out I could get the same shells as Ludwig, Pork Pie, Truth and Orange County only in more colors, I started Percussion Kus-toms. 
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VLD: Are any of your kits being played professionally?
Percussion Kus-toms: I have several artists playing my kits The best known are Joe Flores who plays one of my modified Bonham kits with a band called Monkies Doing It out of Kingsville Texas which have a new album coming out. also I recently have a new artist, Andy Binkowski, who plays an emerald green set with chrome tube lugs with the band called Orbis from Detroit Michigan who just signed a MTV contract. 
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VLD: Are there any big plans in the future for Percussion Kus-Toms?
Percussion Kus-toms: As far as the future our only real plan is to be the best acrylic drum company out there. We want to be the Beatles of acrylics, The mark that all others are measured by. A lofty goal but one I think we can achieve since we look at each drum from a drummers perspective and try to give them something unique.
Percussion Kus-toms: As far as the future our only real plan is to be the best acrylic drum company out there. We want to be the Beatles of acrylics, The mark that all others are measured by. A lofty goal but one I think we can achieve since we look at each drum from a drummers perspective and try to give them something unique.
Kevin Willis / C.E.O.
Percussion Kus-toms
Thank You for talking with us Kevin. Percussion Kus-toms creates custom drums for both the amateur and professional alike and it is clear to see they take a lot of pride in their craft. I wish them every success.
Ken Verducci |
