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Mike Cotta

Mike Cotta has established himself as one of the most respected names among Seattle drummers. With over thirty years of drumming experience, Mike lists Neil Peart, Stewart Copeland, Matt Cameron, and Gavin Harrison as his major influences. Currently, he is playing sessions and shows with Paula Maya, Camille Bloom, and Randy Lee Fader & the Magnettes--indeed, a very busy guy! His most memorable career milestones include his very first gig in August of 1981, an opening performance at the Porcupine Tree, and a performance this year at the renowned Seattle venue, The Showbox. Having over a decade of experience in retail music sales (seven years with Guitar Center and three with American Music), Mike has had access to the best equipment the industry has to offer. He has this to say about Thumper Custom Drums:
I had been searching for a really good wood snare that could work not only in a variety of musical settings but also have that certain "something" that made it cooler than just a workhorse type of drum. I wanted a drum that made me almost want to leave it at home because it was so nice I didn't want anything to happen to it. John asked me what I was looking for in a maple snare, and I decided that a 15-ply shell might do the trick. Choosing the hardware was easy because I've always loved "black-chrome" finished lugs and hoops.Picking the finish was a bit more difficult. Since I'm in music retail, I know how tough it is for people to make choices when they have so many options to choose from! I came across this dark purple marine pearl wrap that looked kind of wacky, but very cool at the same time, so I asked for that.

"The attention to detail was amazing."
-Mike Cotta
Thumper Custom Drums

When John finally brought me the drum I pretty much flipped out! The attention to detail was amazing. The bearing edges were perfect, the wrap had no bubbles or wierd creases in it. Plus, I wish more drum companies would get hip to this, John uses hex-head screws to attach the lugs to the shells. It's the little things that made a big difference in the end.Fortunately, I had a rehearsal later that night and two gigs the next day in which to give it a good workout (three completely different types of bands & musical settings). This drum's performance was unbelievable! You might expect a 15-ply drum to have limited tuning range, but not this one. It was tuned table-top tight, then low and swampy, as well as your standard medium type of tension. At least one member in each of the groups I had played with commented on how well it sounded as well as how cool it looked--even the guitarists!I could keep going on, but I think I'd rather go and play on it some more.Thanks, John!


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