Frequently Asked Questions
It seems a number of questions about us and our drums arise with amazing regularity. So we've decided to answer many of the most common questions here.
1: Where have you guys been, I thought you closed in the 70's?
2: Who was the first company to come out with transparent drums?
3: You had a patent. Why didn't you sue the other companies?
4: What's the difference between Zickos shells and other acrylic shells that came out in the 70's? 5: You used to make your drums out of Plexiglass. Now you use acrylic. What is the difference?
6: Do acrylic shells cost more than wood shells?
7: Some other drum companies have names for their acrylic shells. What do you call yours?
8: In the 70's you only made clear shells, but had tinted heads that made the shells look tinted (blue, red, green, or mirrored). Is that still the case?
9: Why do you have several different hardware systems for your Artistry drums?
10: You use a bearing edge cut that is a rounded cut on the outside of the shell rather than an angle cut on the inside of the shell. Is there a reason?
Q:Where have you guys been, I thought you closed in the 70's? A: Well, we did. Just a short history lesson. We made our first set in 1969 for Iron Butterfly. In the following months roughly a couple of dozen sets were custom made for groups like The Who, ThreeDog Night, Jefferson Airplane, some local Kansas City groups, and a host of others. Production was handled strictly by Bill Zickos, his stepson and a few of his"senior" drum students. As these groups toured, a lot of interest in our drums developed; so in 1970, with the help of some investors, Bill opened his first manufacturing plant in a Kansas City suburb and began turning out his first production model: the Zickos "400" set. Later on, Bill ended up leaving the company due to differences with the investors . At the end of the 1970s the company closed its doors. Nevertheless, the phone continued to ring. Throughout the 80's Bill was still getting calls for replacement shells and parts, but there was little he could do. About 1994 he learned that much of the Zickos tooling and molds had been in Indiana and were being brought back to Kansas City for storage reasons. Bill negotiated the purchase of the equipment and regained possession shortly thereafter. By the latter part of the 1990s, Bill Zickos and his beloved drum company were again back in full production making drums of incomparable resonance and quality.
Back to top Q:Who was the first company to come out with transparent drums? A: We were. Bill Zickos developed his first prototype drums in the late 1950s. We started making custom made drums in 1969, and in 1970 Bill secured a patent (U.S. patent # 3,626,458) for the drums. At that point, we went into full production and, before long, Zickos drums were followed by a long list of imitations from other drum companies
Back to top Q:You had a patent. Why didn't you sue the other companies? A: Unfortunately for us it was a lesson in humility. We learned that patent enforcement is terribly expensive and that a patent is really only as strong as the lawyer you can afford to defend it. A CEO of one drum company threatened us by saying if we sued them he'd keep us in court until we were bankrupt (nice guy, huh?). We could either put all our time and effort into the legal system or our drums. We chose our drums.
Back to top Q: What is the difference between Zickos shells and the other acrylic shells on the market in the 70's? A: Then, as today, we only use the finest materials available. We use only high grade full 6mm cast acrylic sheet material and a bonding process that makes the seam as strong, if not stronger, than the shell itself. Many of our imitators used thinner or lower grade materials in their drums, that is a sacrifice in sound and quality. Our original concept was not to make"clear" drums. It was to make drums and hardware that resonated in harmony with the heads. Ask anyone who ever played our drums and you'll soon discover that there's more to our drums than just color (or lack of color as the case may be).
Back to top Q:You used to make your drums out of Plexiglass. Now you use acrylic. What is the difference? Plexiglass is one of several brand names for acrylic material, we still use it today. Unfortunately no one company makes all the colors that we use today in the thickness (6mm) that we require. Since we use other brands of material too, we use the generic name for the material, acrylic. In the 70's our life was easy, we only made clear shells. Times change, we have colors now. Rest assured that we only use high grade materials in the manufacturing of our shells and hardware. Q: Do acrylic shells cost more than wood shells? A: Yes they do. Acrylic is a more expensive material than wood. Since wood shells are made of several plies of wood (technically speaking, that's plywood), we'll use plywood as a comparison. Go down to your local building supply and you'll find that 1/4" sheet of plywood is about $12, even really expensive veneered plywood is usually less than $50. Now get a price on the the same size sheet in 1/4" (6 mm) high grade cast acrylic, and you'll find it's well over $100 and often as much as $180. But let's face it, quality shells, regardless of material, always cost more. A fine musical instrument is an investment in your craft, not an expense. Your instrument represents you and your individuality. And, remember, there's a much greater degree of hand crafting that is used to make our drums than you'll find in the vast majority of drums on the market today. No amount of automated machinery can replace skill, craftsmanship, and individual attention.
Back to top Q: Some other drum companies have names for their acrylic shells. What do you call yours? A: Shells
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Q: In the 70's you only made clear shells, but had tinted heads that made the shells look tinted (blue, red, green,or mirrored). Is that still the case? A: No. We can make drums in any of a number of transparent colors. Red, blue, amber, green, smoke, just to name a few. Thereare also a number of opaque colors (more of a solid color in appearance, but light will pass through them giving them a truly unique stage appearance).
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Q:Why do you have several different hardware systems for your Artistry drums? A: It's important to realize that a lot of drummers grew up with our original style drums and have gotten quite used to the hardware that we used to offer. Many of them are now re-ordering some new Artistry drums, and they've asked for what's now known as our Model OA-1 hardware. However, both the OA-1 tom mounts and spurs retract into the shell itself. In theory, the more holes you put in a shell, the more you compromise its potential resonance. Yet, as many of our diehard '70s era drummers point out, our original drums (even with the extra holes in the shells) still resonate better than other drums.
Having said that, we also realize a newer generation of drummers want something a little more contemporary. So for them we offer our Model NA-2 hardware that includes fold-up spurs and a sliding double tom mount with ball joints and RIMS-type mounts. It's very nicely designed. In short, the OA-1 and NA-2 hardware offers drummers an excellent choice. If you're in doubt as to which to select, then perhaps we'd recommend you consider going with the NA-2 hardware.
Back to top Q: You use a bearing edge cut that is a rounded cut on the outside of the shell rather than an angle cut on the inside of the shell. Is there a reason?
A: Yes. Our outside curved cut closely resembles the curvature of the drum head's curve from the hoop to the playing surface. (Note: because one drum head brand may have a curve that's slightly different from another brand we don't use the phrase "exactly matches") We feel this is less stress on the head and easier to tune.
Back to top Note: If you have other questions. Click onany of the e-mail links on any of the pages. We are always happy to hear from you. Back to top | 
