Phattie Drums was founded in Blacksburg, Virginia, in January of 2000. Through the years we’ve experienced steady growth in both the scope of our building abilities and the popularity of our products.
The journey from our humble beginnings in Blacksburg to our current facility in Asheville, NC, has been marked by many exciting events. The Nashville Custom & Vintage drum show we attended in 2001 lead to a long-term relationship working with Jeffrey Clemens of G. Love and Special Sauce. In the summer of 2003 we were able to work with the Physics Department at the University of Illinois to map the physical differences in energy transfer between a drum head and shell using different bearing edges. At the Chicago drum show of 2005 we introduced the PhatRat lug, an exclusive design that was engineered in-house and features unique, mechanical styling and quick-release function. A year later, we introduced the Sounds Like Art series of snare drums at the 2006 Chicago drum show and raised the bar for quality, attention to detail, and innovation in the world of custom snare drums. 2007 saw the introduction of our new internal triggered lighting system, a variety of custom-shaped vents, new Sounds Like Art™ snare designs, the HCL bass drum development, and inlaid glass glitter finishes. 2009 brought the development of the Cocktail Drums and Black Label badges as those lines were developed. 2010 ushered in the Steam Bent 1-Ply Series and a special die cast round badge for the new series. 2011 has seen many more Sounds Like Art sizes and models, new custom wrap printing techniques, and more exciting innovations yet to be announced.
Our current location in Asheville, NC, opened in May of 2008, under the official name of Stauffer Percussion. Asheville offers a beautiful location filled with amazing musical talent and talented craftsmen. From this location we handcraft Phattie Drums, Black Label Drums, Cocktail Drums, Steam Bent and the Sounds Like Art series of snare drums. Asheville is the perfect mountain backdrop to continue building our tradition of quality, innovation, and craftsmanship for years to come.
