the go to snare

WELCOME TO K-WAT DRUM CO.

the "go to" snare

I’m Kevin Watkins, (K WAT) builder of custom snare drums. I’ve played drums for most of my life, and have also spent a lot of years as an audio engineer and producer. The great opportunities I've had over the years to learn how drums should sound, from both a player's perspective and from being the guy responsible for the drums sounding good in the mix, is why I have such a passion today to create a snare drum that every drummer would want. But don't take it from me, see what other people are saying....

Look around and enjoy!

Evan Hutchings

K-WAT Artist and Academy of Country Music's Drummer of the Year

“This snare took every tuning range I put it through. I recorded 6 songs and didn’t change the snare. The engineer kept asking . . . Is that the same snare? Man, it sounds good. Everyone just kept asking . . . what snare is that?”

“K WAT makes desert island snare drums. If I could only have one snare drum to use on any kind of recording, it would be The Beast. It just works on every song”

The Beast

6.5” x 14” machined 3mm aluminum shell, with integrated 5mm machined reinforcement rings. 8 streamline lugs, Dunnett throw off and butt, die cast hoops, 42 strand snare wires and Remo heads. (5.5” depth shell is also available "The “WannaBeast”)

A very simple drum, but it really is a beast and it's a blast to play!

Take a listen on YouTube

The Brawn - Standard

6.5” x 14” 1.3mm black nickel plated brass shell with center bead. 8 chrome plated brass tube lugs, brass single flange hoops and collar hooks. Dunnett throw off and butt, 30 strand snare wires and Remo heads. Available options: Flat wall shell; 4.5mm steel no flange hoops; and plating options for the tube lugs.

This drum is an absolute workhorse.

The Brawn - Full Dress

10 lug version of The Brawn. 6.5” x 14” 1.3mm black nickel plated brass shell. However there is no center bead, giving the shell a slightly lower fundamental pitch than the beaded shell. 10 lug brass plated brass tube lugs, brass plated single flange hoops and collar hooks, gold plated Dunnett throw off and butt, 30 strand snare wires and Remo heads.

The beauty of this drum is not just its inherent visual appeal, but its absolute strength or, Brawn!

The Bronz'ville

This drum is going to be heavy, physically. But the sonic attributes and inherent ability to carry its own weight musically, can also be weighed objectively. This 7 x 14” cast bronze shell is machined to 3mm with integrated 5mm reinforcement rings. The total weight of this drum is a tad over 21 lbs. 45 degree bearing edges and hand filed snare beds. 10 chrome over brass tube lugs, die cast hoops, Dunnett R5 throw off and butt, 42 strand snare wires and Remo heads. A bit longer build and delivery time on this one.

You can’t find it on a map, but I believe

this will soon become your ultimate

snare drum destination!

The Bronz'ville Deluxe

This is the same drum as The Bronz’ville but with a vintage, shiny nickel plating and dressed with brass/gold hardware.The tonal characteristics of this drum are the same; we’ve just added a bit of bling! This cast bronze shell is machined to 3mm with integrated 5mm reinforcement rings. The total weight of this drum is a tad over 21lbs. 45 degree bearing edges and hand filed snare beds. 10 brass over brass tube lugs, brass die cast hoops, Dunnett R4 gold plated throw off and butt, 42 strand snare wires and Remo heads. Again, a longer build and delivery time on this one.

Your ultimate “best of both worlds”

snare drum destination!

The Fifteen

This 4 x 15” brass shell drum is designed to be an homage to the classic snare drums from the 1920’s. But once you get past its size and the fact that it’s a brass drum, the similarities begin to disappear. We start with a 3mm cast brass shell, with 45 degree bearing edges and wide hand filed snare beds. Add to that 8 tube lugs and 3mm triple flange hoops, along with a Dunnett throw off and butt and Remo heads for a killer combination of vintage size and modern day sonic sensibilities.

It’s not a piccolo; it’s a Fifteen!

The Kentucky Blue Brass

Like the name implies, this drum has undergone a patina process that leaves the shell with this beautiful turquoise blue finish. From the heavyweight class, it begins with the same 6.5 x 14”, 3mm cast brass shell as The King Brass and features 8 brass plated tube lugs, brass plated die cast hoops and gold plated Dunnett throw off and butt, 42 strand snare wires and Remo heads. The rough textured exterior finish stands out against the stunning plated hardware. Like all brass snares, the KBB snare is warm and punchy. Cranked up; it explodes. Tune it down a bit and you may never use another snare drum.

It's smooth like bourbon, and out of the gate like a thoroughbred!

The King Brass

This is a heavy, 6.5 x 14”, 3mm cast brass shell with 45 degree bearing edges and hand filed snare beds. The shell alone weighs in at 13 lbs. But once we add 8 brass over brass tube lugs, brass plated die cast hoops, a gold plated Dunnett throw off and butt, 42 strand snare wires and Remo heads, the completed drum tips the scale at slightly over 17 lbs. Add to that, polished nickel-plating and custom K-WAT proprietary design. This drum features a one of a kind Crown of Thorns engraving that you won't find anywhere else. Because of its uniqueness and specialized nature, this drum build and delivery time will take longer; yet so worth the wait.

This drum makes a statement

in so many ways!

The Brass Ring

Available in both a 5.5 x 14” and 6.5 x 14” version, this drum features a seamless flat brass shell. It measures a hefty 1.5mm in thickness and balances the warmth of brass with more mass for a brighter crack or pop. 10 brass over brass tube lugs, brass die cast hoops, gold plated Dunnett throw off/butt, 30 count snare wires and Remo heads. This drum offers sonic complexities at both the top and bottom end of frequencies, making this drum extremely versatile in tuning options. This drum is beautiful to behold and a blast to play.

Grab the brass ring. It’s definitely within your reach!

The Aluminare

This seamless 6.5 x 14”, 1.7mm thick aluminum shell drum is like no other. To begin, there is no center bead, making its sonic characteristics lower in fundamental pitch. It also features a narrow snare bed and a 25 count snare wire set, giving the drum a lighter and faster response. 10 chrome over brass tube lugs, die cast hoops, Dunnett throw off and butt and Remo heads are standard. This drum kills when cranked up due to the extra shell mass but is equally at home in a tuned down environment, due to its flat wall design.

This drum will surely light up your life!

The Tank

While similar in looks to the Bronz’ville, this snare drum is subtly different. Featured is a 6.5 x 14”, 3mm cast bronze shell with 45 degree bearing edges but without re-rings. 8 chrome over brass tube lugs, die cast hoops and Dunnett R5 throw off and butt are standard as are the wide hand filed snare beds, 42 strand snare wires and Remo heads. This 16 lb. drum speaks well at any tuning and is both sensitive and explosive.

This snare will blow through anything

that gets in its way!

The Tin Man

Starting with a 5” x 14” seamless aluminum shell drum, I’ve taken a staple in the drumming industry and offered a few changes: 10 chrome over brass tube lugs and die cast hoops. Add to that a Dunnett throw off and butt, Remo heads and 25 strand snare wires.

A very “girthy” take on the

sonic subtleties that have been around

for a long time!

“Kevin is crafting outstanding musical snare drums. I don’t ever bother with drums that I can’t use in multiple musical situations or can’t obtain a record quality tuning quickly. These drums do all that and they look dope! Engineers seem to really love these drums as well because they make them look good too! I’m excited to see what the future holds for KWAT Drums!”

- Dan Needham-Nashville Session Player

Watkins Woods

Several versions of a 6 ply shell are available. There are no reinforcement rings on these drums, making the shell’s fundamental pitch lower than those with re-rings. These drums have 45 degree edges with a slight roundover, done by hand. Available in Maple, Maple with Ash Burl outer ply, Cherry and Walnut. Many finish options are available, as shown in the pictures. 8 or 10 lugs, Dunnett throw off and butt, 30 strand snare wires and Remo heads. Hoop options include die cast, 4.5mm steel-no flange, brass single flange with collar hooks or lacquered brass or chrome over brass triple flange hoops.

A utilitarian snare drum that covers all the bases.

“I have more snare drums than I know what to do with and I HAD to have this drum. It's a 6ply maple shell with the top ply of figured Burl Ash-- it's beautiful, superior quality, and has a wide range of tuning for any style of drumming.”

- Harry McCarthy, Drum Tech & Owner of Drum Paradise Nashville

The Stave Rock Maple

In addition to the ply shell drums, stave shells are also available. They run anywhere from approx. ½” - 1” in thickness and are higher in fundamental pitch than a ply shell. Great attack and boosted hi-mid’s. Pictured is a 6 x 14” Rock Maple shell that is a whopping 1” in thickness. It's finished in a matte lemon yellow, with 8 lugs with chrome hardware. As with all K-WAT snares, a Dunnett throw off and butt along with Remo heads are always standard. These drums are a special order and will take longer for delivery. Options include: wood types, finishes, 8 or 10 lugs, and hoop choice. Always fitted with Dunnett throw off and butts and Remo heads.

Specialized sonic characteristics!

“OMG! Fabulous...So, the drum is the stuff dreams are made of. I’m in total heaven with the sonics of it.”

- Scott Williamson - Nashville Session Player

Introducing the New K-WAT Drum Co. “Lone Wolf” Series

These are steam bent, single ply shells that measure 9/32” in thickness and feature maple re-rings. Available in both 5.5 x 14”, 10 lug and 6.5 x 14”, 8 and 10 lug options. All feature 3mm triple flange hoops, chrome over brass tube lugs, Dunnett R5 throw off, 30 strand wires and Remo heads. Finished in a matte hand rubbed oil finish that lets the grain speak for itself. Available in Black Walnut, Cherry & Quilted Maple.

A lone, single piece of wood; bent and crafted into a beautiful musical instrument.

It doesn’t need anything else to make it sound this good!

Cherry 5.5 x 14" 10 lug

Quilted Maple 6.5 x 14" 8 lug

Black Walnut 6.5 x 14" 8 lug

“I love Kevin’s snare drums. They have an extremely focused sound that makes them easy to record and provides a greater punch in the track while mixing. Kevin’s attention to detail in design, production, and materials is clearly paying off! Currently I use the Black Chrome over brass 6.5 (The Brawn), and a Stave 6.5. Can’t wait to add more to my collection.”

Randy Poole - Nashville studio owner, The Poole Room

K-WAT Drum Co. values quality products as well as quality business relationships. These companies help us shine. Thank you!

Cory Simon, Real Life Church Music

“The Brawn is without hesitation one of the best snares I’ve ever played. I’ve used it for both recording and live environments and it does not disappoint. I love how full the sound is as well as the breadth that comes out of it with the 8 lugs. If you’re looking for a snare that can do it all, I highly recommend this one. This thing smacks!”

Chris Knight, Session Drummer

“I cannot say enough about these drums. The one on the left has gotten quite the workout since I got it several weeks ago. I’ve used it on a ton of tracks. Tuning range is huge; it’s warm, has crack, and is super chesty. I got the one on the right last week. Deeper. Different hoops. I keep it super low and gushy. Drummers, engineers/studios: y’all need to check out K-WAT Drumco immediately. You won’t regret it.”

Johnathan Presnell, Session Drummer

“The Brawn Full Dress in action. Man how I love this drum. Low and open… mid and dry… doesn’t matter .. it does it’s job!”

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