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    T&K Custom Drums Handcrafting Boutique Kits

    Tim Stadt built his first drum about two and a half years ago.

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    “It sounded awesome,” he says. “Once I decided I liked building drums, I wanted to do it more.” 

    But, a musician doesn’t need a 1,000 drums. That’s when he decided to share his handiwork with other drummers and formed T&K Custom Drums. The ‘K’ is a nod to his wife Katherine who has been supportive of the home-based business endeavor that has consumed their garage and basement.

    The boutique drum company is turning out professional-grade snares to entire kits.

    It’s generally geared towards serious to professional drummers,” Stadt says. 

    With their tone and quality, his competitors are some of the biggest drum makers in the industry.

    While two woods generally serve as the standards for drum shells – birch and maple – the customization and looks department is where T&K really shines. It’s something that’s important to professional drummers – a kit that exudes stage presence. Access to dozens and dozens of styles and colors of hardware leads to some interesting combinations.

    In an effort to keep everything of the highest quality possible, Stadt tries to source all goods from Ohio, or more broadly, the U.S.

    I’d be taking a sacrifice if I ordered parts from overseas,” he says. 

    T&K Custom drums rounds out its services with a number of other offerings, including cutting drum shells, rewrapping kits and replacing hardware.

    Building drums is a creative outlet for Stadt who is a surveyor by trade, but one of the most rewarding parts of the business has been getting to know his customers.

    It’s been really fun meeting a wide variety of musicians and drummers,” he says. 

    T&K Custom Drums has shipped its creations as far as Texas and New York, but Ohio musicians are its main focus.

    In general, Columbus, and Ohio, really like to support small businesses, especially unique ones,” Stadt says. 

    Even though not every drummer can afford a custom set, he’s found many musicians are still excited and supportive of the notion someone is building custom drums in Columbus.

    Support has been a theme in Stadt’s life that’s propelled him into entrepreneurship, starting with parents that allowed him to dream.

    A music lover for as long as he can remember, he started early on the piano lessons, and “When I got sick of piano, my mom let me switch to drums,” Stadt says.

    That was at the ripe age of 11.

    “Music has been important to me my whole life,” he says. 

    Growing up with a self-employed father instilled a strong work ethic and a do-it-yourself attitude. Or as Stadt says, why pay somebody else to do it when you can figure out how to do it yourself.

    His parents also supported him in endeavors like racing sled dogs – which he went pro in while still in high school. While heading to OSU for school nixed the dog sled career, it did continue to further build his relationship with music.

    A drum kit isn’t the ideal accessory for a dorm room, so Stadt bought an electronic set and started jamming out. That led to a band and a campus ministry that really developed his skills and love of drumming.

    For more information, visit tandkcustomdrums.com.

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    Susan Post
    Susan Post
    Susan is the editor of The Metropreneur and associate editor of Columbus Underground, and also covers small business and entrepreneurial news and the food scene in Central Ohio.Susan holds a degree in Communication with a minor in Professional Writing from The Ohio State University. She sits on the board of the Central Ohio Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and loves coffee, whiskey, cooking and spending time with friends and family.
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