Vistalite drums were a line of acrylic

Acrylic glass

Poly is a transparent thermoplastic, often used as a light or shatter-resistant alternative to glass. It is sometimes called acrylic glass. Chemically, it is the synthetic polymer of methyl methacrylate...

 PET (Polyethylene terephthalate

Polyethylene terephthalate

Polyethylene terephthalate , commonly abbreviated PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P, is a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in synthetic fibers; beverage, food and other liquid containers; thermoforming applications; and engineering resins often in combination...

) drum

Drum

The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...

s produced by the Ludwig Drum company

Ludwig-Musser

Ludwig-Musser is a drum and percussion instrument manufacturer that is part of the Conn-Selmer division of Steinway Musical Instruments.The first product made by the Ludwig brothers, William and Theobaldner , was a bass drum pedal capable of playing faster beats than was typical of products of the...

, introduced in 1972. The name Vistalite refers to the translucent plastic

Plastic

A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...

 that the shells were made out of. Vistalite and acrylic offered a synthetic alternative to wood shells and were popularized by rock drummer John Bonham

John Bonham

John Henry Bonham was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin. Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and "feel" for the groove...

 of Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...

.

The original Vistalites are a collectors item, and usually command a decent price on eBay

EBay

eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...

.

Original varieties

When marketing of Vistalites started in late 1972, the drums were available in clear, blue, green, red, amber, and yellow, with clear and blue being the largest sellers. In 1976 the company broadened the line to include "Rainbow" Vistalites with multicolored shells, with "Tequila Sunrise" (a combination of red, orange and yellow stripee) being one of the most popular combinations. Multi-colored acrylic shells were co-invented by Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....

's drummer Ronn Tutt. Tutt, however, tried his invention and was unimpressed, enough that he immediately went back to playing maple drums. Other Vistalite variations included bass drums without tom mounts (often referred to as "virgin" bass drums) and concert toms (toms without lug holes or a rim on the bottom of the shell). Since Ludwig techically offered any drum it manufactured (other than tympani) in Vistalite, rare examples such as congas and bongos have become valuable collectibles.

The green and red colors were eventually dropped due to slow sales. Translucent Smoke (a dark grey color), solid black, and solid white were added late during the Vistalite production run. A 1977 mis-order left Ludwig with a large surplus supply of the white shells, a problem the company resolved by covering many in chrome wrap, selling them as "faux stainless steel" drums. Singer/drummer Karen Carpenter

Karen Carpenter

Karen Anne Carpenter was an American singer and drummer. She and her brother, Richard, formed the 1970s duo The Carpenters. She was a drummer of exceptional skill, but she is best remembered for her vocal performances of idealistic romantic ballads of true love...

 was fond of vistalites and can be seen playing them on her 70's TV shows. Keith Moon

Keith Moon

Keith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...

 of the Who

The Who

The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...

, Nick Mason

Nick Mason

Nicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason is an English drummer and songwriter, best known for his work with Pink Floyd. He was the only constant member of the band since its formation in 1965...

 of Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...

, Ron Bushy

Ron Bushy

Ron Bushy is the drummer of the rock band Iron Butterfly.He was born in Washington, D.C. on December 23, 1945. He grew up in a military family, living in approximately 34 states during his youth...

 of Iron Butterfly

Iron Butterfly

Iron Butterfly is a US psychedelic rock band best known for the 1968 hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".Their heyday was the late 1960s, but the band has been reincarnated with various members. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is the 31st best-selling album in the world, selling more than 25 million copies.-History:The...

, Jay Osmond of The Osmonds

The Osmonds

The Osmonds are an American family music group with a long and varied career—a career that took them from singing barbershop music as children, to achieving success as teen-music idols, to producing a hit television show, and to continued success as solo and group performers...

 and Billy Cobham

Billy Cobham

William C. Cobham is a Panamanian American jazz drummer, composer and bandleader, who has called Switzerland home since the late 1970s....

 played acrylic kits in the 70's.

• Source 1: "The Ludwig Book" By Rob Cook
• Source 2: "Ludwig: the making of a drum company" Backbeats press
• Source 3: http://www.ludwig-drums.com/products/drumkits/vistalite.php?show=2

Tivoli Vistalite

In 1978, Ludwig created the Tivoli Vistalite by inserting small light bulbs into the shells. The kits were plagued by electrical problems - Bill Ludwig II is reported to have said that everything they made on Vistalite was lost on Tivoli. There were also problems with the shells cracking under the pressure of over-tightened lugs and exposure to freezing temperatures. The original Vistalite line was phased out due to declining sales, the rising cost of oil-based plastics.

• Source: "The Ludwig book" Rob Cook/Backbeats press

Re-issued Vistalite

Ludwig reintroduced Vistalite drums in 2001, with the prime seller being a replica of the amber five piece kit played by John Bonham. The re-issue shells are slightly thicker and in the opinions of some warmer sounding and more resonant than the originals. The original shells were at a supposed disadvantange due to a noncontinuous bearing edge. The new versions have a continuous 45 degree edge, making what some feel is a fuller, cleaner tone. Both original and re-issue Vistalites benefit from the fact there are a wider variety of drumheads today which bring out a broader range of sounds from acrylic drums. Some of these modern drumheads help foster a more natural sounding midrange, and thus a more recordable and versatile tonality.

In 2006, a multitude of drum companies like SONOR

SONOR

Sonor is a German percussion manufacturer. Founded in 1875 as a percussion manufacturer, Sonor drum sets and hardware are historically known for being constructed in a very durable, and therefore, unusually heavy manner...

 (X-Ray), Tama (Starclassic Mirage), RCI International (Starlite), Fibes

Fibes Drums

Fibes Drum Company was originally founded in 1966 by Bob Grauso, a professional drummer, and John Morena, a specialist in composite materials, and also a drummer...

 (Crystalite), ddrum

Ddrum

ddrum is a division of Armadillo Enterprises, Inc. that manufactures drums, percussion, and electronic drum triggers.-Acoustic drums:ddrum is a sister company to Dean guitars and produces drums that fall into one of several series, each following a motif of beginning with the letter "d" and grouped...

 (Diode and Diaton), Zickos and Peace (Echoplasm), Kirchhoff Schlagwerk (Arctic series) now make acrylic drums thanks to an increase in popularity since 2001. Custom drum companies have also seen growth in demand.

Gold n Times acrylic shells are thicker and stronger than 70's vistalites, but are glued and tabbed in the same manner. They are supplied to Ludwig, Tama, and custom drum makers. They are approximately .220 (6mm) thick. Acrylic shells can be glued with adhesives like cyanocrylates. Modern adhesives are improved over those available in the 1970s. Friday November 20, 2009 Ray Ducoat, the company owner died. Gold n Times ceased production.

RCI Starlight acrylic shells are "welded" at the seam, not tabbed. They are sold to drum parts and custom resellers under the title "Aqua bomb acrylic shells." ("Atomic bomb" outside of North America.) According to RCI-Starlight international, claims vibration characteristics of their shells were tested and are superior to glued and tabbed shells. Like the vistalite, they are factory-equipped with a 45 degree bearing edge. Many of the designs are made to replicate original vistalite colors and patterns.

Acrylic shells are welded by applying solvents like di/trichloretheleye to the ends of the acrylic sheet. The sheet is partially dissolved, and when the ends are placed togeather, the resultant bond is as strong, or stronger than the shell itself. Additionally, the seam is very thin.

Gas custom drums of Australia (www.gascustomdrums.com)uses sheets of Mitsubishi shinkolite, a high-quality acrylic used in the automotive industry and optics.

As in the 1970s, changes in oil prices impact the price of acrylics and hence the cost of drum shells made from them. As cited above, Ludwig references the oil shock of the late 1970s (and the impact it had on material costs and subsequent product pricing) as one of the main reasons original Vistalite production ended in 1979.

Popularity

Rockers and jazzmen alike enjoy the wide tuning range of acrylic drums, and the dry, but punchy and projecting sound. A criticism of Vistalite and acrylic shells in general is that some feel they sound brittle, artificial, and lack the complexity of their wood counterparts. It may be worth noting that some producers have been quoted as asking for Vistas as they are extremely forgiving in humidity variable environments, and seem to offer more consistent notes, session over session.

Vistalites are substantively louder than traditional drums with fewer overtone

Overtone

An overtone is any frequency higher than the fundamental frequency of a sound. The fundamental and the overtones together are called partials. Harmonics are partials whose frequencies are whole number multiples of the fundamental These overlapping terms are variously used when discussing the...

s. With modern amplification and recording techniques, acrylic can be made to sound very close to wood. In a 2007 issue of Modern Drummer magazine (www.moderndrummer.com), one reviewer stated of the Tama mirage acrylic drum kit "When I close my eyes, I find it hard to believe it's not a wood kit."

Many professional drummers used Vistalites or similar acrylic drums in the '70s and '80s. Jazzmen like Billy Cobham

Billy Cobham

William C. Cobham is a Panamanian American jazz drummer, composer and bandleader, who has called Switzerland home since the late 1970s....

, Lionel Hampton

Lionel Hampton

Lionel Leo Hampton was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy...

, and Bill Zickos were well known acrylic kit players in the 1970s.

In the electronic music scene, a clear ludwig Vistalite kit is featured in the award-winning Daft Punk music video Robot Rock.

Recently, drummer Mike Portnoy

Mike Portnoy

Michael Stephen "Mike" Portnoy is an American drummer primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and a co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater, as well as the temporary drummer for the hard rock band Avenged Sevenfold. Known for his drumming prowess and technical...

 of the progressive metal

Progressive metal

Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...

 group Dream Theater

Dream Theater

Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...

used a Tama drum company-built acrylic kit for a John Bonham tribute, and for parts of Dream Theater's 2005 Octavarium cd and dvd. As of Summer, 2007 Portnoy now plays a Tama Mirage dubbed "the mirage monster" to support his 2007 tour. This underscores the resurgent popularity of these shells, and brings them into the public eye. Dominic Howard

Dominic Howard

Dominic James "Dom" Howard , is the drummer for the English rock band Muse.-Early life:Howard was born in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in England. When he was around 8 years old he moved with his family to Teignmouth, a small town in Devon. He began playing drums at about the age of 12, when he...

, drummer for the band Muse

Muse (band)

Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...

, is known to use Tama Mirage drums for live performances (but also regular Gretsch drums during some songs, as well as Tama Starclassic Bubinga drums and DW drums for recording). Drum tech Jeff Ocheltree included a segment on tuning the new Vistalite drums in his dvd "Trust your ears." He describes them as having a very "live" sound. Originally, drummers favored single-ply drum heads with a center dot for these drums. But as Jeff Ocheltree describes, the sound improves with the use of two ply drum heads.

Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n drummer/clinician Thomas Lang

Thomas Lang

Thomas Lang is an Austrian drummer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and record producer. He is the founding member of the Los Angeles-based progressive/avant garde metal trio, stOrk.Lang took up drumming at the age of 5...

has toured with Sonor's new designer x-ray acrylics to rave reviews for his playing, and for the sound of these drums. In 2010, Thomas Lang stopped endorsing sonor and moved on to DW drums.

Changing the overall attitude of drummers concerning the sound of acrylic drums has been a focus of the review media. In 2007 articles and reviews, the magazines gave unabashed praise for the look and sound of modern acrylic drums. Superlatives like "fat" and "warm" were liberally applied. These terms are normally given to wood-shelled drums to indicate that they have abundant low and midrange frequencies. With the right combination of drumheads and tuning, acrylics don't have to sound brittle or artificial. European e-zine www.drummersdigest.com posted a very positive review of a Kirchoff Arctic series solid-cast acrylic kit, to include audio recordings that prove acrylics can sound as musical as other drum shell materials.

External links

• http://www.vistalitedrums.com/
• http://www.vistalites.com
• http://www.theguitarcollection.org.uk The Guitar Collection of Guy Mackenzie includes a picture of the Vistalite drums he used with the band "Trooper" in 1978

http://www.rcistarlite.com