Should Artist Snare drum shells be on the SQ2 configurator?

[Jules]

I think it would be great if we could go onto the configurator and choose a shell and then lug types, hoops, hardware colors, and wires. I would probably have one on order at all times, actually.

Sonor obviously would need standard catalog models, but it would be really interesting to see what people came up with.

Personally, I would have ordered my Artist Bronze with chrome hardware and Hella hoops. The black chrome is nice, but I don't require that. Hellas are a must have for me, so even though I have bought my snare, I still don't have it put together like I want it.

What say you?

[krusher74]

I know its not your Job to do Sonors advertising for them. But i think you could do a good youtube video on the SQ2 and configurator. I really dont think many people even know its exists.
If every time a Sonor endorsee got a new SQ2 if they did a video on the drummer picking his kit through the Configurator it would be great advertizing.

[Jules]

I know its not your Job to do Sonors advertising for them. But i think you could do a good youtube video on the SQ2 and configurator.

Thanks for the suggestion. I like the idea, and I think you are right. I will get that on the to-do list.

[krusher74]

I know its not your Job to do Sonors advertising for them. But i think you could do a good youtube video on the SQ2 and configurator.

Thanks for the suggestion. I like the idea, and I think you are right. I will get that on the to-do list.

Do a heritage kit build and then take the gold plating and bubinga inside and out veneers off to show the price change would make interesting content.
They could also do with redoing the configurator, the black and gold plating looks horribly on there, the black is far too dark and the gold looks a garish yellow!!!

I just did it today, 1277.93 euro (fusion sizes) , so the 150th is costing just short of 1900ish euro extra to get a different ply make up, high gloss finish and 150th badges. (dont forget if you are doing it to change to slotted rods and add the bass drum tom holder) its 13,990 at thomann store (germany)

[mgdrummer]

Funny enough, I had dinner with the Sonor guys from KHS after the Chicago show this year. I had suggested to Jeff that they add the cast bronze snare into the Configurator in a couple of depths such as 4x14, 5x14, 6.5x14 and 8x14, and let folks pick and choose the hardware type/color of their liking. He hung his head and said something complaining about the amount of SKU's it would add to the system. Oh well, I tried...

Meanwhile, I lucked into a slightly older Artist Bronze snare early this year and I upgraded the throw and hoops to the dual glide and Hella hoops. I absolutely LOVE this snare after the upgrades.

[Jules]

I want to try Hellas on mine. I have a chrome pair that I will eventually put on, but I want to wait until I have enough miles on this new drum (Artist Bronze, also) to be to gauge the difference in feel and response. It has a MONSTER cross stick and rim shot now. I don't know if people could take any more power.

I played a Praise Gathering recently and it was the first time I got to really dig in to the drum hard. Several people said that I startled them on the last song. I didn't even realize I had gotten that loud, but hey.

[DaveInNZ]

Funny enough, I had dinner with the Sonor guys from KHS after the Chicago show this year. I had suggested to Jeff that they add the cast bronze snare into the Configurator in a couple of depths such as 4x14, 5x14, 6.5x14 and 8x14, and let folks pick and choose the hardware type/color of their liking. He hung his head and said something complaining about the amount of SKU's it would add to the system. Oh well, I tried...

OK this needs digging into...

More SKUs = a problem points to manufacturing, inventory and order management being a headache for them right? So what about that is the problem?

I'm assuming Jeff's reaction was on behalf of the US distribution? Does that imply that he'd then expect to have to carry lets say a dozen different configs in stock at any one time? That I can understand, it's $XX thousands sat in stock and no guarantee that you'll have the one combo someone wants (because let's face it Sonor nerds are picky AF).

But I don't understand it from Sonor's point of view, and I'd really like to. I'd genuinely like to understand the problem from a manufacturing point of view. For my own products I'm in charge of in my day job, I like to take this approach - explain the problems clearly so people understand as opposed to be frustrated. That said... that approach relies on mutual trust - only takes one idiot to ruin that transparency for everyone.

Admittedly NZ is a small market, but here if anyone wants anything that isn't vanilla, we put an order in and it arrives on the next shipment from Germany or Asia, of which there seems to be about one per year. Maybe I've adjusted to it, but I personally don't think that's unrealistic? I would expect in most cases, anywhere in the world, if a customer wanted a cast bronze snare to their spec, picking from the parts options available on the SQ2 configurator, the customer would then expect the delay in time it takes to build it and ship it from Germany?

In that scenario, about the only headache I can think of is they may have to carry say 2% more lugs or throws in the different finishes (and the 2% is a guess here...)

If you could order bronze snares to spec via SQ2 I'd be ordering two almost as soon as I could - a 4.5 and 6.5 with chrome parts. I don't think they do 4" any more because that depth doesn't work with Dual Glide? But offer 4.5", 6", 6.5" and 8" depths, the three hardware finishes - bloody great idea.

While they were at it, having Vintage Series lugs as an option on SQ2 would rock too.

[Jules]

When I was at the Music City Drum Show I was talking to Jeff myself and asked about metal shell drums in general on the configurator. His answer to me at the time was that a 3rd party does all the programming for the configurator. The programming complexity adds up because of the different options, denominations and so on, and that all adds up when making changes to the configurator.

[DaveInNZ]

Yeah but that's just the costs of a web developer making changes, the company who no doubt developed the 3D visualisation app the SQ2 configurator uses absolutely deserves the right to charge for the time, so say bundle your changes up into one batch per year for whatever it costs, let's be generous and say 3000 Euro - spread that over the cost of everything that gets ordered each year for SQ2 and I doubt Joe Public would notice or care that much. Can't tell me someone spending whatever it costs for an SQ2 anything is going to say no based on a .1% price increase etc.