A review of the Signature series in 1980

[Frank Godiva]

One of the first reviews of the new Sig series touted a "brand new and evidently quite revolutionary drum set" and compared it directly with the previous best, the rosewood Phonics.

"Sonor actually went to the extent of buying a complete tree in West Africa to make their veneers for the bubinga shells to ensure (a) continuity of grain matching from an exterior (and interior) pattern point of view, and (b) possibly more important, continuity of sound from a sound standpoint.

The Signature Series drums have 12-ply shells all finished off at their raw edges like the Sonor Phonics but with 10 layers of beech without glue rings withfinal layers of bubinga or ebony. The edge camber is inverse and 45 degrees, and all shells have an extremely slight radius at head contact point. The single layers arc first glued in threes then the four three-ply laminations are placed separately into their oil-heated former The three inner joins are, as per usual, staggered around the circumference of the drum and cut not at right angles but diagonally butted at approximarely 30 degrees.

The Sonor rosewood shells are exactly the same thickness and construction as these new Signatures but all of these more expensive shells are three plies thicker than a Sonor Phonic drum. As I've said before, all Sonor wood shells are made deliberately slightly undersize relative to head diameter This affords a timpani-type head seating when the counter hoop, with the head collar inside it, doesn't touch the shell, so I feel it gives a clearer sound."