When I was growing up, if someone called you a geek, it was definitely an insult. It meant you were a pocket protector, eyeglass wearing, socially inept loser who was ostracized for the unpardonable sin of being smart. The movies at the time used these poor souls as routine, comic butt ends of jokes. Fortunately, these days, the association with these terms have changed. Now, people frequently refer to themselves as “photography nerds” or “fitness geeks”. It seems like self-derision but really has become a source of pride that they have expertise in a particular topic or, at a minimum, are proud of their hobby.
So, what does this have to do with Noble and Cooley? Well, certainly drums and drum gear fall squarely into the category or specialty talk and there are fewer of us than there are car nuts and guitar players. And our instrument is different than the rest of the band’s string-based gear which focuses on melody, whatever that is. So, yeah, we can definitely claim to be drum nerds.
Which brings me to a conversation I had with our new General Manager, Luke Garro, the other day. Although Luke has been involved with Noble and Cooley on some level for a few years, he really started full time in toward the end of 2020. In his role, he has taken on responding to the many inbound emails and phone calls we get from drummers deciding on a snare or kit purchase. He said, “You know for many of the drummers deciding on a kit or snare, it is the most important thing in their lives. Like literally the most important thing. More than their jobs, houses, cars, family, whatever, this decision is at the top of the list. I realize that obviously won’t always be the case, but in the moment, it is.”
I had never thought about it on this level, but I think this is really cool. I realize some people might think this is an incorrect focus or an obsession and family should come first and all that. But I don’t think that’s what’s going on here. I think that, for the most part, we have people with full lives who do value all of those other things but who take music and their craft very seriously. A drum kit is a big purchase and most drummers will have their kit for a long time. That will be that player’s voice for a long time. They should take it seriously. So, my feeling is, geek out all you want. You should.
In fact, geek out with us. For those of you out there who have not thought about contacting us directly, please do. Luke, Lou, Rob, Ryan and I are all drummers. Nick is a bass player and will likely be making your drums. Jay is not a drummer but is an expert craftsmen. We are all available, via phone or email. You can get to any of us indirectly by calling the factory. We will gladly nerd out with you, get you to a dealer and give you a contact if you don’t have one and we will all give you whatever time you need. We have no problems with indecision, analysis paralysis, or waffling on your way to a final result. It’s part of the process and part of what we can offer you. But in truth, it’s not difficult because we enjoy it. I know in speaking with drummers directly from inbound calls or meeting up at shows, they are all glad to be speaking to musicians when talking to us. So please, give us a call. Become part of the extended Noble and Cooley Family. Geek out with us.
BTW, if you call me, we can also talk about my radio controlled, model airplane collection. Wait, that actually is nerdy.
