DK Percussion - Current Status Page

UPDATE 5/31/10: It's been a while since the last update and a lot of things have happened! First, I won the position of Principal Timpanist with Symphony Orchestra Augusta, in Augusta, GA. It was a fun first season and I look forward to future concerts there. Next, the chain timpani is done! I just installed the tuning gauge today - of course I'm sure I'll have a tweak or two to make, but soon I plan to offer kits for sale to make your own chain timpani. Also, the mallet line is being updated to include some new models and change around a few of the existing models. In all, I believe there are 9-10 pairs to offer. I plan to begin stocking on a few selected pairs soon for immediate sale - this might be a while, but I hope to have it started soon.

UPDATE 9/18/09: The DKP web hosting company went out of business and took the website with it!! After a long week of frustrated emails and legal threats, all was recovered except for my time and the renewed contract fees from July. At least the website is back. Sorry for the outage. In other news, the chain timpani is coming along great! Read the link for updates. In personal news, I am in the finals for the Augusta Symphony Principal Timpani position, as is Greg Simonds. My trial is in November, during PASIC. I would complain, but I think I'll enjoy my time in Augusta very much.

UPDATE 6/8/09: Added an online journal of my current project, Building a Custom Chain Timpani.

UPDATE 5/24/09: It has been a busy year with school in Milwaukee, thus the lack of updates! I had an article published in the April 2009 PAS Percussive Notes Journal entitled, "Goodman Versus Duff." This can be viewed at PAS.org in the "Members Only" section of the site. Due to that publication, many people have been asking who I am so I made a personal page about myself and put it up online! If you'd like to know about me, go check it out!

UPDATE 9/19/08: The numbers on the Evolution series have changed. This is done in order to avoid some confusion when comparing numbered hardnesses of mallets with other companies. DK1 is now the hardest, not the softest mallet. Also take note that prices have increased slightly. This is due to high material costs, and yet the carbon shafts still rival wood shaft mallet prices!

UPDATE 7/10/08: HUGE! DK Percussion is moving to Milwaukee, WI. If you would to place an order, product delivery time is currently estimated to be September. In addition, a "Projects Site" has been added to the repair section, documenting several more projects. A picture was finally added to the main site to showcase the Evolution Series mallets. Professional photos coming soon. Please check back soon for more information.

UPDATE 12/15/07: School is finally out for the semester and I am now focusing on recital and audition prep. I am playing a solo recital in Frisco, TX at the Liberty High School Band Room at 7:30 on December 20, 2007. It is open to the public and free. I'd love to see my students there! I may present the same recital at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD sometime in the first few days of January. Email me for more details if interested in either recital.

UPDATE 10/27/07: PASIC is coming up this week and I look forward to meeting a lot of new people at the convention. I will be visiting Indiana University in Bloomington the days prior to PASIC for a visit to the school. Orders are still being taken currently, however mallet production is on hold until mid-February due to graduate school auditions. Following auditions, there will be plenty of time to make mallets but right now I cannot put the time and focus into production. If you are interested in ordering a set, pair, whatever, please let me know and I will add you to a "to make" list. Rewraps are still offered currently but please inquire before sending mallets to me! Thanks! DK

UPDATE 8/6/07: Finished uploading the pictures and information for the Project Frank(enstein). More details can be found here. Prices have been updated for the Evolution series. The cost of carbon has gone way up! I found a new and cheaper supplier for tubes. However, I must do all of the tooling on the tubes (cuts, finishing, etc.) With higher supply prices and more work involved, I am forced to raise prices. However, in comparing my mallets to those of commercial/mass production, it seems my prices are still very competitive. I believe for 100% customizable carbon fiber shaft timpani mallets, my prices are fair. I hope you think so as well. In other news, DK Percussion now offers percussion repair services in the Dallas/Fort Worth/Denton areas. A web page dedicated to the repair services can be located at http://www.dkpercussion.com/repair. Email me for rates and any other questions. Thanks!

UPDATE 2/28: Uploaded "Project Frank(enstein)" web page to give people a way to follow my most current project of transplanting a 23" timpani bowl into a 25" timpani's frame. There hasn't been a wrapping class recently and I apologize - there will be one coming up most likely in May following all UNT percussion recitals and concerts. Thank you to those of you who attended my recital - it was a lot of fun! (And it was also the reason much of this was not updated recently.)

UPDATE 10/13: There will be a timpani mallet rewrapping workshop on October 28, at 2:15 in room MU142 at the University of North Texas. The sign up sheet is already posted on the UNT Percussion board. If you are from outside of UNT and would like to attend, please rsvp to contact@dkpercussion.com asap. We will be working on parachute style wraps.
In other news, I, Daniel Kirkpatrick, will not only be going to PASIC, but I will also be performing. I will be playing in the Roland Kohloff Memorial Master Class at 10am on Friday, November 10. I'd love to meet anyone out there who wants to talk timpani or percussion!

UPDATE 9/12: For the first time, DK Percussion made a profit! And now....I'm spending it all on new felt (straight from Germany) and more carbon fiber shafts. Unfortunately, the price of carbon fiber almost tripled since the last time I purchased it. I am working on a deal with the same company as well as shopping their competition. I might actually have a cheaper source than the current one. The current source offers several designs of tubing so options may be expanded. Went to the Cloyd Duff Master Class this summer - learned a few new ideas about mallets making. For instance, I no longer use 2 separate layers for the roller mallets. I will be demonstrating this new technique in a hands-on timpani mallet wrapping class coming soon. (Sometime before or at the beginning of October). That being said, this class will be a parachute-style wrapping class (ball mallets). As always, thank you for supporting my business and happy playing,
DK

UPDATE 4/30: Business is going very well right now. George Brown of the Utah Symphony recently placed a custom order and has received his mallets. Received an order from West Point Academy from Craig Bitterman who saw Omar Carmenates using them in his audition. Richard Jones of the Omaha Symphony has suggested that I market the Enigma Variations mallets that I custom made for him, so right now I am looking into felt cores for that purpose. It makes me happy to see people playing with my mallets! Soon enough I may add a bass drum mallet line to the web site. From the start I have been making custom bass drum mallets, but people seem to like the double ended pair of mallets I have been selling for $65 with chamois on one end, rollers or generals on the other. As for the web site design, people have mentioned that this design works well. I think I will either keep it or modify it so that the layout is easier to follow. Keep the business coming!!

UPDATE 2/8: There will be a timpani mallet rewrapping workshop on February 25, at 2:30 in room MU142 at the University of North Texas. A sign up sheet will go on the percussion board the week of February 13. The cost is $10 which covers all materials accept a pair of mallets. If you would like to attend the class but have no mallets to wrap, DK Percussion mallets (blanks) will be sold for the price of $25 (limit 1 per person/must attend workshop. Please place an order no later than Feb. 23, preferable earlier.) Please also bring a pair of old drum sticks or dowels to be used as knot-tying devices. We will work on cartwheel wraps, and I will touch on parachute wrapping (quick demonstration with Q&A rather than step by step directions. This is a possible future wrapping class!) Please email Daniel Kirkpatrick with any additional questions or blank mallet orders.

UPDATE 12/7: Updated the web site with mallet prices and descriptions. Still working on a new design! Business has been picking up and it has been great! I love hearing from people who enjoy their DK Percussion timpani mallets. It is official, the Jekyll and Hyde mallets are no longer a part of the Evolution Series timpani mallets. They are now being offered as a custom order at $45.00 a pair. The work involved in making those particular mallets the the demand for them deemed them "custom" and are not to be offered in the "full set" of Evolution Series. But that does not mean you cannot own a pair and use them with the set!

UPDATE 11/10: BOOM! Full production is finally back! The drilling jig arrived and is even better than I thought it would be; the cores turned out great. I have been very busy with work around here, but I will try to have a new web site up by year's end. I think a press release/"grand (re)opening" is in store! Mallets may be ordered now, with prepayment required. Prices have been set: Rollers, $40, all other pairs in the Evolution Series - $35. In other news, there are now clear film labels that are being applied to the shafts. If you have purchased in the past and would like to help promote DK Percussion with labels on your mallets, please email me for more information. Custom orders are still accepted - what other mallet company offers you 100% customizable timpani mallets??

UPDATE 10/16: Carbon has arrived. Still waiting on the core drilling rig. Working on web site updates and possible new layout. I hope to be able to accept payments online sometime soon, but for now all payments are direct or Paypal. I have added a For Sale page that has mallets currently for sale (prototypes, one-of-a-kind, etc.) I have also added a shirt shop! This is a great way for me to promote the business and make a very small amount of money off of each purchase. (I'll be open about this one: I make $1 per shirt.) Please support my business; purchase a shirt and spread the word! DK Percussion Shirt Shop

UPDATE 9/26: Business is going to BOOM! An order has been put in for carbon tubes, 15" in length and 9/16" in diameter. Start placing your orders now! Currently, I am working with a friend on designing and machining a core drilling rig to assure a centered and straight hole. Talking about cores, I am using a new glue that works great and I am sure will not break. The glue used in the past became brittle in, yes, humid weather and would often break. If you have mallets you bought from me and are having ANY troubles with them, I am more than willing to repair them for free. Going farther with that idea, I will soon have updated web site information, including a "statement of quality" or something like that, that explains my thoughts on mallets, prices, and my person guarantee. Please support this business and help it grow by pre-ordering a pair of set of mallets today! Simply send an email to contact@dkpercussion.com and we can discuss pricing, mallet type, etc. Prices for mallets are probably going to be about $5 more than the last set of Evolution series mallets. That is less than the "inflation" costs in the carbon tubes!

UPDATE 9/18: CARBON IS HERE! A carbon tube replacement has been found! While a little more pricey, this shafts are going to work out great. It will be a little while longer before any mallets are available due to tooling. I need to experiment with techniques for core drilling and attachment. I have tried 3 different glues to make sure that a core never flies off during performance! Another great thing about this tubing is that I can order it in almost any diameter. I will be ordering one type at a bulk price and offering alternate sizes for a custom price - a tube might cost as much as a stock mallet! More information and web site updates coming soon. Stay tuned...

UPDATE 9/7: A carbon tube prototype is currently being ordered...carbon is back baby! I really hope this deal works out. The tubes are bit more costly than the previous tubes, but prices should remain pretty close to the original mallets' prices. On another note, there is much going on in the DK Percussion business other making carbon mallets. Remember, mallet rewrapping is offered 100% of the time! Please stay tuned in for special introductory prices once the prototype carbon mallets are made!