As a young boy of 7, I instantly fell in love with the arrival of the Beatles and the music of the 60s...
Jon Cross began his journey with music at a very young age. When Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin became all the rage, Jon was heavily influenced by the drumming ability of John Bonham and Ian Paice and he built his first drumset from cardboard boxes. Due to "less than desirable materials" and the relentless daily workout he would deliver unto them, had to make a new kit every week.
This continued until he was 17 and came into a "proper" drumset. The early training on self-made kits was occasion enough to begin a career playing clubs at night in and around Manchester, England.
During the day Jon took a job as a woodworker, another one of his passions. At some juncture the passion for drumming and the love of turning wood somehow merged; taking a cue from his formative years, Jon decided it was time to build a snare drum for himself.
After much research, trial and error a segmented shell in Purpleheart drum emerged from the proverbial pile of sawdust. Not only was it beautiful in design and aesthetics, it sounded amazing also!
Fast-forward 12 months later; the one lone drum had become a full seven piece kit with a 24" kick and 5 toms.
In 2009 the Hollywood Vintage and Custom Drum Show seemed to be the place to show off his new creations. The reception and encouragement given to Jon and his drums was as clear a message as any to begin building more amazing pieces, and a small following has taken a foothold.
Presently Jon has a small workshop in Rohnert Park, CA. where segmented and stave drums are created from exotic hardwoods. Says Jon:
"I take a huge amount of pleasure in the design; selecting the wood then building with the utmost attention to detail all the way down to the machining and inlays through to the buffing, polishing and assembly of the hardware.My aim is to build you the ultimate drum in craftsmanship and sound quality." Master craftsmanship, great tone and attention to detail are what's in store when you acquire a Jon Cross Custom Drum. If something unique is what you are after, Jon Cross can make it happen.
A Few Of Our Drums...
