Newport Series Drum Launch
Unconventional drum sizes and thicknesses... snare
shells riddled with holes... unique painted finishes and
exotic coverings... translucent acrylic shells lit from
the inside... these are the hallmarks of Orange County
Drum & Percussion. After starting out as a local
custom operation in 1991, this Southern Californiabased
company has rapidly achieved star status
among drummers nationwide.
Daniel Jensen and John Machado
(president and vice president of
OCDP) each started in the retail
drum business in the mid-1980s.
After a few years, they joined forces
to open their own shop. Along with
doing retail sales, they also did some
drum repair and custom drumbuilding.
Daniel also was active as
a drum tech for several recording
artists. By 1991 more people were
buying John and Daniel’s custom
drums than the established brands
they were selling. At that point they
decided to focus on manufacturing.
They set up operations in a small
facility in Santa Ana, California, and
Orange County Drum & Percussion
was born.
Fortunately for Daniel and John,
their timing was excellent. As they
were getting OCDP up and running,
several drummers with whom they’d
worked over the years were also
enjoying success. Says John, “Some
of our friends became pretty highprofile
during that time. Frankly,
their fame made us famous. But we
grew together. For example, we were
working with Chad Sexton of 311 and
Adrian Young of No Doubt when they
were just local bands doing small
clubs here in Orange County. But
Chad and Adrian are more than just
endorsers. They’re both investors in
the company. That’s a nice statement
about how much they believe in what
we’re doing.”
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Chad and Adrian are in good
company. OCDP boasts an everincreasing
roster of endorsers
that currently includes Travis
Barker (Plus 44), Cyrus Bolooki
(New Found Glory), Lou “Dog”
Gaez (Kottonmouth Kings), Chris
Hornbrook (Poison The Well),
Ilan Rubin (Lost Prophets), Gil
Sharone (Dillinger Escape Plan),
Allen Shellenberger (Lit), Atom
Willard (Angels And Airwaves),
John Wysocki (Staind), and Frank
Zummo (Street Drum Corps).
OCDP’s rise to prominence has
created an interesting situation...
Their “custom” products and
services are now in major-market
demand. But not every drummer
can afford a totally custom drum
kit. So, in a move designed to offer
OCDP’s approach to drum crafting
in a more affordable package,
the company is launching a new
line of imported drum kits – the
Newport series, named for Orange
County, California’s popular
Newport Beach.
The new drums are more
affordable than the custom drums
made in OCDP's California shop.
But John Machado is quick to point
out that Newport series drums will
still be high-end quality.
“They’re like the top-of-the-line
kits you'd see from some of the
companies that are based overseas”
says John. “The shells are 100%
maple, the finishes are beautiful,
and the hardware is top-notch.
We truly believe that the Newport
series will be the very best kit
obtainable in its price range.”
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