RIK BAS BACKER

"I was only looking for spare parts when I found an anounce on the internet for a ASBA kit for sale here just outside Paris. I said 'yes' without really having seen it. The chance alone of finding a kit is worth the risk. A steel kit with exotic sizes: 14", 15", 18" and 24". The advert said 'the skins alone are worth the money'. (thanks Pierre)"

"But it was a dissapointment in a way...I couldn't take it apart for parts, it was too nice! It had quite a few scratches, but I took it completely apart and polished it. When it shines you hardly see the scratches. Everything original is there, muflers, legs, logos, except for a Ludwig tom mount (no other holes!), and three hoops missing."

"Where on earth can you find a Die cast 15" hoop with 7 holes! Of course on ebay! I found the 'a google cache memory link' of an outdated-unsold ebay item. I contacted the owner who still had one (thanks Christian). He told me it came of a marching drum which was once specially ordered for a marching band. And then of course Andy helped with a 18" hoop. I went to a famous shop here in Paris called Weber to find an alternative for the steel edge head protection strip."

"The photos where made right in front of my office, in Paris, I waited for the sun to shine straight through the street. I tried to recreate some funny pop icon set ups - Abbey Road, Ummagumma, and the good old toms-piled-up tower. Then I saw the mirror effect potential and took some typical Parisian street type and pedestrian graphics to reflect. Now with parts that Sylvain helped me with I wonder whether I should fit the ASBA slide tom mounts to the toms....?"

"The drum sizes are 14" x 12", 15" x 12", 18" x 16" and 24" x 16"...but of course the heads are based on inches, and the depth on centimetres - 30 and 40 centimetres."