I am the drum tech for some of the Bay Area’s top studios including 25th St Recording and FM Recorders. I am also available to travel to your studio or rehearsal space by appointment.
I’ve often noticed that drummers have difficulty getting their kits to sound and feel the way they’ve imagined. A properly tuned and assembled drum set doesn’t only sound better, it’s easier to play! I can work with you to get the sounds you are looking for, whether they’re clean and precise or vibey and unconventional. I have an extensive background in classical percussion, which requires the ability to tune timpani, concert bass and snare drums, etc. On the flip side, sometimes a drum needs to have a lot of “character” and sounds best outside of the norm. It really just depends on what you are up to.
My tuning will generally hold for a while. However, individual playing style, age of drumheads, and frequency of use are factors to think about. If you want to stick around while I tune your kit, I can give you some pointers so you can start to have some fun exploring tuning on your own.
Prices are based on the needs of each individual tuning project.
A drum set that is properly fitted and set up for the drummer who will be playing it makes a world of a difference. If you live in the California bay area I can come to your house or studio and help fit the drums to you or your child!
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– REVIEWS OF MY DRUM TECH & TUNING SERVICES –
“Jake is one of the most knowledgeable drummers that I have ever met. He was able to do a full set up of my Roland electronic drum kit in an extremely timely manner, triple checked his work, and made sure to give me a full overview of how everything worked. He immediately made me want to take lessons with him based on his friendly, laid back demeanor and clear talent. I would recommend his services to ANYONE who has a passion for drums!” – Alexi Melvin
“I needed a testy set of drums tuned quickly before a recording and among all the Craigslist posts for drum lessons which came up after doing a search, Jake’s was the only one which mentioned tuning services. He came from the East Bay to my studio in SF, spent a solid couple hours attending to my six-piece kit, and was an incredibly cool and clearly talented person to boot. My drums have never sounded better, on record and off, and I have Jake to thank. Do yourself a favor and hit him up.” – Matt Ayotte
“Jake doesn’t simply give a man the proverbial tuning fish; instead he teaches you HOW to fish for a healthy resonance and tone you can call your own. He’s friendly, professional, and thorough, and for all of those reasons I highly recommend Mr. Nochimow’s tuning service!” – Daniel DeMento
“The moment I met Jake there was something about him I liked already. I needed serious help with tuning my snare and came across his site by chance. After reading about him, I felt pretty confident he was the person I was looking for. He asked me a couple questions in order to get an idea of what i was looking for in terms of drum sound. I played him a couple short clips of songs and tried explaining the type of sound I had been searching for. One of my main concerns ahead of time was the right vocabulary. I tried explaining things to other drum teachers and ‘experts’, but none of them could really understand. Jake knew where I was coming from, from the start. It was such a relief to meet someone who finally understood. In less than 30 minutes, he had my snare exactly where I wanted it. The tone, the response and attack were incredible. I feel really fortunate to have met him and will definitely be contacting Jake whenever I run into any issues again. Easy to talk to and no ego what so ever.” – Ryan Caleb
“GREAT JOB FROM AN AWESOME GUY! I brought my pair of Gon Bops congas to Jake at his studio in Oakland for tuning. I live in San Francisco and work in Berkeley but Jake was patient enough to wait for me to have a common day and time with him. Jake is such a friendly guy that you will feel comfortable right away talking to him. He explains what he is doing during tuning of the instrument. You could sense he is an expert. After about half an hour, Jake made my congas sound awesome! I am very, very satisfied with his work. He gave pointers on how to maintain a great sounding conga drum. What an unselfish artisan! Did I mention that he charges a reasonable rate? I will not hesitate to recommend Jake to my friends. Five stars!!!!!” – Dutch Aragones
“I hired Jake to tune my drumset that had not seen the light of day in 10 years. I had bought and installed new top and bottom drumheads and, of course, everything sounded fairly bad. But Jake spent about an hour and a half tuning the kit, and it now sounds great. He also fixed a few things (snare wires, a loose tom screw) and tuned my two snare drums in ways I had never considered. They sound perfect! He is personable, full of information, and detailed. Thanks, Jake!” – Paula Bocciardi
“Like a lot of other drummers I have had mixed results tuning a full kit to sound balanced and musically pleasing. Even though I have had tuning explained to me in the past it was usually from a video clip or a another player who didn’t really have the time. What I have learned from a drum tuning session with Jake has helped me be patient a learn to listen to the cause and affect of drum tuning. Having someone with experience and patience is what everyone confused about tuning needs. Drum tuning with Jake will get your kit sounding great but more importantly it will give you an understanding of the process. I found this to be time and money well spent because I now have the knowledge and confidence to make my drums sound the best they can. Remember great sounding equipment doesn’t make a great player but it definitely helps.” – Jason
“Jake is an honest professional. Just explain what you want and he’ll work it out in a way that makes sense for you” – Sam
Jake Nochimow (@jakehitshard) 