Some have called John Good a "Woodologist", others such as Neil Peart have nicknamed him the "Wood Whisperer".
One thing's for sure, he has an uncanny knack for finding the most jaw-dropping exotic wood specimens on the planet.
Sometimes the wood is so rare, we can't get enough to add it to our prestigious Exotic Custom Shop line.

Enter John's Gallery.

This is the only place on the web where you can see some of the most sought after Exotic drum finishes available anywhere;
only available in very limited quantities and custom made to John's exact specifications using DW's latest Custom Shell Shop Technology.

Heartwood Curly

Heartwood Curly Kit

Name:

HEARTWOOD CURLY

Wood Species:

Acer Saccharum

Origin:

North America

Amount Remaining:

Approximately 21 Five-piece Kits

Range:

"Curl", also figure, is a special form of the growth occurring in only 2 to 5 % of all Maple logs. This not only holds true for the Hard Maple, but also to the Soft Maple as well as all other types of the Maple species. Range is the same as with the common types of Maple. Confusion often prevails as to the difference between Curly and Quilted Maple. Curl is the figured form: Quilt is the pommele type.

Properties:

Highly decorative on account of its strong figure, especially when finished in a high gloss surface, very plastic and three-dimensional picture results.

JG Story:

My pal Don Sadler was having a trade show booth for a logger's convention in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Don wanted a drum set to show other uses for his veneer. He decided on a very white Curly Maple, Natural to Candy Black Fade with Black Nickel hardware. I had my eye on a unique Heartwood Curly log he had happened on. Remember, only 2-5% of maple logs become Curly Maple, so this beauty is maybe in low percentile of those logs! So through a little friendly negotiation we traded and I think I got the best of that deal. This veneer is wide enough for horizontal grain but remember, it also has incredible vertical figure.

Availability:

Visit your nearest Local Authorized Dealer

Twisted Tropical Olive

Twisted Tropical Olive Kit

Name:

TWISTED TROPICAL OLIVE

Wood Species:

Olea Europea

Origin:

Olive tree is one of the oldest cultigens in the world. As its cultivation had already started in prehistoric times, it is no longer possible to reconstruct the borders of its natural growing range. In principle though, the Mediterranean area can be seen as the area in question.

Amount Remaining:

Approximately 20 Kits

Range:

Entire Mediterranean area. Most of the time, Olive trees do not grow straight and are knotty. They can reach a height up to 20 meters in the South, whereas they stay smaller in the northern parts. As the main use of the Olive tree is for oil extraction, appreciation of its wood itself is totally insignificant. Consequently, usable lengths of more than 1 meter are very rare to find.

JG Story:

I found this veneer just outside of Milan, Italy. It is so clean and evenly striped, making it really good for twisting and vertical construction in drum shells. Fades are generally the best look for this particular beauty. My friend Renzo helped me with the idea of twisting this one years ago and this method has become one of my favorites!

Availability:

Visit your nearest Local Authorized Dealer

Cherry

Cherry Kit

Name:

CHERRY

Wood Species:

Prunus Avium

Origin:

Europe and Lower Asia

Amount Remaining:

Approximately 2 Five-piece Kits (w/ 20" Kick or smaller)

Range:

The Cherry used and sought for the wood working industry is not cultivated in the garden, but is a wild growing tree occurring in forest stands. Generally, It grows alone in mixed stands. Since its cultivation was neglected by the German forestry industry during many decades of monoculture, it occurs in Germany considerably less than in France. This species, however, is very common and wide-spread in the Eastern European countries, and since the collapse of their communistic system, most logs on the market have been bought there.

JG Story:

The great thing about this particular rotary cut Cherry is the wild grain pattern. It's got nice light brown/reddish coloring and very nice pronounced grain. The veneer itself is nice and wide, lending itself to horizontal shell construction.

Availability:

Visit your nearest Local Authorized Dealer

Oak Cluster

Oak Cluster Kit

Name:

OAK CLUSTER

Wood Species:

Quercus Ssp.

Origin:

Europe

Amount Remaining:

Approximately 19 Five-piece Kits

Range:

The most frequent species of tree in the European forest mostly occurs as pedunculate or sessile oak. The most well known locations for high-quality veneer oak are Spessart and Palatine in Germany and Trocais in France. Oak does not exist in Middle and North Scandinavia or in West, Central and South Spain. Very good dimensions over 80 meters are nothing unusual. The Knotty Oak develops a great many epicormical branches.

Properties:

Oaks that have developed many pine knots are used in the industry, however, those should be sound and closed. Knotty Oak veneers are used to little extent in the production of mass-produced furniture, but mostly employed for interior work.

JG Story:

This one is really considered Oak Cluster. Wide, long and beautiful, just let the veneer do the work in a horizontal pattern allowing Candy Black Bursts to frame its beauty.

Availability:

Visit your nearest Local Authorized Dealer

Sapele Pommele

Sapele Pommele Kit

Name:

SAPELE POMMELE

Wood Species:

Entandophragma Cylindricum

Origin:

Africa

Amount Remaining:

Currently Out Of Stock

Range:

West, Central and East Africa, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Angola, Zaire, Uganda.

Properties:

Due to the unique growing pattern of this tree, its wood provides a veneer pattern which is almost figured and, as a result, is particularly attractive.

JG Story:

I've got two! One has a peanut figure almost similar to a curl that makes it almost look like Curly Maple, yet chocolate brown. This one is wide enough for horizontal grain on the drum shell with the obvious vertical curl figure. The second one is really strange. It has a circular quarter-size figure in the veneer. This one would be used in a vertical pattern on the shell and is simply stunning.

Availability:

Visit your nearest Local Authorized Dealer

Figured Sycamore

Name:

FIGURED SYCAMORE

Wood Species:

Acer Pseudoplatanus

Origin:

Europe

Amount Remaining:

Approximately 6 Five-piece Kits

Range:

Sycamore is to be found all over Europe, but very seldom as Figured Sycamore. Top-quality logs can yield prices of more than EUR 10,000 per cubic meter. The wood fibers are wavy which give this species of wood its typical pattern.

Properties:

This almost white wood yellows under the influence of light and air if the veneers are not dried quickly enough. Heart discoloration is possible but since the logs normally have large diameters, this is not such a common problem. The tendency of annual rings to develop green stripes in certain growing areas is a bigger concern.

JG Story:

I picked this one up in Karlstadt, Germany. Talk about "white-white", it's a beauty to paint. If you have the need to make colors really glow, this is virtually like painting on white canvas. The vertical curl is nice and subtle and the veneer itself is quite wide and long. Therefore, long 20x22 bass drums are easy to build with this one!

Availability:

Visit your nearest Local Authorized Dealer

Satin Walnut

Name:

SATIN WALNUT

Wood Species:

Liquidambar Styraciflua

Origin:

South-Eastern parts of the USA

Amount Remaining:

Approximately 9 Five-piece Kits

Range:

From Southern Connecticut to Central Florida, and up to Eastern Texas. Grows up to 30 meters tall with diameters reaching up to 90cm. In its growing region, it is a very frequent species ranking second in use among the American hardwoods, right after the Oak species.

Properties:

The sapwood is cream-colored and relatively uniform-looking. The heartwood is of reddish to dark-brown color, both of which can alternate within one single log, thus creating a beautiful marble-like effect. When working up the sap and heartwood together, an extremely decorative result is obtained. The heartwood often has a silky sheen.

JG Story:

The reason this one is interesting, aside from its natural beauty, is the width and length of the material. It's got such beautiful coloring in the heart and beautiful white sapwood on the edges that have strange ear-shaped hooks that sometimes look like horns coming through the sap. It is beautiful with clear lacquer or any type of stain...it is just so rare to find one this wide.

Availability:

Visit your nearest Local Authorized Dealer

Elm Cluster

Name:

ELM CLUSTER

Wood Species:

Ulmus Carpinifolia

Origin:

Central Europe

Amount Remaining:

Approximately 28 Five-piece Kits

Range:

Mainly in France and England. Due to the Dutch Elm disease, the occurrences are very rare. The Majority of the felled burl trees are already dead, therefore the heartwood is already stained dark brown. The still living trees are sought, the heartwood of which is still showing the typical light brown, noble coloring. It can be assumed that in the near future it will no longer be possible to produce Elm Burl veneer.

Properties:

The color of the heartwood is light to dark brown. Fine-eyed burl veneer with large dimensions of few open defects or bark pockets are sold at very high prices.

JG Story:

This particular log was purchased in the Lake Como Area of Italy, very close to Switzerland. My friend Renzo knows that I have an eye for unusual and uncommon types of woods that would not normally be found for industries he normally works with. What struck my eye was the wild green veins that run through a good portion of the veneer. Typical use in drums would be a horizontal grain pattern.

Availability:

Visit your nearest Local Authorized Dealer

Vertical Zebra

Vertical Zebra Kit

Name:

VERTICAL ZEBRA

Wood Species:

Microberlinia Brazzavillensis

Origin:

West Africa

Amount Remaining:

Approximately 14 Five-piece Kits

Range:

Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, lower tropical rain forests.

Properties:

The heartwood is light grey to yellow with distinct dark brown stripes. Greatly resistant to fungi, insect infestation (particularly termites) and the weather. Zebrawood is extremely dependent on fashion trends although it is a very decorative wood. Degrading are the so-called "barbed wire" lines which interrupt the black stripes. These effect the uniform appearance of the veneer.

JG Story:

Availability:

Visit your nearest Local Authorized Dealer