The post-concert conversation was going well.
Media Center
Markley Custom Drums
Related Topics
Related Stories
Local drummer Dennis Markley, in Red Lion to see Christian rock band Sonicflood, had introduced himself to the group's drummer.
An hour of drum-speak about technique and equipment had ensued. Then Markley asked a question that would change his life.
"I finally got up the courage to say, 'I've got this snare drum I made in my trunk. Would you mind taking a look at it, telling me what you think — if you love it or hate it — and giving me some feedback?'"
Sonicflood's drummer, Brett Vargason, agreed. As the group's bass player held the snare, Vargason played for five minutes.
Liking what he heard, Vargason wondered if he could try the snare with his full drum set on stage. "Sure. Have at it," Markley replied.
Fifteen minutes of playing later, Vargason said he'd been looking for a drum like that. He wondered if he could order one and for how much.
"I was shocked," Markley recalled. "I wasn't intending to sell anything. I just wanted some feedback from a really good player that I respected.
"I didn't even know how to respond. I had built it for myself. I hadn't kept track of what it cost me. I just threw a number ($375) out there. He wrote me a check on the spot."
And with that order, Markley was in the drum-making business.
VIDEO: Tour Markley Custom Drums From that surprising encounter eight years ago, the Ronks resident now produces premium-quality, custom-made drums for nationally known bands, local players and area churches.
Markley Custom Drums is a small venture.
The McCaskey High School and Millersville University graduate is the sole employee, although he gets an occasional hand from his son. Markley makes only 25 or 30 drums a year.
That's due to limited time, not limited demand.
Markley has a full-time job at Fulton Financial as a regional compliance officer, lots of evening and weekend work as a drummer, and a family.
A small venture is OK with him.
"I'm not out there advertising for new business," said Markley. "I'm more interested in building special drums for good players. I'm not really interested in mass production of anything...
"So if that means I only build one or two sets of drums a year, I'm fine with that. I'm not looking for quantity. I'm looking for quality. With my schedule too, I can't do quantity."
And that's OK with customers.
Markley, who works in his shop from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., after his wife and their two children have gone to bed, tells customers who want a full drum set to expect a wait of four to six months.
Karen Boots is certain that they'll be worth it. She's a worship team drummer at Lighthouse Assembly of God in New Holland, which has a $3,000 Markley set on order.
"Once you hear their sound, you go, 'Yes, that's what I'm looking for," said Boots, who also is an administrative assistant at the church.
The steep price is justified by the exceptional quality, she said.
"They're high-end equipment, but there's a good reason for that. They have the sound...They have a unique tone because of the way he makes them," said Boots.
The music director of another local church, LCBC (Lives Changed by Christ, formerly Lancaster County Bible Church), shared Boots' perspective.
"It wasn't until I met (Markley) that I discovered the detail of what goes into making a drum sound the way it does. He was a great resource for us. He took us to the next level in our sound design," said Jeff Culp.
One of the county's largest churches, LCBC ordered its Markley set last year and borrowed a used set from him while the new $3,145, six-piece set was being built.
But the loaner sounded so good that LCBC bought that one too, to be used in an auditorium that the church will add to its local campus this fall.
"We needed another, so....It was a no-brainer for us. We love his kits," said Culp, who also drums for the church.
Markley, 38, of Ronks, began building drums in 2000, the year before his trip to Red Lion.
He had just left his 10-year part-time job as a drumming instructor and drum-part composer for the Lampeter-Strasburg High School marching band, to spend more time at home with his wife and their newborn son.
His wife, Jill, a French horn player and teacher, suggested he needed a new hobby.
For a guy who's a drummer, handy with tools and dissatisfied with the sound of store-bought drums, drum making was a logical choice.
"I always used to take drums apart. That's kind of how I learned. My first set of drums was a beat-up set of second-hand drums that was always falling apart.
"I always had to take them apart to fix them, so I could keep using them. I learned how drums were put together and why they sounded the way they do," said Markley.
"Why" gets complicated. Markley uses his understanding of those details to give his customer the individualized sound they're seeking.
They include picking the right kind and thickness of wood, cutting the edges of the wood just so, using metal hardware he designed to bring out the drum's resonance and applying a customized finish that both looks and sounds great.
The first drum Markley produced was the snare that he had in his trunk when he went to Red Lion to hear Sonicflood and Vargason. (Markley still has it.)
Vargason, who could not be reached for comment, has proven to be a fortuitous first customer.
While still with Sonicflood, his Markley snare was heard by drummer Jason Dering. Dering later bought a full Markley set and joined pop star Ashlee Simpson's band.
Vargason, now running a recording studio in Nashville, Tenn., later brought his Markley snares to the attention of Billy Mason, drummer for country star Tim McGraw.
McGraw used Vargason's Markley snares on a 2007 recording session, bought one for himself to use on tour and has ordered another — despite having an endorsement deal with a major manufacturer.
"It makes you feel good when you know they're getting free drums from some big-name company, but they want to play your snare drum on what counts, which is the studio album, and also live," said Markley.
Staff writer Tim Mekeel can be reached at tmekeel@LNPnews.com or 481-6030.
(702)
