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arrange disorder - richard sachs. deep river press softback 71pp illus. $28
i am the proud owner of a 14 x 5" slingerland radio king snare drum in white marine pearl. pretty much as played by gene krupa, buddy rich and other drummers from the 1940s. my reader will know the importance of owning such a drum, however this is not an original from the 1940s, but a brand new, limited edition snare issued as the first salvo in the resurgence of the slingerland drum company. it was the subject of demise in the 1990s, whereby its trademarks and intellectual proprty rights lay in abeyance until 2019, when it was purchased by the son of drum workshop founder, don lombardi as a birthday present for his father.
radio king snares originally featured a single ply, solid maple shell, a distinctive snare throw-off and what are referred to as stick chopper hoops fashioned from nickel-plated brass. all these features, including the original cloud badge and internal damper have been fastidiously reproduced ahead of a range of bass drums and toms manufactured in the usa under the slingerland brand. the snare drum in my possession cost a small fortune, way more than i have ever previously paid for a snare drum; but the heart wants what the heart wants, and considering its arrival in a plush-lined case with the words slingerland radio king embroidered on the outside, what's not to like?
in order to complete the dream, the drum was fitted with a remo-branded mylar batter head, but also included a bovid calfskin head for complete authenticity. luddite that i am, i removed the remo and fitted the bovid, a conscious yet tentative move given that i have previously never played a calfskin head. mylar, the modern plastic commonplace, is totally impervious to temperature and moisture; once tuned, unless you are a very heavy hitter (i'm not), it will pretty much remain at the same pitch indefinitely. calfskin, however, is very susceptible to all sorts of atmospheric variations, explaining why some original radio kings were fitted with an internal light bulb; not to presage the use of stage lighting, but to maintain a constant temperature and thus tuning while performing. as a result, i generally only play the drum in indoor situations where conditions are likely to be more favourable.
or do i?
on thursday evening, i was due to play at ardbeg distillery, an event that i was assured would take place in the old kiln café. i therefore replaced my dw snare with the radio king. however, on arrival at the distillery, since the event took the form of an outdoor barbecue, it was suggested that we ought to setup at the edge of the courtyard, despite the strong likelihood of rain during the evening. the latter sprinkled only a smidgeon, but the evening was somewhat cool and damp, so despite tuning the snare relatively high, by the time we'd managed only three songs, the drum sound was very fat and low-pitched. in point of fact, it was an excellent sound, but one in which i had no choice; a learning experience which has been filed for future use.
which is precisely the rationale behind framebuilder, richard sachs' latest publication, arrange disorder. according to the introduction very kindly sent to me by mr sachs, "arrange disorder is a series. the contents reflect my fifty plus years of standing at a workbench filing orders for clients worldwide. the pages contain anecdotes, advice, musings, opinions, reflections, judgements, inspirations, sense, and nonsense." where almost every contemporary carbon bicycle frame is the result of computer-aided-design, computer-fluid-dynamics and quite possibly extensive hours in the wind-tunnel, none of those are present (now or ever) in richard's connecticut workshop. and, to borrow from the inestimable mr sachs, according to my opinion, we should be eternally grateful that such is the case.
beautifully typeset and illustrated, this compact and bijou volume promises to be the first of several detailing just what the bicycle industry has lost and what richard sachs has gained from those fifty plus years of mitreing, cutting, brazing and filing. perhaps the revelation for those who know little or nothing of richard sachs, is that his lengthy career is not a vocation to which he originally aspired.
"It was never my plan to do this. Until it was. The first decade was about denial. I can leave anytime. And in a heartbeat, I began to accept my place [...] I didn't want to be a bicycle maker. I became one."
i have known richard for many a long year; but he lives on the east coast of america and i live on the west coast of scotland, and there's a substantial stretch of water in between. the first and only time we've met was at the north american handbuilt bicycle show (nahbs) in sacramento, california in 2012. we've corresponded intermittently over the years, but for the reasons outlined above, we don't exactly live in each others' pockets. perhaps obviously enough, meeting and correspondence has been the result of a common interest in bicycles, based predominantly on my endless admiration of his bicycle frames and a shared interest in cyclo-cross.
but i would contend that any prospective purchaser of this slim volume need not necessarily be of a velocipedinal mind. the contents of the 71 pages are (atmo) of practical and intellectual use to those who can scarcely differentiate between one end of a bicycle and the other.
"We're not born with a playbook. If we stay light enough the wind can catch us and blow us around a bit. We never land. Because the wind is ever present. And before long, we have stories to share. Advice to parse out. And a life lived."
one of richard's great character traits is that he doesn't appear to suffer fools gladly, and neither does he offer bullshit. he calls a grobet swiss file, a grobet swiss file. and he is cognisant of his place in the bicycle firmament. there is no self-deprecation on show, but neither is there self-aggrandisement. in my experience, such self-awareness is rare and perhaps the very reason why this book is important, not only as testament to a way of making bicycle frames that is in danger of becoming as rare as hen's teeth, but because that which richard sachs has garnered by way of experience is as applicable to the rest of us, even if the thought of owning and riding a steel frame is complete anathema.
"...my collection of bahco barrette needle files becomes my compass. My North Star. My safety net. If i can't enhance what I do with these gems, or get myself to higher ground, I'm fucked."
arrange disorder is available directly from richard via his website, but be aware that the price of sending to the uk or europe is a great deal more costly than the price of the book. but it's worth every penny.
sunday 1 june 2025
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