Noble & Cooley’s history goes all the way back to 1854, when Silas Noble and James P. Cooley made their first marching snare drum in the kitchen of Cooley’s Massachusetts farmhouse. After moving production into a small factory, Noble & Cooley began supplying drums to the Union army during the Civil War. By 1873, the company was building 100,000 drums a year.Noble & Cooley has been building made-to-order drumsets and snares since the 1980s, and thus it’s highly regarded as one of the forefathers of the custom-shop movement. N&C’s high-end and highly musical drums are still being made in Granville, Massachusetts, and the company is currently helmed by sixth-generation owner Jay Jones and his son Nick. We were sent three new N&C snares to review: a 7×14 Solid Shell Classic made from tulipwood, a 6.5×14 maple/mahogany Horizon model, and a 6.5×14 walnut drum. Let’s check them out.