Gear Reviews
Detailed assessments of the latest drum kits and accessories
Steve Ferrone Drum Collection
In the world of “first call” drummers, Steve Ferrone is the first one they call. Just ask Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, George Harrison, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, Rick James, Slash, Chaka Khan, Bee Gees, Al Jarreau, Mick Jagger, or Johnny Cash. When iconic bands like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Average White Band, Duran Duran and Aerosmith needed…
Yamaha EAD50 – Part 1: Redefining the Starting Point
Where does drum recording begin? The fundamentals haven’t changed; however, Yamaha’s Electronic Acoustic Drum (EAD) concept has quietly reshaped how drummers approach recording. With the introduction of the EAD10, capturing a full kit sound quickly and musically, without the demands of a multi-mic setup, became a practical…
SJC Drums, ALPHA Brass Snare: Treating You Like a Rock Star!
SJC Drums was founded in 2022 in Southbridge, MA with the idea of producing world-class drums. A quick trip through their website is certainly impressive and it is easy to see that they mean business and are proud of their…
GM Designs: Sonic Visions, Continuum, Obscure, and the Multi-Belled
As a drummer or a percussionist, your look is just as important as your sound! Don’t let anyone tell you differently. It’s all about the senses. The better you project, the better you will be received. There’s no mystery there!…
TWO NEW CONGAS AND BONGOS FROM LP, NEW SNARES FROM PEARL, NEW CYMBALS FROM MEINL
Two new Congas and Bongos from LP Latin Percussion (LP®) invites percussionists to explore Latin rhythms with the upgraded series LP Discovery II Ultralight Congas and Bongos: expressive congas and bongos more lightweight than ever before. Great for early players to serious hobbyists,…
Snare Drums from the Northup Drum Museum
The snare drum originated from the medieval tabor, a rope-tensioned drum used for military signals, it became a distinct instrument with sharper, brighter, sounds through innovations like screw-tensioning gut and coiled metal snares. Throughout the Middle Ages it was used to…
VOXEL Percussion: 3D Printed Drums, Sound Art in Audio Visions
In the beginning there was wood. And then clay, metal, plastic, fiberglass, acrylic and even glass to name a few! Seems like folks have been making drums out of almost anything they can stretch a membrane on and create a…
Roland VAD516
Roland VAD516 V-Drums Kit If you‘ve followed Roland’s Acoustic Design lineup of V-Drums over the past few years, you already know the story: full size shells, premium hardware, and an e-kit that looks like it belongs in front of a large audience rather than in the…
Artstruments MR1 Drum Mounting Bracket
In a previous review of Artstruments products, I explored the full display experience of the 5PK-L Drum Mounting Kit with its multiple brackets and LED lighting designed to turn a drum set into an elaborate art installation. The reality is…
New Yamaha Recording Custom Snare Drums: Aluminum and Stainless Steel
In Modern Drummer’s first look at the new series of Recording Custom Snare Drums, we looked at the Birch and Brass shell models. This time we are going to look at a few more shell versions of this storied series.…
Roland V-Drums 3 and 5 Series, TR 1000 Rhythm Creator, and CR-78 Software Rhythm Composer, DW 3000 Hardware Series Hardware Packs, True-Cast Snare, PDP Concept Series Locking Thrones, Concept Acrylic Kit and Snare, Latin Percussion City Timbales, Limited Edition Cherry Congas and Bongos
Roland V-Drums 3 and 5 Series Roland was showcasing the V-Drums 3 and 5 Series, two all-new electronic drum kit lineups based around the powerful V31and V51sound modules during The NAMM Show 2026 (Room 202, Level 2). These next-generation modules are part of a unified ecosystem with…
Zak Starkey’s Drums
Zak Starkey has long been regarded as the only drummer capable of adequately carrying the torch for The Who’s original drummer, Keith Moon. His 30-year gig with The Who, might have been considered a career highlight, but a lot has…
HHHusher
If you’ve ever recorded drums – or watched an engineer wrestle with a drum mix – you know one of the most hard-fought battles is microphone bleed. One particularly common occurrence is the hi-hat cymbals bleeding into the snare mic. Engineers try to squash it with mic placement, drummers adjust their technique, and in the end, everyone accepts a little bleed as “just part…
Yamaha EAD50
When Yamaha introduced the EAD10 drum recording system, it quietly rewired a lot of drummers’ expectations around recording. Clamp on a sensor, plug in a module, put on headphones, and suddenly you were producing a polished kit sound without fighting with mic placement, cable management, phase issues, and lost inspiration. It was a…
