Gear Reviews
Detailed assessments of the latest drum kits and accessories
The Romantics Go Pink!
In 1980, the Romantics were riding a wave of success following the release of their smash hit, “What I Like About You.” The band was formed in 1977 in Detroit, and built a national following slugging it out in bars…
BONE Custom Drums
8.5×14 Carbcutter Snare BONE Custom Drums was founded by drummer Nejc Boskovic in 2005 after earning a degree in Composite Drum Shell Analysis from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering University in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Boskovic’s primary focus for research and development…
Audix
FP7 Drum Mic Package I’m not really one of those cranky, old-school studio rats, but I almost can’t help sighing “Kids don’t know how good they have it these days” when I look at current microphone packages. Way back when…
Latin Percussion
Stainless Steel Salsa Snares I pull the 5.5×13 Latin Percussion Steel Salsa Snare from its box and suddenly I am a child on Christmas morning. Wow! The stainless-steel shell is super beefy, solid, and heavy duty with a clean and…
Restoring the Vintage Marching Drum
Today’s marching drums are typically outfitted with heavy chrome hoops, continuous lugs, a substantial throw-off mechanism, and a multi-ply shell. These drums can withstand exposure to extreme elements, can project well, and provide a durable head that can be tuned…
Sitting In with the Seattle Seahawks
Drums have led me on some pretty epic adventures to places and situations I had thought I could only dream of. One of the most epic is my ongoing adventure with the Seattle Seahawks Blue Thunder Drumline. David Garibaldi with…
Donn Bennett’s Drum Vault
Tré Cool’s Burnt Slingerland Kit Tré Cool is one of my favorite drummers. He is also one of the most interesting people I’ve worked with. He’s certainly one of few drummers who can ride the razor-thin line between control and…
New Gear for the New Year
Wouldn’t it be marvelous if 2022 offered drummers new opportunities, savvy ways to improve their technique, and just tons more fun? Cross those fingers, gang. If you’re up for some cool tools to help bring on that brighter, happier new…
Sonor
Perfect Balance Jojo Mayer Signature and Standard Pedals When the futurist, educator, and genre-bending drummer Jojo Mayer turned his agile brain to designing a kick pedal, he distilled his concept into a single sentence: “The Perfect Balance pedal was designed…
Buried Treasures
I Unboxed Charlie’s First Drum Kit and Other Stories from The Watts Collection It’s hard to know what to say at a time like this. Most people will mention Charlie Watt’s contribution to the world of rock drumming—which, of course,…
Gretsch Drums August-September 1982
“Unbeatables.” Ya think? Also, “Legends,” “Icons,” and “Badasses.” Gretsch certainly had a pair that represented all of the above—and more—for this 1982 promotional ad. Tony Williams (1945-1997) was a Gretsch user from 1959 to 1993. He used a round-badge kit…
DW Drums
MFG XF Double Pedal I’ve been using a DW 5000 double pedal for years. I really enjoy playing it, and it has been super reliable. I broke a spring just once. That’s the only time it needed a repair. Everything…
Latin Percussion
Tommy Lee Rockstar Ridge Rider Cowbell Tommy Lee’s signature model is big. Way big. It’s loud. Crazy loud. It even looks like a rock-and roll cowbell should look, in its bright-white finish with a large red-white-black star logo under Lee’s…
RTOM
LV Mesh Drumheads I thought I was so smart. With the global pandemic surging, I drove to my rehearsal space to pack up my four-piece Yamaha kit and bring it to my home office just before lockdown. “Now, I can…
