Gear Reviews
Detailed assessments of the latest drum kits and accessories
Product Close-Up - Gretsch Gear
The professional-grade Renown series drumset has been very popular among touring, gigging, and session drummers for its combination of classic Gretsch quality, clean and contemporary tone, and competitive price point. For the second-generation version, called RN2, the company incorporated more…
Product Close-Up - Zildjian - Avedis Series Cymbals
Given the great success of the vintage-style Kerope line, which was launched at the 2014 Winter NAMM Show as a tribute to highly coveted Turkish-made K cymbals, it comes as no surprise that Zildjian would do a similar reworking of…
Product Close-Up – Canopus Snare Drums
Canopus is one of the premier boutique drum manufacturers in Japan, specializing in reinventing classic designs from the past and refining contemporary drum construction methods. The Yaiba II series is the company’s foray into a more affordable price point and…
Product Close-Up - Tama Pedals
Tama has introduced the next generation of its Iron Cobra and Speed Cobra pedals with smart enhancements that focus on feel, stability, and sound. The company’s engineers managed to reduce weight in certain key areas while fortifying the pedals’ overall…
Drum Miking 101, Part 1: Single-Microphone Setups (Video)
In this series we’ll look at how to mike a drumset, starting with a single microphone and adding one each time until we arrive at a complete close-mike configuration. The idea behind the series is to help you fully understand…
Get the Sound You Want From Your Drums! Part 2: Drumset Tuning
Shortly after introducing the tune-bot electronic drum tuner in 2012, we were flooded with phone calls and emails asking how to tune different brands of drums or how to get the sounds of various well-known drummers. Analyzing thousands of drum…
Shop Talk
It's really sad to say that throughout my years of professional playing, I've come across so many excellent drummers who don't take the time to care for their instrument. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Drum Miking 101, Part 2: Two-Microphone Setups
Last month we began this series by exploring three different ways to record a drumset with a single microphone. The distance between the mic and the drumset was our focus. This month we’re adding a second microphone. We’ll explore the…
Shop Talk: Tuning Your Snare Drum
A common complaint among many drummers is excessive snare drum rattling and buzzing when striking another drum in the set. Another familiar complaint is, "my snare drum just never sounds crisp enough." Bear in mind that there will always be…
The Evolution of the Tom-Tom
To most drummers today, the tom-tom is an indispensable part of the drumset. Aside from cymbals, the toms are the drummer’s main tools for adding color, drama, and excitement to a performance. Throughout the years, the sound of these drums…
GMS - Special Edition Series Drumset
Back in 1987, when Long Islanders Rob Mazzella and Tony Gallino joined forces to create the GMS Drum Co., there weren’t many companies offering custom drumsets that didn’t need some type of “doctoring” (bearing-edge work, hardware upgrades, etc.) in order…
Zildjian 21" K Custom Organic and 20" K Constantinople Renaissance Rides (Video)
Zildjian recently teamed up with two of its artists, drummer/educator Pat Petrillo and jazz great Adam Nussbaum, to create specialized signature rides designed to offer varying degrees of “crashability” and pinpoint articulation. Let’s take a look at each. TO READ…
Castle - Tapered Snares (Video)
Massachusetts-based craftsman David Cheney has developed a unique conical snare drum shell with function as its focus. The shell is created using solid wood staves and features a 14" batter side that tapers down to a 13" resonant end. TO…
Cymgard - Cymbal Accessories (Video)
The drum industry has plenty of cymbal accessories, including mutes, bags, and fancy felts. So what’s next? Cymgard thinks it has the answer, and the company sent us three cymbal mutes/edge protectors to check out: the Standard, the Lite, and…
