Gear Reviews
Detailed assessments of the latest drum kits and accessories
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Liberty Drumset
Liberty Drums is a UK-based manufacturer that builds its own shells from nearly limitless timbers and veneers into a wide range of handcrafted drumsets and snares. In addition to allowing drummers to design custom kits online at libertydrums.com, the company…
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - TRX New DRK Series Cymbals
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP TRX New DRK Series Cymbals Warm, dark, classic sounds with pre-drilled holes for rivets. by Miguel Monroy TRX has released several new options in the past year or so, including the Blends series, which was reviewed in our…
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Beier 15" Steel Snare Drums
There’s been a bit of buzz building around the snares coming from Jim Beier’s shop in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Blue Öyster Cult’s Jules Radino, Olivia Newton-John’s Mark Beckett, and Charlie Daniels’ Pat McDonald have been using them live, and Nashville session…
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Remo Dorado Cajon
Remo’s new Dorado cajon is a traditional fixed-faceplate instrument that’s handcrafted in California using birch plywood and high-quality compression springs with over 400 coils. The cajon has deep resonance and a lot of versatility. The increased low-end resonance is a…
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Stone Thrones Drum Seat Covers
Chris Stone, founder of Stone Thrones, has founded a custom shop that offers something very useful and clever: high-quality and durable drum seat covers. I recently ordered a set of covers for my twenty-year-old Roc-n-Soc throne with a backrest. I…
Bone Custom Drums - Mineral Maple Drumset
Product Close-Up Bone Custom Drumers Mineral Maple Drumset A strong visual aesthetic with the tones to back it up. Although most North American drummers are likely not too familiar with Slovenia’s Bone Custom Drums, the company has been making high-end…
Zildjian - FX Series China Trashes, Volcano Cup Zil-Bel, and Spiral Stacker
Product Close-Up Zildjian FX Series China Trashes, Volcano Cup Zil-Bel, and Spiral Stacker Inspiring, funky sounds delivered in compact sizes. Seizing on the current trend toward drummers incorporating small, trashy stacks and effects into their setups, Zildjian has added 8″…
Fidock - 6x13 Heartbreaker Series Snare
Product Close-Up Fidock 6×13 Heartbreaker Series Snare The crème de la crème of one of Australia’s finest tonewood connoisseurs. Fidock (“fye-dock”) is a boutique manufacturer from Australia that specializes in handcrafting high-end stave-shell drums with rare Aussie species like blackwood…
Remo - Powerstroke 77 and Powerstroke 3 Black Dot Drumheads
Product Close-Up Remo Powerstroke 77 and Powerstroke 3 Black Dot Drumheads Extra-durable additions to the ubiquitous pre-muffled batters. Expanding the sound palette of its Powerstroke line of drumheads, Remo recently introduced a black-dot version of the hugely popular P3 bass…
Get the Most Beat for Your Buck - 4 Options for Building a Primo Snare Collection on a Workingman’s Budget
Shop Talk Get the Most Beat for Your Buck 4 Options for Building a Primo Snare Collection on a Workingman’s Budget by Nate Bauman As a single man in my late twenties with few commitments and even fewer resources, I…
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Natal - Arcadia Series
The last time we checked out Natal, we talked about their vision to offer a range of high-level drumsets. Each kit comes with the same high-quality components, but it was the species of wood that differentiated each model. The company…
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Sabian - HH Remastered Cymbals
For the past couple years, Canadian cymbal company Sabian has been revamping its manufacturing to put greater focus on the old-world hand-hammered stage of its process. We saw the initial results of those efforts with the introduction of the gnarly,…
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Van Kleef - Snare Drums
Van Kleef Custom Drums is owned and operated by Alan van Kleef, a UK-based musician-turned-builder who started his career in the ’90s as a live drum & bass performer and studio owner. His workshop is in Sheffield, which is the…
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Cymbal Packs
So you’ve never considered a cymbal pack before and generally like to purchase cymbals one at a time based on what your needs are at the moment? That’s totally understandable. But could there be some great advantages to buying a…
