Gear Reviews
Detailed assessments of the latest drum kits and accessories
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Masterwork
Masterwork, an Istanbul-based manufacturer founded in 2002, specializes in making cymbals using ancient Turkish traditions combined with contemporary tools and techniques. The company offers fourteen different series made from B25 bronze (75% copper and 25% tin). TO READ THE FULL…
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Doc Sweeny
Doc Sweeny is a high-end custom drum company whose mission is “to create works of drum art that will enhance the experience of drumming enthusiasts for years to come.” TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Porter & Davies
Porter & Davies is a UK-based company whose silent bass drum monitoring systems are being used by many top touring drummers, such as Ray Luzier (Korn), Billy Cobham (fusion legend), Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree/King Crimson), Jojo Mayer (Nerve), and Tomas…
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Dunnett Dreamtime Snare Drums
One of the standout products launched at this past Winter NAMM was a collaboration between notable Queensland builder Paul Warry of Metro Drums and Vancouver-based master craftsman Ronn Dunnett of Dunnett Classic/George Way Drums to build top-shelf snares from some…
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Bone Custom
Bone Custom has been handcrafting drums in Slovenia since 2005. This year it launched the Essence series, which is designed to be more affordable without sacrificing the high-end quality and bold look that Bone employs on its custom-shop kits. TO…
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Cymbomute
Many drummers struggle to figure out how to practice quietly. Whether we live in an apartment complex or in a house with young children, we don’t always have the opportunity to practice at normal volume. TO READ THE FULL STORY:…
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Innovative Percussion
Innovative Percussion, one of the leading manufacturers of professional-grade percussion mallets, beaters, and drumsticks, recently added two products to its catalog that are poised to become go-to choices for many drummers, regardless of playing style or musical genre. TO READ…
Steven Wilson's Craig Blundell
During his rise to the top of today’s prog scene, the ever-adaptable electroacoustic drummer handily dealt with every physical and technological challenge thrown at him. The only real roadblock, it turns out, came from within. TO READ THE FULL STORY:…
Product Close-Up - ddrum Reflex Rally Sport Drumset
One of the sister companies to Tampa-based ddrum is Dean guitars, and one of the woods that Dean uses for electric guitar bodies is alder. Alder is considered a semi-hard wood and ranks just above pine and poplar. TO READ…
Product Close-Up - Sabian HH Vanguard Series Cymbals
Canadian cymbal maker Sabian has spent the past couple years revisiting its roots in an effort to bring back some of the classic handcrafted approaches the company employed in its early days in the 1980s. First was the raw and…
Product Close-Up - Love Custom Drums
Love Custom Drums founder Buddy “Love” McRoy spent years modifying his own instruments, whether that involved cutting new bearing edges or applying new finishes. But he didn’t start building drums from scratch until after being frustrated with the inability to…
Sonor - Vintage Series Drumset
Gather enough drummers together, and inevitably the conversation will turn toward the eternal question of whether vintage drums sound better than new ones. The pro-vintage crowd argues that twenty-plus-year-old wood has had time to settle into a reliable, consistent tone.…
Hendrix - Archetype Series Snare Drum
The Archetype series from Hendrix Drums is a high-end line of ultra-thin stave-shell snares. The company claims that the drums, with their exotic woods and world-class hardware, are some of the most versatile on the market. TO READ THE FULL…
Innovative Percussion - Artist Signature Sticks
Highly regarded for manufacturing some of the finest keyboard and timpani mallets for concert and marching players, Innovative Percussion also offers a range of drumset sticks for jazz, big band, studio, rock, Latin, and other contemporary styles. TO READ THE…
