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Article Category: Product Close-Up
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Symrna – Neoclassic and Araf Series Cymbals
Over the past few decades, the cymbal-making process has become mostly automated. While automation has its advantages, some still favor the more one-of-a-kind nature of handcrafted instruments. Symrna is one of a handful of Turkish companies that strive to uphold centuries-old manufacturing traditions. Symrna’s mission is to produce consistent-sounding cymbals using traditional Turkish methods. In…
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DW – Contemporary Classic Drumset
When DW’s “wood whisperer,” John Good, met with studio legend Russ Kunkel to discuss building one kit for touring and another for the studio, an idea was born. For the road, DW’s Classic series was a no-brainer for Kunkel. However, he also desired something that offered a “crossover feel for diversity in the studio,” according…
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Techra – XCarb Drumsticks
Techra is an Italian company that applies more than fifty years of experience crafting components for the aerospace, avionics, and automotive industries to the manufacturing of carbon-fiber drumsticks and other drum accessories. Techra’s catalog includes models designed especially for hard hitters (Colossus and Hammer of the Gods), grip enhancement (Carbon Pro Supergrip), electronic kits (E-Rhythm),…
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Keith McMillen Instruments – BopPad
Keith McMillen Instruments (KMI) is a California-based company that focuses on developing innovative hardware and software that allows musicians to incorporate computers and tablets into their performances with incredible levels of nuance and control. The primary technology that the company developed to unlock such advanced expressivity is called Smart Fabric, which features a layer of…
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Van Kleef – Ageless Collection 4.5×14 Snare
English musician-turned-builder Alan Van Kleef has earned high praise from drummers, critics, and collectors over the past few years for his continuous output of unique, top-shelf snares and kits crafted with premium metal and wood shells and proprietary hardware. We’ve checked out VK’s aluminum, titanium, steel, cast-bronze, and magnesium snares in past issues, as well…
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Turkish Cymbals Lale Kardeş Signature Series
Turkish Cymbals is an Istanbul-based company that blends centuries-old manufacturing methods with contemporary techniques to provide modern drummers with rich, nuanced instruments for any genre. When designing a signature series with endorsing artist Lale Kardeş of the bluesy garage-rock trio Ringo Jets, the goal was to create large, light cymbals with dark, washy tones. The…
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Bopworks – Drumsticks and Brushes
Bopworks is an Austin, Texas–based company that started in 2006 with an objective to provide accurate reproductions of the thin sticks used by top jazz drummers in the 1950s and ’60s. There’s the pencil-thin Birdland and more moderately sized West Coast and ’40s Swing models, as well as signature Mel Lewis 7D and Art Blakey…
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Tune-Bot – Studio Digital Tuner
The original Tune-Bot digital drum tuner was released in 2012 and quickly became a go-to accessory for drummers looking to tune their drums more accurately and consistently. We gave that version high praises in the December 2012 issue, and it’s become a crucial tool for dialing in sounds in every drum review we’ve done since.…
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101 Drums – 5.5×14 Woodfiber Snare
101 Drums is a Swedish company that specializes in making drum shells and snare drums out of a specially treated wood-fiber material. The shells are designed to be impervious to extreme weather changes and moisture. They’re lightweight, yet can boast comparable sonic properties to a typical 6- or 10-ply wood drum. Snares are currently available…
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Zildjian – K Sweet Series Cymbals
Zildjian’s K line has comprised some of the company’s most popular models for good reason; they sound rich and warm without being overly dark or stylized. As a result, regular K hi-hats, crashes, and rides are relied upon by many working drummers to cover a wide range of applications. For 2018, Zildjian developed a new…
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Yamaha – Tour Custom Drumset
The latest addition to Yamaha’s acoustic drum catalog pays homage to the popular Tour Custom series that was released in the mid-’80s. But instead of featuring punchy, dark-sounding birch/mahogany shells, the new version is built from more popular and all-purpose maple. (Birch shells are still used for the high-end Recording Custom line and the competitively…
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Doc Sweeney – Blue Tiger Drumset
San Diego–based Doc Sweeney Drums was created by three lifelong friends—namesake Patrick J. Sweeney, graphic artist Jeff MacFarlane, and builder Steve Stecher—with a mission to handcraft one-of-a-kind instruments from the finest materials possible. All Doc Sweeney drums are made from premium domestic or exotic timbers, with either stave or steam-bent shells. The shells are CNC-milled,…
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Roland – SPD::ONE Electro, Percussion, and WAV Pads
Roland established itself as the premier manufacturer of multipad electronics with the introduction of the Octapad Pad-8 MIDI controller in 1985. Additional products, like 2003’s SPD-S and 2011’s souped-up SPD-SX sampling pads, gave drummers nearly limitless options for uploading and triggering original loops, one-shot samples, and playback tracks from pads and external triggers.
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Canopus – 6×10 and 10×14 Harvey Mason Signature Snares
Canopus artist Harvey Mason is one of the most influential and in-demand drummers of the past fifty years. His early work with Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters set the template for crossover jazz/funk/fusion drumming, and his contemporary smooth-jazz quartet Fourplay has been one of the premier ensembles of the genre since its formation in 1991.…