Kit of the Month

Modern Drummer is the world’s most widely read drum magazine, is dedicated entirely to the art of drumming and caters to the needs of amateur, semi-pro, and professional drummers.

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The Unconventional Hybrid

“I love playing both acoustic and electronic drums,” says Vince McGee when asked about the choices he made when designing this month’s unique setup.

Modern Drummer
Jun 28, 2019

The DrumGarden — Kit Of The Month

The drummer tells MD that the premise for this month’s featured set was to create three distinct kits arranged in a circular fashion to be played from a single seated position.

Modern Drummer
May 29, 2019

The Cherry on Top

“I really like this set kit for its tonal and resonant sound, and the cherry wood is warm like maple but with even more attack and an all-around great vibe.”

Modern Drummer
Apr 30, 2019

Vintage Potpourri

David Levit, a drummer, educator, and sound engineer based in Mount Prospect, Illinois, pieced together this month’s featured kit from various vintage drums he collected throughout his career.

Modern Drummer
Mar 27, 2019

The Transformer

This creative yet compact setup comes to us from Westminster, California’s Jimmy Tran, and it marks the second time that one of the drummer’s kits has appeared in MD’s featured spotlight.

Modern Drummer
Feb 27, 2019
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A Compact Flyer

“It’s a C&C Super Flyer,” Jónsson says, “with a 7x13 maple/poplar/maple snare, a 16" concert floor tom, and an 8x18 bass drum. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN

Modern Drummer
Jan 30, 2019

The Vintage Double Bass Monster

The Brooklyn-based drummer and educator David Clive, who plays with the New York groups the Nawlins Funk Band, Carla V,
and John Putnam and Used Blues, assembled this month’s featured vintage Gretsch beauty. Clive, who also teaches at the College of…

Modern Drummer
Dec 27, 2018

A Custom Cocktail

John Cutbill, of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, wanted a kit that was portable and had a small footprint, although he didn’t want to sacrifice the functionality and sound of a typical full-size drumset. So he sketched an initial design of…

Modern Drummer
Nov 30, 2018

An Enduring Kit and an Unforgettable Time

This vintage 1963 Ludwig Hollywood set in an Oyster Black Pearl wrap comes to us from drummer Nelson Hawkins, who ordered it after paging through a Ludwig catalog in the early ’60s. The kit came with two 8x12 mounted toms,…

Modern Drummer
Oct 30, 2018

Drums of the Tombs

The musician, composer, and producer Tom Holkenborg, who performs under the stage name Junkie XL, custom ordered this month’s featured kit to use while creating the score to the 2018 action film Tomb Raider. To match the movie’s Pacific-island setting,…

Modern Drummer
Sep 28, 2018

The “Bam Bam” Kit

The Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based drummer Patrick “Pattycake” Morris custom ordered this 3.1 mm aluminum-shell drumset from Trick Drums. The kit features a unique pine-tree wrap, which the drummer specifically requested from the manufacturer. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS…

Modern Drummer
Aug 29, 2018

An Evanescence Tribute

The U.K.–based drummer Ben McIlvenna assembled this customized Tama Silverstar for live gigs with his Evanescence tribute band, Fallen. McIlvenna tells MD that he’s been building the setup over the past five years. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO…

Modern Drummer
Jul 31, 2018
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A Keller Innovation

This month’s inventive setup comes to us from Stephen Shepard, who’s been playing drums since 1962. In the late ’70s, Shepard started a drum restoration and manufacturing company in San Diego called the Drum Craftsmen with his best friend and…

Modern Drummer
Jun 27, 2018

The Elf’s Giant

For Eddie “the Elf” Piotrowski of Edison, New Jersey, it took more than ten years of collecting and assembling to build this month’s monster setup. Piotrowski explains that his extensive collection of individual drums and reclaimed sets, which includes a…

Modern Drummer
Mar 28, 2018
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