Local Drum Stores - South Yorkshire

 

Sheffield has had many specialist drum stores through it's years including the legendary Carlsbro which then was bought out by the small chain Acadamy of Sound, based on City Road, They unfortunately closed their doors in the mid 2000's. Drum Stop in Mosborough then saw its day selling some greats gear by DW, Tama, Yamaha, OC, Mapex and Cymbals by the brands to own; Paiste, Zildian and Sabian.

 

If you are anything like me you will love popping into drum stores and testing out the latest gear from all the brands and spending your hard earnt cash. Here is the bunch of local drum stores offering you all the gear to make your drumming life a better place.

 

 

 

Buying Drum kits impartial advice.

 

There are many variables to buying a drum kit as there are some many brands and then models within that brand. Its actually harder and has more variables than buying a car.

 

So questions you need to ask yourself is:

 

What is my top budget? sub £400, around £1000, upwards of £1000.

 

What style of music are you using it for? Rock, Jazz.

 

Where will you be playing it? Studio, Venues, Pubs, bedroom.

 

Drum sizes will matter?

 

 

The heads (skins) you put on your kit? Is your kit fitted with heads and what heads are they?

You can spend in the region of £250 just re-heading your drums but again the heads vary with and style of music, room size, live feel or recording.

 

So ideally look for second hand, Buy hardware alone can be over £1000.

 

 

 

ACOUSTIC DRUMS:

 

 

Pearl Drums - Pearl is one of the most popular drum companies. They carry a full line of drum set, marching drums and accessories. Pearl is currently the leading drum company in the world.

 

Tama Drums - Full line of Tama drum sets and drum accessories. Tama is a close second in popularity.

 

Premier Drums - Based out of the UK. Drum sets, Popular in Marching Percussion. Known for their slotted tension lugs. Now manufactured in China. and only making entry level kits.

 

Gretsch Drums - Older, respected drum company known for their superb tonal quality.

 

Yamaha Drums - (My 1st choice in drums) The Hybrid Custom range are quite amazing! Full line of drums including drum set and marching percussion. Yamaha started their drum line in the mid 70's.

 

DW Drums (Drum Workshop) - DW Drums are known for superb quality in construction and detail. First to popularize individual shell tone and pitch matching.

 

Sonor Drums - German drum company. Legendary for unique design, attention to detail and incredible tone. Super heavy drums.

 

Ludwig Drums - Who hasn't heard of Ludwig Drums? This household name is still alive and kicking. Terrific drum sets and marching drums. Big resale value in vintage Ludwig drumsets. The black Beauty Snare is the snare to own and has everything for the big sound drummers like.

 

LP (Latin Percussion) - LP set the standard for Latin percussion instruments. Known for high quality and full line of Latin drums, percussion and accessories.

 

Taye Drums - A newer drum company known for quality and affordability.

 

Slingerland Drums - Another legendary drum company. Famous artist endorsements through the years have made vintage Slingerland drums very valuable.

 

Remo Drums - Originally a drumhead manufacturer, Remo came out with a "pressed paper" manufacturing process for drum that took everyone by surprise. Although they make drumsets, their kid's percussion line has really taken first chair.

 

GMS Drums - High quality drums with lots of projection.

 

Ayotte Drums - High quality drum sets popular with those that are extremely particular about their drum sound. They also popularized wooden hoops.

 

Pacific Drums - A division of DW drums. Not as high quality or customizable as DW but more affordable.

 

Mapex Drums - An alternative to the others, Mapex drums offer an affordable choice without sacrificing quality and practicality.

 

Fibes Drums - Largely American made! A company spanning 30 years with an emphasis on attack and dynamic projection.

 

Premier Drums - Originating in London, England, Premier drums have become known for their drumsets and marching percussion.

 

Orange County Drums (OCD) - More recently getting noticed due to unique and colorful designs and popular artist endorsement.

 

Brady Drums - This Australian company specialized in handcrafted made from Western Australian hardwoods such as Sheoak, Jarrah and Wandoo. Their claim to fame was the solid, one piece drum carved directly from the same tree. and is the most used recorded snare by the pro's.

 

Noble and Cooley - Originally known for their masterfully engineered snare drums. Customized designs with maple shells. Very respected company in the industry.

 

RocketShells - Newer on the market. Slick looking drums that sound terrific. Unique manufacturing process utilizing carbon fiber.

 

Rogers Drums - Another legendary drum company. More popular in the 70's, these drums have all but disappeared from the scene.

 

Arbiter - Developed by pioneer Ivor Arbiter, these innovative drums (Arbiter AT's and Arbiter Flats) are tuned using one lug instead of 10. Apparently they still carry a surprising amount of tone and resonance (less so in the flats).

 

Monolith Drums - Another drum manufacturer, based out of Canada, that specializes in carbon fiber drums.

 

Baltimore Drum - High quality drum company specializing in custom orders. Very unique designs.

 

Peavey Drums - A few years back, Peavey got into the drum picture. Their drums looked bulky and impractical. Surprisingly they sounded great!

 

D'amico Drums - Snare drums, drum sets, hand painted finishes.

 

Arbiter Drums - Makers of the shell-less drums, the Arbiter Flats. Traps drums came from the idea these drum manufacturers produced.

 

Hohner Drums - Hohner now distributes Sonor Drums and Drum sets. Hohner also is known for kid's percussion instruments.

 

Thumper Drums - Specializing in high quality custom drumsets for the working drummer.

 

Zickos Drums - Drums and drumsets made from clear, transparent, plexi-glass shells and chrome hardware.

 

Sunlite Drums - Beginner to pro, entry-level drumsets.

 

Remo Drums - Makers of hand drums, drumheads, and drumsets. Remo is most known for their drum heads and kids percussion products.

 

HB Drums - Factory direct drums and percussion.

 

Lee Custom Drums - Drum shells, drum hardware, snare drums, and custom drum building supplies.

 

Traps Drums - The newest maker of shell-less drum kits. Traps drums have a newer, unique design that allows the drums to resonate better and have a deeper tone. Traps also makes electronic drums.

 

Thanks DrumBum.

 

 

 

ELECTRIC DRUM KITS:

With so many brands on the market your budget is the key: I would recommend ensuring the hi hat is on a separate stand and not a foot pedal that will move around and not communicate with your drum computer (Drum Brain) but these do come at an additional cost.

Invest in a good set of head phones which can handle to low and top end frequencies.

 

Good brands:

Roland

Yamaha

 

Positives: Well build, great feel and realistic sounds, and spare parts are normally available, Mesh heads for a better realistic feel, expansion available. you can use your hard wear for perfect cross over to acoustic sets.

Negative: High cost

 

Other brands

My students own a variety of Alesis, Carlbro, Donna, drum kits All these brands are competing for the low end market, but these cheap drum kits are ideal for starting out on.

 

Positive Low Cost,

Negative, Cables are thin and can break easily, external hi hat not available, bass drum pedal difficult to use in most kits, normally rubbers pads not mesh. limited sounds, not editable for extra sounds,

 

The saying here is, "You pay for what you get!!'