Big Drum Thump

Drum and Drummer News and Photos

Category: Gear

  • Vic Firth Back in Black

    Vic Firth’s venerable 5A and 5B sticks now come totally swanked out in a classic black finish. Steve Gadd model, not so smug now, are you?

  • Meinl Foot Cabasa

    Put your lowly cabasa player out of job with Meinl’s new foot bling. The clever little pedal allows you to play cabasa rhythms with your foot while your hands are free for conga, timbale, or kit thumping. It features a steel-chain drive, a stainless steel cylinder within a wooden cabasa body, and a black powder-coated pedal. The instrument can also be set to sound on downstrokes only or both upstrokes and downstrokes. It’s all yours for a $259 MSRP.

  • Win a Tama Iron Cobra

    Desperately need to own an Iron Cobra double pedal, but don’t have the cash? Just fill out the form here on Tama’s site, and you’re in the running for one of five pedal packs worth $579.

    And if you do manage to win one of them sumbitches, send us an unboxing photo or two.

  • New Vater Signature Sticks

    Be still my thumping heart, some more signature sticks to try out.

    First up is the Brian Frasier-Moore model. It’s just under a 5A in the grip but with some extra length for those way-the-hell-out-of-reach crashes. The width of the new Derek Roddy model is between a 5A and 5B, and it features a quick taper to a small acorn tip. The Mike Wengren model is the biggest of the bunch. It’s between a 5B and a 2B with a quick taper to an oval nylon tip, and it comes in a sexy black satin finish. All of them will set you back $14.99 MSRP.

  • SilverFox 3S Persimmon

    Need a big ol’ marching stick in persimmon wood? As far as we knew, persimmon was a one-time wood of choice for golf clubs and old people’s furniture, but Silverfox has seen fit to unveil a version of its 3S stick made of the stuff. If you actually wield a pair, don’t be surprised if your BPMs slow down.

  • Treats From Yamaha

    Yamaha wasn’t going to let Halloween slip by without giving us drummers at least a couple of goodies. First up is the company’s Hex Rack System that we first reported on in April. The latest incarnation comes with improved arm clamps and the grandly named “Synthetic Open Sphere,” which makes omelets or cleans floors or something equally useful. Here it is supporting a boner-inducing cock-rock kit (…two penis references in a six-word phrase is almost a record here at BDT).

    Next, Yamaha is whipping out ten new snare drums. Models include an all-birch snare in the Stage Custom line, a 10″ Musashi snare, a new Vintage snare, and two new series—the Loud and the Sensitive. No mention of prices in the press release, but the Loud model below looks pretty spectacular with its offset lugs and nine freakin’ air vents.

  • Protection Racket’s Universal Compact Hardware Case

    All you gigging drummers with gold-plated hi-hat stands paying attention? Protection Racket has got a hardware case to sell you for $84.99. Here’s the press release:

    All musicians need to protect their instruments, stands and gear. Whether it’s a highly prized custom built drum kit or a microphone stand, up to now, the choice of hardware bags has been limited to bulky, heavy duty bags designed to carry serious weight and accommodate multiple stands.
    Protection racket has a reputation for talking and listening to musicians and has been inundated with requests to produce a lightweight, slim line, hardware case. They can now announce the launch of their new universal compact hardware case (product code 5031) where only a small number of stands need to be carried, protected and stored.

    The new case is ideal for microphone stands (notorious for having plastic clips which can break) or that gold-plated hi-hat stand which can be now be carried individually or a couple of light weight boom stands. It offers protection to that special piece of hardware you wanna keep safe and snug. At 42” long the case will accommodate the vast majority of stands and has two internal straps to ensure they won’t move around in transit.

    Built to Protection Rackets top specifications, the case has a fully adjustable shoulder strap, an abrasive resistant base and features the new 2 piece self gripping ergo handle. It is also lined with extra hardwearing Racketex for long life protection.

  • Ludwig’s Corey Miller Signature Drum Kit

    Corey Miller is a star tattoo artist who has lent his inking eye to help create Ludwig’s latest limited-edition kit. The set features a 22″ x 22″ bass drum, 14″ x 7″ snare, 12″ x 8″ rack, 16″ x 14″ floor tom, and of course Miller’s tattoo art on a White Marine Pearloid wrap. No word yet on the price or exactly how limited a “limited-edition” set it is, but we’re betting the drums are not the most wallet friendly on the market today. If you’re tough enough to play these things, though, you’re probably tough enough to steal them. Let us know how the thievery goes.

    By the way, the cool pic of Corey below was taken by Robert Downs, music photographer extraordinaire. We recently sat down for a lengthy chat with Robert about his time behind the camera and what it’s like photographing some of the world’s greatest drummers. Keep your eyes peeled for the interview.

  • New SilverFox Signature Drumstick

    Cristiano Micalizzi, the Italian stallion of soul funk grooves, has snagged himself a signature drumstick from SilverFox. Cleverly called the “CM” model, the stick is crafted from select hickory dowels born in the USA. It’s 16″ long with a diameter of .585″, and the round ball tip measures .410″ in diameter. A short taper gives the stick added bulk in the neck area, which results in an extremely fast rebound and a well-balanced center of gravity. Like all SilverFox drumsticks, the CM model is strengthened with a proprietary finish that, according to the press release, “not only feels great in a drummer’s hands, but greatly extends the usable life of all SilverFox sticks.” No pricing info is available yet…but how much is it worth to you to sound exactly like Micalizzi?

  • Tama’s Soul Toul Snare Drum

    If you’re anything like us provincial, ignorant bastards, you didn’t know what a soul toul was either. Turns out it was neither a “tool” for extracting soul nor a “toll” for purchasing it. Nope, Toul Soul is a dude, a shredding drummer dude from Japan, and he just got a signature snare from Tama. His 14″ x 5.5″ drum features a 1.0mm steel shell that has a custom bearing edge “lined with a special compound that facilitates the drum’s warm yet extraordinarily precise and articulate response.” What the hell that special compound is we have no idea…but the shell itself, dressed in a black nickel plate, looks very fine. You can snag Toul’s drum for an MSRP of $399.99.

  • Alesis Is Giving Away Awesome Stuff…

    And all you have to do to win is sign up for the Alesis newsletter. The October issue is about to drop, and we’re told it’s almost exclusively for drummers. Don’t thump around the bush with this, because one lucky-ass subscriber will win an iMultiMix 8 USB. Read all about the prize here…or better yet just give it a quick eye-humping below.

  • Akai Professional’s XR20 Beat Production Station

    It might not be as orgasmic as playing real drums, but making beats on a drum machine is still a shitload of fun. With Akai’s new XR20, you can even take the shitload of fun on the road. It’s billed as a “portable beat production station” loaded with 700 sounds geared toward R&B and hip-hop beats. Other key features of the XR20 include:

    • 99 preset patterns and 99 user patterns
    • Backlit LCD
    • Bright, glowing, backlit pads that follow the beat
    • Microphone input and headphone output
    • Pattern Play Mode (different patterns can be triggered from individual pads)
    • Drum Roll/Note Repeat feature
    • $499 MSRP

  • RealFeel Bass Drum Practice Pad

    Looking out for all of us drummers-on-the-go (not to mention all of us drummers-living-in-small-apartment-buildings), HQ Percussion has unveiled the RealFeel Bass Drum Practice Pad. It’s designed to work with both single and double pedals, and it can fold flat to fit in any travel bag or even a backpack. The foam rubber beater pad was selected for its resistance to wear, soft and unobtrusive sound, and its realistic rebound that will allow drummers to practice foot technique without compromising the feel they’d obtain from a real drum. Hell yeah! It retails for $79.99.

  • Performance Percussion Goes Electronic

    Primarily known for its line of budget acoustic drums, Performance Percussion has entered the sub-$1,000 electronic market with the new PP900E. The kit features five drum pads, a kick pedal, and three cymbal pads (including a hi-hat pad and control pedal). The drum module comes with 215 high-quality voices and 20 preset kit sounds. The entire package retails for about 800 bucks, but we did find one U.K. store selling it for $662.13. At that price point, you’re going to be sacrificing a whole lot of sound quality and feel…but it beats the hell out of playing on telephone books.

  • New Drum Bags From Kaces

    Need some protection for your drums but can’t afford heavy-duty pro cases? Kaces has unveiled a 4-piece set of drum bags that cost a totally reasonable $169.95. Available in three common configurations (two fusion, one standard), these new gig bags are made with a durable nylon exterior, are double-stitched and reinforced at all the stress points for long life on the road, and feature tough luggage-grade zippers and extra long handles for easy transport. A snare bag in one of seven options is also available for $43.95.