Got a need to whack some seriously large cymbals? TRX has some new metal for you.
[Press Release]
In response to requests from hardcore and progressive drummers for larger, more powerful cymbals, the TRX Cymbal Company has announced that it is expanding its popular BRT series to include a 24″ ride, 21″ and 22″ crashes, and 15″ hi-hats.
“In the past, the biggest crash cymbals were 20″ and only the most aggressive players were using them,” comments TRX spokesperson David Levine. “We recently began noticing that more and more drummers were playing the bigger sizes and some were even using 21″ and 22″ ride cymbals as crashes. But ride cymbals aren’t designed to be crash cymbals. It’s just not the right sound. So, we developed these larger crashes and matched them with a bigger ride and hi-hats to meet the needs of today’s hard rock players.”
TRX’s BRT series cymbals are custom-crafted by master Turkish cymbalsmiths and feature heavier weights with extensive hand-hammering and a highly-polished surface. Available in a wide range of crash, splash, ride, hi-hat, and china models, the line is noted for its clarity, projection, and durability in high-volume playing situations.
“We don’t want anybody getting hurt by the massive sound and extreme power of these big BRTs, though,” Levine adds. “We’re warning players to use them carefully. With great power comes great responsibility.”
Mapex USA announced the release of a new series of drum hardware. The new 700 series is a feature-rich line of chrome-plated hardware that is both light in weight and extremely durable. The series includes a bass drum pedal, double bass drum pedal, hi-hat stand, boom stand, straight cymbal stand, snare stand, and double tom stand.
All 700-series models feature an improved, clamp-style memory lock design, ergonomically designed wing nuts, newly redesigned rubber feet, double braced legs, and multi-tiered tubular construction with molded slip-proof nylon inserts.
The B700 boom stand and C700 cymbal stand are completely re-engineered with several new features. Mapex’s popular OS Cymbal Accentutors have been replaced with new Multi-Sustain Cymbals Felts that allow the player to use any combination of felt and plastic for a more precise level of cymbal sustain. In addition, a new Super-Glide stepless cymbal tilter allows unlimited positioning and the new Acculock Tilter handle holds the system tight and can be conveniently positioned out of the way.
Mapex 700-series hardware will be shipped with Mapex’s new Meridian series Maple and Birch drum sets. MSRP for the B700 boom stand is $143.99, and the C700 straight stand is $145.99. The S700 snare stand is $116.99, the P700 double chain bass drum pedal is $167.99, and the P700TW double pedal is $541.99. The H700 hi-hat stand is priced at $183.99, and the TS700 double tom stand is $218.99.
Like all Mapex hardware, the 700 series carries an unprecedented five-year warranty.
Mapex USA has announced the release of its first-ever signature snare with the introduction of the Chris Adler Signature snare drum. The walnut-shelled snare drum is inspired by the Lamb of God drummer’s first Black Panther snare, which he purchased for himself in 1995.
The drum’s every detail is meticulously designed to Adler’s specifications. From the thin premium walnut shell, to the signature graphic (designed by Lamb of God designer K3n), to Chris’s personal choice of high-quality Aquarian drumheads (HE12 batter head and CCSN12 snare head.)
The drum’s shell is 12″ x 5.5″, 5.1mm thick, and has 2.3mm Mapex Powerhoops. The drum’s hardware is black chrome plated. The inside of each drum is labeled with a commemorative sticker that identifies the instrument. “The size of the drum mixed with a high-tension, high-energy head creates a unique, high pitched, yet full bodied punch that has become a signature sound in my playing and in the band’s catalog,” said Adler upon his approval of the final prototype.
The Chris Adler Signature Snare Drum (BPML2550BCA) carries an MSRP of $522.99.
Attention all Mapex groupies. Read the following press release carefully. The new Meridian series is replacing both the Pro M line and the M Birch line.
[Press Release]
Mapex USA has announced the introduction of the Meridian Maple and the Meridian Birch drum set series, two entirely new product lines for 2009. All Meridian drum sets feature newly designed appointments, including lugs, mounts, badges, and bass drum claws.
The Meridian Maple features 7-ply, 5.8mm, all-maple shells (7.2mm bass drum) with newly designed lugs for overall lower mass. Meridian Maple drums also feature Mapex 2.3mm Steel Powerhoops and Remo UT Pinstripe batter heads. Meridian’s ten-lug maple snare drum comes with a Remo coated batter head.
The Meridian Birch features 6-ply, 7.2mm, all birch shells with newly designed lugs for overall lower mass. Meridian Birch drums also feature Mapex 2.3mm Steel Powerhoops and Remo UT heads.
The Meridian series bass drum claws are newly designed to be low in profile and include rubber gaskets to protect the bass drum hoops. The bass drum’s tom mount features new styling and a recessed adapter to accommodate an optional cymbal arm.
For the introduction of the Meridian series, Mapex has re-engineered its Isolated Tom Mounting System. The improved system employs Mapex’s unique combination of off-the-shell mounting hardware and single-point-of-contact lugs. The shell vibrates more freely, thereby improving sustain and resonance. The new Isolated Tom Mount System is significantly lighter and lower in profile than previous versions, also making precise positioning much easier.
There are seven Meridian Maple lacquer finishes and three Delmar sparkle wrapped finishes. The wrap finishes are only available as a six-piece Studioease shell pack, while the eight-coat, hand lacquer finishes are available in all configurations.
The Meridian Maple is available in eight configurations, featuring five and six-piece setups. The Meridian Birch is available in eight hand lacquer finishes and seven configurations, featuring five and six-piece setups. Meridian drum sets feature newly designed Mapex 700-series hardware. The 700 series has many features that are new to Mapex hardware including the Super-Glide stepless cymbal tilter and Multi-Sustain Cymbal Felts, which allow the player to use any combination of plastic or felt on their cymbal stands for more precise sustain. Meridian Maple MSRPs range from $1,929.99 for a six-piece Studioease configuration to $1,539.99 for five-piece setups. Meridian Birch MSRPs range from $1,539.99 for a six-piece Studioease configuration to $1,229.99 for five-piece setups.
With the Meridian Series, Mapex is also introducing its “SRO” configuration. The SRO has a 22″ x 18″ bass drum, 10″ x 8″ and 12″ x 9″ rack toms, a 16″ x 16″ floor tom with legs, and a 14″ x 5.5″ snare drum.
Mapex Meridian also includes a full line of add-on components that include a wide range of add-on toms, an 18″ gong bass drum (maple only) and a “Go Large” double-bass add-on pack. All Meridian drum sets include an instructional setup DVD hosted by Drumming’s Global Ambassador, Dom Famularo.
The Meridian Maple series replaces the Mapex Pro M product line, which has been discontinued. The Meridian Birch series replaces the Mapex M Birch product line, which has also been discontinued.
Sweet bloody Jesus, looking at this new snare from Mapex is better than taking Viagra.
[Press Release]
Mapex USA has introduced a Special-Edition Black Panther Mayan-themed snare drum. The 14″ x 5.5″ steel-shelled snare drum is embossed with genuine eagle/human mask art that is highlighted with a beautiful brushed bronze finish.
The shell’s bearing edge is rounded on the batter side for greater head-to-shell contact. Die cast hoops were also chosen for this model, resulting in a drum with extra sensitivity and tremendous projection.
The Black Panther Mayan snare also features black-plated hardware that has been brushed with bronze. A special Black Panther badge was created for this model, and the batter head also features a traditional Mayan-themed pattern on a Remo Fiberskin head.
The Mapex Black Panther Mayan snare (BPST455MA) includes a deluxe Black Panther padded carrying bag and carries an MSRP of $623.99.
Mapex USA has once again released a highly collectible edition of its Orion series. This component pack, limited to only twelve sets, features a hand-selected matched burl exterior veneer that is finished in the exclusive Ocean Wave Burst high gloss lacquer.
The component pack includes drums only and includes a 22″ x 18″ bass drum, 10″ x 8″ and 12″ x 9″ rack toms, 14″ x 14″ and 16″ x 16″ floor toms, and a 14″ x 5.5″ snare drum. Hardware is sold separately.
Like all Orion drums, this set features the Orion’s ultra-thin seven-ply North American maple shell. The result is unmatched bright and rich tone and remarkable resonance that has made the Orion series the Mapex flagship.
The Limited-Edition Orion Select Burl component pack (TM628SBDHSJ) is available with black chrome hardware and features a white Remo coated front bass drum head. MSRP for the six-piece component pack is $5,999.99.
Mapex USA responded to consumer demand and has released a special-edition Saturn component pack finished in classic Arctic White lacquer. The component pack includes drums only and includes a 22″ x 18″ bass drum, 10″ x 8″ and 12″ x 9″ rack toms, 14″ x 14″ and 16″ x 16″ floor toms, and a 14 x 5.5 snare drum. Hardware is sold separately.
Like all Saturn drums, this set features Saturn’s ultra thin six-ply shell made from two interior plies of premium walnut and four exterior plies of maple. The result is a deep, rich tone and tuning versatility that has become the trademark of the Mapex Saturn.
The Saturn in Arctic White is available with chrome (SW628SNCBUOW; MSRP $2,459.99) or black chrome (SW628SNBUOW; MSRP $2,899.99) fittings.
Mapex USA announced the release of its new MPX line of snare drums. MPX snares were introduced to complement the Mapex Black Panther series of premium snare drums.
The MPX line includes eight new models available with steel, maple, or birch shells. All MPX snare drums have low-mass lugs, flanged steel hoops, fully adjustable throw-offs, and Remo drumheads.
The MPX maple line features two popular sizes, a 14″ x 5.5″ (MPML4550BMB) and a 13″ x 6″ (MPML3600BMB). The drums are finished with a beautiful high-gloss clear lacquer and chrome hardware.
The MPX birch line features two sizes. A 13″ x 6″ (MPBC3600BMB) is available in a gloss natural lacquer finish and chrome hardware. The 14″ x 5.5″ MPX birch drum is available in natural gloss with chrome (MPBC4550CNL) or finished in a transparent gloss black lacquer and black hardware.
MPX steel snares come in three sizes, a 14″ x 5.5″ (MPST4550), a 13″ x 5.5″ (MPST3554), and a 10″ x 5.5″ popcorn snare (MPST0554). All have a mirror-like stainless steel shell.
Mapex USA announced its release of the first-ever limited-edition Meridian series drum set. The Meridian series, also newly launched by Mapex, is an all-new series of drum sets that are available with maple or birch shells.
This limited-edition set is a six-piece maple Studioease configuration with an exterior veneer of rare and beautiful birdseye maple. The drum set is distinctively finished in a beautiful high gloss transparent black lacquer.
This set is limited to only 100 sets and includes a 22″ x 18″ bass drum, 10″ x 8″ and 12″ x 9″ tom toms, 14″ x 14″ and 16″ x 16″ floor toms, and a 14″ x 5.5″ snare drum. All come with a full complement of new Mapex 700-series hardware that includes a boom stand, cymbal stand, snare stand, hi-hat stand, and bass drum pedal.
The Limited-Edition Meridian Birdseye Maple drum set (MP6285KUMB) carries an MSRP of $2,489.99.
…because he digs Stella and can hold his drink, at least according to his new employer, Liam Gallagher:
It was cool when we went out the other night. Chris didn’t chew me ear off, he let me speak. He drinks Stella and he’s not a fucking lightweight. He can handle his beverages and he can play the drums.
Gallagher recruited Sharrock last year to play drums in Oasis, swiping the stickman from Robbie Williams’s band.
Grover Pro Percussion announces that they will have no price increases for their Grover line of concert percussion products in 2009, despite rising material costs and the state of the U.S. economy.
“I know that our retail partners and customers are feeling the pinch due to economic conditions,” states Neil Grover, President and Founder of Grover Pro Percussion. “We’ve made the investment in efficiency improvements that allow us to hold 2008 pricing,” continues Grover. “As we enter 2009, I know that our customers will really appreciate our holding 2008 pricing. They will know that Grover Pro Percussion is not only sensitive to the market condition, but that we value the shared interests of our retail partners. Holding 2008 pricing is a great way to show our commitment to the percussion marketplace,” comments Grover.
“Our ability to hold pricing really shows our customers that we care about them,” states Jim Simonian, Worldwide Director of Sales. “It’s important that our customers know that we not only make the world’s finest percussion products, but that we understand the retail side of the business,” continues Simonian. “The fact is that we actually are lowering pricing on two of our products; woodblocks and chime mallets, how many companies can claim that?” Simonian queried.
The end of the year is upon us, and that means one thing for media sites the world over: best-of lists. Bazillions and bazillions of best-of lists. We here at BDT are by no means immune to this journalistic cancer, and so have put together our five favorite drum albums from 2008. We compiled the winners by checking our iTunes playlists for the songs that got the most spins. After eliminating tracks released before 2008 and ignoring stuff that would surely undermine our badass reputation (e.g., Sara Bareilles and Katy Perry), we came up with the discs you’ll find below. Mind you, these aren’t necessarily the best drumming performances the year had to offer; they are simply the ones that we listened to most often….which, actually, is pretty much the best testament one can offer.
We downloaded this gem of a disc back in March, and it quickly became our Latin-infused jazz standard for 2008. Nothing else new in that vein came even remotely close in terms of number of listens. That’s all due of course to Prieto’s drumming and compositional instincts—textured and nuanced without being intrusive or masturbatory. We love this dude and can’t wait for a 2009 release, hopefully a live recording with his sextet.
We have so much affection for this indie pop debut and have played it so often that Army Navy managed to bust into the top 5 even though it was released just a few months ago. The drumming here is a masterful lesson in tune-conscious playing, so we weren’t shocked at all to discover that Pete Thomas, the longtime drummer for Elvis Costello, cut the tracks.
Hipster darlings, and deservedly so for clever lyrics and catchy rhythms, the band Vampire Weekend made college kids everywhere in 2008 feel the white-washed African beat in their feet. We’ll give drummer Chris Tomson all the credit.
This is perhaps the one true drummy drum album on our list, but even it is primarily an example of what real musicians do with sophisticated, daring compositions. Very few drummers can play as many necessary notes as Thomas Pridgen does here, and the result is stunningly beautiful and monstrous and perfect.
Can we be any more emphatic about our love for Moore? Creative, grooving, and deliciously chop-laden all at the same time, this album has been on almost permanent repeat since it was released in April.
Remember Winger, that much derided eyeliner band from the ’80s who scored big with “Seventeen” and had the awesome Rod Morgenstein on drums? Well, Kip Winger, the band’s ballet-dancing front man, recently gave an interview to Metal Sludge in which he spoke quite candidly to a dude dressed in a banana suit. When asked the last time he threw darts at a photo of Lars Ulrich (a reference to Lars chucking pointy projectiles at a photo of Kip in a scene from A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica), the Kipster said:
I’ve never done that. I really never had anything against the guy. In fact, when I first heard Metallica’s Black Album, I thought it was a really cool record… and then they just started taking shots at me, for whatever reason. But it’s okay, Lars is not really that talented. He’s got a lot of fucking money, though, so I’m sure he’s happy. I actually felt sorry for him when I saw that Some Kind of Monster documentary. He was sitting there next to his dad, just seething with unmoved emotion over things that were still unresolved. It was really kind of sad to watch. But I do like Metallica, they’re a good band.
A bunch of Vic Firth’s American Classic models now come outfitted with a Vic Grip, a new antislip drumstick coating made from an ecofriendly, water-based urethane. It provides a comfortable and slip resistant grip that is specially formulated to be extremely durable. You can grab a pair at your local drum shop, or just click here for some “Buy Now” options on Vic Firth’s site.
Bill Leikam over at All About Jazz has reviewed a recent Cindy Blackman show and coined a perfectly genius phrase to describe her playing: power-jazz. It’s a style marked by energy and passion, of course, but it’s also one in which the “drums become the lead instrument of the band and the other instruments most often support the drummer as a working unit, together.”
Awesome. Now we just need power-reggae, power-country, and (why not?) power-polka.
