The concept of a ride cymbal with a huge bell on it isn’t new and has been around for decades. That said, even ten-plus years ago I would have really only been able to name one specific model which met that description. Over the last few years or so though, numerous versions of the same
Over the last year, I’ve developed a bit of a fascination with bass drum pedals to the point of where I have rather too many of them. These include examples of strap drives, double-chain, direct drives and, as we have here, single chain designs. For at least the last fifteen years though, I held the
Another quality piece from Provenance… If this is the first time you’ve come across the Provenance name, check out some of the other snares I’ve reviewed and I've covered them in more depth, or go to the company website. That said though, the basis of Provenance’s shells are that they are made from reclaimed materials
If you’re not familiar with Joe Morello, you might want to read up on him. This special snare drum was created in 2011 as part of a small run of five drums commissioned by Steve Maxwell to both pay tribute to Joe Morello following his passing and raise some funds for his wife. The drum
It’s fair to say – and also quite obvious – that the colour scheme for this kit is making a bold statement; PDP’s recent release of its limited edition kit is out to be noticed. The kit consists of 7 ply maple shells with 10x7 and 12x8 mounted toms, a 16x14 floor tom, 22x18 bass
Vic Firth American Concept Freestyle Series Vic Firth have designed the Freestyle series of sticks to draw inspiration from the world of freestyle longboard skateboards. The design incorporates an overall length of 17” with extra long tapers for all models to increase the area where a drummer can place their fulcrum. The range consists of 7A,
Adrian Kirchler (AK Drums) is a master snare drum maker and restorer. He’s particularly well known for creating drums modelled after those made in the 1920s/30s. As well as making drums under the AK name, he’s also made drums for Craviotto and Ludwig. I’ve been a big fan of Adrian’s work since about 2007 when
For 2019, Zildjian is releasing some brand new cymbals as well as some additions to existing models and we were very lucky that Zildjian let us take a sneak peak before they were launched at NAMM. 14” Sweet Hihats The Sweet hihats as a model aren’t new but Zildjian has now opened the line up to
Flex Beaters are the invention of Rich Farago who designed them to improve drummer’s ergonomics while performing. Each beater has a flexion - the red or purple plastic part between the beater and shaft - which flexes when the beater comes into contact with the bass drum head. The purple flexion is slightly more flexible
Something a bit brighter for the New Year! This is a fairly stock drum in the sense that it was a regular production model for the few years the Club Custom line was available. That said though, I think it’s cool for two reasons; one, the finish - which I’ll come to - is different
