So recently, I got a Premier Signia snare; not this one, this one - http://mikedolbear.com/features/sdotm-jan20-premier-signia/ If you read that piece, you’ll see that drum was a long, long time coming for me between first wanting one to actually getting one. Now, this snare was something I’d not exactly ever thought about trying to get hold of. It was something

I think with Pearl’s Custom Z line, you either had to be there at the time it was around or just know about it.  This Japanese-made, late 80s line only ran for five years (1989 to 1994) before it was discontinued, but seems to have made a lasting impression on many players, which lasts through

There are dozens of musicals in London’s West End but few of them manage to make as much of an impact on the scene as The Lion King. Being the worlds highest-grossing musical of all time, the show has been running in London’s Lyceum Theatre for over 20 years today; and there is no end

Depping on seven different shows before scoring his own resident drum chair at only 21 years of age certainly put this months feature drummer on the list of the youngest, most in-demand West End drummers ever. Now, just over a decade later, he is an institution in London’s musical theatre scene: Doug Harper Book of

Ever since I first saw one in the pages of Rhythm magazine in the early 1990s, I wanted a Premier Signia, even if it was just a snare. And it had to be in cherrywood. Had to. I don’t know why, but I think it was probably because that was the first one I saw

I think it’s fair to say that most people have heard of the band Bon Jovi and have therefore heard Tico Torres play. So ok, that might be true, but why make this a snare drum of the month? Well, in my view - and others too it seems - this drum is a bit

From West End, to the pop world, and back to musical theatre… Ed Carlile - Waitress - Dreamgirls - Viva Forever - Jersey Boys - Desperately Seeking Susan - Little Shop of Horrors - Having played the drums from a young age Ed Carlile didn’t really consider making music his career and despite playing in

The first drum I ever saw and thought, ‘if I ever had the money…’ was a Craviotto Timeless Timber snare. Ok, it wasn’t this snare, but was one very much like it, although dare I say it, this one is better looking and more collectible. It was in my local drum shop about twenty years ago, in

The West End scene - even more so than the rest of the music industry - is still dominated by male musicians. While female drummers are rare in London’s pits, female MDs are even rarer. One musical setting an example with an all-female band on stage is ‘Six’ - a modern retelling of the lives

This drum is, to my knowledge, unique. Although the one piece maple shell is very Craviotto in every sense, the finish and configuration are more non-standard. The drum features die cast hoops, eight double-ended cast lugs, Craviotto Diamond butt plate, custom ‘C’ logo on the Dunnett snare mechanism, Craviotto snare wires, and Remo heads top