Like many of us, I use in ear monitoring when I gig. Nothing that unusual there. However, a few years ago having used generic fit bud-type models for a while I decided I wanted to try a moulded design. But, not being a pro player and being on a budget, I didn’t want to go

Duco finish The Gretsch Catalina line has been around for some time now, but Gretsch has now released a limited Special Edition version so it therefore now has an increased level of cool to it.  These kits are available in two configurations - 20x14”, 10x7”, 12x8”, 14x14” floor and a 14x5.5” snare, or

So, these have been out for ages now but since this particular drum is a little more unusual I thought I would take a look at it. For those unfamiliar, the Supralite series of snare drums are made from a 1mm beaded steel shell which Ludwig says was designed for a bright cutting attack with

Yep, they might look a little out there, but the general idea of the Muffkopf is to transform the sound of your bass drum from contemporary to vintage in an instant. Or, in other words, to go from a pointed, attacking sound to a flatter more vintage tone. We were given the Muffkopf Bundle to

Early on in my playing - ok, I don’t want to say ‘career’ here, but you get what I mean - I went to a rehearsal and forgot my hihats. Luckily, the studio had a set of 15”s that I could borrow. I distinctly recall hating them, finding them both too big and unmanageably heavy.

Adjustable Bass Drum Dampener This is pretty much what you think it would be, so I’m not going to try and poetically describe it. It clamps to a bass drum hoop and dampens the head. If you watch the official video from Remo with Dave Weckl explaining and demonstrating the dampener, you’ll see and hear

It’s a wonderful old thing the metronome and we’ve come a long way from the weighted spring loaded metronomes that used to sit a top the piano. In all that time, the concept of a metronome hasn’t really changed. Sure, we now have metronomes that can play polyrhythms, programme playlists and can change time signature

Never one to sit around and watch the world go by, DW is always coming up with new things or refining, well, let’s face it, everything it makes. Up for review this time are a few small items intended to help us out. Self-centering snare wires This is a retro fit accessory for DW snare

Ok, so these have been out for a little while now, but hey, better late than never…! 15” hi hats The Sweet hi hats have a thin top cymbal with an extra heavy bottom and un-lathed bells. This provides a dark sound and a nice solid chick. I remember very early on in my playing

Advanced Groove Concepts - Sam Aliano This is the second book of Sam’s I’ve reviewed, the first being Double Bass Drumming and Power Fills (co written with Matt Sorum) which I thought was a fantastic primer for double bass drumming. This is a very different book, focusing on the concept of using your left hand