The 10 Best New Drum Kits in the World Right Now!

[Nacci]

Too many choices these days.

 

[K.O.]

Who voted on this?
Unless it was a bunch of musical instrument journalists who compared each set directly with all the others then the results are somewhat meaningless. If they just asked people to vote then they would mostly all just vote for the drums they have or lust after, without direct first hand comparison of all the choices.

Then again, I don't much care one way or the other as I'm primarily a vintage USA sort of drum guy anyway.

 

[DrummerJustLikeDad]

BDC

No, the AQ1s are Chinese entry-level birch shells of undetermined origin. But the German SQ1s are med-heavy 7-ply/7mm Scandinavian Birch shells (bass drums are 10-ply/10mm), and they sound superb.

Here is the DCP video I was referring to:

Try out this one. As far as Sonor and BDC go, I was really excited to see this “best of the birches” video from Shane’s shop when it was posted.

I strongly admire both Sonor and especially British Drum Co. While this video may not present a clear winner, pitting these contenders head to head in the same video (and under the same conditions) definitely makes drooling easier!

 

[JDA]

There's never been a greatest or best drum,
only great drummers

You take an any drum set and set it in a corner for 100 years
and it will never make a sound
on it's own.

 

[MrDrums2112]

There's never been a greatest or best drum,
only great drummers

You take an any drum set and set it in a corner for 100 years
and it will never make a sound
on it's own.

Maybe. But, I’d sure love to be the person who finds that Tama Star or N&C Walnut kit 100 years from now...

 

[Fletch]

Check out INDe Drums my friends. Fantastic drums and concepts.

 

[Slingwig26]

All the same stuff. Boring. The only two companies that pique my interest are A&F and British Drum Company. (And hats off to Gretsch and Ludwig for continuing to revise and improve because every other drum maker in the world seems dead set on copying your formulas)

Y’know, you got a point there! Hmmmm

 

[bfulton]

+1 for INDe drums. I played a trio gig today. Even -especially?- at low volume they’re resonant and musical.
Very nice drums.

 

[mkelley]

I'd put the Mapex far lower. I'm not a fan of Pearl but the maple/gum are nice but the DW Jazz series are the better faux-Gretsch.

 

[shuffle]

Too many choices these days.

Option anxiety!

 

[Tama CW]

Not really a deficit of fine birch drums out there. Lots of supply from the 1980's to 1990's in Yamaha, Tama, Pearl all birch shells. The all birch Yamaha Recording Customs were made from 1982-2013....lost track after that. A lot of nice used kits out there.

 

[Chrisseafarer]

Great kits I agree, but I was fortunate enough to discover a real gem of a producer who I suspect none of you have heard of. These kits are hand made to order and without doubt the best I have played. After discovering them, I just had to have one. Gabriel Drums are made in Athens, Greece and are sent to discerning buyers internationally.
See: https://www.gabrieldrums.com/

 

[Bandit]

I'd put the Mapex far lower. I'm not a fan of Pearl but the maple/gum are nice but the DW Jazz series are the better faux-Gretsch.

? Have you seen, or played one of the new design lab kits?

 

[jmato]

Actual the Mapex kit is the one kit trying some cool and revolutionary ideas, but because it is Mapex, most won't dig to find out what they are.

The Yamaha LCHO weight system and fiberglass ("center phenolic") ply are somewhat new too.

 

[PaulD]

? Have you seen, or played one of the new design lab kits?

The 30th Anniversary kit looks great.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SE52230GF--mapex-30th-anniversary-limited-edition-5-piece-shell-pack-garnet-flame

 

[ludwigjim]

+1 for INDe drums. I played a trio gig today. Even -especially?- at low volume they’re resonant and musical.
Very nice drums.

I've had my INDe set for two years and they always sound great. Deep, warm and resonant. The construction and finish are flawless and they weigh almost nothing. Josh Allen is a genius with his designs. GREAT product, highly recommend....

 

[mkelley]

? Have you seen, or played one of the new design lab kits?

Yes, why do you think I rated it lower?

 

[kzac]

I'm here to do two things, chew gum and post the latest Top 10 lists in the world of drumming, and I'm all out of gum (though I may get a gum-wood kit for that extra-sticky sound).

Musicradar.com (The No. 1 website for musicians) reveals its 10 Best Drum Kits in the World Right Now:

Let us know that you agree.

Here's the Musicradar writeup:

So many drums, so little room to store them all. This year’s hottest new kits include ones designed for maximum portability and practicality, new top shelf, professional level beauties crafted in the most exotic woods imaginable, and high-performance mid-range kits for players looking to upgrade their sound without breaking the bank.

Despite the quality of the competition, our winner for Best New Drum Kit this year beat the closest contender by almost double the number of votes as Tama update one of drumming’s most iconic and respected line of drum kits.

10. DS Drums Rebel

9. Gretsch Brooklyn Micro

8. Pear Session Studio Select

7. Sonor Prolite

6. Ludwig Anniversary Legacy Mahogany

5. Mapex Design Lab Cherry Bomb

4. Yamaha Live Custom Hybrid Oak

3. DW Collector’s Pure Almond

2. Pearl Masters Maple/Gum Series

1. Tama Starclassic Walnut/Birch View attachment 418386


More details and pics at https://www.musicradar.com/news/the-10-best-new-drum-kits-in-the-world-right-now

I won't diss these drum kits, I'm Sure they all sound fine. But I will caution drummers not to fall into the trap of buying drums without really listening to their sound. I have owned nearly every type of drum manufactured over the last 40+ years. And I can honestly state that purchasing this kit or that kit, because it has this shell material or that or because its made by this manufacturer or that, is without doubt the worst way to purchase your drums....

I recently sold all of my high end drum kits ..... Why?... Because I simply didn't like the way they sounded .... and these were not cheep kits..... After 40+ years playing drums, I realized I was looking for a specific sound .... So I went in search of that sound and not in search of the drum kit... or the drum manufacturer.... My bass drum was made in 1989, my tom, some in 1970s and others in the 1990s, and my snare drum some time in the early 2000s'.... The point of the exercise is thus.... I now have drums which produce the sound I desire.... Other musicians who have jammed with me since I cobbled this set together have commented on their sound .... several times.... They never once said that about my prior kits. So where these 10 kits might be nice, compare that to selecting a set of drums which sound how you desire them to sound, this is a far better accomplishment. Additionally, having a set of drums you like the sound of (regardless of how and who made them) will entice you to play them more often as they become a joy for you to play.....

So take these kits with a grain of salt.... Focus instead on acquiring drums which fit your personal taste if that is a 28 snare from e-bay where you filed the bearing edges by hand using a rasp or sand paper ... so be it. It that is a Power Recording Custom bass drum then so be it .... Your drum sound reflects directly upon you as a drummer .... so make it unique and make it your own.... Something you desire and you will have far more fun playing drums than ever before.

Bass drums I like the sound of
70s Ludwig 24in (although many of the shells and support rings are cracked from road abuse)
Older Grestch Broadcaster 24 in and larger
Recording Custom - Just about any of them that are 22in and larger

Toms I like the sound of
Mapex (especially their smaller toms)
Yamaha (especially the early toms YD 5000, 7000 and 9000), but also the 90s stage custom toms and early recording custom toms
The later Sonor 2007 (Made by Mapex), I could always get these toms to tune quickly and hold their tune.. I don't however like the tom mounts..... I usually change the to Yamaha mounts
For hard banging rock, I like the Ludwig toms of the early 70s and and also the later toms including rocker, and even accent toms however one needs refinish the bearing edges on the later versions (sand the bearing edges both inner an outer... then they can be tuned and provide good sound. If the bearing edges are really poor one might need to coat them in marine epoxy then re-cut them.

Snare drums
All kinds really I like both wood and metal snares. I'm not a tall person so I'm partial to smaller snare drums 13in and smaller. This gets me closer to my kit and allows me to comfortably reach the high hat and bass pedal.

Hardware
My hardware is a mix but I like the Yamaha hardware best of all, especially the use of triple trees with cymbal boom arms and tom arms ... it makes for a much more versatile kit and much less stuff to cart about. Having 7 toms and 12 cymbal stands can become a nightmare after that 15th-20th gig .... Keep your kit manageable, unless you have roadies I like the Yamaha triple tree and boom arms and cymbal extension for my smaller cymbals.... I can have one stand do the work of 4 or 5 individual cymbal stands.... and they are rock stable. Most all the later bass drum spurs are excellent.. I abhor the early Ludwig arch spurs and also straight spurs which protrude from the bass shell (like the early Slingerland and Asian drums and Ludwig standard), these tend to allow the bass drum to walk all over the floor, which is extremely annoying. The later spurs like the ones found on Yamaha and Pearl and Sonor all tend to keep the bass drum firmly in place...
Bass pedals ... this is an all night subject, Suffice it to say I like two pedals, The early Pearly 100-200 series which came with the early export kits. and the later Sonor (I think 300 series), neither are made any longer so they are difficult to find. I dread the day either one of mine cannot be repaired. The speed king is a good pedal ... it just makes a clicking sound, where the metal band joins the pedal plate, which drives me crazy.... I used a speed king into the 1980s then switched to the Pearl pedal. I'm a single pedal player so others might have more insight related to double bass pedals. I do occasionally play bass with my left foot, but its usually when I'm using two different size bass drums and looking for two different tones. sometimes I will play a whole gig with

 

[drawtheline55]

Great kits I agree, but I was fortunate enough to discover a real gem of a producer who I suspect none of you have heard of. These kits are hand made to order and without doubt the best I have played. After discovering them, I just had to have one. Gabriel Drums are made in Athens, Greece and are sent to discerning buyers internationally.
See: https://www.gabrieldrums.com/

You are right, I have never heard of them, look quite interesting, how much do they go for ?

 

[drawtheline55]

No Canopus ?