My Favorite Drum Kits and New Products From the 2011 NAMM Show
I was lucky enough to get a pass for the NAMM show this year, and thought I would take some pictures of my favorite new products and kits from the show.
As you might know, NAMM is a trade show where all companies music come to display their latest and greatest products. Buyers come to check out these products, and potentially purchase them. Each company wants their booth to stand out, so drum companies usually have one huge, overly elaborate kit set up. I decided to take pics of my favorites so check them out!
The Kits
TAMA
This kit wrapped 360 degrees, and it was the largest kit at the show from what I saw
LUDWIG
Check out that suspended bass drum! It was hanging from wires attached to the ceiling.
DRUM WORKSHOP – DW
In case you didn’t know this is the latest Neil Peart kit. Keep in mind they endorse Terry Bozzio as well. How do they keep up!?
GRETCH
Speaking of Terry Bozzio, this is reminiscent of his cymbal set up. This rack was incredible.
PEARL
This kit was the hardest to capture in a picture. It was so tall I couldn’t seem to get it all in frame.
TRICK DRUMS
This kit was tiny but so cool! That metal wheel on the resonant bass drum head was slowly spinning, and their was smoke billowing from some of the metal tubing.
And now for my favorite new products from the show. Fyi I wanted to take more pictures but I ran out of room on my memory card! 
Its cool though, I still got some good ones.
The Products
Chad Smith’s Holy China: Sabian
This is Chad Smith’s signature china from Sabian. I haven’t tried it personally, but I definitely trust Chad Smith to put his name on great sounding stuff.
Corey Miller: Remo / Ludwig
As you may know, Corey Miller is first and foremost a tattoo artist. He does, however, play drums and designs killer artwork for them. Here is a picture of his signature snare drum through Ludwig, and his signature head by Remo.
Jarrah Snare Drums: Brady Drums / Chris Brady
As I said in my previous NAMM post, Chris Brady went on another one of his “walkabout” tours in the Australian wilderness to find all kinds of amazing woods to make drums out of. Pictured is one of his Ply snare drums made from Jarrah.
“Triple Bass Pedal”: Dualist
Dualist has been making these pedals for a while, but I didn’t even know about them until this year. In a nutshell, the right pedal control the two right beaters so both the upstroke, and the downstroke of the pedal trigger a stroke by a different beater. The left pedal controls the far left beater like a normal double pedal. Kind of a dumb concept if you ask me, but who am I to judge.
The Vari-Tone and Qube Shakers: Latin Percussion – LP
Here is something I am genuinely excited about. These shakers are both awesome in their own ways. The Vari-tone shaker is spring loaded and has a tiny opening in the center that can be closed if you squeeze it. Closing the shaker provides a different tone than if it’s open, so you can change while you’re playing!
The Qube might be the most original, and ingenious shaker I’v ever seen. You can use it like a regular shaker with a back and forth motion, BUT, you can also shake it side to side. Furthermore, if you shake it in a circle you can achieve steady 16th notes as all four walls trigger a sound! Once you get the hang of it you can play ruffs, and other patterns in the midst of your playing. Awesome.
Twenty Masters Series Cymbals: Paiste
My favorite new product from NAMM had to be the new line of Paiste Cymbals. These are an extension of the Twenty series, and every new piece sounds incredible. The line is called “Masters” and rightly so. The tones range from elegantly dirty, to bright and washy, but stay true to Paiste’s amazing craftsmanship, and tonal options.
I hope you enjoyed my NAMM show 2011 wrap up! As I said previously, I am going to try to post more as time goes on. Thanks for reading!
New Toys From A Few Of Our Favorite Drum and Cymbal Companies Making Their Debut at NAMM 2011
Well hey there! Before I get into all the 2011 NAMM fun, I must apologize for not posting in such a long time. I have been busy and distracted, but intend on posting more frequently from now on. Enough about that, let’s talk about all the new goodies our favorite drum/cymbal companies are rolling out for NAMM 2011!
Zildjian
Zildjian is rumored to debut a couple of additions to the Z3 series cymbals, more specifically to the China family. They will be adding 19″ and 21″ Ultra Hammered Chinas. Apparently Dave Matthews Band drummer Carter Beauford, Matt Nicholls of Bring Me The Horizon have been testing them on the road, and both have nothing but positive things to say about them. Click HERE to read their comments on DRUM! Magazine’s website. Many drummers are excited about Zildjian finally adding a 21″ China to their product list.
Yamaha
Yamaha has been offering their Gigmaker line of kits since Summer NAMM 2010, but they will definitely be pushing them in Anaheim at Winter NAMM as well. I’m not quite sure whether they will be making any new additions or alterations to the line for 2011, but it’s exciting nonetheless! These are great beginner kits and have some cool features including 5 unique glitter wrap finishes.
Brady
Chris Brady will be introducing many new one of a kind, limited edition block drums from hand selected timbers he has gathered in Western Australia on another one of his “Walkabout” adventures. All of his finds will appear at NAMM so I’ll attempt to get pics as soon as I can!
Mapex
Mapex has been offering its Falcon Series Bass Drum Pedals for quite some time now, but as of January the Falcon pedals are joining the direct drive family. Starting in 2011 the Falcon pedals will have interchangeable chain drive/direct drive properties. I don’t have many details about how it works yet, but will get them to you when I do.
There is also rumor of a new addition to the Black Panther series, and it’s not just another snare drum, but a whole kit! Below is a picture of Vera Figueiredo playing what appears to be the Black Panther kit at Pasic this year. Apparently Dom Famularo was playing one as well, and spectator comments seem to be nothing but positive from what I gather.
Those are the updates that have had the most buzz up to this point, and that I am personally the most excited about. I can’t wait to see what NAMM 2011 has in store for us!!
Possible New Drum Product Debuting at NAMM 2010
As many of you may know, the NAMM show is happening this weekend! If you don’t know what NAMM is, it stands for the National Association of Music Merchants. It’s basically a giant trade show where every company in every field of the music business display their latest and greatest products in order to sell them to buyers. It’s also come to be a sort of musician networking opportunity. It’s the only time where all of the reps from all of your favorite companies are in one place at one time. Most companies are very secretive about what products they are going to debut prior to the event, but some do give a few hints. Let me make it clear that I don’t know what this product is, but it’s fun to speculate.
Pearl has lately been advertising a product called E Pro Live. The popular thought is that pearl is getting into the electronic drum game for the first time ever. The slogan, “Get Real. Be Real” which appears under the ad, has led many to believe that this may be some type of acoustic/electric hybrid which may incorporate actual wood shells, or even real heads. Despite all of the speculation, a Pearl marketing associate assured everyone on the Pearl drummers forum that it was in fact not what they thought it was. Either way it sounds cool!
The NAMM show actually started today, and runs through Sunday the 17th. It can be a little difficult to get in, but if you can it’s definitely worth going. Hope you find a way!
