Nothing turns a drummer’s head faster than a minty set of eye-catching drums. The following 12 kits are a look back at some of the finest drum sets to grace Sweetwater’s floors.
DW Collector’s Series Pure Purpleheart
Shell afficionados John Good and DW have cooked up something extra-tasty in the Pure Purpleheart Collector’s kit. Its furniture-grade shells are built from premium plies of 100% purpleheart, an extremely hard and dense (even denser than oak) tonewood that really packs a wallop when paired with DW’s VLT alternate-grain shell recipe and 60° roundover outer bearing edges. Its natural-to-black stain and glassy lacquer finish blend seamlessly with a full set of black nickel Collector’s Series hardware for an extremely deep, organic finish that practically bleeds under stage and studio lights.
Pearl Masterworks Cain and Abel
Salt Lake City graphic artist Jessica Hancock licensed her incredible geometric masterpiece The Offering: Cain and Abel to Pearl for this devastating pair of one-off shell packs. “Cain” is built using Pearl’s Sonic-Select Stadium shell recipe — CZX maple, 60° edges, Superhoop IIs — to deliver a big, boastful attack and enviable sustain. “Abel” represents an earthier sound, built from Pearl’s Sonic-Select Heritage shells — maple/mahogany, 45° edges, Fat tone hoops — and is able to produce a warmer, rounder tone and an angelic sustain. Each kit features Pearl’s flawless Artisan II print graphics for an absolutely spellbinding reproduction of Jessica’s artwork.
Sonor SQ2 African Marble
At first blush, you might think this Sonor SQ2‘s sumptuous shell figuring is a print or some clever trick of the eye. Amazingly, this kit’s marbled finish comes from a set of exotic wood veneers in a reach-out-and-touch satin finish that, together, creates an extremely memorable stage presence. Of course, that says nothing of the mature tone and response residing in its SQ2 re-ring’d maple shells — the culmination of Sonor’s 140-year shell-making heritage — which are some of the best-recording maple drums we’ve had the privilege of playing. You also get Sonor’s flagship Power Hoops, T.A.R. tom mounts, and rock-solid TuneSafe lugs for incredible performance.
TAMA Starclassic Walnut/Birch Oyster
We got to meet with the shell artisans responsible for this Tama Starclassic W/B Shell Pack‘s groovy oyster-lacquered finish earlier this year, and couldn’t believe that the amazing swirled look was produced by hand. That’s right — what you see here is no wrap. Each shell is spun, dripped, and sprayed by hand for a truly one-of-a-kind presentation. Underneath, the Starclassic Walnut/Birch’s shells are equally impressive. Four outer plies of maple tango are combined with two inner plies of walnut for a balanced warmth, midrange, and presence. Stock Evans Genera clear heads let you see the natural beauty of the walnut peek through a tom head. Shells come topped with TAMA’s beautiful world-class Starclassic hardware: die-cast molded zinc hoops, Quick-Lock Tom Brackets, and insulated bass claws and floor tom legs.
Ludwig Legacy Mahogany Diamond Flash
This 110th Anniversary Ludwig Legacy Mahogany “Diamond Flash” Fab 3-piece Shell Pack honors a coveted set of custom Luddys dating back to the 1930s. Heirloom mahogany-poplar-maple shells with vintage 30° inner-cut roundover edges give this Fab trio a satisfyingly rich, retro voicing with ample doses of that timeless Ludwig bloom and sustain. Yet the pièce de résistance of this kit has to be its presentation: hand-inlaid diamond accents of koto and tupelo woods on beds of pressure-dyed bird’s-eye maple, complete with Classic lugs and commemorative anniversary Keystone badges. Not surprisingly, only 25 of these special kits are being released, so be sure to get your hands on yours while supplies last.
A&F Triple Whisky Maple Field
A&F invites you to revisit a time when mammoth hardwood shells walked the earth and tiny club kits trembled in their wake. Designer Ramy Antoun’s A&F Drum Company Field 3-piece Shell Pack (13″/16″/26″) groans, grunts, and thunders its way to the frontlines of a mix with little prompting. Each shell is hand-rubbed with a gorgeous dark oil stain that contains a generous shot of scotch whisky blended right into the finish. Sonically, the shells answer back with every ounce of emotion you pour into a performance, with room-filling Elvin and Bonham beats emerging every time you gaze upon its glowing caramel countenance. Tall red-stripe wood hoops maximize the depth and power this kit is capable of. And A&F’s homespun mid-century heirloom hardware — Patented Patina brass lugs, old-school bass spurs, and field drum claw hooks — capitalize on this kit’s throwback aesthetic.
Gretsch USA Custom Exotic Red Gum
Gumwood was used in the most sought-after Gretsch kits of the ’50s and ’60s. The USA Custom Exotic Red Gum kit (including snare!) adds maple to the antique shell recipe, giving this kit a modern bite and dimensionality to better serve today’s stage and studio miking applications. Most striking are this kit’s red gum outer veneers, which are tastefully enhanced by a Golden Oak stain and finished in a breathable nitrocellulose lacquer. Shells come crowned with 4mm die-cast hoops and Gretsch Permatone (by Remo) heads for a cutting attack, and great tone and tuning right out of the box. Shell interiors are marked by Gretsch’s trademark Silver Sealer finish for compelling visuals, even when sitting behind the kit.
SJC USA Custom Rust Rod Patina
This SJC USA Custom shell pack is inspired by the deliberately worn “rat rod” racer counterculture and includes sought-after SJC style and tone with an antique twist. Its ghostly blue M5 maple shells bear the scars of hours of sanding, hammering, and torching kissed with distressed antique brass appointments for one-of-a-kind visuals. The Rust Rod’s sound is distinctly SJC; shells are treated with the same sonic care and attention to detail as any kit from the SJC custom shop, with hand-sculpted 45° bearing edges, premium hardware, and hand-tuned Evans USA heads for a ready-to-play tone.
Mapex 30th Anniversary Garnet Flame Maple
The studio-favorite Orion Classic is the inspiration for Mapex’s highly anticipated 30th Anniversary Limited Edition shell pack. These double-veneered maple shells feature a decadent flamed maple finish on both the interior and exterior, making for one incredible showroom presentation. The 6-ply toms and 8-ply kick exhibit a warm, resonant, focused tone and an enveloping nearfield response from behind the kit. Mapex chrome hardware extends from the Sonic Saver hoops to the SAS floor tom legs and suspension feet, which enhances the look and tone of this kit even further.
Yamaha Live Custom Hybrid Oak Uzu
“Uzukuri” is traditional Japanese finishing technique whereby a tall-grained wood is coated in black paint and sanded down to leave only the darkened inner grain. It is from this technique that the Hybrid Oak Uzu derives its name. And let us tell you: the painterly, three-dimensional look of this kit is absolutely incredible in person, especially paired with the dark silver hoops and hardware. Shells are built from select oak ply with a synthetic phenolic inner core to deliver a deep resonance and incredible dynamic response. A host of tone-enhancing features, including Yamaha’s internal bass drum weights and YESS III tom mounts, make the Uzu, above all, an incredible performance instrument.
ddrum Dios Exotic Zebrawood
When it comes to natural wood finishes, it’s hard to top this Dios Exotic Zebrawood drum set from ddrum. These handcrafted 7-ply maple shells come crowned with a matching set of zebrawood veneers and low-profile (so as to maximize sight lines) black chrome mini-tube lugs. Standing in front of this kit is an audio-visual experience that proves it has to be experienced in person. It comes jam-packed with all of ddrum’s latest hardware enhancements — FixPitch tom mounts, Resolift bass lifts, rubber-impregnated claw hooks, and more — to squeeze every last drop of maple goodness out of these shells.
Roland V-Drums TD-50 Nocturne
It’s a special day when a V-Drums kit makes it to the top of a best-looking kits list. The Roland V-Drums TD-50 Nocturne is a technological tour de force from Roland and hardware builder Randall May — creator of the MAY Miking System and a ton of custom drum racks and carriers. It’s quite a leg up on the previous TD-50KVX, featuring a custom two-up/two-down shell configuration in a stageworthy red oyster-on-black satin wrapped finish, kitted together with May’s assisted-lift MAATS AIRlift aluminum rack and ergonomic floating tom mounts. Not only do you get the cream of Roland’s flagship TD-50 module’s sounds and features, but also an unbelievable acoustic-like stage presence from the 22″ maple kick and life-sized 14″/18″ digital snare and ride pads. Rounding it all out is a Roland shield badge bass head, which really takes this eKit to a whole ‘nother level.
Anything Else? Give Us a Call!
What drool-worthy drum kits are on your radar this season? Give your Sweetwater Sales Engineer a call at (800) 222-4700 and let us know. We offer great drum financing and the best pricing and service on the web.
