We’ve already covered the best gifts for drummers and a huge list of gifts for musicians. Now, we’ve got guitar lovers covered as well, with our brand new guide to the best gifts for guitarists here.
If you’re looking for something to give the guitarist in your life, this page is for you. We cover the best gear across a wide range of prices, starting from under $20. Check out our ultimate guide on the best gifts for guitar players here.
Sad news for the drumming world today, as Charlie Watts passes away at a hospital in London.
No cause of death has been released, however Watts’ publicist released a statement saying that he “passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family.”
Charlie Watts joined the Rolling Stones in 1963, and was part of the band’s first stable lineup. Since then, he has formed the band’s rock-solid rhythm foundation and has been an integral member both in the studio and live.
Earlier this month it was announced that Watts was to undergo an “unspecified medical procedure”, and was unable to perform with the band.
Travis Barker has listed a huge range of drum kits, drums, mixers, electronic drums, drum machines, and more for sale on Reverb.
Central to the collection are two drum kits:
Both of these Travis Barker drum kits have some minor scuffs, but are otherwise in great condition. The Troy Lee kit will set you back USD $30,000. If you’re short on cash, the Evel Knievel kit is a more affordable USD $25,000. The kits sport Remo drumheads across the board, with Remo Emperor and Remo Ambassador drumheads on the snare and toms, and Remo Powerstroke heads on the bass drums.
You’ll also find a lot of electronic drum gear, all with much more reasonable price tags.
Here are a few highlights:
All gear comes with a signed certificate of authenticity from Travis Barker. If you’re interested, take a look at the full store on Reverb here.
Two new articles are now online, this time focusing on the all-important practice pad.
As a drummer, the practice pad is the go-to tool to improve your chops. There’s an endless number of pads out there, making it difficult to figure out which one is best. Luckily we’ve come across a great one: the Freddy Charles signature practice pad. It’s built for bounce, and (importantly) you get some very nice educational content with the pad to ensure you’re making the most of the rebound the pad provides.
Read our review of the Freddy Charles practice pad here.
Freddy was also nice enough to also write an article for us, which shows beginner drummers where to start when using a practice pad. Take a look at Freddy’s great article on learning drums with a practice pad here.
Read our deep-dive into the history of the Ludwig drum company. From humble beginnings, Ludwig rose to become the most recognizable drum brand in history, endorsed by some of the biggest names in music, and recorded on countless albums.
Read our full history of Ludwig drums, including a quick guide to today’s kits.
Our latest article looks at how you can build a tiny, powerful, full-featured electronic drum kit that is perfect for playing quietly in an apartment. It even blows most full-size electronic drum kits out of the water when it comes to the number of pads, features, and functionality.
See what makes this tiny electronic drum kit so powerful right here.
Looking to own a piece of history? Currently being auctioned is Neil Peart’s drum kit – a Slingerland set used on Rush’s tours and albums between 1974 and 1977.
Update: This drum kit sold for USD$500,312 -yes, half a million dollars- on December 10th
The Neil Peart drum kit is a chrome wrapped Slingerland kit made in Niles, Illinois, USA. Made of 3-ply shells of maple, poplar, and mahogany, the drum set is comprised of:
Neil Peart’s cymbals include:
The drum set also includes a wide range of LP cowbells, chimes, bells, woodblocks, and more.
Along with standard hardware, the drum kit features Neil Peart’s dual Ludwig Speed King bass drum pedals (one on each drum), with a square felt bass drum beater.
When it comes to drumheads, Peart played both Remo and Evans heads across the kit. Most of the drum set’s batter heads are clear Remo Controlled Sound, while resonant heads include blue Evans all weather rock heavy duty heads. The snare drum features a Remo Ambassador snare side drumhead.
Peart’s concert toms feature unnumbered Remo experimental heads – while there’s no clear information on the exact type of head these are, they look like Remo Controlled Sound with a white dot (rather than the standard black dot). Remo Experimental heads are prototypes, and are sometimes given to performers for testing purposes.
Neil Peart originally purchased the drum set from Toronto music store Long & McQuade in mid-1974, very shortly after first joining Rush.
A few weeks later, he was playing these drums on Rush’s first USA tour, where the band opened for Uriah Heep and Manfred Mann’s Earth Band.
The drum set was then used to record the classic Rush albums Fly by Night, Caress of Steel, and 2112, along with the 1976 live-in-Toronto album All the World’s a Stage. Soon after, the drum set was retired.
This Neil Peart drum kit is clearly roadworn from the years of touring and recording: The drumheads are covered in stickmarks, paint is missing from the bass drum hoops, and there’s snare rash on the rack tom from years of heavy use.
The drum set has an incredible starting bid of US$80,000, and will likely be sold for much more. Read more on auction house Bonham’s webpage.
DW fans: check out our new guide to Drum Workshop’s history. We cover their beginning and ongoing innovations, starting from their very first product, a hardware case drum seat.
We’ve just released a brand new article covering the history and numerous innovations of Premier drums. Plus, there’s a full overview of today’s Premier drum kits, to help you find the best drum set for your needs.
Our latest article looks at Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders: His playing style, innovations, and his go-to fills and grooves.
Read about the drumming of Matt Helders here, as we dissect how his unique style is key to the sound of Arctic Monkeys.
