Ah, drummers. Honestly, we’re some of the hardest people to buy for. The world of drums and drum accessories is vast and mostly overwhelming to non-percussive folk - so what exactly is it that drummers need and what are you going to buy the drummer in your life this festive season? I’m here to help you figure that out with this guide to the best Christmas gifts for drummers.
Let’s assume you don’t have cash to burn on a new drum kit or set of cymbals this Christmas, so this guide focuses on affordable gear that, in my experience as a drummer of 25 years, most players will appreciate and actually use. I’ve included a mix of perennial stocking stuffers for drummers, alongside new gadgets I rate and stuff I use myself; and they’re all geared up to help players improve, or lend a hand during gigs, rehearsals or studio sessions.
I’ve kept the budget sensible too, with gifts under $20, under $50 and under $100. I’ve included retail prices with my recommendations, but shop around and you’ll likely find deals on the gear I’ve recommended. I’d suggest you keep an eye on our Black Friday drum deals and electronic drum set deals pages for the biggest savings on our top picks.
What I haven’t included in this guide is novelty items - I’m looking at you, drumming pencils! In fact, I’ve added a section on what to avoid to help you swerve those looks of disappointment on Christmas morning and help you spend your cash more wisely.
Ok, let’s dive in…
Best places to shop for drummer gifts
- 🇺🇸 US
- Guitar Center: Huge drum department
- Sweetwater: Accessories for days
- Musician’s Friend: All major brands covered
- Reverb: Fantastic range of new and used drum gear
- Donner: Great beginner gear
- Drumeo: Unbeatable online lessons (30-days free)
- 🇬🇧 UK
- Thomann: Fast shipping, great prices
- Gear4Music: Wide range of brands
- Drumeo: Unbeatable online lessons (30-days free)
Best Christmas gifts for drummers: Under $20/£20
Price: $7.25/£9.99
No stick-bag is complete without some form of dampening and Moongel is the go-to for most drummers (including this one). These blue rectangular gel strips can be applied to drum heads - and even cymbals - to remove unwanted overtones from your drums, producing a dryer sound and even masking minor tuning errors. Gone are the days of caking drum heads in gaffer tape and leaving nasty residue all over your expensive gear. Moongel is easily applied and removed with no mess and can be washed with warm soapy water when it starts to pick up grime. This pack of six will be enough for most to treat a whole kit.
Price: $8.95/£13.49
While some drummers prefer to leave their cymbals to build up grime and patina for tonal reasons, most of us want to keep our pies in good condition and sounding as bright as the day we bought them. That's where a good cymbal cleaner comes in - and Groove Juice is an industry-standard. There’s no elbow-grease needed; just spray the cleaner on, rub it in with a dry cloth, and rinse off to restore your cymbals back to their original glory, leaving you more time to play instead of polishing. You can use it to clean your hardware, too!
Price: $12.99/£18.99
There’s nothing more annoying than setting up for a gig and finding that something is loose on your kit or hardware. Whether it’s rattling lugs, a troublesome kick pedal or a head that needs changing, this affordable 10-in-1 Gibraltar multi-tool will take care of most stressful gear situations, meaning you can get back to focusing on playing. Gibraltar has generously equipped this tool with an array of flathead and Phillips screwdrivers, 4x hex drivers, as well as a trusty drum key, natch. There's even a bottle opener on-board so it can take care of the mid-show beverage, too.
Price: $19.95/£19.99
The stick bag is a must-have accessory for drummers. The Essentials Stick Bag from Vic Firth is a compact solution designed to house four to five pairs of sticks, brushes, rods or mallets - as the name suggests, this streamlined bag will carry just the essentials, which is usually what most drummers need. It also features small internal pockets for keeping all-important accessories such as drum keys, earplugs or spare change. Made from water-resistant nylon, the bag can be suspended from a snare or floor tom using a hook and strap system, keeping your sticks close at hand.
Price: from $19.99/£19.99
I was first introduced to the Snareweight by Paramore drummer Zac Farro. This clever dampening accessory magnetically clips to the metal hoop of any snare drum or tom, enabling rapid tonal changes via a leather strap which sits over the drum head. The strap features small magnets in the middle and on each end so it can be folded over to decrease or increase the overall dampening effect. This smart system delivers a total of five dampening options in just one small accessory and there are multiple sizes to choose from. The cheapest, the M1b model, will cost you less than $20/£20.
Price: From free
If they're new to drumming, or looking to improve, nothing beats the guidance of a good teacher. These days, a lot of drummers get their tuition from online drumming lessons platforms like Drumeo. And for good reason: the learning paths are well curated, the quality of tuition is second to none, and the material is accessible on any device 24/7. You can read our 5-star Drumeo review here. What's more, hit the link above and you can access a full 30-day free trial so you can try for a whole month before you commit to a subscription (which is $29.99 per month thereafter).
Best Christmas gifts for drummers: Under $50/£50
Price: $29.95/£21.99
As instruments go, drums are right up there with the loudest, which is why protecting our hearing is an absolute must. There are many types of hearing protection available at varying levels of quality which can make choosing the right one a tricky task. Unlike traditional foam earplugs that simply block the sound, Alpine's MusicSafe Pros are designed to filter it, preserving more of the original frequencies but safely reducing the decibel level that reaches your eardrum. Each pair is supplied with three interchangeable ear tips to ensure a good fit and a cleaning solution to keep them grime-free. There’s a reason why they're number one in our guide to the best earplugs for musicians.
Price: $29.99/£29.95
Whether it’s a bottle of water, can of energy drink, flask of coffee or even an ice-cold beer, whatever your persuasion Vater has you covered with its trusty mountable drinks holder designed specifically for drummers.
The clamp arms feature rubber covers, while the clamp can be adjusted to fit almost any tube diameter - no problem at least for cymbal or mic stands. A sturdy thumb-screw will lock it in place so there’s no need to worry about your drink hitting the deck mid-performance.
Price: $39.99/£41
Aside from your sticks, a drum key should be considered an essential accessory for any drummer. If you’re yet to invest in a workhorse key, this new innovation from Evans has a neat trick up its sleeve to help make head changes a breeze. The pull cord drum key features - you guessed it - a pull cord that works a bit like a power drill to loosen and tighten tension bolts in ultra quick time. So whether you're re-heading a full kit, needing a new snare skin between sets or you're simply after a reliable drum key, this one can do it all, and save you time in the process.
Price: $44.99/£30.99
The Tama Rhythm watch has been a reliable option for drummers to hone their timing for many years. The mini version offers much of the same functionality as its older sibling but in a much more pocket-friendly package. The RW30 features a tempo range between 30-250bpm, a choice of sounds, back-lit LCD, tap tempo, LED lights, and a range of time signatures and subdivisions. All this comes complete in a compact battery powered unit which would be an ideal companion for drummers who spend a lot of time on the road. In addition to the built-in speaker there’s also a mini-jack headphone output.
Price: $44.99/£40
Not much use in a zombie apocalypse but ideal for your next gig or rehearsal, this clever survival kit from DW includes pretty much any spare you would ever need to fix your kit on the fly (at least as far as the small and easily losable items go). The pack contains a range of cymbal felts, cymbal sleeves, snare straps, tension rods and wing nuts with varying threads, plus a handful of tools. It all stores neatly in a hard plastic case to ensure your spares are tidy and the beat goes on. It might look dull to you, but this could save their next gig in a pinch.
Price: $44.99/£41.99
Spending time on your rudiments and hand technique is essential for improving your skills behind the kit. Thankfully the Evans Real Feel practice pad allows for endless quiet practice wherever you find yourself. The two surface layout includes a gum rubber and softer, quieter neoprene, designed to provide the realistic feel of drum head. The playing surfaces are mounted either side of a 12” wooden base that's weighty enough to keep the pad securely in place even under hard playing. This the pad I've sworn by for more than a decade now.
Best Christmas gifts for drummers: Under $100/£100
Price: $71.99/£94.99
As above, so below. Where a practice pad is super important for building skills and stamina in your hands, it's equally important to give your feet a workout when away from the kit too. That's where this kick drum practice pad comes in. The gum rubber playing surface delivers realistic rebound, whilst it's also wide enough to accommodate a double pedal. in terms of keeping it anchored, a pair of threaded spurs help it dig into your carpet or rug. And the other reason I love it? It's foldable, which means it can be stowed away with your practice pad when not in use.
Price: $75/£99
The original Big Fat Snare Drum dampening pad was a revelation when it launched. The first iteration rested on your snare drum head and instantly transformed it into a beefy, warm, ‘70s-inspired snare. No need for permanent tape, wrangling with Moongel or trying not to hit the wallet you’ve placed on your drum head, this bad boy could be added and removed from song to song and felt great to play. Now there's a hge rage of BFSD pads to choose from, depending on the sound you're after. This bundle includes the original 14” snare drum model, plus 10”, 12” and 16" sizes for your toms. You won’t believe the change this will make to your sound.
Price: $87.95/£89.99
These are the go-to headphones for drummers, whether you play acoustic or electronic drums, and designed to offer 25dB noise reduction. This latest iteration features a redesigned, larger 50mm Mylarcon dynamic driver in each ear cup for more powerful low end, clean mids and clear highs, so whether you’re playing along to music at home, jamming on your electronic drum set, playing a gig or recording a track, you'll get nothing less than a great sound. And if you're playing for hours, the cups and headband are designed for comfort too.
Price: $91.99/£69.99
Everyone loves a New Year project, and what better way to kick things off than with a total snare drum MOT and re-head? That's exactly the purpose of Evans' awesome snare drum tune up kits. Each pack includes a pair of drum heads (batter and resonant/ top and bottom), a pair of ProMark 5A sticks, snare wire, drum key, an EQ pods dampener, lug lubricant, metal polish and a polishing cloth so you can get your snare sounds and looking its best. There's a range of 13" and 14" head choices available, including Calftone, HD Dry and EC Reverse Dot.
Price: $99/£99
Having a good monitor mix can absolutely make or break a performance which is why many drummers opt for a decent set of in-ear monitors to ensure they can hear each instrument clearly. The trouble is, they can range enormously in quality and price, with a top-end set of custom moulds costing an easy grand or two. The Shure SE215 Pros are a fantastic set of budget in-ears which offer pro-level features for a fraction of the cost. They block up to 37dB of outside noise and provide clear sound with a deep bass. They come supplied with a detachable cable, carry case and a selection of sleeves to ensure a comfortable fit.
Price: $99.95/£99
If the drummer in your life oves a gadget, this little beaut is the one when it comes to precision tuning. Ok, so using your ears is a fine approach, but that can take years to develop. If you really want consistent tuning across your drum heads quickly - like if you’re late to load-in for your gig - then the Tune-Bot Studio comes highly recommended. It’s simple to use: clip it to the hoop of each drum and strike the drum head, then the Tune-Bot gives you a measurement either in Hz or as a note. You can use this data to get even tension at every lug and supercharge your drum sound.
How to choose the best gift for a drummer
Looking for some tips on where to start and what to buy the drummer in your life? Follow my advice and you'll nail the brief:
1. Ask them!
It might sound crazy but why not just ask them outright, or get them to give you a list of gear they’re interested in. This will take a lot of the guesswork out of it.
2. Find out where they are in their journey
If they’re brand new to drumming, there are loads of gadgets that will help them get started, most of which will be focused on practice and development. If they’re a more seasoned player, or someone who gigs a lot, their needs will be different.
3. Do your research
Use guides like this, and the buyer’s guides and reviews on MusicRadar to guide your search. If the person you are buying for plays in a band, or has lessons, have a word with their bandmates or their teacher the next time you see them - they may have a better idea of their current needs.
4. Fix your budget
Advice that works for any financial decisions you’ll ever make, of course - set a sensible budget and stick to it! If you’ve found something that’s out of your price range, move to plan B, or consider picking up gift vouchers up to your budget as a contribution to the thing you really want to get them.
5. Look for deals
This time of year is ideal for finding savings on drum gear, so keep an eye out for Black Friday and pre-Christmas deals at retailers you trust. We’ve rounded up a few of our go-to places here.
Gifts to avoid
Follow my guidance and you should end up with a gift or two that they will love and genuinely want to use. However, it’s so easy to get sidetracked by novelty gifts. You might think they’ll get a kick out of them, but in reality it will never be used, or consigned to the garbage before New Years. Take it from me…
Here’s a few things to avoid like the plague this Christmas:
- Drumstick pencils - Just no! No-one writes with their hands anymore anyway
- Novelty mug/socks/t-shirt - Let them be the judge of what is funny
- Non-branded drumsticks - The big brands are big brands for a reason. Budget sticks will be prone to breaking with the lightest of pradiddles - you’re basically buying firewood. Use our guide to the best drumsticks if you really must go this route
- Fingers drums - You even had to ask? This is not a useful alternative to a drum kit or practice pad
- Foam earplugs - These might work for you if you have a drummer in the house, but there are plenty of superior and far comfier hearing protection solutions out there for drummers that don’t completely kill your drum tone
Help with your research
Need more help with your research, or looking for something outside our $100 max budget? Take a look through our buyer's guides covering everything from kits and cymbals, to hardware and practice pads. They've all been compiled by our team of drumming experts.
