Black Friday drum deals 2023: Save up to 75% on drum gear at Sweetwater, plus more epic percussion offers that are STILL LIVE

Black Friday drum deals
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Black Friday drum deals

(Image credit: Various)

1. Quick links
2. Editor's picks
3. Black Friday FAQ

Black Friday has been and gone with its usual mountain of music gear savings, but fear not, the bargains are still out there. This page is your place to find all the very best still-live percussion deals - all curated by experts who've been covering Black Friday drum deals for years.

You can still shop in the massive sale at Sweetwater, where the official Black Friday sale offers up to 75% off a range of music gear, including electronic drum sets, cymbals, snare drums, sticks and more. There are some nice deals on cajons, too. And at Guitar Center you'll find their official sale remains in full swing, with a focus on delivering up to 40% off electronic drums from Roland, Alesis and Simmons.

An exciting twist for 2023 is that we've seen a slew of proper discounts on Yamaha's excellent DTX range of e-kits, like this $470 discount on the DTX6K3-X kit complete with TCS heads. Yamaha rarely takes money off its e-drums, so now is the time to strike if you've been struggling to track down a deal. 

We've rounded up all the places you can still make savings below and hand-picked some of our favourite offers below that. Get amongst it. We'll be over here prepping our Cyber Monday drum deals hub - stay tuned for still more bargains very shortly... 

Black Friday drum deals: Quick links

Below you'll find all the latest percussion sales ahead of this year's official Black Friday drum deals:

Black Friday drum deals: Editor's picks

Explore our top picks from this year's Black Friday drum deals:

Yamaha DTX452K: Was $699, now $559

Yamaha DTX452K: <a href="https://imp.i114863.net/c/221109/789347/11319?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sweetwater.com%2Fstore%2Fdetail%2FDTX452K--yamaha-dtx452k-electronic-drum-set" data-link-merchant="sweetwater.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Was $699, now $559
When we reviewed the 452's sibling <a href="https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/yamaha-dtx402k-review" data-link-merchant="musicradar.com"" data-link-merchant="sweetwater.com"">the DTX402, we praised its 'great sounds, engaging training tools for budding players and compact footprint'. The 452 boasts the same virtues and beginner-friendly price point, but adds upgraded pedals and a triple-zone snare drum.

Yamaha DTX6K3-X: Was $1,899, now $1,429

Yamaha DTX6K3-X: <a href="https://imp.i114863.net/c/221109/789347/11319?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sweetwater.com%2Fstore%2Fdetail%2FDTX6K3--yamaha-dtx6k3-by-electronic-drum-set" data-link-merchant="sweetwater.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Was $1,899, now $1,429
We loved this kit <a href="https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/yamaha-dtx6k3-x-review" data-link-merchant="musicradar.com"" data-link-merchant="sweetwater.com"">when we reviewed it for the excellent sounds, tweakable module and the fantastic TCS pads which an excellent alternative to mesh. Today you can save a huge $470 at Sweetwater. We've never seen discounts like this on <a href="https://www.musicradar.com/news/best-yamaha-electronic-drum-sets" data-link-merchant="musicradar.com"" data-link-merchant="musicradar.com"" data-link-merchant="sweetwater.com"">Yamaha e-kits before.

Yamaha DTX10K-M: Was $4,639, now $3,929

Yamaha DTX10K-M: <a href="https://imp.i114863.net/c/221109/789347/11319?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sweetwater.com%2Fstore%2Fdetail%2FDTX10K-MRWSet--yamaha-dtx10k-mrw-electronic-drum-set-mesh-real-wood" data-link-merchant="sweetwater.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Was $4,639, now $3,929
Now we're talking. The prestige 10K-M looks the part with large real wood shells adorning multi-zone mesh heads all-round, powered by Yamaha's top-end DTX PROX module, plus multi-zone cymbals and pro-quality hardware throughout. Tasty.

Alesis Nitro Mesh SE: Was $449, now $299

Alesis Nitro Mesh SE: <a href="https://guitar-center.pxf.io/c/221109/1125892/14264?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.guitarcenter.com%2FAlesis%2FNitro-Mesh-Special-Edition-8-Piece-Electronic-Drum-Set-1500000312128.gc" data-link-merchant="guitarcenter.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Was $449, now $299
This special edition Alesis Nitro Mesh proves that it's possible for great e-kits to be affordable. You get tunable mesh heads here instead of cheap-feeling rubber, which feel closer to playing an acoustic drum set, while keeping the noise down to a minimum. This already affordable e-kit had $15 off right now at Guitar Center. 

Price check: <a href="https://musicians-friend.pxf.io/c/221109/1127581/14291?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.musiciansfriend.com%2Fdrums-percussion%2Falesis-nitro-mesh-special-edition-8-piece-electronic-drum-set%2Fl71942000000000%3FrNtt%3DAlesis%2520Nitro%2520Mesh%26index%3D2" data-link-merchant="musicians-friend.pxf.io"" data-link-merchant="guitarcenter.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Musician's Friend $299.99

Alesis Strike amp 12: Was $399, now $299

Alesis Strike amp 12: <a href="https://imp.i114863.net/c/221109/789347/11319?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sweetwater.com%2Fstore%2Fdetail%2FStrikeAmp12--alesis-strike-amp-12-2000-watt-1x12-inch-drum-amp" data-link-merchant="sweetwater.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Was $399, now $299
There's a chunky $100 saving on this powerful e-kit amp at Sweetwater right now. If you're sick of wearing headphones when you practice, or you want to jam with friends, this 2,000 watt powerhouse is the solution. It's also compact enough that it won't dominate a small space.

Price check: <a href="https://guitar-center.pxf.io/c/221109/1125892/14264?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.guitarcenter.com%2FAlesis%2FStrike-Amp-12-1500000289222.gc" data-link-merchant="guitarcenter.com"" data-link-merchant="sweetwater.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Guitar Center $299

GEWA G9 Club 5 E-drums: Was £3,699, now £2,999

GEWA G9 Club 5 E-drums: <a href="https://www.thomann.de/gb/gewa_g9_pro_l5_e_drum_set.htm?offid=1&affid=195&subid=hawk-custom-tracking" data-link-merchant="thomann.de"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Was £3,699, now £2,999
Thomann has stripped £650 off the price of the GEWA G9 Club 5 electronic drum set. The G9 is GEWA’s flagship series, and the Studio 5 sees the G9 module paired with some gorgeous-looking real wood drum shells for an authentic aesthetic and playing experience. The module features a large 10” touchscreen and inside there’s 901 sounds split into 40 kits, with space for 128 kits of your own. It’s comprehensive on the effects too, with an EQ and compressor per-pad, a multi-FX processor with 9 effects, and 12 types of room reverb. With £650 off, we don’t think we’ll see the G9 with this much discount again any time soon!

Roland SPD-SX Pro (UK deal): Was £1,039, now £699

Roland SPD-SX Pro (UK deal): <a href="https://www.thomann.de/gb/roland_spd_sx_pro_sampling_pad.htm?offid=1&affid=195&subid=hawk-custom-tracking" data-link-merchant="thomann.de"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Was £1,039, now £699
Roland's all-powerful new sample pad is still pretty new, but already it's discounted at Thomann! This new version includes increased trigger inputs and audio outputs, enhanced audio compatibility, some brilliant visual features, and even sequencing capabilities. For on-stage power and creativity, this is one of the <a href="https://www.musicradar.com/news/best-electronic-drum-pads" data-link-merchant="musicradar.com"" data-link-merchant="thomann.de"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">best electronic drum pads around. 

Roland SPD-SX Pro (US deal): Was $1,199, now $899

Roland SPD-SX Pro (US deal): <a href="https://www.thomann.de/gb/roland_spd_sx_pro_sampling_pad.htm?offid=1&affid=195&subid=hawk-custom-tracking" data-link-merchant="thomann.de"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Was $1,199, now $899
For lucky US buyers, the place to grab the SPD-SX Pro is Sweetwater. This upgraded version of the already ace SPD-SX boasts a larger colour screen and nifty programmable LEDs, plus extra trigger inputs which lend it more versatility in terms of setup.

Black Friday drum deals FAQ

Side profile of a person playing a drum kit

(Image credit: Getty Images)

When do the Black Friday drum deals start?

2023's Black Friday drum deals will officially come to fruition on Friday November 24th - the day after Thanksgiving. With less than a month between Black Friday and Christmas, stocking up on Christmas presents is how most people utilise their Black Friday and Cyber Weekend - with Monday 27th November seeing a slew of Cyber Monday drum deals for you tub thumpers out there. If you want more inspiration we have a drummers gift guide right here.

Last year's festivities would imply that Friday 24th won't be the only time to pick up some killer deals on drum gear. Most of the best Black Friday drum deals will start popping up from around the middle of October, some even earlier. Many of the deals will remain valid until the end of the year, too.

Obviously, we all want bargains - so during this Black Friday/Cyber Monday period, we'd keep our eyes peeled, looking to strike on a great drum deal. It's worth noting that as Black Friday is now a global event, discounts and sales may start and end at random times of the day (or night) - so watch your favourite retailers and bookmark this page too. We'll be keeping you up to date with the cheapest prices on the gear you want!

What deals should I expect?

Throughout the next couple of months, we'll be keeping an eye on the biggest drum retailers. Last year we saw our Guitar Center Black Friday deals and Musician's Friend Black Friday deals hubs going wild, with a huge influx of drum gear bargains. This year, we're expecting to see some deals of equal measure on everything from cymbals and drum sets to accessories, sticks, and more.

Black Friday is one of the best-ever opportunities in the year to grab a great drum bargain. Last year, we were blown away by the incredible savings at Guitar Center. On offer was massive savings on gear from Roland, Alesis, Tama, Gretsch & more as well as 15% off qualifying purchases with the code blackfriday15. 

Musician's Friend were also slashing up to 15% off qualifying items with the discount code BLACK FRIDAY and Sweetwater were knocking an almighty 70% off select drum equipment.

Electronic drum kits are always hot ticket items on Black Friday, and we've compiled this feature covering 5 reasons to pick up an e-kit on Black Friday. We also have a dedicated Black Friday electronic drum set deals page for all things e-drums. 

In terms of the types of deals to look out for, Black Friday bargains come in four main flavours:

  • Single item - A single product with a great discount
  • Site-wide discounts - A single discount percentage on a large range of products across a site
  • Discount codes - Load your basket to a certain value and redeem a discount code for money off your basket contents
  • Added value deals - These include multi-buy discounts, or additional products or software for free when you buy certain items

Are Black Friday deals worth it?

On the whole our experience of covering deals year-round tells us that Black Friday is the best time of year to find genuinely good offers on the top drum brands and the widest range of offers. It's a very lucrative time for the big online retailers, so they save their best deals for this time of year.

We only cover deals that we know are decent and represent the best prices of the year, so if you're drowning in options and don't know which offers are genuinely worth your hard-earned cash, if we've not covered it on MusicRadar then it's probably a hard pass. 

Do bricks and mortar shops have Black Friday sales?

Absolutely! The convenience and speed of online shopping means that often the best place to pick up great drum deal is by heading to your favourite retailer's website, but you will find great drum deals in physical stores too. Basically, everyone gets involved in Black Friday price cutting.

Buying in a physical store is particularly beneficial if you want to test a piece of gear before you buy - recommended when you're planning on spending a serious amount of cash. But don't forget that your chosen store might be limited to the stock they can fit in the building and may direct you online anyway if you miss the boat in-store.

Whether you buy online or in-store, you should always check the refund policy of the place you're shopping. This will give you extra peace of mind if you're making a big purchase, or something more impulsive that you may wish to return down the line.

Shopping tips

Here's a few pointers - based on personal experience - that will help you bag the best percussion bargains when the time comes.

1. Create a wishlist early - The most sensible way to take advantage of this year's Black Friday drum deals is to know in advance what you’re looking for. This will make searching much easier, rather than having to trawl through loads of deals you don’t want to find the ones you do, or pondering title you don't need.

2. Work out what you actually need - Check out your favourite brands, see what you need and will genuinely use - don’t waste your cash on features you'll never use. Has there been any new gear launched lately? If so, perhaps the old version will be massively discounted for Black Friday?

3. Consider your drumming goals - What do you want to achieve with your playing for the next 12 months? Do you want to record more? Practice more? Start a function band? Now could be the time to invest if the right gear comes up.

4. Streamline your current gear - Something else you should consider ahead of time is whether you have enough space in your collection for a new kit or set of cymbals. Could you offload some gear you don't use to make room and generate funds for some new gear? 

5. Sign up to mailing lists - In addition to bookmarking this page, we'd recommend signing up to mailing lists of your favourite retailers now to get the jump on the best deals when they do come around.

How we choose the deals to cover

Man showing child how to play the drums

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Here at MusicRadar, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything music-making, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products in live, recording and rehearsal scenarios when selecting the products we recommend.

First and foremost, we are players and creators, and we want to match like-minded folk with the right products for them, at the best prices.

For us to recommend a deal on drum gear or anything else it has to be a product we rate that’s a genuinely great price or part of a truly fantastic bundle. It’s also important that we only recommend retailers where you will have a positive shopping experience.

Why you can trust us

We spend a lot of our time scouring retailers for fantastic deals on our favorite drum products. Not only is it our job to research and recommend the best gear in our buyer’s guides and reviews, but we’re also dedicated to helping musicians get the best deals on the stuff they need, too. After all, the only thing better than new gear day is a hearty discount.

We cover a lot of the big sales events throughout the year, including Memorial Day4th of July sales and Amazon Prime Day, and we have a good view on which products are likely to receive the biggest discounts and when, the prices they’ve been in the past and which deals are genuinely worth a look.

Black Friday drum deals: What happened last year?

Last year's Black Friday drum deals were nothing short of spectacular, with electronic drum sets especially doing a roaring trade. We saw some tasty discounts, with Sweetwater slashing hundreds off the excellent Roland TD-07KV and Guitar Center knocking a tasty amount off a Special Edition Alesis Nitro Mesh.

We're expecting to see many more drum deals like these come around for Black Friday 2023, as well as deals on drumsticks, accessories and more. Here are a few more offers from last year to give you some idea of what you can expect this time round.

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Roland TD-07DMK: Was $799.99, now $699.99
With mesh snare and tom pads, acoustic-style hi-hat mounting, Bluetooth connectivity, USB and 25 excellent kit presets, the TD-07DMK is the top of its range. you didn't need to settle for a generic electronic set last Black Friday, this was the best e-kit deal we saw.

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Free throne worth $224.99: with select Roland kits!
Drumming is only as comfortable as the throne you park your behind on, which is why we loved this particular deal at Sweetwater. If you bought one of four select Roland kits at Sweetwater - TD-50KV2, TD-50K2, VAD506 or TD-27KV - you got a Roland Hydraulic saddle drum throne with lush velour top, for nothing!

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Free $199.99 drum mat: with select Roland kits!
You could avoid the dreaded kit creep and keep your floors or carpets in good condition with a free Roland TDM-20 large heavy-duty drum mat when you purchased select Roland kits at Sweetwater - TD-17KVX, TD-17KV and TD-07KVX included.

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Roland e-kit bundles: Save up to $225
Bundles are a great way to get everything you need to start playing. In addition to the kit, bundles can include everything from sticks and a throne, to headphones, a personal monitor, upgrades bass drum pedal, drum rug and more. Last year, Roland's Sweetwater bundles were awesome, including $225 off the Roland TD-27KV bundle, which includes an additional PDX-100 pad and mount.

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Roland VAD504: Was £3,777, now £3,190
Roland make some of the <a href="https://www.musicradar.com/news/best-electronic-drum-sets" data-link-merchant="musicradar.com"">best electronic drum sets available today, but the quality and the name comes at a premium price, which is why we love to see e-kit deals on Roland gear, particularly the top-end models. The VAD504 comes complete with full size drum pads (20" kick, 14" snare, 10" and 14" toms, plus ultra dynamic digital hi-hats and ride, all powered by the TD-27 module.

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Yamaha e-kits: Get free lessons with any purchase
There were no Yamaha discounts last year, but if you purchased any kit in the <a href="https://www.musicradar.com/news/best-yamaha-electronic-drum-sets" data-link-merchant="musicradar.com"">Yamaha electronic drum set range from Sweetwater you receiveed access to drum lessons via a free 3-month subscription to <a href="https://usa.yamaha.com/promotions/melodics/index.html" data-link-merchant="usa.yamaha.com"" data-link-merchant="musicradar.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Yamaha's Melodics app. What better way to kickstart your playing journey!

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Alesis Nitro Mesh SE: Was $449, now $349
This special edition Alesis Nitro Mesh proves that it's possible for great e-kits to be affordable. You get tunable mesh heads here instead of cheap-feeling rubber, which feel closer to playing an acoustic drum set, while keeping the noise down to a minimum. This already affordable e-kit had $100 off as part of the Musician's Friend Black Friday sale. 

Roland&nbsp;PM-100 80-watt monitor: $369.99, now $269.99
Sure, headphones are great for quiet practice at home, but sometimes you've just got to be heard. That's where the portable yet powerful 2-channel personal monitor comes in. It dishes out 80-watts of power and you can have indepent control of your drums and an independent sound source such as your smartphone.&nbsp;

Roland PM-100 80-watt monitor: $369.99, now $269.99
Sure, headphones are great for quiet practice at home, but sometimes you've just got to be heard. That's where the portable yet powerful 2-channel personal monitor comes in. It dishes out 80-watts of power and you can have indepent control of your drums and an independent sound source such as your smartphone. 

More places to shop this Black Friday

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Chris Barnes

I'm MusicRadar's eCommerce Editor. In addition to testing the latest electronic drum sets, it's my job to manage the buyer's guides on MusicRadar and help musicians find the right gear and the best prices. I'm a guitarist and a drummer and I've worked in the music gear industry for 19 years, including 7 years as Editor of the UK's best-selling drum magazine Rhythm, and 5 years as a freelance writer working with many of the world's biggest musical instrument brands including Roland, Boss, MusicRadar and Natal.

With contributions from