Drums gear of the year 2017

Best in drums 2017

As another year slowly draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on what's dominated the headlines over the previous 12 months. While there’s been more than enough bad news to make you want to move underground, in the drum world things have looked far brighter. 

This year we’ve been treated to innovative playing, pioneering drum gear and brilliant new music from all corners of the drum universe. Now it’s time to celebrate the best that drums had to offer in 2017. 

We drew up shortlists of what we considered to be the gear that made 2017 such an exceptional year for drummers. And you voted in your thousands to crown winners across a slew of cacophonous categories. Click through our gallery to enjoy the cream of the crop, and follow the links to read full reviews of the winners or find even more top gear in every sector.

Best cymbals of 2017: Zildjian K Custom Special Dry

We said: "Zildjian has delivered exactly what it set out to do with this re-vamped range of Special Dry cymbals. Catering for more modern tastes, the cymbals are actually surprisingly versatile."

Full review: Zildjian K Custom Special Dry cymbals review

Don't miss: The 6 best new cymbals of 2017

Best snare drum of 2017: Yamaha Recording Custom Series

We say: “A well thought-out and superbly built collection of snares in steel, brass and aluminium that will fire up just about any musical situation.”

Full review: Yamaha Recording Custom Series snare drum review

Don't miss: The 11 best new snare drums of 2017

Best electronic percussion gear of 2017: Roland SPD::ONE percussion pads

We say: “Roland has clearly looked at the market and delivered something that is missing. Will TM-2 or SPD-SX users be selling up? Probably not, but we can definitely see the Wav pad joining proceedings for many drummers as a standalone solution to running a click.”

Full review: Roland SPD::ONE review

Don't miss: The 5 best new electronic percussion products of 2017

Best drum innovation of 2017: Roland SPD-SX Special Edition

We say: “The SPD-SX has been an essential tool for working drummers for years, but for 2017 Roland upgraded it with 16GB of on-board memory, enabling players to store hours of studio quality WAV samples. And if that’s not enough to convince you, just check out that funky new red sparkle finish!”

Don't miss: The 9 best drum innovations of 2017

Best drum kit of 2017: Sonor SQ1

We say: “Fastidiously designed and built, with the new Sound Sustainer concept Sonor’s SQ1 points the way to a new era of more practical and unobtrusive tom mounting solutions.”

Full review: Sonor SQ1 review

Don't miss: The 10 best new drum kits of 2017