Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
Don't miss these
abbey road
Studios "It's like being in a toy shop": How Abbey Road is reinventing itself
Laney Prism Mini
Guitar Amps “This ease of use is rare in such a small practice amp that covers so much tonal ground, and is the reason the Prism-Mini is worth considering as your desktop companion”: Laney Prism-Mini review
Man wearing black hat playing the Roland TD716 electronic drum set
Electronic Drums Best electronic drum sets in 2026: Top picks for every playing level and budget, tested by drummers – plus video and audio demos
Custom Line King-12 CE NT
Acoustic Guitars "For a guitar that comes in at this price, the overall build is impressive, with a level of attention to detail that’s more than respectable": Harley Benton Custom Line King-12 CE NT review
Deals of the week logo
Tech MusicRadar deals of the week: We've found over £1,000 off a PRS, $200 off the Akai Pro MPC Key 37, and so much more
Yamaha CSP-255 review
Keyboards & Pianos Best digital pianos for beginners: 8 beginner-friendly pianos handpicked by a professional piano and music gear reviewer
Christian Andreu plays his Jackson signature Rhoads with a whole lot of pyro in the background.
Artists Jackson launches spectacular EverTune refresh of Christian Andreu’s signature Rhoads
Nord Piano 6
Keyboards & Pianos Best stage pianos 2026: Our pick of the finest keyboards for live performance
A PRS McCarty 594 on a hard case
Electric Guitars Best electric guitars 2026: Our pick of guitars to suit all budgets
JHS Pedals 424 Gain Stage: this computer-gray stompbox is a preamp-cum-distortion that emulates the analogue mojo of the Tascam Portastudio
Guitar Pedals “There’s plenty of output to use the pedal as a conventional boost with tonal options. And there’s a whole area of dirt to be explored”: JHS Pedals 424 Gain Stage review
Close up of a Taylor GS Mini acoustic guitar lying on a wooden floor
Acoustic Guitars Best acoustic guitars 2026: Super steel string acoustics for all players and budgets
Deals of the week logo
Tech MusicRadar deals of the week: Score hundreds off PRS, Bose, and Moog - and grab a new guitar pedal for less than £10!
The Gretsch Electromatic Premier Jet reinvents the classic singlecut. Yes, there is the chambered body as before but with a compound radius fingerboard, Twin Six pickups, and contemporary touches such as Luminlay side-markers it is very much a modern update.
Guitars “The perfect marriage of brilliance and brute force”: Gretsch unveils the reinvention of the Jet
Mark Morton with his signature Les Paul Modern
Artists Mark Morton on the secret to his crushing Lamb Of God rhythm tone, and why some effects are best left to post-production
TC Electronic Polytune next to a Gibson Les Paul
Guitar Tuners Best guitar tuners 2026: From tuning pedals and clip-ons, to guitar tuning apps
More
  • Sly and Survivor
  • In My Life
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • One chord Diamond
  1. Drums
  2. Drum Gear

Great gear in this month's Rhythm

News
By Chris Burke published 24 April 2013

May's Rhythm, on sale now, is packed to the gills with expert reviews of tasty new gear

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Tama Star drum kits

Tama Star drum kits

Tama reveals the primary goal with the Star series was to re-examine every detail of their flagship Starclassic series "to enhance shell resonance". This has led to some interesting solutions and surprising retro features on the two kits sent to Rhythm for review - one in maple, finished in Satin Antique Brown, and the other in bubinga with a Dark Green Cordia finish.

What did Rhythm's Geoff Nicholls make of the kits? Find out in this month's Rhythm!

Page 1 of 5
Page 1 of 5
Ludwig Acrolite Limited Edition Snares

Ludwig Acrolite Limited Edition Snares

Celebrating 50 years of the famed Acrolite, Ludwig has released these special edition snares in all-over brushed aluminium. The Acrolite is undoubtedly a classic drum, so do these new snares do the name justice? Find out in the June issue of Rhythm!

Page 2 of 5
Page 2 of 5
Sabian Cymbal Vote winners

Sabian Cymbal Vote winners

Following a vote on the shortlisted 2013 Cymbal Vote Winners at Sabian's website, these four were chosen and duly sent for review to Rhythm HQ. So we have the AAX Air Splash, AAX X-plosion hats, AAX Freq Crash and AA Bash Ride up for scrutiny. How did they fare? Find out in this month's Rhythm!

Page 3 of 5
Page 3 of 5
Overtone Labs Tune-bot

Overtone Labs Tune-bot

Unlike other tuners, the Tune-bot doesn't measure the physical tension in the head or tuning rods but instead judges the pitch of the had via on onboard microphone. So is it the solution to the age-old problem of drum tuning? Expert reviewer Adam Jones gives it a go in this month's Rhythm!

Page 4 of 5
Page 4 of 5
Premier One Series snares

Premier One Series snares

Under the guidance of former KD Drums supremo Keith Keough, Premier returns to UK manufacturing with a pair of unique, handmade snares. The first is the 'Type 1' Bowood, constructed of 12 plies of old Georgian oak and cherry, all running horizontally, with an outer veneer of wild English walnut. The second is a 'Type 3' Balmoral, constructed of 15 plies of birch and African mahogany, with the plies laid vertically. How great are these drums? Geoff Nicholls rates them in this month's Rhythm!

Page 5 of 5
Page 5 of 5
Chris Burke
Read more
Man wearing black hat playing the Roland TD716 electronic drum set
Electronic Drums Best electronic drum sets in 2026: Top picks for every playing level and budget, tested by drummers – plus video and audio demos
 
 
NAMM 2026
Tech NAMM 2026: rolling news from the world's biggest music-making gear show
 
 
All the best guitar gear from this year's NAMM Show
Guitars The best new guitar gear of NAMM 2026: More effects, more amps, more guitars and more tech than ever
 
 
Music technology gear of the year 2025
Tech Music technology gear of the year 2025: Our favourite new synths, drum machines, plugins and more
 
 
Hottest music tech gear of NAMM
Tech The best music tech gear of NAMM 2026: Epic polys, acoustic synths, budget samplers, a Behringer Juno and more
 
 
Teenage Engineering EP-40 Riddim and EP-2350 Ting
Samplers “Proper old school producers might also baulk at the ease of song creation and the slick results” – Teenage Engineering EP-40 Riddim and EP-2350 Ting review
 
 
Latest in Drum Gear
Zultan 25 series
Cymbals “A versatile set with dry and dark tonal qualities”: Zultan 25 Series Cymbals review
 
 
Millenium Drums Legendary Drumbook
Drums “An extremely well-thought-out and all-encompassing piece of drum education”: Millenium Drums Legendary Drumbook review
 
 
Man jams with a guitar player and bass player on an electronic drum kit
Drum Gear These huge drum deals at Sweetwater are about to disappear – here’s your last chance to bag up to 60% off electronic drums, cymbals, sticks and more
 
 
Sleep Token drummer II Drumeo
Drum Gear “I’ve taken inspiration from the UK dance music scene": Mixwave put Sleep Token’s drummer in a plugin
 
 
DW SonicPly
Drum Gear Neil Peart called him 'the Wood Whisperer' and now he's blended metal and timber in DW's new SonicPly shells
 
 
Zultan Cymbals
Drum Gear "Crafted from Heritage. Tuned for Tomorrow": Zultan Cymbals celebrate their 25th birthday with a new high-end 25 series
 
 
Latest in News
Kenny Loggins, Charlie Puth, Michael McDonald
Artists Charlie Puth on making “yacht rock in 2026” with Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins
 
 
Teddi Mellencamp presents the iHeartRadio Icon Award to honoree John Mellencamp onstage during the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Award
Singers & Songwriters “He saved my life”: Teddi Mellencamp pays tribute to her dad at iHeart Radio Awards
 
 
suno
Tech Suno takes another step into music production with AI step sequencer MILO-1080
 
 
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 26: Olivia Dean performs onstage during the 2026 MOBO Awards at Co-op Live on March 26, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Joseph Okpako/Getty Images for MOBO)
Artists Olivia Dean cleans up at the Mobo Awards, as Pharrell Williams accepts a special prize for songwriting
 
 
Sam Fender performs onstage during day two of the Syd For Solen Festival at Valbyparken on August 08, 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmar
Singers & Songwriters “Projects like these are so important”: Sam Fender has raised £50,000 for youth music charity
 
 
Anderson .Paak
Drummers “That thing’s got great breaks”: Anderson .Paak rides through LA… playing a drum kit on wheels
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...