Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Guitar Amps
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • EVH trance state
  • Antonoff on Please Please Please
  • “Mick looked peeved. The Beatles had upstaged him”
  • 95k+ free music samples

Recommended reading

Superbooth live
Synths Superbooth 2025: all the latest synth news from Berlin, as it happened
Superbooth 2025
Synths 12 new instruments and effects you need to know about from Superbooth 2025
Millenium MPS-850 E-Drum set
Electronic Drums “Boasts an array of features above its relatively low price”: Millenium MPS-850 E-Drum set review
Drumcraft Bell Brass Snare
Snare Drums “An excellent entry point into the world of cast-shell drums”: DrumCraft Bell Brass Snare review
Alesis Crimson III
Electronic Drums Alesis’ popular Crimson e-kit just got an upgrade with version III sporting new heads and a new BFD-powered drum brain
Millenium Drums book
Drums Millenium launches new book for drummers of all ages and abilities
Sleep Token
Drums “We tried it as a laugh and now it’s our standard setup”: The secret sauce behind Sleep Token’s live drum sound
  1. Drums
  2. Drum Kits

Musikmesse 2014: Coolest drum kits, finishes and gadgets at this year's show

News
By MusicRadar published 14 March 2014

Our drum porn senses are tingling

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

What a croc

What a croc

Musikmesse 2014: Every year at the bumper Frankfurt music show we do our best to hunt down the coolest, quirkiest and most unique drum kits and products, and 2014 has been a bumper year.

First of all, what about this crazy (but thankfully not real) crocodile skin finish from Peace Drums worthy of Mick Dundee himself...

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of 10
We can see clearly now

We can see clearly now

This new acrylic addition to DW's Design Series is awesome, and looks amazing in the flesh, complete with chrome hardware and packing a 22" bass drum. It should be keenly priced too.

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of 10
The new old

The new old

Premier's One Series continues to turn heads, and this snare drum was no exception, with a nod to Gretsch's pre-aged relic series announced at NAMM. Of course, being the One Series, this will be the only one that looks exactly like this. Still, stunning drum.

Page 3 of 10
Page 3 of 10
Out of the darkness

Out of the darkness

We've all struggled to tune easily on a dark stage. Those between song tweaks would be made far more effective if we could shed a little light on the situation. Dixon drums are here to save the day with the Brite Key drum key, complete with LED light built in. It runs on three small coin cell batteries and really does the trick. It even has a bottle opener for those post-show beers when you can celebrate staying in tune for the whole gig.

Page 4 of 10
Page 4 of 10
Pie in the sky

Pie in the sky

These Masterwork cymbals really caught our eye. We've seen etched cymbals before and we've seen coloured cymbals before, but nothing as elaborate as this. There were multiple ornate designs on display. We're not sure we'd want to play them though.

Page 5 of 10
Page 5 of 10
Art on metal

Art on metal

Masterwork weren't the only ones experimenting with cymbal design either. Check out this oriental-style example from T Cymbals.

Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10
Anybody know what brand this is?

Anybody know what brand this is?

Each year Pearl shows off what it can do with custom finishes and here's a VBA kit with some serious branding! What do you think?

Page 7 of 10
Page 7 of 10
Introducing Shell Shield from Natal

Introducing Shell Shield from Natal

A funky new finish with a cool texture from Natal. It's not just a cosmetic thing though. This is Natal's Shell Shield, a hardwearing polyurea protective coating sprayed onto the shells. The coating is water resistant and protects your drums from all manner of scrapes and knocks. Great for the touring drummer, and Natal tell us that is doesn't affect the sound of the shell at all.

Page 8 of 10
Page 8 of 10
Shoot some hoops

Shoot some hoops

These Swiss-made drums caught our eye at last year's Musikmesse. The show piece for them in 2014 is this stunning kit with insanely deep bass drum hoops. As well as looking striking they could also double up as a shelf to keep all your Grammys on.

LB had plenty of other beautiful custom snares on display too. A new brand well worth checking out.

Page 9 of 10
Page 9 of 10
Stick the light on

Stick the light on

What drummer wouldn't want a light fitting made entirely from drum sticks? Well you can't, because it was made exclusively for the Murat Duril stand, by the guys at Murat Diril themselves. Pretty awesome though and we're getting the glue gun out as we type...

Page 10 of 10
Page 10 of 10
MusicRadar
MusicRadar
Social Links Navigation

MusicRadar is the number one website for music-makers of all kinds, be they guitarists, drummers, keyboard players, DJs or producers...

  • GEAR: We help musicians find the best gear with top-ranking gear round-ups and high-quality, authoritative reviews by a wide team of highly experienced experts.
  • TIPS: We also provide tuition, from bite-sized tips to advanced work-outs and guidance from recognised musicians and stars.
  • STARS: We talk to musicians and stars about their creative processes, and the nuts and bolts of their gear and technique. We give fans an insight into the craft of music-making that no other music website can.
Read more
Superbooth live
Superbooth 2025: all the latest synth news from Berlin, as it happened
Superbooth 2025
12 new instruments and effects you need to know about from Superbooth 2025
Millenium MPS-850 E-Drum set
“Boasts an array of features above its relatively low price”: Millenium MPS-850 E-Drum set review
Drumcraft Bell Brass Snare
“An excellent entry point into the world of cast-shell drums”: DrumCraft Bell Brass Snare review
Alesis Crimson III
Alesis’ popular Crimson e-kit just got an upgrade with version III sporting new heads and a new BFD-powered drum brain
Millenium Drums book
Millenium launches new book for drummers of all ages and abilities
Latest in Drum Kits
Alesis Crimson III
Alesis’ popular Crimson e-kit just got an upgrade with version III sporting new heads and a new BFD-powered drum brain
Millenium MPS-850 E-Drum set
“Boasts an array of features above its relatively low price”: Millenium MPS-850 E-Drum set review
DrumCraft Urban Beats
DrumCraft’s Urban Beats delivers pro-quality looks and sound for the compact stage and budget
DrumCraft Series 3 Junior
DrumCraft’s new Series 3 Junior packs a punch for new players
Danny Carey of Tool's kit
See Tool and BEAT drummer Danny Carey warming up behind his enormous kit
Roland TD-716 e-kit in a rehearsal room with a Marshall cab in the background
“Sounds aren’t just ‘good for a module’, they’re genuinely useable, realistic and ultimately very enjoyable to play": Roland TD716 review
Latest in News
Robbie Williams [left] wears a white scarf and a gold sparkled tank top. Tony Iommi plays his SG and wears a shades, a long black leather coat and a gold cross
Robbie Williams drafts Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi to play guitar on his new single
a-type
Universal Audio's new plugin emulates a legendary '70s production trick heard on recordings from Queen, AC/DC and Fleetwood Mac
Electro-Harmonix Oceans Abyss Advanced Reverb Laboratory: not so much a reverb pedal as a MIDI-enabled workstation.
EHX promises a “completely unique soundscape building experience” from the Oceans Abyss über-reverb
Brent Mason
“I thought, 'Well, now I have a Strat, a Les Paul, and a regular Tele all in one’”: How a top session player struck gold
Isaac Carpenter Guns N Roses
Welcome to the bungle… Watch Axl Rose take umbrage when GNR's new drummer plays the wrong song
Laufey
Laufey on how a vintage guitar and amp inspired recent single Silver Lining

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

  • 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...