Musikmesse 2015: 5 drum highlights

MUSIKMESSE 2015: A lot of the drum and percussion products on display at Musikmesse were revealed at NAMM, but we found a few hidden gems in the drum hall. Here are our highlights.

First up, we liked the look and sound of Pearl’s Fibreglass kits at NAMM, but here’s a stunning looking new finish to compliment it. This particular finish is called Satin Cocoa Burst, and we reckon it looks amazing. The kit features 7ply, 7.5mm shells (2xPoplar, 4x Kapur, 1x Fibreglass).

These intriguing metals drew our eye, first for the look, and then for their sound. The idea behind the range is to compliment drummers who are playing more electronic music, or at least music with electronic elements.

The order of the day is trashy but musical sounds, with some being very niche and others that could work well outside their intended purpose. Our highlight was the 21” Rough ride, complete with four giant hammer marks halfway between the bell and edge. This adds to the trash and really speeds up the decay.

Other cymbals in the range include the 21” Glassy ride, 20” Bright ride, 18” Sibilant crash, 19” Full crash, 12” FX china and 13” Noisy hats.

We also got a chance to see some new metals designed in association with British drummer and endorser Rob Brian. The idea of the XT Edition range is to provide drummers with a versatile set of hats, crashes and rides that will work in a huge variety of session and live situations. First impressions are of nice tonal range with a lot of dynamics across the surface of each cymbal. More on these cymbals as we have it.

Tucked away on Tama’s stand was an update to their famous Tension Watch tuning device. The TW200 is compact and would slip easily into a hardware or cymbal bag. The dial is upward facing making it easier to read and comes with a detachable nylon bumper meaning it will give you consistent measurements at a uniform distance from the hoop at each lug.

If you’re looking for perfect tuning and would prefer to rely on something other than just your ears, or one of the many digital devices and apps on the market, then this is a worthwhile investment.

New from the Turkish cymbal maker, Iris cymbals are hand hammered from B25 bell bronze and elicit an extremely quick response, perfect for electronic music, but whilst maintaining a warmness to the sound.

There are three distinctive areas on the cymbals, including a raw bell and brilliant finish edge.

Continuing their love of all things small and compact (see theirPac-D Compact Plus kit), this 10”x4” Maple Effect snare took our fancy. Small but mighty, this black drum is the perfect auxiliary snare to offer drummers the pop that they need.