Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Recording Week 25
  • 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
More
  • As It Was preset
  • Don't Give Up
  • Ron Wood's drum secret
  • 95k+ free music samples
Don't miss these
Man plays Alesis Nitro Max drum kit with black sticks
Electronic Drums Best beginner electronic drum sets 2025: top-rated entry-level e-drums, reviewed by experts
Drummer sat at an e-kit places a pair of headphones over his head
Drummers Best headphones for drummers 2025: sound isolation for the studio, rehearsal room and stage
Kids hands on a beginner keyboard
Keyboards & Pianos Best keyboards for beginners 2025: Get started with our expert pick of beginner keyboards for all ages
Zildjan Alchem-e Kit
Drums Zildjian Alchem-e Kits at Drums Week 2025: The feel of real drums meets limitless electronic expression – redefine your sound
Drum Kits Where to start with a drum kit
Alesis Nitro Ultimater
Electronic Drums Alesis's new 9-piece Nitro Ultimate electronic drum kit is its new flagship, and the hi-hat is the star
Yamaha DTX6K5-M
Electronic Drums "Remarkably the DTX Pro is capable of layering up to four individual samples - one more than Roland’s flagship V71 module": Yamaha DTX6K5-M review
Futuristic image of a drum set covered in neon lights and a drummer looking at a large screen
Electronic Drums Where might electronic drums go next? Here are 9 of our predictions
A PRS McCarty 594 on a hard case
Electric Guitars Best electric guitars 2025: Our pick of guitars to suit all budgets
Zultan Raw Clap Clap
Cymbals “Offers a very useful solution for clap emulation without needing to use electronics”: Zultan Raw SlapClap review
Electronic drum set pioneers: Neil Peart
Electronic Drums 11 trailblazing players who raised the bar for electronic and hybrid drumming
Deals of the week
Gear & Gadgets MusicRadar deals of the week: Score a massive $1,000 off Roland V-Drums, up to $320 off a range of Fender guitars, and so much more
sonible
Tech 6 drum processing techniques to help you program state-of-the-art beats
Man with beard playing an Alesis Nitro Pro drum set
Electronic Drums “Many of the Pro’s advantages are less towards sound, and more on the side of enhanced playability”: Alesis Nitro Pro review
Roland TR-1000 drum machine
Tech Roland's TR-1000 combines analogue 808 and 909 recreations with the best parts of the TR-8S and more
  1. Drums
  2. Drum Gear

New drum gear of the month: review round-up (August 2011)

News
By Rhythm magazine, Si Truss published 1 August 2011

Electronic kits, snares, kits and more

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

Drum gear of the month: August 2011

Drum gear of the month: August 2011

Every month MusicRadar’s industry-leading sister magazines - Guitarist, Computer Music, Total Guitar, Rhythm, Future Music and Guitar Techniques - publish the best independent and in-depth music-making gear reviews.

This is a collection of kits, cymbals and electronic drums - including Korg’s Oriental-themed Wavedrum - from Rhythm Magazine's gruelling testing process. First reviewed in Rhythm issue 191 and published on MusicRadar throughout June.

Scroll on for this month’s top picks and click through to read each product’s full review. First up: the return of Yamaha's Club Custom name...

Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
Yamaha Club Custom Kit

Yamaha Club Custom Kit

MusicRadar’s verdict:

Yamaha delivers an original, great-sounding pro series at an attractive price - about five per cent less than the Absolute Birch and Maple.

4 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Yamaha Club Custom kit

(Reviewed by Geoff Nicholls - Rhythm Magazine issue 192)

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
Gretsch Mark Schulman Signature Snare

Gretsch Mark Schulman Signature Snare

MusicRadar’s verdict:

We can imagine this snare will be ideal as a second snare for rock/pop but would be elevated to main snare status for reggae or ska music. Overall, it's a fantastic drum.

4 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Gretsch Mark Schulman Signature Snare

(Reviewed by Dave Holmes - Rhythm Magazine issue 192)

BUY: Gretsch Mark Schulman Signature Snare currently available from:
UK: Thomann

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
Pearl Limited Edition Vintage Sensitone Snare

Pearl Limited Edition Vintage Sensitone Snare

MusicRadar’s verdict:

This drum may be modest-looking in comparison with its previous incarnation but is far from bashful. Solidly built and well finished, it's a characterful, authoritative and downright irresistible drum.

4 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Pearl Limited Edition Vintage Sensitone Snare

(Reviewed by Adam Jones - Rhythm Magazine issue 192)

BUY: Pearl Limited Edition Vintage Sensitone Snare currently available from:
UK: Gear4Music

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
Roland TD-9K2 & TD-4K2

Roland TD-9K2 & TD-4K2

MusicRadar’s verdict:

This is an important kit for Roland and the new features work hard to keep it on top of its game. The TD-4K2 features less in the way of whizz-bang new features. But with a price that remains close to that when it was introduced a couple of years ago, and with that cloth-faced kick, it's still a cracking kit.

4 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Roland TD-9K2 & TD-4K2

(Reviewed by Jordan McLachlan - Rhythm Magazine issue 192)

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
Drum gear of the month: July 2011

Drum gear of the month: July 2011

Now read: Drum gear of the month: July 2011

Liberty R Series kit

Gretsch Renown '57 drum kit

Alesis DM7 USB electronic drum kit

Korg Wavedrum Oriental

Toontrack The Classic EZX Expansion Pack

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
Si Truss
Social Links Navigation

I'm the Managing Editor of Music Technology at MusicRadar and former Editor-in-Chief of Future Music, Computer Music and Electronic Musician. I've been messing around with music tech in various forms for over two decades. I've also spent the last 10 years forgetting how to play guitar. Find me in the chillout room at raves complaining that it's past my bedtime.


Read more
Man plays Alesis Nitro Max drum kit with black sticks
Best beginner electronic drum sets 2025: top-rated entry-level e-drums, reviewed by experts
 
 
Zildjan Alchem-e Kit
Zildjian Alchem-e Kits at Drums Week 2025: The feel of real drums meets limitless electronic expression – redefine your sound
 
 
Where to start with a drum kit
 
 
Alesis Nitro Ultimater
Alesis's new 9-piece Nitro Ultimate electronic drum kit is its new flagship, and the hi-hat is the star
 
 
Yamaha DTX6K5-M
"Remarkably the DTX Pro is capable of layering up to four individual samples - one more than Roland’s flagship V71 module": Yamaha DTX6K5-M review
 
 
Futuristic image of a drum set covered in neon lights and a drummer looking at a large screen
Where might electronic drums go next? Here are 9 of our predictions
 
 
Latest in Drum Gear
Zultan 25 series
“A versatile set with dry and dark tonal qualities”: Zultan 25 Series Cymbals review
 
 
Millenium Drums Legendary Drumbook
“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
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
“I’ve taken inspiration from the UK dance music scene": Mixwave put Sleep Token’s drummer in a plugin
 
 
DW SonicPly
Neil Peart called him 'the Wood Whisperer' and now he's blended metal and timber in DW's new SonicPly shells
 
 
Zultan Cymbals
"Crafted from Heritage. Tuned for Tomorrow": Zultan Cymbals celebrate their 25th birthday with a new high-end 25 series
 
 
Latest in News
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 27: D'Angelo performs at The Apollo Theater on February 27, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Shahar Azran/Getty Images)
Neo-soul pioneer D’Angelo has died, aged 51
 
 
Harley Benton CLF-50E Parlor Metallic: the compact-bodied acoustic has been launched with a range of metallic finishes.
Harley Benton’s new acoustic is a compact parlour with a solid top and metallic colour finish – and it is just $250
 
 
DANA POINT, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 26: Andrew Watt of Earthlings performs live on stage during Ohana Music Festival at Doheny State Beach on September 26, 2025 in Dana Point, California. (Photo by Jim Bennett/Getty Images)
It took an intervention from Paul McCartney for Mick Jagger to offer Andrew Watt a job with the Rolling Stones
 
 
Behringer
"The rebirth of phase distortion": Behringer releases its Casio CZ-1 clone, the CZ-1 Mini
 
 
Fender's American Professional Classic series photographed against the side of a chrome tour bus [L-R]: Jaguar in faded Sherwood Green Metallic, HSS Stratocaster in Faded Lake Placid Blue, Stratocaster in Faded Firemist Gold, Telecaster in Faded Butterscotch Blonde, Precision Bass in Faded 3-Color Sunburst.
Fender gives its US lineup a retro-modern makeover with the American Professional Classic range
 
 
akai mpk
Akai unveils MPK Mini IV with pitch and mod wheels, new keybed and full-size MIDI output
 
 

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...