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  1. Drums
  2. Drum Gear

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

News
By Rhythm magazine, Tom Porter published 3 June 2011

May 2011: kits, edrums, snares and mics

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Drum gear of the month: May 2011

Drum gear of the month: May 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, snares, drum mics and edrums - including Meinl’s new FX pedal first seen at NAMM 2011 (why should guitarists have all the fun?) - from Rhythm Magazine's gruelling testing process. First reviewed in Rhythm issue 190 (and one from Future Music issue 240) and published on MusicRadar throughout May.

Scroll on for this month’s top picks and click through to read each product’s full review. First up: Mapex’s new Black Panther addition, the Velvetone kit…

Page 1 of 12
Page 1 of 12
Mapex Black Panther Velvetone drum kit (£2210)

Mapex Black Panther Velvetone drum kit (£2210)

MusicRadar’s verdict:

With three other BP kits to choose from, which one will be the most popular remains to be seen, but the Velvetone will be hard to beat. With powerful projection and warm, full tone; excellent toms; and a quality finish, it’s a sure-fire hit.

4 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Mapex Black Panther Velvetone drum kit

(Reviewed by Geoff Nicholls - Rhythm Magazine issue 190)

BUY: Mapex Black Panther Velvetone drum kit currently available from:
UK: Thomann

Page 2 of 12
Page 2 of 12
Tama Silverstar drum kit (£800)

Tama Silverstar drum kit (£800)

MusicRadar’s verdict:

With its easy-to-control, all-birch tone, Tama's Silverstar is, like Premier's new Birch Genista, a professional quality kit at an intermediate price.

4 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Tama Silverstar drum kit

(Reviewed by Geoff Nicholls - Rhythm Magazine issue 190)

BUY: Tama Silverstar drum kit currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Gear4Music | DV247
US: Sweetwater | Full Compass

Page 3 of 12
Page 3 of 12
Yamaha Gigmaker drum kit (£530)

Yamaha Gigmaker drum kit (£530)

MusicRadar’s verdict:

Striking finish, great quality. The Gigmaker kit encapsulates a lot of what makes Yamaha drums great but still manages to come in at a budget price.

3 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Yamaha Gigmaker drum kit

(Reviewed by Adam Jones - Rhythm Magazine issue 190)

BUY: Yamaha Gigmaker drum kit currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann | Gear4Music | DV247
US: Full Compass

Page 4 of 12
Page 4 of 12
Techtonic DD512 electronic drum kit (£449)

Techtonic DD512 electronic drum kit (£449)

MusicRadar’s verdict:

It might not be fussy and it might need careful setting up, but the DD512 seems set to earn its place in the market in convincing fashion.

4 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Techtonic DD512 electronic drum kit

(Reviewed by Jordan McLachlan - Rhythm Magazine issue 190)

Page 5 of 12
Page 5 of 12
Dixon Matrix Green Snare drum (£453)

Dixon Matrix Green Snare drum (£453)

MusicRadar’s verdict:

Considering Dixon's perceived low-end profile, this snare seems a little pricey. However, it's a capable drum that, considering its unforgiving shell composition, has enough finesse to handle the delicate dynamics of buzz rolls and subtle ghost notes. Drummers will love the open sound - sound engineers probably won't! This model may never become a 'classic' per se, but it could prove to be a good workhorse.

3 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Dixon Matrix Green Snare drum

(Reviewed by Dave Holmes - Rhythm Magazine issue 190)

Page 6 of 12
Page 6 of 12
Meinl FX Pedal (£189)

Meinl FX Pedal (£189)

MusicRadar’s verdict:

A well made product that's easy and a lot of fun to use and can have some great results. It's just unfortunate it's limited to a few preloaded sounds.

3 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Meinl FX Pedal

(Reviewed by Charlie Price - Rhythm Magazine issue 190)

BUY: Meinl FX Pedal currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann | Gear4Music | DV247
US: Full Compass

Page 7 of 12
Page 7 of 12
Sontronics DM Drum Mics (DM1S and DM1T £119, DM1B £299)

Sontronics DM Drum Mics (DM1S and DM1T £119, DM1B £299)

MusicRadar’s verdict:

A set of well-tuned drum mics that deliver balanced clarity right off the bat and keep EQing to a minimum.

4 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Sontronics DM Drum Mics

(Reviewed by Future Music issue 240)

BUY: Sontronics DM Drum Mics currently available from:
UK: Thomann | DV247

Page 8 of 12
Page 8 of 12
Drum gear of the month: April 2011

Drum gear of the month: April 2011

Now read: Drum gear of the month: April 2011

Skip to:

Pearl E-Pro Live drum kit

PDP Mainstage drum kit

DW Performance Series drum kit

Meinl Classics Custom Series cymbals

Morgan Davies Snare Drums

Duende Duo and Latino Cajons

Toca Freestyle Mechanical Djembe

Tycoon Percussion Acrylic Cajon

Page 9 of 12
Page 9 of 12
Drum gear of the month: March 2011

Drum gear of the month: March 2011

Now read: Drum gear of the month: March 2011

Skip to:

Guru Drumworks Walnut drum kit with Oak snares

Premier Genista Maple and Genista Birch drum kits

Dixon Artisan Custom Traditional Maple Series drum kit

Techtonic Unplugged Rock drum kit

Meinl M-Series cymbals

Matt Nolan cymbals

Robert Daniels Fine snare drum

Remo Tar Frame Drums

Samson 7kit

Page 10 of 12
Page 10 of 12
Drum gear of the month: Feb 2011

Drum gear of the month: Feb 2011

Now read: Drum gear of the month: Feb 2011

Skip to:

PDP Blackout snare drum

2Box DrumIt Five electronic drum kit

Odery Fluence Fusion Series drum kit

Performance Percussion PP300R Starter Kit

Stagg Vintage Bronze thin crashes

Remo Apex and Advent Djembes

Page 11 of 12
Page 11 of 12
Drum gear of the month: Jan 2011

Drum gear of the month: Jan 2011

Now read: Drum gear of the month: Jan 2011

Skip to:

Gretsch Renown Maple Drum Kit

Stagg TIM322BK drum kit

Puresound Custom Pro snare wires

Porter And Davies 'BumChum' BC2 silent bass drum monitor

ddrum Hybrid drum kit

Remo Tattoo Skyns

Page 12 of 12
Page 12 of 12
Tom Porter

Tom Porter worked on MusicRadar from its mid-2007 launch date to 2011, covering a range of music and music making topics, across features, gear news, reviews, interviews and more. A regular NAMM-goer back in the day, Tom now resides permanently in Los Angeles, where he's doing rather well at the Internet Movie Database (IMDB).

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