Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Drums Week 25
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Guitar Amps
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Artist news
  • Drums
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Santana on Beck
  • Friday, I'm in Love
  • Knopfler's 4-note secret
  • 95k+ free music samples
Don't miss these
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
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
Drum Kits Where to start with a drum kit
DrumCraft Urban Beats
Drum Kits “A good-looking kit which won’t break the bank”: DrumCraft Urban Beats review
Yamaha Stage Custom drum set in a studio with spotlights behind
Drum Kits Best drum sets 2025: Top drum kits for beginner to pro drummers
Millenium Drums Legendary Drumbook
Drums “An extremely well-thought-out and all-encompassing piece of drum education”: Millenium Drums Legendary Drumbook review
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
Man in orange shirt playing drums with a guitar player
Drum Gear Best drum thrones 2025: my pick of budget-spanning stools for comfort behind the kit
Alesis Strata Prime electronic drum set in a blue room
Electronic Drums Best Alesis electronic drum sets 2025: My pick of Alesis electronic drums for beginners to pros
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
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
Alesis Strata Club
Electronic Drums “There is no question that there’s enough quality audio here to cater for every musical taste and presents a massive amount of editing options”: Alesis Strata Club review
Drummers When British rock drumming ruled the world
TAMA STAR Drums
Drums TAMA STAR at Drums Week 2025: Unmatched craftsmanship, iconic sound — the strongest name in drums just got even stronger
Tama pedals
Drums TAMA Kick Pedals at Drums Week 2025: Precision, Power, Performance — engineered for drummers who demand the fastest, smoothest response
  1. Drums
  2. Drum Gear

New drum gear of the month: review round-up (June 2013)

News
By The MusicRadar Team published 3 June 2013

All of May's drum gear reviews in one place

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

MXL Essentials Drum Recording Kit

MXL Essentials Drum Recording Kit

Every month Rhythm - the UK's best-selling drum magazine - publishes the finest independent drum gear reviews.

Here we've brought together all of the latest cymbals, kits, electronic drums, percussion and other drum-related gear to have passed through the magazines' pages in the last month.

All the equipment on show here was originally reviewed in Rhythm magazine issue 216, or by MusicRadar's own reviews team.

MusicRadar’s verdict:

"This kit makes a great introduction to quality drum microphones."

4 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: MXL Essentials Drum Recording Kit review

(Reviewed in Rhythm issue 215)

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of 9
Premier One Series Snares

Premier One Series Snares

MusicRadar’s verdict:

"After a five-year hiatus Premier is back manufacturing on UK soil. Showcasing British craftsmanship of the highest order, the One snares encompass a virtually unlimited range of exotic woods."

5 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Premier One Series Snares review

(Reviewed in Rhythm issue 215)

Page 2 of 9
Page 2 of 9
Truth Custom Drum Kit

Truth Custom Drum Kit

MusicRadar’s verdict:

"This is a typical American custom kit, powerful sounding and comprising carefully worked Keller shells with generic hardware. Truth undertakes to build any sizes and finish you can dream up."

3 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Truth Custom Drum Kit review

(Reviewed in Rhythm issue 216)

Page 3 of 9
Page 3 of 9
Bullet & Kitch/Natal Double Kick

Bullet & Kitch/Natal Double Kick

MusicRadar’s verdict:

"Having experimented with the various settings during the review, the pedals remain set pretty much as they arrived - they feel amazingly natural underfoot and perform beautifully with little compromise on the dilemma of power versus speed."

4 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Bullet & Kitch/Natal Double Kick review

(Reviewed in Rhythm issue 216)

Page 4 of 9
Page 4 of 9
Gear4Music WHD 14"x6.5" Steel Snare And Gigbag

Gear4Music WHD 14"x6.5" Steel Snare And Gigbag

MusicRadar’s verdict:

"This might not be the most subtle of snares, but for less than £100 – including a gigbag! – it's a great little drum and is certainly worth checking out."

3 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Gear4Music WHD 14"x6.5" Steel Snare review

(Reviewed in Rhythm issue 216)

BUY: Gear4Music WHD 14"x6.5" Steel Snare currently available from:
UK: Gear4Music

Page 5 of 9
Page 5 of 9
Cymbal Doctor Home Pro Cymbal Cleaning Kit

Cymbal Doctor Home Pro Cymbal Cleaning Kit

MusicRadar’s verdict:

"Used judiciously, Cymbal Doctor is way more effective than anything else we have encountered."

3 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Cymbal Doctor Home Pro Cymbal Cleaning Kit review

(Reviewed in Rhythm issue 216)

Page 6 of 9
Page 6 of 9
Meinl Marathon Series Timbales

Meinl Marathon Series Timbales

MusicRadar’s verdict:

"Unleash your inner Latin with these powerful steel shell timbales."

4 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Meinl Marathon Series Timbales review

(Reviewed in Rhythm issue 216)

BUY: Meinl Marathon Series Timbales currently available from:
UK: Thomann | Gear4Music

Page 7 of 9
Page 7 of 9
J. Leiva Percussion Zoco Cajon

J. Leiva Percussion Zoco Cajon

MusicRadar’s verdict:

"Leiva's Zoco is a high-quality, versatile addition to the cajon market, sounding impressive in all musical styles and represents unprecedented value for money."

4 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: J. Leiva Percussion Zoco Cajon review

(Reviewed in Rhythm issue 216)

BUY: J. Leiva Percussion Zoco Cajon currently available from:
UK: DV247

Page 8 of 9
Page 8 of 9
Meinl RAPC Series Bongos

Meinl RAPC Series Bongos

MusicRadar’s verdict:

"Unleash your inner Latin with these powerful steel shell timbales and innovative plywood shell bongos. Marathon timbales and RAPC bongos are reasonably mid-priced with a good choice of attractive finishes."

4 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Meinl RAPC Series Bongos review

(Reviewed in Rhythm issue 216)

BUY: Meinl RAPC Series Bongos currently available from:
UK: Thomann

Page 9 of 9
Page 9 of 9
The MusicRadar Team
The MusicRadar Team
Social Links Navigation

MusicRadar is the internet's most popular 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 artists and musicians about their creative processes, digging deep into the nuts and bolts of their gear and technique. We give fans an insight into the actual craft of music-making that no other music website can.

Read more
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
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
Where to start with a drum kit
DrumCraft Urban Beats
“A good-looking kit which won’t break the bank”: DrumCraft Urban Beats review
Yamaha Stage Custom drum set in a studio with spotlights behind
Best drum sets 2025: Top drum kits for beginner to pro drummers
Millenium Drums Legendary Drumbook
“An extremely well-thought-out and all-encompassing piece of drum education”: Millenium Drums Legendary Drumbook review
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
Marek "Ashok" Šmerda wears corpsepaint that makes him look a little like Hellraiser's Pinhead as he performs live with Cradle of Filth.
Cradle of Filth guitarist Ashok fired mid-tour, days after keyboardist wife quits citing low pay and “toxic” atmosphere
Rick Rubin .
"He made so many of those songs better with just one little nudge”: Daron Malakian on Rick Rubin
Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye performs on stage during the 'After Hours Til Dawn Tour' at MorumBIS on September 7, 2024 in Sao Paulo, Brazil
The Weeknd is looking to raise $1 billion using his back catalogue as collateral
Third Man Hardware x Black Mountain Roto-Echo: the roller wheel equipped delay pedal is a compact and performance-friendly stompbox that's available in black or limited edition white. Jack White has used it onstage and in the studio during the sessions for No Name.
Jack White’s Third Man teams up with Black Mountain for the Roto-Echo, a delay controllable by foot
Every Breath You Take video still
Sting sued by ex-Police colleagues for a share of Every Breath You Take royalties
bitwig
Bitwig takes its flagship DAW to "another level" with Bitwig Studio 6

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...