Some Of The Best Acoustic Drums

YAMAHA

Founded in 1967 YAMAHA has been one of the leading brands in music gear. The YAMAHA factory in Osaka creates their high-end professional drums and all of their marching percussion. One factory produced the entry-level GigMaker kit and the intermediate-kit Stage Custom Birch. Their factory in Indonesia produces the Tour Custom and the newly introduced Rock Tour series drums. The Indonesian factory uses the same machinery and techniques in their drum shells and all of the craftsmen working there are trained by Japanese craftsmen from the Osaka site. The only difference between these two plants is that the Osaka plant uses the more exclusive woods maple, birch and oak

TAMA

Hoshino Gakki began manufacturing drums in 1965 under the name “Star Drums”. Hoshino, the family name of the founder, translates to “star field” Tama Seisakusho, originally opened in 1962 to manufacture Ibanez guitars and amplifiers. The production of guitars and amps was moved in 1966, but the production of drums there continued to grow. Hoshino decided to make high-quality drums and hardware and started marketing its drums under the Tama brand. Tama was the name of the owner’s wife, meaning “jewel”. “Star” continues to be used in the names of Tama’s drum models today. Tama is known for their long lasting, great sounding, durable drum sets.

DW

DW or “Drum Workshop” was founded in California 1972 by Don Lombardi. It was originally a teaching studio that offered private lessons and the occasional workshop. Lombardi, along with student and current Senior Executive Vice President John Good, began a small drum equipment sales operation to cover the facility’s operation costs. This operation soon created the first-ever DW product The height-adjustable trap seat, which was envisioned by Lombardi. The company expanded after their high demand product and soon after they were selling various drumming gear.

MAPEX

MAPEX began manufacturing drums in 1989. They make seven different lines of drums. The introductory Voyager and Horizon series. The intermediate Meridian Birch / Meridian Maple, and the professional level Saturn and Orion. In years past the V and Pro M series were called the Venus and Mars series, in keeping with the tradition of naming the kits after planets. The quality of these series have changed a bit since they dropped the old names though.
Mapex is also associated with Falcon pedals, Black Panther snare drums and kits, and Tornado starter kits.

GRETSCH

Gretsch drums were founded in Brooklyn, New York by Friedrich Gretsch and have been used by various famous drummer throughout many decades. Friedrich Gretsch was a German immigrant who opened his own musical instrument shop in 1883. After Friedrich’s death in 1895, his son, Fred Gretsch Sr., took over the business as a teenager. The company owned and operated six properties and were passed down from generation to generation within the family. In January 2015, the Lombardi Family announced that Drum Workshop had become the exclusive manufacturer and worldwide distributor of Gretsch Drums. Lombardi stated that the factory in Ridgeland would remain open and that the Gretsch Family still owned the company. Gretsch continues to add the world’s best drummers to their musician roster.

PEARL

Pearl was founded by Katsumi Yanagisawa who began manufacturing music stands in Sumida, Tokyo in 1946. In 1950, Yanagisawa focused on manufacturing drums and named his company “Pearl Industry, Ltd.” Pearl has made shells for more than 30 companies. In the 1960s, they stopped making shells for other companies, and began manufacturing drums under their own name.
Their construction technique is known as SST or “Superior Shell Technology.” All Pearl drums feature this construction. Each ply is placed into a cylinder, and pressure is applied from both sides. While in the press, the shell is heated to bring the glue to a boil, forcing it through the wood grain and fusing the shells tightly. The individual plies are scarf jointed, and all the seams are offset, creating a “seamless” drum. This creates a drum shell of incredible strength.

LUDWIG

Ludwig Drums is an American manufacturer of percussion instruments. The Ludwig Drum Company was established in 1909 by William F. & Theobald Ludwig, sons of a German immigrant to the United States.William Jr. was a professional drummer, who played with circuses and touring vaudeville shows, along with the occasional skating-rink gig. This work was not consistant so he and his brother, opened a drum shop in Chicago. They called it Ludwig & Ludwig. The company originally started with a design and manufacture of a functional bass drum pedal. The brand gained popularity in the 1960s, through the endorsement of The Beatles’ drummer Ringo Starr and they grew from there

PREMIER

Premier Music International Limited is an English manufacturer of drum kits and percussion instruments. In the 1920’s at the height of the Jazz age, drum builder George Smith partnered with drummer Albert Della Porta to launch Premier, in London, at the peak of its vibrant live music scene. The factory moved quickly into production of drum kits and portable tuned instruments. Premier’s name has been associated with many star performers in various musical genres all around the world.