Drum gear
Reviews and guides covering every corner of the drum world — honest verdicts, real-world advice, and links to the best shop for your region.
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Acoustic Drums
Acoustic drum kits are the heart of what makes drumming amazing! They sound incredible, look amazing and most importantly of all, so much fun to play.
Electric Drums
Electronic drum kits are now incredibly popular among drummers. Originally seen as a novelty, they have become a key part of almost every drummer's setup.
Cymbals
Cymbals are a fundamental part of the drum kit. Cymbals are often what gives a drummer their unique sound and style.
Hardware
Pedals, stands, racks and thrones — the hardware that holds your kit together, reviewed and compared, from budget stands to flagship pedals.
Drumsticks
Drumsticks are a key part of every drummer's setup — sizes, woods, tips and finishes explained, plus reviews of the sticks worth your money.
Drum Heads
Drum heads shape your sound before anything else — coated, clear, single and double-ply, compared and explained.
Latest gear reads
Head to Head
Ludwig Supraphonic vs Black Beauty | Which Ludwig snare?
Aluminium against brass: the two most recorded snare drums in history, side by side — shell, sound, sensitivity, the price gap, and which one belongs in your first serious snare slot.
Head to Head
Pearl Export vs Tama Imperialstar | Which first kit?
The two kits every beginner cross-shops, side by side: shells, hardware, the cymbals in the box, the pedal, the sound and the resale — with a verdict on every row and a straight answer at the end.
All Our Buying Guides
Beginner drum kits | How to buy your first kit
Everything you need to buy your first drum kit with confidence — what's in the box, what the sizes mean, and the kits we'd actually spend money on.
All Our Buying Guides
Snare drum buying guide | Wood vs metal & more
How to choose a snare drum — sizes, shell materials, hoops and wires explained, plus the snares we'd buy at every budget from £150 upwards.
Pearl Drums
Pearl Session Studio Select | Ultimate drummers guide
The Pearl Session Studio Select is a drum kit that aims to give you a professional sound at a great price point. The sound is punchy with sturdy hardware
Tama Drums
Tama Imperialstar | The ultimate drummer's guide (2021)
The Tama Imperialstar is seen as one of the best starter drum kits available. For a budget drum kit, it sounds good and is of great value. In this guide,
Browse the Gear Index
Every piece of gear documented in the Rig Vault — kits, snares, cymbals, pedals and heads, ranked by who actually plays them. Open the Gear Index →
Can't decide?
Ask the Gear Guru — our AI gear expert builds the right rig for your sound and budget — or raid the Rig Vault to see exactly what the greats play.