Other Drum & Percussion Hardware

The Pearl ISS Mounting System is a nifty little device that's designed for suspending your drums, with ISS standing for Integrated Suspension System. I recently did a session at the studio where I work where the drummer brought in his own drums and had these mounts for his tom tom drums. This will actually affect the way your drum sounds a bit, as having it mounted in this fashion will make it possible for the drum to sound out to it's full capacity. I didn't have the time to hear the drums with these both on and off, but it definitely makes sense that it's going to help with the resonance and sustain of your drums since they'll be placed how they ideally should be. I don't know all of the backing information on the Pearl ISS Mounting System in terms of all the different sizes that they make, but the ones that the drummer brought in for the session were just for his tom tom drums, ranging from about 12" to 16". Since I don't own drums with these on them, I also can't really speak to how easy or hard these are to put on. I did ask the drummer on the session and he said he's never had any problems with it at all. The Pearl ISS Mounting System mounts should be cheap enough where it's at least worth checking out or trying out to see if it makes a difference and/or is worth it for you. I do know that Pearl has other mounts of a similar kind as well, so definitely do the full research on what's out there before buying. Having said this, the Pearl ISS Mounting System seems to be a very solid idea for suspending your drums so they resonant to full capacity.

The Sound Perucssion SP770DT Drum Throne is a seat that's designed for sitting on while playing a drum kit. It's the simplest kind of drum throne and probably the least comfortable beyond using a fold up chair while playing. It's certainly adequate and isn't all that bad, but isn't as comfortable as Sound Percussion's Embroidered throne is, but is good enough in most situations. I'm not a drummer by trade, but the studio where I work at has it and every now and again I'll sit down on it to play one of our drum sets. It's a pretty small seat, but at least it's adjustable as far as height is concerned, so it should be useful for players of all sizes and kits of all sizes as well. This drum stool is perfect for the beginning player or players on all levels looking for the cheapest drum throne possible. However, if you play every day and are gigging or recording a lot, I can definitely see how this would become uncomfortable after a little while. For this reason I'd recommend that those who are playing everyday probably go with something else, but then again those players will probably already know this. Having said this, the Sound Perucssion SP770DT Drum Throne is just fine in most situations and certainly for players on all levels. It's definitely worth the time to go to a music store and actually try it out along with something a bit more comfortable to see if it's worth it to spend the extra money on something that will most likely last longer and give you more mileage. The price makes it just about the cheapest drum stool available, so if that's the goal for you when it comes to a stool, look no further than the Sound Perucssion SP770DT Drum Throne!

The Taye Drums Hardware Pack Z is a decent combination of 2 cymbal stands, a hi-hat stand, a bass drum pedal, and a snare drum stand. Most hardware packs of this level have the same contents. This came with my Taye Studio maple kit when I first bought it. The drum set was used, but the hardware in the Z pack was new. I wasn't in need of any extra hardware because I had a set of very heavy duty TAMA hardware that I was happy with, as well as my own set of pedals. However, I wasn't about to turn down the chance to try a new set of hardware for free, and I am glad I got the chance because the Taye Z Pack was actually very good. All of these stands are double braced, which is one of the most important things to look for in hardware. They are billed as being not too heavy, but they are definitely solid. Both the crash/ride stands also have 3 points of adjustment along their body, which adds some ease and variability of adjustment. Many lower end cymbal stands only have 2 points of adjustment, and this can be a real pain. The snare stand is really convenient because of the bend it has at the neck. It is easier to raise or lower the snare head because of this and it is possible to tilt the snare at more unique angles. The hi-hat stand is pretty sturdy and the pedal is reasonable responsive. The top hi hat attachment stays in place for as long as it needs to. The only piece I wasn't totally satisfied with was the bass drum pedal, because it felt a bit clunky to play. It was slow to respond and difficult to adjust. I didn't expect much from a Taye bass pedal because that isn't their specialty. Considering that I have played extremely cheap pedals that feel better than this, it was a bit of a disappointment. Overall, this is a good hardware pack. I wouldn’t go out of my way for it, but if it comes with a purchase I recommend it.