Drum Kits · Models

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SJC Tour Series

Drum kit · United States

Tour Series is SJC's production custom kit: maple shells in whatever finish the order specifies, from plain lacquer to inlaid and painted work built for stage visibility.

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Player Date kits use thin mahogany, poplar, or maple shells with reinforcement rings and minimal hardware, and the resulting warm, quick-decaying tone put C&C behind a wave of Americana and indie rock records.

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WFL Super Classic

Drum kit · United States

Built while Conn held the Ludwig name, WFL kits are Ludwig drums in everything but the badge — same shells, same lugs, same factory, same man. They trade a little below their Ludwig equivalents for no reason a drummer can hear.

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Camco Oaklawn

Drum kit · United States

Camco's Oaklawn-badge drums, built in Illinois before the company moved to Kansas, are the most sought of the brand: thin maple shells, minimal hardware, and a following far larger than the production numbers justify.

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C&C Gladstone

Drum kit · United States

The Gladstone line takes the same thin-shell approach into maple with more elaborate hardware and finish work, aimed at drummers who want the vintage voice without the vintage condition.

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Slingerland Radio King Outfit

Drum kit · United States

Radio King outfits paired the solid-shell snare with maple toms and bass drums, and Gene Krupa's endorsement made them the most visible drums in America through the late 1930s and 1940s.

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Rogers Londoner

Drum kit · United States

The Londoner sets were Rogers' answer to the growing kits of the 1970s, offered in numbered configurations that ran up to double bass drums and five toms.

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Craviotto Solid Shell Kit

Drum kit · United States

Building a full kit out of solid steam-bent shells is slow and expensive, and the result is unusually loud and open — closer to a set of orchestral drums than a modern ply kit.

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Rogers Holiday

Drum kit · United States

Holiday kits carried Rogers' Swiv-O-Matic ball-and-socket mounting, which let a tom be positioned in ways competitors' hardware could not, and thin maple shells with reinforcement rings. The Cleveland- and Dayton-badged drums are the ones collectors chase.

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Ludwig Club Date

Drum kit · United States

Club Date used the same thin shells as the professional lines with simpler mounting and less hardware, which made it cheaper then and, because there is less metal touching the shell, sought after now.

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Ludwig Downbeat

Drum kit · United States

A 20" bass drum, a 12" tom, and a 14" floor tom — the configuration Ringo Starr played and the one every jazz and small-club drummer bought. Its size is the reason 1960s records sound the way they do, and the reason the format came back.

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Gretsch Round Badge

Drum kit · United States

Round Badge kits — named for the badge shape used until about 1971 — pair three-ply maple and gum shells with silver-sealed interiors and die-cast hoops. The dry, woody tone is the sound of American jazz drumming, and Art Blakey, Tony Williams, and Elvin Jones all played them.

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Gretsch Progressive Jazz

Drum kit · United States

An 18" bass drum with a 12" tom and a 14" floor tom: small, quick, and pitched high enough to sit under a ride cymbal rather than compete with it. The configuration is named for the music it was built for.

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Ludwig Super Classic

Drum kit · United States

A 22" bass drum with two toms, in three-ply mahogany and poplar with maple reinforcement rings — thin, resonant shells that are loud without being hard. Along with the Downbeat, this is the kit most 1960s and 1970s American records were made on.

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DW Collector's Series

Drum kit · United States

DW's Collector's Series is the company's flagship line of American-made custom drum kits, handcrafted to order in Oxnard, California. Kits are built from premium shell woods such as maple, birch and mahogany using DW's Specialized Shell Configuration, then finished with hand-applied lacquers and exotic veneers. It sits at the top of the DW range, with extensive options for sizes, finishes and hardware.

Model

DW Jazz Series

Drum kit · United States

The DW Jazz Series is a Collector's Series configuration inspired by American jazz. Its shells use a 3-ply gumwood core, paired with maple, mahogany or cherry plies, to produce a round, focused tone suited to everything from bebop to pop on stage and in the studio. A vintage-style rounded bearing edge broadens the kit's tonal range.

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DW Collector's Series Classics

Drum kit · United States

The DW Collector's Series Classics is a vintage-voiced configuration of DW's flagship line, built to revive big-band-era drum tone with modern construction. Its shells pair a 3-ply poplar-and-mahogany core with maple reinforcement hoops and DW's vintage-style 'butter' bearing edge for dark, punchy, quick-sustaining tones. It offers the Collector's Series' full range of finishes, shell sizes and hardware options.

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Ludwig Classic Maple

Drum kit · United States

Ludwig's Classic Maple is a professional drum series hand-crafted at Ludwig USA in Monroe, North Carolina. Kits use 7-ply, 6mm cross-laminated North American maple shells formed with Ludwig's Radio Frequency Shell Technology, giving full tonality, rich sustain and a wide tuning range across many size and finish options.

Model

Ludwig Classic Oak

Drum kit · United States

A drum kit series using a proprietary 5-ply cross-over shell with a 3-ply maple core flanked by American red oak inner and outer plies, producing a balanced, focused tone with dark presence for high-volume settings.

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Ludwig Legacy Mahogany

Drum kit · United States

A drum kit series built on a 3-ply mahogany/poplar/mahogany shell with solid maple reinforcement rings, delivering warm, woody, vintage-style tone in the tradition of Ludwig's classic shells.

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Ludwig NeuSonic

Drum kit · United States

A modern drum kit series built on a 7-ply crossover shell with a 4-ply maple exterior and 3-ply cherry interior, made in Monroe, NC using Radio Frequency Shell Technology for a warm, full Ludwig voice.

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Ludwig Breakbeats by Questlove

Drum kit · United States

A compact drum kit series designed with Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, built on 7-ply hardwood shells in small sizes (14x16 bass, 7x10 tom, 13x13 floor tom, 5x14 snare) for tight spaces while keeping professional tone.

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Gretsch Renown

Drum kit · United States

The Renown is a Gretsch maple drum series built with the classic 7-ply Gretsch formula maple shells, 30-degree bearing edges and the exclusive 'Silver Sealer' interior. It delivers Gretsch's signature warm, focused tone in a more accessible imported line.

Model

Gretsch Brooklyn

Drum kit · United States

The Brooklyn is a USA-made Gretsch drum series built with 6-ply North American maple and poplar shells, made slightly thicker than Gretsch's USA Custom. It uses 30-degree bearing edges and classic Gretsch 'Silver Sealer' shell interiors for a punchy, vintage-leaning voice.

Model

DW Performance Series

Drum kit · United States

The DW Performance Series is a handcrafted, U.S.-made drum kit line built in Oxnard, California from 100% North American maple shells (DW's HVX construction). It pairs professional shell tone and hardware, including True-Pitch tuning rods and triple-flange hoops, with a more attainable price than the flagship Collector's Series. A limited birch shell option is also offered through DW's California Custom Shop.

Model

DW Design Series

Drum kit · United States

The DW Design Series was conceived at DW's California Custom Shop to bring custom-inspired drums to a wider audience. Kits use 100% North American maple shells in DW's HVLT construction, with precision-cut bearing edges, UV-cured lacquer finishes and Mini-Turret lugs. It is positioned as a more accessible entry into DW's professional drum kits.

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Slingerland Modern Solo

Drum kit · United States

Slingerland's professional outfit through the swing years, sold around the Radio King snare and the endorsement that came with it. Original Modern Solo kits in white marine pearl are among the most photographed drums of the century.

Model

Slingerland Buddy Rich Outfit

Drum kit · United States

Slingerland catalogued a Buddy Rich configuration for decades, and the association — like Krupa's before it — did as much for the brand as any shell specification.