DRUM! Magazine – Issue 15-3, Pg. 63-64

PERCUSSION

Toca gave its bongos and congas a minor facelift by placing rubber gaskets under side plates, replacing screws with leeker countersunk carriage bolts, and adding series badges. The wood drums in the Elite series now come in Desert Plains and Purple Mist, and the fiberglass drums are now available in Java Burst and Phantom Grey. Toca also displayed new lightweight Synergy dumbeks and djembes as well as hip new Graphix shakers, but the new stars were the Limited Edition Firestorm congas and bongos.

Nearly all, if not every single one, of the percussion instruments at Meinl were new products, and it was difficult to keep track of everything. The Headliner Range expanded with new and/or improved bongos, djembes, and dancing drums. There was even a set of glow-in-the-dark bongos and congas, but the NAMM people wouldn’t turn off the lights even for a quick second. Other additions include new snare cajones, bongos, conga cajones, and Floatune djembes in the Professional Range and new caixas and stand-alone surdos in the Samba series. Latin Percussion had a setup that displayed about 25 LP Accents series congas and wowed countless people. The new series features ten designs in the LP, Matador, Matador Custom, and Aspire lines, so even entry-level players can find a sweet set of congas for little cash. Raul Rekow certainly has a sweet set of congas – his new Signature Series congas and bongos in Tiger Print finish. Various accessories were also presented, like the black Stealth Jam Block, One Shot Studio shaker, and Joey Castillo add-on ack which includes a jam block, tambourine, and mounts. The Castillo pack was so popular that sticky-fingered folks kept walking away with them. Finally, as if bongos weren’t portable enough, LP introduced compact bongos for folks who don’t have enough room for a full-size set.

The orange day-glow motif was so popular that Remo brought it back for one more year. A dashing dumbek in Sapphire Ruby Designer’s Touch finish was on hand as the first product featuring the comfortable Ergo-Drum System. The new Poncho Sanchez congas were also present for the festivities. Decked out in Molten Sea Designer’s Touch finish, the congas come in four sizes. Remo also introduced the Handle-Leg Connector system that permits users to create drum set combinations by connecting Sound Shapes.

Between all the impromptu Alex Acuña jam sessions, we managed to get a glimpse at the Gon Bops booth. California Series drums are now available in several new graphics, custom lacquer finishes, and satin oil. An assortment of DW 9000 percussion hardware – such as bongo stands, double conga rack, triple conga rack, and timbale stand – was on display as well. Both conga racks allow players to place congas and bongos on the same stand to facilitate setup and tear down. Even niftier, the triple rack also featured add-on casters. For even more convenience, the 9401 bongo stand lets players play in a seated position without having to cradle the bongos between the knees.

Additionally, Gon Bops introduced the new California Series timbales, the Alex Acuña Signature Peruvian cajon, and various toys like the Ak Block and skin drum shakers. At the Pearl playground, Bobby Allende’s Signature congas shined in the new Solar Sparkle finish, but the new Folkloric congas and bongos stole the limelight. Made of oak, the congas are designed for seated players but can also be mounted on stands. Pearl also busted outwith some nifty Afro-Cuban percussion accessories like the bamboo Cata’, two new claves, an Achere shaker with handle, and a Guataca. You may not know what they are, but we saw them and they were cool. Last of all, the line of Brazilian percussion decked in festive yellow and green colors seemed ready to jump into a Carnaval parade.

In sheer contrast to the huge Roland room it faced toward, the relatively understated booth housing Hawaiian manufacturer Volcano Percussion displayed its line of beautiful professional congas and bongos. Each instrument is handmade from gorgeous island woods, like koa and mango, and fitted with stainless steel hardware. Here’s hoping we get sent on a tour of their factory. Though the popular tongue drums returned to the Mountain Rythym booth, center stage belonged to the new line of tambourines, hand drums, shakers, shekeres, udu drums, and maracas. Hand drums and tambourines come in headless, tunable, and pretuned models, and are fitted with either synthetic or goatskin heads.

STICKS

Between the seemingly nonstop artist signings, we managed to check out the Steve Smith Tala Wands at the Vic Firth booth. These bundled dowel sticks come in bamboo and birch and have a foam center that allows for more rebound than other similar bundle rods. Various sticks in the American Classic, American Custom, and Signature lines are now offered in nylon tips, and the great Steve Jordan now has his own signature branch. It seemed like every stick manufacturer debuted a bundled dowel stick, and Zildjian was no exception. We checked out the new Taylor Hawkins stick, Mezzo rods, and Suspended Cymbal mallet. The Mezzo rods are made of birch, come in two sizes, and are quite stylish. Cindy Blackman, Tommy Lee, and Body Glove stick bags were also introduced to let you carry your sticks in supreme style. Pro-Mark busted out new Jimmy DeGrasso and Jason Bittner sticks, as well as some jazz sticks that feature tiny tips for delicate sounds. Marching percussionists rejoiced at the sight of the new Optima bass drum mallets, Fitz marching sticks, Dan Fyffe educational mallets, and high-torque tuning key.

Vater got naked and showed off its new line of unlacquered Nude series sticks. Though if some nude sticks are feeling shy or a little cold, they can cover up with some Grip Tape in four different colors. The Monster Brush was particularly interesting due to its shape and versatility … but mostly its shape. The thing is thick.

Over at Regal Tip, we got a chance to check out the new Accent series. These new sticks have a round bead and come in three models: Crash, Ride, and Ping. Latin players dug the Revolution timbale stick, hard-hitters loved the new fat 2BX stick, and light hitters played around with the Grip Thai dowel rod sticks. These new rods have a rubber handle that extends past the rimshot area for more durability.

Hornets made quite a colorful NAMM debut. The sticks and bundled dowels feature ergonomically contoured handles that are painted a variety of colors and patterns. The butts are colored a dark yellow and are fitted with three rubber rings that dampen vibration and make it look like a hornet’s tush. The new 17″ Stretch sticks at Trueline make hard-to-reach places easier to reach. Offered in 5A and 5B, the long sticks are also available in standard or Diamond Grip. Also new at the show were the Rebound 2B, Rock Maple, and Jonah David and Tim Austin Signature Sticks. Xcel showed off its Speedsticks, which are fitted with a weight on the butt ends to shift the center of balance back a bit. The Powersticks have an oval lump in the handle to help drummers get a better handle on the stick. It feels a bit odd at first, but it seems to work well. If you’re feeling adventurous, their new Ribbedsticks will surely please you.

The Slapstik caught people’s attention not only because of its unusual design but also because of the musical possibilities it allows. The end of the stick has a short, flexible plastic rod that can play the hi-hats on both the upstroke and downstroke. This allows drummers to play sixteenth-notes with one hand and two-handed sixteenth triplets with ease.