Drummers are a funky bunch. They spend thousands of dollars on sets they wind up replacing after a few months, and their garages are full of “spare” cymbals they’ve used once or twice. What are the things that you can buy that they don’t already own?
Dozens of things come to mind – practice pads, drum muters, polishing kits, or even a full set of electronic drums. If the drummer in your life’s birthday is coming up and you’re out of ideas, let me present to you some of the best gifts for drummers in 2022.
What Are the Best Gifts for Drummers?
Here is my list of the best gifts for guitar players this year.
1. Drumeo Membership for Online Drumming Lessons
These days, you no longer need to drive (or fly) for hours to get to a reputable drumming instructor – they stream online lessons, which are far more convenient and affordable than traditional ones.
I propose you gift your drummer friend a membership to Drumeo’s online drumming lessons. Some of the biggest names in the music industry teach on this website, and they frequently bring in guest stars; this month, the legendary Steve Smith of Journey is teaching how to craft exciting drum solos, for example.
Drumeo offers over 3,100 songs and practice tools, as well as a curated step-by-step curriculum for drummers of all skill levels. Whether your friend wants to learn the basics, improve their hand & foot technique, master blast beats, or build endurance, Drumeo’s experts will certainly help.
2. Electronic Drum Amp
If your giftee has a set of electronic drums but doesn’t yet have an amp, then getting them the best electronic drum amp is the perfect gift!
Donner’s DDA-35 amp is small, fairly powerful, and won’t break the bank. With features like Bluetooth connectivity, tone control, 2 instrument inputs, and an aux input, it’s built for versatile use.
3. Drum Set Multi-Tool
Every drummer needs a multi-tool to fine-tune their kit, replace cymbals, affix hooks, and make adjustments on the fly. If you’re looking for a quality one to gift to your friend, I recommend this Pearl Tech Tool.
It features three Phillips screwdrivers, a drum key, multiple hex keys, a flathead, and a bottle opener. This is a great gift for beginners, although since multi-tools are small and hence easy to misplace, most drummers could use a backup.
4. Drum Damper Gels
Drummers use damper gels (gel pads) to achieve more control over their sound. By placing these pads on their snares and toms, they reduce vibrations while somewhat muffling the sound.
This is an ideal solution for drummers that can’t play at home because their neighbors complain about the noise. Boao’s drum pads come in a set of 48 in varying sizes, plus they’re very affordable.
5. Cymbal Care Kit
To prevent cymbals from becoming rusty, drummers use care kits and polishes. Even though cymbals aren’t supposed to be cleaned too frequently, the average bottle of polish typically doesn’t last more than a few months.
Dunlop’s 6400 System 65 is one of the most comprehensive cymbal care kits on the market, featuring a regular cymbal cleaner, cymbal “intensive care”, as well as a polish & cleaning solution for drum shells.
This drum care kit also comes supplied with a special cleaning mitt that is gentle and perfect for use on old, worn-out cymbals while being suited for new ones as well.
6. Ultra Isolation Headphones
One of the best gifts for drummers is a set of noise-isolating headphones. With them, your friend or loved one can rock out to their favorite tracks without the music being drowned by super-noisy drum sounds.
KAT Percussion’s KTUI26 offers outstanding ambient noise reduction, lowering external noise by up to 26 decibels. For reference, that’s the level of noise you’d hear in an average suburban area.
Sound-wise, KTUI26 boasts an extended frequency range, a non-colored tone, and true passive isolation. With muffs as big as these, your friend can concentrate on their drumming while practicing, playing with friends, or performing at gigs.
7. Vic Firth Drumsticks
If your friend expressed that they want a pair of drumsticks for their upcoming birthday, I warmly recommend going with Vic Firth’s 5A set. All drumsticks may appear as same to non-musicians, but what separates Vic Firth models is the fact that all sets are pitch-paired. They produce identical sounds and resonate at identical pitches.
The teardrop tip of the 5A set can be used to produce a range of different sounds while the balanced weight ensures these sticks are suited for virtually all music genres and playing styles.
8. Soundbrenner Metronome
A pocket digital metronome is everything a drummer needs to be ready and on time with their playing wherever they are.
Soundbrenner’s metronome is an app-based metronome that can integrate with your library, featuring simple customization controls, such as setting tempo speeds, time signature, tap tempo, and more.
9. Electric Drum Kit
What’s cool about electric drumsets is the fact that you can play as loud or as quiet as you want. They’re great for drumming at home over earphones, or for gigs when the acoustic kit can’t dish out enough versatility.
Alesis’s Nitro kit features three configurable cymbals, a snare, a kick drum (with a double bass pedal), and three toms. It also sports a versatile processor with 60 inbuilt tracks, over 350 drumset tones, and a variety of effects.
10. Big Fat Snare Drum
The big fat snare drum is an additional skin that you can simply place on top of your existing snap drum. It enhances the tone and gives you a beefy, thuddy nare with ease. It can endure months of punishment while retaining its thundering tone. If you’re looking for a practical gift for your drummer friend, it doesn’t get much better than this.
11. Donner Drumming throne
For drummers, the height at which they sit while they play is absolutely crucial. That’s why most people use drum thrones instead of regular chairs.
If that’s something your drummer friend needs in their rig, I recommend Donner’s drum throne. It is stylish, sturdy, and fully customizable. This throne can support up to 200 kg of weight and should endure more than a few years of use with proper maintenance.
12. Drum Stick Bag
A drummer carrying sticks in their hands looks all but professional. You could always carry them in a backpack, but a compact, lightweight bag dedicated to storing drumsticks is a far more convenient option.
ProMark’s drum stick bag boasts a sleek waterproof design; it’s much sturdier than average as it is made from quality synthetic leather with ballistic nylon reinforcements. Its handles are magnetically connected, ensuring that the bag remains attached to the shoulder at all times. It’s a cheap, meaningful gift that all drummers would appreciate.
13. Kick Block
Even though drum sets are believed to be “stationary” instruments, every kick on the bass drum moves the construction by an inch. To prevent this, drummers are barricading their bass drums with all sorts of things; from pillows, over furniture, to amps from their fellow bandmates.
Kick Block is the name of the company that designed a very practical solution to this problem – a foam block featuring ultra-grippy Velcro material that is virtually immovable when placed on a Velcro-compatible rug.
It’s small, lightweight, and far more aesthetically pleasing than a pile of rags and towels. Your friend will never have to worry about a sliding drumkit ever again once you gift the KickBlock to them.
14. Digital Drum Tuner
Tuning drums is a meticulous, boring, and necessary process. For gigging drummers, it would be much easier if the rest of the band could remain silent while the drummer tunes the kit, but that’s rarely the case.
With Tunebot TBS 001, these problems do not exist. It’s a pocket clip-on tuner that will help your drummer friend tune their drums with surgical accuracy. It features separate modes for different pieces, and it’s as easy to use as an average guitar tuner. Even though it may be a little more expensive than an average gift for a drummer should be, it’s well worth the money.
15. Cowbell for Drumset
I’m not sure if cowbell would’ve remained a relevant piece of any drummer’s arsenal was it not for the ultra-popular Blue Oyster Cult skit (“We need more cowbell!”). It’s such a responsive, versatile cymbal that it could be classified as a standalone instrument.
Whether your friend got into drumming through “Don’t Fear the Reaper” or simply enjoys more percussive tones, Stagg’s CB305BK Rock Cowbell is a perfect gift. It’s easy to play, a bit more difficult to control, and despite the fact that it’s made by one of the biggest manufacturers of high-end drums and accessories, CB305BK is actually pretty affordable.
16. Yamaha EAD10 Drum Module
Ever wondered what would happen if someone made a digital processor for drums? Well, Yamaha did it with EAD10 Drum Module.
This is the most comprehensive tone control center for drummers, offering 50 inbuilt user tones and 200 sound banks, as well as a range of onboard controls. Additionally, it sports separate reverb controls, several effects, and the ability to record drum tracks with the provided Yamaha microphone.
Yamaha’s EAD10 Drum Module costs several hundred dollars, but it’s one of the best gifts for drummers that are close to your heart. It may forever change the way they perform, record, and practice.
17. Hi-Hat Tambourine
Bands in the 50s and 60s used to be much larger, featuring one main drummer and several musicians in the “percussion” section. These percussionists would play the cowbell, smash a ridiculously sized hammer onto massive toms, clap in rhythm, or use a tambourine.
Modern drummers can now do pretty much everything alone. Meinl Percussion’s Headliner Hi-Hat tambourine is a unique accessory that drummers can use to add a sharp, jangly emphasis to their hi-hat tone.
It’s very easy to use, as it sports highly customizable hardware, and it doesn’t get permanently attached to the hi-hat stand; your friend can take it off whenever they don’t need it.
18. Drum Practice Pad
It’s easy to recognize a drummer – they have this irresistible habit of tapping things with their fingers (air drumming). While many consider this to be “practice” of sorts, hitting a practice pad is proper training. That’s why I recommend gifting the drummer in your life the RealFeel Practice Pad by Evans.
The surface of this pad is meant to recreate the feeling you’d get after hitting an actual drum, but it is much more durable. It can be used anywhere, as it produces a muffled “clicking” noise instead of a loud thump of a real drum.
19. Cymbal Bag
Cymbals are not only the heaviest pieces of any drum set but they’re also the most unwieldy ones. They need to be carried with extra as they may become damaged if rubbed against each other. If your drummer friend is bringing their cymbals to the gig by hand, you may want to consider gifting them ProTec’s Deluxe 6-pack cymbal bag.
This bag is outfitted with five separate compartments and a front pocket with zippered enclosure for accessories (perfect for storing wrenches, drum keys, and a pair of backup sticks).
20. Double Bass Drum Pedal
Metal drummers can’t wait to start practicing blast and gravity beats but often spend their entire budget on quality cymbals, toms, and snares first. Many drummers who’ve purchased pre-made kits are usually dissatisfied with their double bass pedals.
If you show up at your drummer friend’s birthday with the Iron Cobra 200, I guarantee they’ll stutter in amazement. This is one of the best double basses available on the market, and fortunately for you, Iron Cobras aren’t as expensive as they used to be.
21. Drum and Cymbal Mutes
Playing on a practice pad can only get you so far. How about muting an entire set and practicing real drumming movements and techniques in silence? Evans’ SoundOff drum and cymbal mutes can make it happen. This is the perfect gift for drummers that are wasting money renting studios to practice.
Wrapping Up
The best gifts for drummers can be symbolic things, such as multi-tools or practice pads; but they can also be things that they’ve always wanted but never had an opportunity to obtain, such as an electronic drum set, or a proper gig bag. Talk to your giftee casually about what’s missing in their drumming life; I can guarantee one of the ideas I’ve recommended above will do the trick.
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