NAMM 07 Report by Roy Harris
This year’s NAMM show at the Annehiem Convention Centre LA was as big an extravaganza of  musical instruments as it ever is. As always the very latest in drum gear was on display for the world to check out, in many cases for the first time. We are always on the look out at Drum Central for the cutting edge of drum gear, ensuring that we can bring you the very latest products.

Situated next to Disneyland, the Anneheim Convention Centre became our own playground for four days. Quite litterally like children we smashed, crashed, bashed and trashed our way around the displays saying things like ‘Ohhhh’, ‘Whoaa’, ‘Mmmm’ and ‘Cor blimey, check the nick of that!’. The biggest attention grabbers was of course the eye candy, specially built kits, artist kits and the plain outrageous. John Dalmayan’s kit (System of a Down) was a big talking point. Each drum had been hand painted and finished by an American comic book artist. Definately one of the coolest kits I’ve ever seen, and John Dalmayan was often hanging around as well showing it off proud as punch.

Tommy Lee’s (Motley Crue) new acrylic kit was also on display. This was a big deal for us to see as the kit was specially made for Tommy by DW using RCI Starlight shells, now available at Drum Central. Prototype kits also always are great fun, such as the ddrum kit that was on a revolving plinth. This kit used the most creative use of a Gibraltar rack system I’ve ever seen. Every drum was triggered also, and the kit was totally playable utilising a centre double pedal. One kit that everyone talked about was the creation of OCDP custom shop finisher Lou Dogg, the OCDP bike kit ‘Underwater Sunset’. As if incorporating a real trike into a drum set wasn’t enough, this kit had an LCD screen fitted into the front of the bass drum, a Playstation2 in the back, and in Lou Dogg’s words ‘$5000 worth’ of air brushed graphics subtely and meticulously painted over the kit. Simply stunning. Those crazy’s at OCDP also had on display a bong drum...... don’t ask. Moving swiftly on, Drum Central favourite Thomas Lang’s Roland V Drum set up was a focal point on the Roland stand. Thomas was cool enough to demonstrate it live on a daily basis... it sounded just like his acoustic kit (!). New kits were also on display at the Tama stand like the new sparkle acrylic kits and the Yamaha stand with their anniversary Washi kit, Yamaha’s extremely limited edition kit wrapped in traditional Japanese Washi paper (we will happily take enquiries). As usual every brand had all their new finishes on show, none more striking than what was on show on the DW stand who proudly displayed a selection of their available finishes in the form of a tom wall! Never seen before also was their new twisted grain Exotic finishes.

Hot new products coming soon! A genuine bone fide innovation in pedals! Gibraltar had two new products on show, the Catapult bass pedal and new ‘bendy’ hi hat stand, both of which will be available in Drum Central soon. The both really work! Mapex had some great new gear such as the new Steel Black Panthers including case, brand new finish Green Sparkle Burst 24 Rock Saturn, Walnut Black Panthers and new Premium Finish Blue Burst M Birch, all coming soon to DC! And it gets better, P380 double pedal will be coming to Drum Central with a free case! Also available from DC will be limited edition six piece VX Series kits in Polished Black Lacquer with black hardware! Coming soon will be our brand new DW kits, stand by for more details as well as a full range of  PDP kits and DW’s percussion range Gon Bops. Check out the new DW8000 series pedals, these are similar to 5000’s bot with Steel base plates and the DW patented infinate cam adjuster as featured on the 9000 range, coming soon! Already arrived at Drum Central are the new Tama Superstar Hyperdrive kits. These kits look and sound awesome, available now at both Drum Central stores. Also new and coming soon from Tama are the newly designed Iron Cobra pedals, the new version Rolling Glide will be coming with a spring fitted under the base plate for greater response. Zildjian, Paiste and Sabian not to be left out have their new cymbal lines coming soon to DC also. Zildjian have their new A Custom EFX crashes, Sabian their new comprehensive range of O Zone crashes and Paiste have their new Twenty Series. This is just a small representation of the new items that will be available at Drum Central over the coming period, just released at NAMM.

Overall the four days at NAMM was exhausting but exhilerating. We met so many new faces and touched base with many of our American colleagues. We were entertained in a way only Americans can entertain you such as at the Zildjian and Sabian nights. Can you imagine seeing Steve Gadd, Sheila E, Teddy Campbell (the new drumming God), Rick Marotta, John JR Robinson, Zack Alford, Oscar Seaton, Zoro, Cindy Blackman to name a few playing on the one kit on one stage with one band in one evening? I still can’t quite believe I saw that to be truthful, incredible. It was good to be crowned World’s Fastest Drummer by WFD’s Boo McAffee as well (at least for a couple of minutes).

That’s it ‘til next year, and apologies to the staff of Universal Studios for throwing up on the new Mummy Ride....

Roy Harris