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1. Yamaha’s Matt Rudin 2. Tama’s Bill Ludwig. 3. Dixon Drums’Jim Uding.
raising the image and the level at which Dixon is being viewed,” Uding said. “We also have our Little River Select in differ- ent sizes with wood hoops and a two-tone finish that is natural mahogany to a white burl lacquer. Something we spent 2024 on was the development of our middle-of-the- line Cornerstone kit, and this is the Cor- nerstone Select. It’s traditional sizes, very functional and very band-room-friendly. We’re truly a full-line drum brand with several different options, all with good sound and performance results.” Tama, a well-established maker of hy- brid drum kits that successfully combine woods in cool ways, made inroads with a new piece of hardware: the Mirror Rod, a lightweight, machined-aluminum twin- pedal drive shaft designed to facilitate extremely smooth, mirror-like action between both sides. “A common challenge for drummers using twin pedals is the noticeable dif- ference in play between the two sides,”
said Bill Ludwig, Tama’s drums manager. “The Mirror Rod addresses this issue by incorporating eight ball bearings strate- gically positioned near the axis of rota- tion. This innovative design minimizes latency, resulting in a faster, smoother and more balanced playing experience. That is one of our biggest new products because there’s a lot of engineering that went into it.” The Mirror Rod boasts universal com- patibility, making it suitable for a wide range of twin pedal brands. “There are other companies out there making after-market rods to connect to your double pedal,” Ludwig noted. “It’s all in an attempt to make things more equal and more even. But, as Tama always does, they applied great engineering to that and came up with a unique spin on it that’s an edge above the competition.” DIGITAL DESIGN UPGRADES Yamaha addressed a design trend in the
electronic drums market with a new op- tion that lets players enjoy the easy feel of mesh heads instead of heads made from textured cellular silicone. The two-ply mesh heads that expand the company’s DTX6 series of electronic drums offer not only a bouncier user-friendly feel, but also pro- vide the appeal of larger playing surfaces. “It’s a phenomenal playing surface,” said Matt Rudin, Yamaha’s product marketing manager for drums. “You can adjust the tension so it feels good playing it, and the bigger surfaces are great for intermediate drummers — size sells. It’s kind of like jumping on a trampoline. It’s exhilarat- ing, whereas with a real drumhead you have to work a little more and have proper form. You’re seeing a lot of these mesh heads with entry-level electronic drums now, so I’m seeing kids learning on mesh. And when they’re ready to upgrade, it’s what they’re used to playing, so I get it. I think we’re going to see a lot of that with electronic drums.” MI
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