For many drummers there is nothing like the thrill of ordering a new drum set or snare exactly the way we want it. The thought can be daunting, though, so we caught up with Charlie at Badges Drum Shop in Cincinnati, Ohio to ask him a few questions.
"...all instruments are expensive, but I’m constantly amazed at how affordable great drums are - even built-for-you custom drums - relative to other instruments."
Table of Contents
Understanding Custom Drums: Custom vs. Special Order
Q: First, what exactly is a custom drum?
That’s a good question because the term “custom” gets used to cover a lot of ground. In the simplest sense it means ordering drums that sound and look the way you want from the brands you trust through an authorized dealer, often an independent drum shop.
Custom drums can be full sets, snares, or add-on toms.
It might help to quickly clarify between a custom order and a special order because these are different yet there is overlap, so people get confused by these terms.
- Custom Order drums are built to order specifically for you based on your selections made from that brand’s range of options. The range of customization varies from brand to brand. There are sometimes hundreds of combinations of sizes, finishes, and details from which to choose so the end result is personalized to your vision and needs. Lead times vary from a few weeks to several months depending overwhelmingly on finish. Sometimes drum shops order custom drums for their shop inventory, giving you access to one-off builds instantly.
- Special Order drums are standard drums offered by the manufacturer and ordered for you. These drums are offered in predetermined sizes and finishes so are more frequently pre-built and in stock at the manufacturer, so lead times are shorter to non-existant. Prices are often considerably lower but some stock drums are among the finest and priciest available.
Drum makers require drummers to work with an authorized dealer for either kind of order. Which route is best for you depends on your drumming goals, budget and timeline. Some drummers know exactly what they want and others need help deciding or even getting started. Here’s where your independent drum shop comes in – to listen, advise, and help make ordering simple.
Q: Why should I order through an independent drum shop like Badges Drum Shop?
What independent drum shops offer that big stores can’t are the drumming expertise and personal attention you need to exactly see your dream through or guide you if you have questions about how to get the sound and features you need for your playing style and budget. Most independent shops don’t charge anything extra for the expertise, service, and communication; it’s just what we do.
Badges Drum Shop is just one of the dozens of US drum shops helping drummers with custom orders. If you have a local drum shop or favorite drum shop and they represent your favorite brand, please support your home shop. Your orders make a difference and independent shops exist only with the drumming community’s support. If you don’t have a home shop or your shop can’t get you what you need, any of us would be honored to help you now or in the future.
The Drum Directory has a list of all the independent drum shops and it’s handy, not just for ordering drums but for planning where to stop on your next road trip.
Q: What brands and drum builders partner with independent drum shops?
Many independent drum shops represent at least one new drum brand and some represent several brands. Badges Drum Shop, for example, is an authorized dealer for Gretsch, Ludwig, DW, PDP, Craviotto, Sonor, Noble & Cooley, Dunnett, and Canopus. We have helped drummers order from each of these great brands.
Click to view custom drum examples below!
Most drum brands list their authorized dealers and dealer locations on their websites.
Q: You mentioned custom orders are a growing part of your business — why do you think that is and who is typically ordering custom kits?
Badges Drum Shop is seven years old, so the gradual growth in this area for us is likely just the cumulative effect of communicating what’s possible and making these possibilities accessible.
As I buy drums for shop inventory, I keep the full range of options for custom and special orders in mind. There are a lot of custom drums here that I specced myself. Even for stock items, I rarely buy the same set or snare twice. I want people to be inspired, not just by the beauty of the instrument they play but the variety of what’s possible for them and their playing. It’s a small shop so I can only show so much at one time, but over time, there is a lot of ground covered in sizes, finishes, configurations, details, prices.
Making custom ordering accessible to more drummers is important. There are excellent options at a wide range of price points, so independent shops take drummers’ budgets seriously and can offer solutions grounded in that financial reality. Like us, many shops offer financing both online and in the store. Don’t worry if you don’t have a shop close to you; most shops will gladly ship to you. Last month we shipped a Gretsch USA Custom snare to Taiwan and have shipped to drummers in several other countries. We’ve made some great friends this way.
Who orders custom ranges greatly because there are options for most everyone. Sometimes it’s a working pro player who has painstakingly worked out every detail of their order before they contact us. Some are drummers with a million questions. Sometimes it’s a drummer who is evolving and realizing the set they have limits their progress or is for a prior version of themselves. Some are buying a second kit or an additional snare or an add-on drum to fill a sonic gap. Some are drummers who have just run all the miles out of the set they have and they need more dependability or functionality. Some orders even come from non-drummers – parents or spouses who want to bless the drummer in their life or urge them forward.
The Custom Ordering Process
Q: What does the custom order journey look like at Badges from first conversation to delivery?
The basic steps are:
- First conversation about preferences and needs
- If you know what you want, you’re usually reaching out for a quote and a lead time
- If you don’t know what you want, we’ll talk with you about your goals, playing style, and budget to make recommendations or help you zero in on a best fit
- Price quote and estimated lead time – or multiple quotes and lead times if you want to compare paths
- Follow up conversation, adjustments, fine tuning
- Drummer decision
- Payment at the shop or online (we send a custom link with order details); financing is available both in the store and online
- Order confirmation
- Delivery of completed drums to the shop where your drums are carefully unpacked and inspected to make sure all is well, and then either set aside for your pickup or carefully repacked for shipping to you
- Pick up or delivery
Q: There’s often a perception that ordering custom drums is expensive, complicated, or takes forever — how accurate is that?
There are excellent options at a wide range of prices. Most brands offer multiple lines for the express purpose of meeting drummers where they are financially. An experienced shop can help you hone in on the best fit quickly.
Drum makers set drum prices first by line and then by size and finish.
For the lines that offer a multitude of size and finish options and therefore a custom experience, the price is typically higher for a couple of reasons:
- Components are often of heartier construction
- The company is bearing the overhead of offering all of those extra choices and all the labor of hand building drums one at a time.
But beyond that, you won’t pay a premium for a custom built set. Most shops will charge you standard MAP (Manufacturer’s Advertised Pricing) even if your set is fully custom; if you order a set in the sizes, finish, and details you want, you’ll pay the same price as if that set were already built. You don’t pay extra for the personal attention or the one-off build.
So, is custom for you?
It’s important to put that question in terms of the value of a quality decision. Spending a bit of extra time and money up front to get what suits and inspires you can be cheaper in the long run than impulsively buying the wrong drums that cost you time and progress and require a replacement purchase. But that may or may not require a custom order. I’m a firm believer that tuning and playing skills are more important than having the perfect drums, but having drums that reasonably suit your playing and your journey is key. Drums are an instrument.
Speaking of instruments, all instruments are expensive, but I’m constantly amazed at how affordable great drums are – even built-for-you custom drums – relative to other instruments. My wife is a cellist and I have friends who are guitar players and pianists; these folks are investing at a whole different level of tens of thousands. One professional grade trumpet runs as much as a custom drum set. A saxophone is more. We drummers are blessed to have so many beautiful, affordable options.
And regarding the build time, it’s faster than most people think. While some processes cannot be rushed (for example, the curing time required for lacquer finishes) the timeline for custom drums can be as little as a few weeks for beautiful wraps. While I’ve had wood finish drums take as long as a year, shorter lead times are common.
I ordered a custom 5-piece DW Collector’s Series in Walnut Satin Oil (below), fully expecting it to take the better part of a year and it came in about four months.
I quoted the usual 8-12 weeks for a customer’s recently-ordered Gretsch USA snare (below); it came in a couple of weeks.
So, prepare for the worst case, but know that drum makers are real people who take pride in doing their best for you.
What's Possible
Q: When someone comes to you for a custom kit or snare, how much creative freedom do they actually have? Walk us through the range of options available like finishes, shell types, sizes, hardware, etc.
This varies by drum brand and for the various lines within each drum brand.
For most lines within a brand, the shell construction is set (for example, all Ludwig Classic Maples are 7-ply maple) any options in size and finish and details build from there.
If you’re ordering custom, your choices will include…
- Dozens of finishes – over 100 for some brands – that include wraps, satin oils, and lacquers
- A range of sizes – widths and depths – for bass drums, rack toms, floor toms, and snares.
- Hoop choices – triple flanged, single flanged, die cast, wood, etc.
- Hardware finishes including of course chrome plus nickel and brass; various finishes like gold and matte black and darkened silver and more
- Additional options – tone control, mounts and arms, lug style, rod style, bracket style, head style, and more
If custom is not for you, not to worry. There are excellent pro-worthy stock choices that I proudly recommend and are a fraction of the cost of custom builds. Your choices will include…
- Shell configuration (stock number of pieces in various stock sizes)
- Finishes – more limited than for custom but there are some absolutely stunning choices – woods, wraps, lacquers
Something to note about those stock options is that they may be available through a large retailer who will deliver the drums unassembled and untuned. If you buy those same stock drums through your home shop, your shop will likely assemble them and tune them for you and, if you’re a less seasoned drummer, show you how to ergonomically set them up and adjust them for optimal playing.
Custom Drum Examples
Gretsch USA Custom Drum Set in Ginger Glass Glitter - 12x16, 8x12, 14x14
Ludwig Classic Maple Drum Set in Vintage Black Oyster - 14x22, 7x10, 8x12, 16x16
Noble & Cooley Union Series Drum Set in Antique White High Gloss - 14x24, 7x10, 14x14
Photo credit to Noble & Cooley: the set was drop-shipped to our customer
DW Collectors Series Drum Set in Natural to Regal Blue Fade with Visible Grain - 18x22, 9x10, 10x12, 14x14, 16x16
Sonor SQ2 Tom in African Marble with Semi-Gloss Natural Clear Finish
Gretsch Brooklyn Bass Drum in Black Glass
Gretsch 6.5x14 Broadkaster in Satin Gold Duco Snare Drum with Micro-Sensitive Throw, Tone Control, and Snap-in Key Holder
