The Drummer's Choice is a slogan used by Drum Workshop, better known as DW Drums. It's more than a slogan though; some would say it's a simple fact. DW Drums started life in 1972. Its creator was Don Lombardi and he started out offering private lessons in drumming. Although the company name was Drum Workshop, he only occasionally gave drumming workshops, however.
Drumming has a long history, a history that is almost as long as the history of mankind itself. We humans love to beat out a rhythm, whether it's our fingers tapping time to jukebox music on a café table, or a child banging its improvised "drumstick" on anything that comes within range, drumming of one kind or another comes naturally to us.
Don Lombardi soon teamed up with a student called John Good, and in order to cover the operating costs of Drum Workshop's headquarters they started selling drum equipment on the side. Don got the idea of a height-adjustable trap seat and the duo had it manufactured. It sold well. It was also the first original drum equipment product for DW Drums.
The demand for that first piece of equipment was so great that the company soon decided to focus all their energies on creating even more products. Through double bass drum pedals and hi-hat stands with cable remote, they started making drum sets. They needed someone famous, however, to endorse their products to really get off the ground, and they soon found one in Tommy Lee, drummer of the legendary band, Mötley Crüe.
It wasn't too long before they had a whole bunch of other well-known famous drummers endorsing their products, all "born again" believers of the DW Drums products. Among them were drumming names like, Vinnie Colaiuta, Gary Novak, Travis Barker, Carter Beauford, Abe Laboriel Jr, Chad Wackerman, Larrie Londin and Jim Keltner.
Ringo Starr may not be the world's finest drummer, but he is probably the world's best known one. Did he use a set of DW drums when he played with the Beatles? I'm afraid not - DW Drums didn't exist in the 1960s when the Beatles were in their prime - but Ringo's name certainly comes up with amazing regularity when drumming is mentioned.
It was John Good who came up with the Timbre Matching system, a method of perfecting the sound that each drum was capable of making. Nothing close to this level of perfection tuning and tweaking had been seen before. DW Drums were fast becoming the discerning drummer's choice indeed!
Perhaps the main reason for the continued success of DW Drums is the passion and enthusiasm that has always been at the forefront of the company. Don and John are the stalwarts who have managed to keep all that passion and enthusiasm bubbling along. They have spent thousands of hours over the years looked at drum equipment and wondered how it could be improved, usually coming up with a winning solution.
DW Drums is now not too far away from their 40th anniversary of being in business. Are they the best drum equipment manufacturer in the world today? Many people believe they are, and most of them are drum experts who make their livings from playing drums. They should know.

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