Made in the US?

Drums have gone very much the same way as cars when trying to determine what is "American Made" and what is not.

You can buy a car made by an American brand, but it might have a majority of foreign made parts, and will certainly have at least some foreign made parts. You can also buy foreign brand cars that are are assembled in the USA, and made from a majority of USA made parts, making them more "American Made" then some of their "American Brand" counterparts. My late mother always told me to only ever buy American made cars, but she bought a Honda because her cousin owns and operates a factory in Ohio that makes nothing but parts for Honda cars.

Drums are going the same route. Nearly every American made drum set contains foreign parts (rims, tension rods, wing nuts, etc). And as noted, nearly all American brands have their less expensive lines entirely made overseas.


Which again, gets complicated, as Pearl, Yamaha, Mapex, etc, all have US based subsidiaries with are legally USA corporations, with large US facilities, that employ a large number of US workers. The Pearl and Yamaha facilities in the USA are both larger and have more US workers than the entire DW factory. (Yamaha is a bit screwed though, given they deal with far more than just drums are their office).

And most decent drums sets come with Remo or Evans heads, so even many foreign based drum kits have either heads made in America, or heads made by an American based company.

Mapes has now really complicated what is American and what is not with their Mydenity drum line, which is foreign brand, with foreign parts, but fully assembled in the USA. One could possibly debate a Mydenity kit is more "American" than some of the "Made in China" kits sold by Gretch or Ludwig.

And while some have made the point, well, at least you can buy an American brand, even if the drums are made over seas. But now get this twist: Ludwig is owned by Conn-Selmer. Conn-Selmer is owned by Steinway Musical Instruments. 32% of Steinway Musical Instruments stock is now owned by Samick, a Korean based company.

So, now it is fully possible to buy a drum set made in china, with an American brand name on the label, and have 32% of the upper most corporate profits eventually end up in Korean based hands.

So, while buy American is a nice concept in drum, in practice, it's darn difficult to actually accomplish, to the point it is almost pointless to try to consider, unless you purchase a real high end kit. And even then, I bet the tension rods and metal hoops have overseas roots.
That's a very well informed post!
 
I am a Canadian and I play American made drums.

Before I switched, I had a set of Canadian drums that had American (fibes) lugs, British (Premier) hoops, American (Ludwig) bass drum claws, and Japanese (Pearl) tom mounts.

I have been playing DW for ten years now, and aside from that Imelda Marcos impulse shopping urge that comes over me every now and again, have no desire to change. If this keeps a bunch of hippies working in Oxnard well then that is just a bonus.

Barry
 
...

The New York Times detailed how Apple's iPhone ended up being made outside America. Apple executives visited a factory in China to see if it could cut the glass precisely for the phone's touch screen. When the Apple team got there, the factory owners were already constructing a new wing. This is in case you give us the contract, the manager explained.

How could they afford such an extravagant gesture? Well, it turns out, "The Times" noted, that they received subsidies from the Chinese government.

...

But this same thing happens in every country, not just china. Its business, or the cost of doing business. All kinds of gov't incentives. Low corporate taxes in may western nations (US incl.) is just another less obvious incentive.

The economy and markets are global. As noted on here, US companies making US drums but with many parts made offshore, and so on. Shareholders demand profits, forcing US companies to produce cheaply offshore. Peter's desire for profits, affects job opportunities for Paul.

Returning to the OP, the best thing he could do with $1k is buy a used US kit off a US person. Plenty of great used kits out there.
 
i threw away my money on a gretsch club jazz... it was a very poorly made drum kit that required a lot of fixing... you could tell there was no care taken in the manufacturing process
 
i threw away my money on a gretsch club jazz... it was a very poorly made drum kit that required a lot of fixing... you could tell there was no care taken in the manufacturing process

I am sorry you ended up with a poor set of drums. Mine is good quality. I have owned four Mapex sets, three Pearl sets, a Slingerland set, and a Corder set. My Catalina Club Jazz kit has been very good for the two years I have had it, just as good as any that I have had before. I suppose I am lucky that I got a good one. Peace and goodwill.
 
Note on shareholders:

Of the "American" brands, only Ludwig is owned by a company that has publicly traded shares.

The Gretsch name is still owned by the Gretsch family, although nearly all of their manufacturing, distribution and such has been either licensed or sold to KMS, who are in turn owned by Fender, who are attempting to go public, but are privately owned until that happens.

DW is privately owned.
 
The US brands include Asian-made lines... Ludwig, Gretsch and DW have very successful, high quility drums that are made in China and Taiwan. It's easy to find what you want for less than $1k, and still support a US brand.

Bermuda

Supporting a US brand means little unless you are supporting US workers at the same time.

Very often, stuff from China is good quality for a great price - at least a monetary price. The costs for environmental protection and worker safety don't get charged to the consumer - they get charged to the worker and the environment. So these products usually have a lot of mud and blood on them. Poor working conditions, no environmental protections account for the low "cost." I applaud the OP for wanting to buy domestic.

There's a thread around here about Gator cases and how the new ones immediately corrode metal. I'll bet you anything they moved production to China and the cases were made with highly corrosive chemicals. Imagine what that did to the workers in the factory but we may never know.
 
Supporting a US brand means little unless you are supporting US workers at the same time.

Very often, stuff from China is good quality for a great price - at least a monetary price. The costs for environmental protection and worker safety don't get charged to the consumer - they get charged to the worker and the environment. So these products usually have a lot of mud and blood on them. Poor working conditions, no environmental protections account for the low "cost." I applaud the OP for wanting to buy domestic.

I really wish more people in this country (the US) understood this. Thanks for saying it.
 
Supporting a US brand means little unless you are supporting US workers at the same time.

Very often, stuff from China is good quality for a great price - at least a monetary price. The costs for environmental protection and worker safety don't get charged to the consumer - they get charged to the worker and the environment. So these products usually have a lot of mud and blood on them. Poor working conditions, no environmental protections account for the low "cost."

I understand this; I am a bleeding heart liberal. However much I would like to own a Gretsch USA custom set, it is just not going to happen. I am a public school teacher who is sending a kid through college. I could afford a $650 drum set, but there is no way I could afford a set that is almost three times that much. The world is run by greedy international corporations against whom I am somewhat powerless. I can only do the best I can with what I have. Buying a kit made in the United States from mostly domestic parts is beyond my buying power.

Peace and goodwill (to all, and I mean it).
 
I understand this; I am a bleeding heart liberal. However much I would like to own a Gretsch USA custom set, it is just not going to happen. I am a public school teacher who is sending a kid through college. I could afford a $650 drum set, but there is no way I could afford a set that is almost three times that much. The world is run by greedy international corporations against whom I am somewhat powerless. I can only do the best I can with what I have. Buying a kit made in the United States from mostly domestic parts is beyond my buying power.

Peace and goodwill (to all, and I mean it).

Don't get me wrong, I don't blame people who have no choice. I don't believe in the concept of "vote with your dollars." Because that means those with the most dollars get the most votes, and that's *not* democracy.

I'm just saying the first step in changing the system is to understand what's going on.

Sorry for the political tangent, I try to avoid it. But this thread begs a bit of politics.

Peace and goodwill indeed!
 
I don't often vote for threads, but I voted 5* for this one. So many good comments in it...from all sides really. I don't have anything to add, so I'll get out of the way. I just wanted to say thanks to all that contributed.

Peace and Goodwill!
 
The US brands include Asian-made lines... Ludwig, Gretsch and DW have very successful, high quility drums that are made in China and Taiwan. It's easy to find what you want for less than $1k, and still support a US brand.

Bermuda

True, also for a 3 or 4pc kit you can get a Mapex MyDentity maple or birch shell kit with just about any finish you want for under $1k. The shells are made in Mapex's factory but final build and finishes is done in Nashville. This is the lowest priced USA built/assembled kit you will find plus the cool thing is you can get any look you want.
 
Don't get me wrong, I don't blame people who have no choice. I don't believe in the concept of "vote with your dollars." Because that means those with the most dollars get the most votes, and that's *not* democracy.

I'm just saying the first step in changing the system is to understand what's going on.

Sorry for the political tangent, I try to avoid it. But this thread begs a bit of politics.

Peace and goodwill indeed!

Unfortunately.....we aren't living in a democracy.We in the US live in a democratic "Republic".We democraticly elect "officials" to represent us.That by definition is a republic.It's just an illusion really.The real power is in the top 3 percent of the population,that control 75% of the wealth in the US.You and I and everybody else you know,have no power what so ever.The power is with the wealthy.Till that changes,which it won't,nothing will change.Money...makes more money.Anything that gets in the way of that,will soon meet its end.

Sorry about the politics,but in a thread like this,it's unavoidable..:)

Steve B
 
Let's leave the politics there, and stay on track about US-made drums for <$1000. Given that doesn't exist now, the question has become "how do we best support a US company/workers with only $1000 to spend?"

Bermuda
 
True, also for a 3 or 4pc kit you can get a Mapex MyDentity maple or birch shell kit with just about any finish you want for under $1k. The shells are made in Mapex's factory but final build and finishes is done in Nashville. This is the lowest priced USA built/assembled kit you will find plus the cool thing is you can get any look you want.
Sorry but Mapex is owned by KHS music out of China it almost impossible to find a US owned & assembled kit under a $1000, manufacturing is global that's just how it is.

I'm with Bermuda at the end of the day where does my dollar finally end up? that's why I went with my Ludwigs "Epics" & my Crush "Acrylics" I got the Epics for way less than a $1000 & my Acrylics just under a $1000.

Yes both kits are made overseas but they're both US companies & they both look & sound great..lol..that's what really matters right.


keep swattin'
Bonzolead
 

Attachments

  • Crush 4-piece.jpg
    Crush 4-piece.jpg
    202.4 KB · Views: 453
  • EPICS Duffys.jpg
    EPICS Duffys.jpg
    213.7 KB · Views: 461
The OP could get a 3-4 piece kit made by Precision Drum Company for about 1k.
They do great work, with attention to the detail.

Nice responses in the posts on this thread.
 
The OP could get a 3-4 piece kit made by Precision Drum Company for about 1k.
They do great work, with attention to the detail.

I agree that they make some nice stuff, but I'm pretty sure they use parts made overseas (lugs, rods, hoops, mounting brackets, etc.). If I'm not mistaken, I think the only American-made parts they use are the shells and the heads.

OP: Very few drums are actually 100% American. And those that are will be way out of your price range. For instance, GMS makes their own lugs, uses Keller shells, and Remo or Evans heads (I forget which). However, I believe their spurs, rods, mounting brackets, and snare/tom hoops are all imported. Even with all those overseas parts, a 22" bass drum is still over $1000 by itself. Kits that are under $1000 are that inexpensive BECAUSE of overseas manufacturing. It seems like you are really short-changing yourself by limiting your selection to only all-American drums.
 
Last edited:
Let's leave the politics there, and stay on track about US-made drums for <$1000. Given that doesn't exist now, the question has become "how do we best support a US company/workers with only $1000 to spend?"

Bermuda

Apologies for drifting away.Unless you're buying used,I can't see how you can do it.I would save a little more,and buy American,which is something I also go out of my way to do.

But like others have said also,There is no such thing as 100% American made anymore.At least some of the pieces that go into making a kit are imported.

That was partially true,even 50 years ago.Some of the pearl wraps of the time,were being imported from Italy.

Steve B
 
Let's leave the politics there, and stay on track about US-made drums for <$1000. Given that doesn't exist now, the question has become "how do we best support a US company/workers with only $1000 to spend?"

Bermuda

I don't think you can get a new set made in the First World for $1,000. I'd say the next best thing is to buy a used set of any type. Like half the drum kits ever made are on Craigslist and a little patience will net someone a great set at a great price. At least then your money is staying local, which is the next best thing to buying domestic, and you're getting a great set too.

When you think about the environmental costs of producing a brand new drum set anywhere (tree harvesting, energy to process wood, chemicals, ahesives, varnishes, plastics, transportation, etc.) it really makes sense to reduce/reuse/recycle.
 
For instance, GMS makes their own lugs, uses Keller shells, and Remo or Evans heads (I forget which). However, I believe their spurs, rods, mounting brackets, and snare/tom hoops are all imported.

While GMS has its own lug design, I would venture to say that they're made in Taiwan or China as well. I don't know any viable US drum company that has its lugs manufactured in the states. Not DW, Ludwig, Gretsch, or 99% of the Keller Shellers.

Bermuda
 
Back
Top