The PMT Nottingham Drum Shop is quickly becoming the No.1 drum store in the East Midlands due to its fantastic range of brands and products, helpful in-store drum experts and dedicated drum booth.
Head upstairs to the mezzanine of PMT Nottingham to be encompassed by a fully-fledged House of Drums department! The Nottingham drum shop is truly a drummer’s delight, with an enormous installation of
Yamaha and
Mapex acoustic drum kits, a V-Drums Demo Centre for those wanting to try their chops on the latest electronic drum kits from
Roland and walls filled with cymbals from major brands such as brands
Zildjian,
Sabian,
Meinl and
Paiste. The store also stocks a wide range of full kits, snares, spares and accessories including drum pedals, drum sticks, drum shells and more. Plus, the drum shop also holds a dedicated drum booth that has been designed solely for players that want to try out an acoustic drum kit in a fully-functional, acoustically-treated area where they can play as loud as they like, without any interference.
PMT Nottingham's Drum Experts
PMT Nottingham is very proud of their drum shop, but it wouldn't be Nottingham's best drum store without it's friendly, resident drum experts, Joe and Andy. We had a chat with both drummers to find out more about the drum community in Notts, the new brands landing in-store soon and their drumming pet peeves!
What inspired you to start drumming?
J: I’ve always been around live music, it’s in the family. My Dad is a guitarist and when I was younger I used to love going to see his band gig. I used to love helping the drummer load in and set up and during the gig I used to just watch and learn. My Dad also was a music store manager down in Leicester for a number of years. I used to go into the store at weekends and just watch the drum dept manager at work. He was my main influence to start playing drums and he's still one of the best players I’ve seen to this day!
A: I have always been interested in listening to music but it wasn’t until after completing my course at University that I decided to take the plunge and buy myself an electronic drum kit, and I have been completely obsessed ever since. The inspiration to start playing myself came from going to see bands live at venues, such as Rock City and the Rescue Rooms. I used to be transfixed on the drummer and was obsessed with how they brought so much energy to the songs, so getting behind the kit myself was just a natural progression of that I suppose.
What did you do before you worked for PMT Nottingham?
J: I joined the music industry straight from school. I got a job in the purchasing department at the Academy of Sound. I then went to work in the drum dept at Sound Control in Leicester. After that I went on to work for an independent drum store in Sheffield called Drum Stop. I was also the contact in the UK for an American custom drum company called Truth Custom Drums. I got to know those guys very well and we are still very much in touch.
A: I have spent my entire career in retail, but PMT is my first job within the music retail industry. I worked for 11 years for Sainsbury's, working for two different branches and across a wide range of roles. I spent my last 5 years as a supervisor. It was fun but the different shifts that I had to cover were a nightmare for a gigging musician!
How would you describe the drum community in Nottingham?
J: The drum community in Nottingham is great. Very friendly and supportive, pretty much like the whole music community in general, really. There are some brilliant bands in Nottingham with incredible drumming talent and not to mention some great live music venues too. It’s amazing to help out the local drummers with everything drum related, from giving the best advice to seeing them walk out of PMT's doors with their dream piece of drum equipment.
A: The drummers of Nottingham have been amazing to us since we opened our doors last year. Everyone is so friendly and genuine, and I have met so many customers that have become friends in such a short space of time! The drum community in general is so supportive and Nottingham is certainly no exception. Sharing tips, experience and knowledge has been one of the most enjoyable aspects of my job.
What’s your favourite thing about the drum department at PMT Nottingham?
J: We have everything a drummer needs - the biggest brands and the best deals too! My personal favourite section is our cymbal room; there are absolutely loads of cymbals to come and try out from Zildjian, Sabian, Meinl, Paiste and
TOURTECH. The PMT Nottingham drum department is up on its own mezzanine and rammed full of drum kits, snare drums, drum accessories, cymbals and hardware. I’m a passionate drummer and love to give drum advice and hear everyone’s drumming stories too.
A: My favourite part is the sheer range of drum equipment that we stock! Nottingham has never seen choice like this before and it is my pleasure to be able to work with such amazing pieces of gear every day. Also we have a soundproofed drum booth that is designed for customers to come in and try gear before they buy, which is so important in giving drummers the confidence that the kit, snare, or cymbal is perfect for them before they part with their hard earned cash.
What drum gear are you really looking forward to landing in store soon?
J: I’m really looking forward to getting all of the new
British Drum Co drum kits, snare drums and accessories in store*. This is anytime now and I can’t wait! We also have a few in store drum events happening, which I’m really looking forward to. Nottingham hasn’t seemed to give anything back to the drumming community for a number of years now, so I’m glad to say that now we are here, we will make sure this happens.
*British Drum Co is now available at PMT Nottingham!
A: I am so excited for the new
Roland SPD:One pads to land in store as they will make it easier than ever before to incorporate electronic sounds onto an acoustic drum setup, which is sure to push the boundaries of drumming even further. I am also a massive fan of Yamaha drums and cannot wait to get my hands on their new Tour Custom series which are sure to be a massive success, combining maple shells with some stunning satin finishes.
What’s been the highlight working in PMT Nottingham’s House of Drums so far?
J: Definitely meeting the drummers of Nottingham! Selling them the drum products and offering the advice and drum chat that they just haven’t managed to get in the city before. I love seeing customers faces light up when they walk up the stairway to drums! It’s also great to be a part of the biggest musical retail chain in the UK and have access to all of the best drum brands on the market.
A: For me it has been being part of the great in-store events that we have been able to hold so far. We’ve had Black Stone Cherry in store for a signing as well as running two drum clinics with the Yamaha Drumfest coming up in October, which I can’t wait for.
As well as the events, it has been amazing to help out drummers of all ages and abilities with their needs. It gives me such a buzz to know that I have helped someone find that perfect piece of drum gear, whether it is ordering in and building up a starter kit for a beginner or helping a professional player find that perfect sound with heads or cymbals.
Your favourite drummer at the moment that really inspires you?
J: I’ve been a fan of Matt Greiner of August Burns Red for a number of years now, he’s a great player, amazing technique and all round good guy. I love to watch players like Aaron Spears and Benny Greb too, just wishing I could play with the feel those guys do! A shameless name drop clang is also for my friend, Josh Devine. He’s such a great drummer and really nice guy too. I’ve been fortunate to know him since he was a wee young lad who did work experience for me back in the day and we’ve kept in touch ever since.
A: There are so many amazing players out there but right now my favourite has got to be Eddy Thrower from Lower Than Atlantis, I love the way that he sits in the pocket and plays for the song but has got some serious chops as well. He also incorporates a lot of percussion elements into his kit sound (cowbells, jam blocks and other bits), which I love. Some of my other favourite drummers include Chris Adler, Abe Cunningham and Matt Halpern, but as I said, there are far too many great players out there to name!
Best drummer you’ve ever seen live?
J: A few have blown me away. To name a few, Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dani Abasi from Neck Deep, Matt Greiner from August Burns Red, Mike Johnston, Benny Greb… so many great drummers around!
A: One that I will always remember is seeing Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan playing with Avenged Sevenfold in 2008. A few others that spring to mind are Travis Barker, Julie Edwards from Deap Vally and Justin Foley from Killswitch Engage, who hands down had the best live kit sound.
Worst drumming pet peeve?
J: Out of tune drums and badly kept drums and cymbals - look after your gear! At PMT Nottingham we offer a drum tuning service, so if you don’t know how to tune drums, or just don’t have the time, drop them in with us. If its tuning advice or drum head selection you need help with, then just ask... we’re pretty darn good at this sort of stuff!
A: I must agree with Joe on the drum tuning front. Tuning makes up a large part of a drummer’s kit sound so getting it right is important. Also it makes me cringe when I see drummers carrying around thousands of pounds of equipment without proper cases, why would you not want to protect your pride and joy should you or someone else drop it?
Top tip for drummers?
J: A couple of different answers from different angles here, but, always make sure you have a little emergency supply kit with you at gigs that include things like spare drum keys, tension rods, pedal springs, snare drum head and moongel. The moongel will save you when there isn’t time to get the kit singing! It’ll take the edge off.
Another tip is, try before you buy. It’s so important to go and see the product(s) you are thinking about getting. The amount of times I have witnessed this go sour is crazy! If you’re local to us in Nottingham, come and chat with us and try out some drum stuff. Whats a couple of hours in the car if you’re thinking of spending hundreds, or even thousands, of pounds? We like to think we have moulded the Nottingham House Of Drums stock profile around the trend of what drummers have been in and asked for or even just mentioned in passing.
A: The best advice I can give to a drummer is to use hearing protection. We only have one set of ears so we have to look after them! We sell a variety of different types of protection to suit all ages, so come down and see us and we will be happy to talk you through the options that are available. One practical tip would be to always keep a spare snare head inside your snare case, just in case you happen to put the batter head through, a 2-minute delay whilst you change it is certainly better than having to try to repair the damaged head or even worse having to cancel the gig.
Top three drum brands in the store?
J: Roland, Mapex and Zildjian.
A: Yamaha, Roland and Mapex.
Your all-time favourite kit/ drum gear of all time?
J: I love the DW bass drum pedals, particularly the
9000 series. I’m a huge fan of
Meinl Byzance cymbals and Yamaha Absolute drums. I love my Truth Custom Drums kit too - I play all of the mentioned brands personally and have done for some time.
A: I absolutely love my
Mapex Saturn kit, but my favourite piece of gear that we have in store at the minute is the Yamaha Hybrid Maple kit. One day I will finally give in to temptation and take one home with me in one of the stunning sparkle finishes! My favourite pieces of drum gear are my Istanbul Traditional cymbals, I don’t think I will ever play anything else as they are just so warm and dynamic. They seem to sound better the longer I have them!
Joe and Andy are always on hand to help you at the PMT Nottingham Drum Shop, which is open 7 days week. PMT Nottingham is just outside of the Creative Quarter area of Hockley, and a 6-minute walk away from The Lace Market.
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