The Drum Craft returns with the Urban Beats Kit to the market with the help of Thomann company from Germany.
Originally launched by German instrument manufacturer and distributor GEWA in 2009, the Drum Craft brand was short-lived and sadly vanished from existence just a few years later. Revived and revamped by Thomann in 2022, the company now offers a rapidly growing number of kits, standalone snares, and hardware solutions.
The five-piece Drum Craft Urban Beat Drum Set, with its unique configuration, fits wherever compared to a conventional drum kit. This kit combines an extra-slim 20‘x12’ bass drum with a 12‘x08’ rack tom and a 14‘x13’ floor tom. In addition to flexibility and an adjustable tom holder, a cymbal holder that is mounted on the bass drum is also included.
The 7-ply poplar shells with 45-degree bearing edges deliver a warm tone that allows for a wide range of applications. Depending on the choice of heads and the amount of dampening, various styles are possible, from acoustic jazz to pop, funk, and hip-hop. With its matte black finish, the drum kit has a classic and elegant look.
The latest addition to the range is the brand new Urban Beats kit. Unlike the multitude of size and colour options available with Series 3, 4 and 6, the Urban Beats is a standalone setup with a fixed three-piece configuration of 20”x12” bass drum, 12”x8” rack tom and 14”x13” floor tom. There is also only one finish available, which is a matt black wrap.
The price for a brand new kit is about € 325 (USD 370).
The Urban Beats shares many of its features with the entry-level Series 3, both of which are constructed using 7-ply poplar shells with 45-degree bearing edges, looking to “deliver a warm tone that allows for a wide range of applications”. Both also feature the same chrome shell hardware, which includes triple-flanged hoops and DrumCraft’s P-shaped lugs.
The set does not include a snare which is surprising, considering that every single one of DrumCraft’s other kits does come complete with one (as do each of the above-mentioned busking kits). In comparing the Urban Beats to the Series 3 studio kit which uses very similar sized shells (20”x16” kick, 10”x7” & 12”x8” rack toms, 14”x12” floor tom and 14”x5” snare), it becomes apparent that £170 more will not only afford the snare drum but also an extra rack tom, a bass drum pedal and hi-hat stand.
The company also offers a tool called DrumCraft Creator for users to design their own drum kit configurations, allowing for a high degree of customization.