GiftFilter: Drummists - what (cheap) thing would you like for Christmas?

December 17, 2013 7:48 AM

I have one day left to online shop for my brother's Christmas pressie and I'm drawing a blank. I've already gotten him a couple of things, but I need one more item to make it a worthwhile parcel. He is 33, a drummer, and wears casual, laid back clothes, but no "funny" tees etc. Is there a t-shirt/ book/ small piece of drumming gadgetry/ anybloodything that would suit him? Will have to be available in an online UK store for it to be delivered in time, and my budget is about £20-25. He will be travelling back to London from Belfast after Christmas so it needs to fit in carry-on luggage. Thanks!
posted by billiebee to Shopping (8 answers total)

You could always go with the classic Zildjian t-shirt -- every drummer I know owns at least one -- they're ubiquitous, at least in the U.S. -- but here are some more practical possibilities:
* damper pads
* drum stick bag
* padded cymbal bag
* drum tuning/torque key (plain or fancy)
posted by divined by radio at 8:17 AM on December 17, 2013 [2 favorites]

An extra pair of cheap headphones or more flash drives (or a USB hub) are often handy.
posted by paperback version at 8:35 AM on December 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

Vibraslap (you know the sound).
posted by rhizome at 10:04 AM on December 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

This might be too much of a kid toy, but I saw some YouTube videos of folks playing with these little air drum sets and thought they were kind of neat. Might be something similar available on Amazon UK.

Air Stix
posted by forkisbetter at 10:41 AM on December 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

I'd get him a stick bag.
posted by Ironmouth at 11:19 AM on December 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

Best answer: A wee jar of Gorilla Snot.

See also DrumBum.com, but I find most of their product line a little too cheeky.
posted by monospace at 6:24 PM on December 17, 2013 [2 favorites]

Hard to know what he'd like without knowing more about him personally, what genres he plays etc. But I feel every drummer should have a couple of pairs of rutes ("ROO-tuhz", aka "Hot Rods" or "Acoustix"), sticks that make regular drums sound light and modest and ballad-y (brought into mainstream consciousness with Nirvana Unplugged). Any wooden ones are fine, Millenium is a common brand. Thomann has never taken more than a couple of days to ship to Holland but I'm not sure about Northern Ireland the week before Christmas. If you contact them they could tell you definitively, they tend to be good with email support.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 3:55 AM on December 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks all! I had left it too late to order most of the things suggested (first question of 2014: how can I stop procrastinating?) but I did order him some Gorilla Snot (because snot) to go in with other things.

There were some great ideas so basically this will now serve as my go-to list for all his foreseeable birthdays and Christmases. Much appreciated everyone!
posted by billiebee at 5:00 AM on December 18, 2013