Drum Workshop, Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryMusical instruments
Founded1972; 52 years ago (1972) in Santa Monica, California
Headquarters
Oxnard, California
,
United States
Key people
Don Lombardi, Founder
Chris Lombardi, President and CEO
John Good, COO
Products
BrandsPacific Drums
ParentRoland Corporation
Subsidiaries
Websitedwdrums.com

Drum Workshop, Inc. (also known as DW Drums or DW) is a drum kit and hardware manufacturing company based in Oxnard, California. Current products by DW include drum sets, snare drums, and hardware.[1]

History

Drum Workshop was founded in 1972 as a teaching studio by Don Lombardi. Alongside student John Good, Lombardi began a small drum equipment sales operation to cover the studio's operation costs. After the closure of the Camco Drum Company in 1977, its manufacturing equipment was purchased by Drum Workshop.[2]

After selling primarily drum hardware, the company began making its first drum sets in 1990.[3]

Expansion and acquisition

DW expanded into larger facilities in Oxnard, California, and grew to oversee a new company, Pacific Drums and Percussion, a company offering lower-priced drum sets.

In 2015, Drum Workshop acquired Ovation Guitars, Latin Percussion, Toca Percussion, Gibraltar Hardware, and KAT Technologies.[4] In November, 2019, DW acquired Slingerland Drum Company from Gibson, with plans to introduce Slingerland-branded, vintage style drums to the market in 2020.[5][6]

In late 2022, it was announced that Roland would acquire DW for $65 million as the company looks to expand into the acoustic drum market.[7][8]

References

  1. ^ Pilla, Sarah (June 21, 2021). "Oxnard boasts one of the biggest drum manufacturers in the world". Spectrum News. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  2. ^ Nicholls, Geoff (2008). The Drum Book: A History of the Rock Drum Kit. Backbeat Books. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-4768-5437-3. OCLC 1084251774.
  3. ^ Clandos, Rosemary (July 11, 2000). "Business Is Booming at Oxnard Manufacturer of Quality Drums". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  4. ^ "Ovation Brand Sold to Drum Workshop". Acoustic Guitar. January 7, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  5. ^ Grizzle, Nicholas (November 26, 2019). "DW Buys Slingerland Drum Company from Gibson". DRUM!. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  6. ^ Hood, Phil (December 5, 2019). "DW's Slingerland Revival Will Begin With Radio King Snare Drums". DRUM!. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  7. ^ Takeda, Toshihide (September 13, 2022). "We got the beat: Roland buys Drum Workshop in $65m deal". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  8. ^ Williams, Stuart (September 12, 2022). "Drum Workshop Inc. joins Roland Corporation as the Japanese giant acquires all outstanding DW shares". MusicRadar. Retrieved September 13, 2022.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Drum Workshop.
Percussion instrument companies
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