Stauffer Percussion

For those wanting a little more from their cocktail kits, Stauffer Percussion has you covered. The company has been handcrafting kits under the Stauffer and Phattie labels since 2001. But our money’s on the Deluxe cocktail kits, which feature 100 percent maple Keller VSS shells with hand-crafted bearing edges. This kit features a 16" x 24" bass drum, 10" x 6" mini-snare drum, 10" x 5" tom, and a staggering selection of 19 different Glass-glitter and Pearl or Onyx wrapped finishes. Evans heads are used throughout along with Gibraltar’s excellent cymbal and hi-hat hardware, which is sturdy enough for full-sized hi-hats and ride cymbals.

A Gibraltar 9611DC reverse-action pedal is included but unlike the other kits here, this one doesn’t attach to the bass drum’s four legs but instead adheres to the small gig rug included with the kit. This should save a bit of time during setup and teardown. The six interchangeable mounting brackets allow for a wider variety of setups than most of the kits in this roundup. Radio King—style lugs, vintage-style snare strainer, and an antiqued die-cast badge round out the niceties included with this professional kit. This kit retails for $1,249 plus shipping. Incidentally, Stauffer offers two other types of cocktail kits: $899 Standard and $1,399 Nester (nesting) kit, as well as the option to customize in any number of ways.