Donn Bennett Drum Studio

Do not be deceived by the appearance from the parking lot. It looks tiny from the outside but like the TARDIS, is bigger on the inside, by a long stretch.
I was visiting from the San Francisco Bay Area, which at the moment has only one small drum shop in San Rafael, and I wanted to see the legendary Donn Bennett’s, so I dropped in.
Found the hardware I needed for my vintage Slingerland kit, bought some fun odds and ends on the recommendation of Chris, the very friendly and helpful staffer, and grabbed a couple of free sticker sheets.
They have a good selection of vintage and new kits, cymbals, sticks (they carry my favorite Vic Firth American Jazz line), heads, all the obvious odds and ends, PLUS wonderful bins full of parts for vintage and new kits.
If your new or old kit needs a replacement part, check here.
Really, for any drummer’s need, check here FIRST. They have everything the big box place has and more, plus, it’s a DRUM shop, not a guitar store with a drum department.
I was so taken with the place that I bought a shirt, which I proceeded to leave on the counter and they kindly mailed to my home. When the envelope arrived, Chris had tossed in a handful of nice promo items, including a Tama bottle opener, a Zildjian silicone wrist band, and a Vic Firth laminate lanyard.
Above and beyond the call.

Best Drum Studio this side of the Mississippi! Huge selection and good prices. Great shop. I always come here to pick up gifts for my dad who is a big drummer.

This is the best drum shop around. Even if you live a few hours away, this shop is well worth the trip. This is a shop FOR DRUMMERS; whether just starting or advanced. The convenience of Guitar Satan has warn off on me with their lame prices and often times people that dont know what they are talking about in every department. The staff at Bennett Drums is knowledgeable and are cool to chat with. Drums, cymbals, lessons, and a great staff. Other than sticks, I wont really shop anywhere else for my drum gear.
…I lied. Sometimes I’ll go to GC to look at something, then buy it at Donn Bennett’s haha!

It’s a great shop but I called them up the other day as I was ready to order a new Ludwig kit in sizes 26÷12÷16 and they quoted me $ 3300 for the three drums. I called around and all the other shops were in the low $ 2000’s for the same drums. Needless to say, I ordered them from the other shop.

At nine years old The Boy had his first drum lesson which really wasn’t anything more than sitting down with a friend of mine who is a professional drummer and being shown a few fundamentals. But, from the first moment he held those drumsticks he was instantly better at drumming than I have been at anything in my life.
I don’t fully remember how long we held out before it became apparent that this was going to be a thing – but it didn’t take long. So, in December 2009 we started shopping for a starter drum kit. The friend responsible for starting all this recommended Donn Bennett Drum Studio and one afternoon we ventured across the 520 bridge (see my review:
) to check out the shop. When we arrived I introduced myself to Donn, dropping our mutual friend’s name. I honestly don’t think it mattered at all because Donn is such a quality guy that everyone gets treated with the same level of professionalism and respect no matter who they may or may not know.
Despite the good care Donn showed us that day, we walked out of the shop empty handed – my son disappointed and me, sticker shocked. The following day I sent Donn an email saying that while we loved meeting him and seeing the shop, what he had on hand was a bit out of our price range. I requested that he let me know if anything used showed up.
Two days later, I had an email from Donn stating that a used kit had just arrived – a Mapex VX series with upgraded heads, and cymbals for $ 400.
Sold.
Over the next four years The Boy played that kit nearly every day and improved to a point where my wife and I would look at each other in wonder with what we were hearing from the basement below. He also stayed in touch with Donn by participating several times in Woodstick, an annual event sponsored by the shop, which has set several world’s records for the most drummers playing concurrently – in one place and thanks to technology – around the world.
As the boy got older, his understanding of music increased and his ear became more sophisticated. As he entered his fourteenth year, it started to become clear that he was ready to step up a notch.
After conducting extensive, month’s long research, he settled on another Mapex kit, this time a new line, the Mapex Armory series. Wanting to support local businesses – especially businesses that had treated us so well in the past – I reached out to the new owner of Donn Bennett Drum Studio, Rudy Simone, Donn’s previous store manager, to see if he could get the Armory series and if they would match the prices we were seeing online.
Yes to both.
Visiting the shop for the first time in several years was a blast. I had forgotten about the museum like setting one experiences. There are kits played and autographed by iconic musicians. There’s a symbol room stocked from floor to ceiling. There are practice/​lesson rooms and, of course, drums, sticks, hardware and anything else one might need.
Just like Donn, Rudy was a pleasure to work with. He spent time with The Boy and answered all the questions we had. He also worked with us to make a few changes to the stock kit, including swapping out the standard snare drum for an absolutely gorgeous hammered steel snare.
A week later the kit had arrived and we swung by to pick it up. To say that the boy was in heaven barely does his excitement justice – although setting up a new kit from scratch was a bit of an experience. To hear The Boy sit down at his new kit and start playing was a thrill.
It’s a bummer that Donn Bennett Drum Studio is so far away from where we live. If it were closer, there’s no doubt The Boy would be a regular. As it is, it’s well worth the occasional trip to NE Bellevue to check out what’s new or stock up on supplies. If you live on the east side, it should be your default drum shop for every purchase or lesson no matter if you are an experienced musician or just starting out.
Pro tip: Sign up for the Donn Bennett Drum Studio email list and like the shop on Facebook. It’s common for Rudy to have some of the world’s best drummers stop by to give private lessons. In November 2014 that included Glen Sobel from the Alice Cooper Band and coming up in February, Stanton Moore from Galactic. What an opportunity.
Pro tip: Despite submitting a correction, Unilocal lists Donn Bennett Drum Studio as being open on Sundays. It is not. You have been warned!

Love this place, kind of like a get away for me. Truly a hidden gem in Bellevue packed with all the gear you could ever want. Rudy and Brock are top notch and know their stuff. They always have great tips and information on techniques and types of gear that will help you achieve the sound you want. Their shop is packed with great drums and hardware and is also a bit of a museum with loads of famous autographs and drum sets from all kinds of big name players. I’ve done it all here, taken lessons, bought a big new kit for a great deal, all kinds of cymbals, hardware, random percussion instruments, microphones, had drums repaired, porthole for bass head cut, drums tuned, everything you name it! Great genuine independent shop where you will be known by name and will always look forward to coming in. Support this place!

Hands down the best drum shop in Washington. Rudy and Brock can answer any question you have, and best of all, they’re ALL DRUMMERS! Shocking, I know. No store cares more about its product and customer base more than Donn’s.

Clearly you’re looking up Donn’s because you want to learn the drums or you’re Ringo Starr and want to buy some (true story).
Either way… this is *the* place to purchase, learn, practice, talk, become one with your drums. My little brother has gone to this place since he was 10 or 11 years old and now he’s all amazing at drums and guitar (and shit talking). Dude can play anything you want to hear, I call him Jukebox.
Come here if you have horrible rhythm or can jam with the best of them, you will be welcomed. Ask to speak with Brock when you stop by, he will hook you up with all your gear dreams.
ba-​dum-​DUM!
I also want to say screw Lars Ulrich, total douche lord… anyone else with me on that?

Amazing local drum shop, can’t recommend this place enough. I starting coming here when I was 15 to take lessons, and still come back to buy new gear. Everyone that works there is super knowledgeable and happy to help you out.
Support a great local business!

I spent two years going there every Saturday and I got the best mentoring I could ever ask for. Their teachers are experienced and all the staff are helpful. All of the memorabilia on display is great and provides the perfect atmosphere.

Donn Bennett Drum Studio goes to Eleven. Seriously.
This place is awesome. Not only will you find anything and everything you could ever be looking for in terms of drums — but you’ll also be treated to a stroll through some of percussion’s hallowed ground — in that the Donn Bennett drum studio is also a drum museum, housing some famous drum-​sets from some of the biggest names of people ever to sit behind the kit.
I bought a deal for some drum lessons through one of the Amazon Local deals kind of on a whim. Figured, «I like to beat on my dashboard as I’m driving — why not actually transfer that to some actual drums!!!» And I’m so glad that I did. Drumming is just flat-​out FUN! I’ve been taking some lessons with Dennis and so far, it’s been a really great experience. He’s a super nice guy and makes drumming really easy to learn. Can’t recommend him enough!
I don’t expect to turn into Steve Jordan or Neil Peart anytime soon, but I can honestly say that I’m really enjoying my experiences at the Donn Bennett drum studio. Super awesome place. Highly recommend it to anyone who has drumming aspirations, or whom just has a true appreciation for music and the guys who keep the time.

This place has everything!
It’s a little hard to find but worth a visit. The staff is helpful and the place is PACKED with all types of gear.
I really like the vintage drums and signed memorabilia they have on display. That alone is worth a trip!
Support your local drum studio!

This store has awesome prices (they even told me they would price match to places like Guitar Center) and tons of cool equipment, plus really entertaining memorabilia all around the store. The people that work there (it is a nice and small staff of regulars from what I can tell) are friendly and very willing to help – and they know their drums!!! They have rooms you can jam in and they offer lessons, which I just started and am extremely satisfied with. They also offer really impressive clinics. Definitely a great find!

Wonderful shop — feels like it should belong in Chicago or New York! Even if you don’t buy anything, its worth dropping by to check out the vintage gear and celebrity drums (you might meet a famous drummer in there on any day of the week too).