Having lived in Hoboken all my life, it was so delightful to find out that a drum shop called Hoboken its home. Finally! I thought. Ever since I was a kid, I knew enough not to trust the "local" music shops, so buying something was always a trek to "music-row" in NYC. Soon enough that too became nothing more than salespeople trying to move product. All stores producing "cookie-cutter" drummers, I felt. I needed a rapport with a drum shop; the kind of place that understands the needs of and truly cares for the client. After all, drummers are unique and sensitive individuals! The Drum Den, operated by Pete Martinez, in Hoboken does just that.
From accessories, to complete kits, to incredibly rare items, The Drum Den has you covered. If you need a spot to play, The Drum Den does it. If you need some lessons, The Drum Den does it. If you need a piece of equipment repaired, The Drum Den does that too! It truly is a one spot stop for anything drums.
Quick story, drummers tend to collect drum things; old gear, etc. Well I had an old, broken Ludwig chrome plated snare drum sitting on a shelf for 20+ years. It was missing several components but not too banged-up. I sensed it could be something worth keeping so it had survived being tossed out or sold after all these years. At the time I found out about The Drum Den's existence, I was in the market for a metal snare drum. I decided to see if they could salvage my old Ludwig or at least get some insight as to whether it was worth the whole idea. As soon as Pete had given it a look, his eyes lit up and he smiled real wide; "Wow!" Pete said, "Feel the weight of this thing!? Hold on! Let me do the magnet test..." The guy was more excited than I was and I quickly began to think my decision to hold onto it was a good idea. As it is, my old Ludwig snare is Ludwig Super-Sensitive, circa 1962; and could hold plenty of worth, if refurbished with genuine, Ludwig replacement parts! Yeah, I really like The Drum Den. Not only was my snare fixed, it was properly restored to original manufacturer specs, and worth a big pile of cash! Pete personally did all the work and treated it as if it was his own. In fact, he was pretty sad to see it leave his shop!
There are plenty of reasons to love The Drum Den. Their vast knowledge of everything drums, genuinely caring for the needs of their clients, offering an entire spectrum of services, and most importantly, making it a business priority to develop a rapport with each and every drummer they meet.
No "cookie-cutter" drummers at this place!
-George Inhulsen read more
