I picked up my first cymbal there, back in 1982 (I think). It was a 20" Zildjian medium ride, which I still have, and which has never been cleaned. They had a huge Ludwig Octoplus kit in the middle of the store, all the toms, all the colors. They carried Modern Drummer, which you couldn't get in the newsstand up at the mall, it was that long ago. I remember a time I got in line for an Eric Carr appearance...I thought he was going to play for us...but, no, he was just there to sign autographs with his massive hair. They had the Evans heads Neil used, in all the colors. I wonder if they did the Vibra-fibe process.
It's a sad day. They are closing the doors tomorrow, the owner John is going into truck driving. Nice guy, always up for a chat, very knowledgable. I was wailing on a kit back in the early 90s and he got a bit ticked at me, but he was a low key guy so he did it with a smile. I hadn't had a band or a place to play, and was still pursuing drumming and all that...and those sunburst DWs looked good. He wasn't one for people playing the inventory.
I'd still go there when passing through Pittsburgh, I don't live there anymore, and it was just not busy in the store, and he had a ton of stuff on the floor and on the shelves.
RIP Drum World of Pittsburgh.
https://www.facebook.com/DrumWorldPittsburgh/
