THE ROYAL MARINES RETURN TO BRITISH MADE DRUMS

The British Drum Co. is proud to reveal that their new Regimental Series flagship snare drum, The RS1, has been selected as the instrument of choice by the world-renowned Corps of Drums of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines. The decision represents a welcome return to the historical tradition of the Royal Marines playing British-made drums following a period in which foreign instruments were the only viable alternative on offer.

Pictured:

The Corps of Drums of Her Majesty's Royal Marines play the British Drum Co. RS1 Victory model snare drum during the Mountbatten Festival of Music at London's Royal Albert Hall in March 2019.

This remarkable development is a major milestone for the relatively young UK drum manufacturer, which is still only in its fourth year of operation. The Royal Marines’ decision to choose the RS1 is testament to the high standards of quality and innovation built in to the drum. The drums have been designed to be lightweight yet also ultra-reliable and simple to maintain. Brand new technologies were developed entirely in-house at the British Drum Co. solely for the Regimental Series drums. Chief amongst these was the Levitone™ parallel snare mechanism, a system which allows the snare wires to retain their tension even when disengaged, allowing for a smooth and silent transition between the playing states on both upper and lower heads. The Levitone™ systems bring an unprecedented level of innovation to what is essentially, a very traditional instrument, but the benefits are very much appreciated by today’s musicians.

In keeping with British Drum Company’s fine attention to detail, the RS1 model produced for the Royal Marines contains a very special component. Each drum possesses, with the kind permission of The National Museum of the Royal Navy, a fragment of English Oak retrieved from the ancient timbers of HMS Victory, incorporated into the inside of the drum’s shell. This, in itself, is a remarkable achievement as use of the wood is rarely granted and then, only for extremely worthy situations, so it was important that