Before we start, let me tell you a story. It was a long time ago, my first gig as the drummer of a band I loved as a fan. A dream come true that soon turned into a nightmare. My kickdrum was walking forward the entire show and during the chorus of the fourth song, it knocked my cymbals, I hit the singer and the concert was cancelled.
Five stitches. I learned my lesson the hard way.
So, if you have your drums and your cymbals, and you’re ready to play, make sure you have the right rug with your rig.
Otherwise, you’ll get to the gig, set up your equipment and have everything looking and sounding good, but when the first song starts and you start to play your heart out, your bass drum will keep shifting forward. It’ll ruin your performance and your experience.
This is the bane of every drummer’s existence. Drums need to be securely placed on a surface that doesn’t allow them to move, otherwise you’re going to have to keep pulling the bass drum back towards you.
Or worse, you can hurt a bandmate!
This is where drum rugs come in to save the day. A few companies have developed specialized carpets just for drum kits, and I have made a list of my favorite ones.
Here they are, the tested-and-true heroes of the drumming world.
Best Drum Rugs for Gigging Drummers
1. Ludwig Drum Rug
The Ludwig Drum Rug is 78” x 63” which means it will accommodate most drum kits. What I liked the most is that it looks like a carpet on the exterior, and it looks as if it had a carpeted surface on top, but the material is close to plush. It’s a delight to walk on and it’s very friendly on cymbal and shell finishes.
That said, the true drummer life insurance is underneath. The Ludwig rug features a non-slip rubber backing that grips firmly onto hardwood, carpeting, and concrete. Literally every material you might expect on a stage (or a drum riser for that matter).
Also, I was sold with the logo on the carpet. It is a great feature, Ludwig is a classic name in the drum world and we’ve all seen it above The Beatles logo on Ringo’s drums at the Ed Sullivan’s show, right? It doesn’t get much classier than that.
The rubber stops this rug from moving at all. The drums on top of it won’t move either. The black design with a white border will complement a drum kit of any color.
The feel of it is cozy, making people who don’t play with shoes feel warm. It’s also incredibly easy to vacuum, meaning you don’t have to have drum stick shavings lying around everywhere.
A minor gripe with this rug is that the corners are not weighted, meaning that they try to curl back up again. You can avoid this by placing a cymbal stand near the corners.
This rug is medium weighted, making it easy to travel with. It rolls up nicely and has straps that tie it together in the roll.
If you’ll be playing in multiple stages, and moving around a lot, this rug is a total winner. For something sturdier to leave on your studio floor and use every day, I might look somewhere else.
2. Meinl Drum Rug
The Meinl Drum Rug is a 78” x 63” rug that is made of tightly woven fabric that keeps the drums and hardware in place. It has a rubber base that keeps the rug tightly hugging the ground.
So far, so good, right? Nothing fancy here. Well, the truth is that the material Meinl chose for the upper part is as sturdy and durable as it gets. It works great on the rubber feet of your stands, making them rock-solid. This is especially true for the kick drum. You don’t need to use the metal tips!
Knowing you can hit the drums like there’s no tomorrow and they won’t move or fall apart is the ultimate peace of mind. I think that level of confidence with the instrument unleashes your best playing.
Back to the Meinl Drum rug, it is big enough to comfortably fit two bass drums. So, you could have a huge heavy metal drum setup and this rug would work perfectly.
Mike Portnoy? This works for you too!
Meinl offers different motifs for the rug. To be honest, I’m not so happy with them putting their website on the side of the rug. Am I sponsored by them or what? The patterns of the colorful Oriental model, and the Mandala model, which is black and white, get really unique and artsy.
A great surprise was that this rug acts as a good sound dampener as well, meaning it will work well in a loud room like a garage. I’m telling you, I tried it at the local music store I go to all the time (it’s three blocks away!) and the same kit sounded better over this rug than over different brands. I’m sure it can help you block some of the unwanted ringing sounds in loud, untreated rooms.
The corners don’t curl up like in other drum rugs, which is probably one of the best features of the Meinl rug.
It’s lightweight and comes with a carrying bag, meaning this rug was made for gigging. There’s a little strap that is attached to the underside which is supposed to keep it rolled up that doesn’t lie flat when the rug is laid out. This is a bit annoying, and could potentially trip you if you’re not careful. I’ve seen some people cut this strap off to prevent that.
I would say this rug is perfect for heavy use. If you want a rug to always leave in your studio or rehearsal room for heavy traffic, this is a good candidate.
3. DW DWCPRUG2 Large Drum Rug
The DW Large Drum Rug is 60” x 84”. It’s made of industrial-grade carpet. It’s a heavy-duty carpet, made to withstand the heaviest of drum setups. It feels as sturdy as rugs get. The perfect one to use with those stands that lost their rubber feet in one of their many battles.
It works well for aggressive playing, so, if you’re a rocker, you can pour your heart into every hit with confidence, nothing will move. If you’re a jazzer, it will work even better for lighter playing. It separates the drum kit from the floor a bit, which provides a cleaner sound and better acoustic response.
Pedals with velcro attachments stick nicely to this rug, meaning they’ll be locked tight in place with little movement. Also, the rug has a clean look, with the DW logos in each corner looking very tasteful.
The only big downside to this rug is that it is hard to clean. It doesn’t vacuum very easily, meaning you’ll have drum stick shavings lying around. To really clean it, you’ll have to take the drum kit off and get down and dirty.
If you’re a cleaning freak, this process might happen often, meaning it will be better to get a rug that is easier to clean. So, I would say that if you’re moving a lot, this is a great option. If you’re hunting for a rug to always keep under your kit, cleaning this rug might drive you crazy in the long run.
4. Roland TDM-25 Non Slip Drum Mat
Electronic drum kits aren’t safe from the dreaded moving bass drum. After all, you’re still kicking the thing, right? So, Roland designed this mat for their products, and it works for all electronic drum kits (including non-Roland).
The Roland TDM-25 Non Slip drum mat is 78” x 64” and is made of a polyester filament and has a non-skid backing. This thing will basically keep your electronic drums in place and seat them comfortably on the floor. Speaking of which, I don’t know about your house but my studio has wooden floors. It protects the drums and the floor at the same time.
That’s not all, this mat absorbs impact, meaning it will make the electronic drums quieter. E-kits still often make too much noise in apartments that aren’t on the ground floor (believe me, neighbors will ring your bell). So, this mat is good to help with that. It won’t take the noise away completely, but it will suppress it slightly.
A lot of electronic kits are very small, meaning this mat might actually be too big. So, check out the size of your electronic kit before deciding to get this.
To all electronic drum kit owners out there: go get one of these; they’re exactly what you need.
5. On-Stage DMA6450 DrumFire Non Slip Drum Mat
It is not an exaggeration when I say that I have seen these mats being sold in every music store I have ever been to. They’re extremely popular. The DrumFire Non Slip is a 72” x 48” rubber mat that is lightweight and easy to carry around.
That is if we discount the time spent trying to put it back into the netted bag. I’m telling you, these are two materials that don’t get along well together. You have to fold it perfectly or it won’t fit. In the heat of the battle, that’s not so easy to do.
The material feels like a yoga mat. In fact, I would be lying if I told you that I haven’t done couples yoga on my DrumFire mat in the past!
So, if it’s big enough to fit two people folding, balancing, and stretching, it’s big enough to comfortably fit a large drum setup. Just like it did with our feet, it will keep the kit from moving.
I guess my main concern with this rug is that the material isn’t the strongest. I mean, if you’ve owned a yoga mat before, you’ll know it not only thins out with time, but that it can rip fairly easily. The neon green isn’t too attractive either.
This mat is probably the most inexpensive drum mat on the market, which is what makes it so popular. I’m saying that it’s better than not having a rug and it will make a great spare, but it’s not a long-term solution.
6. Zildjian ZGIGRUG Gig Drum Rug
This rug was made for gigging, it’s literally in the name. The Zildjian Gig drum rug is a 66” x 54” carpet that was designed to be easily portable, yet sturdy.
You might say that it’s slightly smaller than most drum rugs. It’s true, but it makes it easier to position on a stage while leaving room for bandmates. Also, it has weighted corners, meaning they don’t roll back up like on some other rugs.
In terms of portability, the bag it comes with is extremely handy to take the rug from gig to gig and preserve it in top shape.
Although it’s already a good option, the coolest feature about this rug is that it comes with a large foam bass drum stopper. Zildjian ensures that your bass drum doesn’t move. They know how annoying that is! Well, they began making cymbals in the Byzantine Empire in 1623. They sure know a thing or two about drums.
This rug is fairly inexpensive and easy to clean, making it a great gigging option. In the case you’re looking for a permanent one for your rehearsal room or gigging space, I would look elsewhere for something sturdier.
Why You Need a Drum Rug in the First Place
The answer to this question comes from physics. If you hit an object, you force it to move. What happens when you repeatedly hit that kick drum like a maniac? Well, you need something that will keep it into place. In short, your drums are going to move around if you don’t have one.
You don’t need a specifically designed one from a big company though. Any carpet will do the job. However, the rugs in the above list are designed to tackle specific drummer problems. That goes from the kick drum stopper to the non-slip bottom, to the material chosen for the upper part. Plus, they look professional.
Sizes
Most drum companies that manufacture rugs will make them in a size that is good for drum kits. So, any rug along those lines should be fine. If you have a monster drum setup, then you might need to look for a much bigger rug.
One thing I do and recommend is setting up your rig in a way two legs of your throne are always on the ground and the other two on the rug. This will keep things in place even more.
Colors
This really just comes down to personal preference. A drum rug can be any color you want. However, if you’re playing gigs and moving around a lot, I’d suggest you get a rug that is black.
A drum rug isn’t something that people necessarily want to see, making a black rug ideal, since it blends with the stage. A brightly colored rug would just look distracting on stage and not too aesthetic.
Black rugs also allow room for branding, whether it be from endorsements or your band. Black is the way to go, which is why all my picks in the above list are black.
Perhaps the only drawback is that you’ll see more debris from your sticks lying around because of the contrast. My advice is that you become best friends with the vacuum cleaner and stick to black.
Final Word
Any of the drum rugs on this list would have prevented the catastrophe in the gig I opened this piece telling you about. Drum rugs add stability and safety to your setup. A high-quality drum rug will make you feel good when you play, since it will prevent your kit from moving around.
If you feel good and confident with your instrument, you’ll play better too. Pulling the kick drum back all the time kills your concentration and prevents you from building momentum.
All drummers should invest in a drum rug, whether it is for a setup at home or for frequent gigging.
Happy (steady and firm) playing!
