Premier Percussion
Premier 'Percussion' is a British brand specialising in drum kits, snare drums and percussion instruments. Founded in London in 1922 by Albert Della Porta and George Smith and initially producing instruments for other companies, Premier quickly established itself as a leading name in percussion with its own ranges of drums and orchestral products.
In 2021, Premier was acquired by the UK-based retailer Gear4music. Following the acquisition, the brand introduced several new product ranges, including a Centenary line launched to commemorate its 100th anniversary.
Premier kits and snares have been used by high-profile drummers including Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, Matt Helders, Mitch Mitchell, and others.
History
Premier was founded in October 1922 by Albert Della Porta and George Smith in London’s West End. Initially operating from a basement workshop in Berwick Street, Soho, the company began by repairing and manufacturing drums for other firms. Albert's brother Fred soon joined, managing sales and administration. By 1925, Premier had introduced its own branded products and expanded to a larger factory in Silex Street, South London. File:Premier Drums - South Wigston.jpg|240px|left|thumb|Premier Percussion, South Wigston (2005)
File:Premier Drums.jpg|255px|right|thumb|Premier Percussion (2005)
timpani, xylophones and drum kits for dance bands and theatres. The company also entered the military market with side and bass drums for pipe and regimental bands. Premier was known for its distinctive finishes and trap console hardware, and its early adoption of chromium plating. By 1937, it had launched its Olympic line as a budget alternative.During the Second World War, Premier’s factory in Park Royal was destroyed in the Blitz. The company pivoted to war production, making parts for radar and anti-tank weaponry, and relocated to Wigston, near Leicester, where it remained post-war.
The post-war period saw Premier rebuild its percussion line with innovations in drum shell hardware and die-moulded components. Under the leadership of Albert’s sons, Premier became one of the most technically advanced drum manufacturers in the world, exporting widely and receiving the Queen’s Award to Industry for exports in 1966.
Following several decades of growth, the company underwent multiple ownership changes from the 1980s onwards. The brand relaunched in 2022 and introduced a range of Centenary products to celebrate its 100th anniversary.
Drum Lines
Early Drum Kits and Outfits (1920s – 1930s)
Premier's early drum kits, referred to as "Combination Outfits," were developed during the 1920s for use in dance halls, theaters, and cinemas. These sets typically featured a bass drum outfitted with traps, a snare drum, temple blocks, and cymbals mounted on a rolling console. Early Premier kits often included telescopic bass drum pedals and hand-tuned tom-toms, designed for the needs of silent film accompanists and vaudeville performers.By the mid-1920s, the company was producing fully branded kits under the Premier name, having transitioned from supplying other firms. Premier’s catalogues from this era show an increasing standardisation of configurations, including features like factory-painted bass drum heads and matching snares. These were marketed toward both professional drummers and export buyers, reflecting the company's early ambition to reach global markets.
Premier's aesthetic designs became distinctive during this period, offering decorative finishes such as ebony or ivory veneers and the use of chromium plating, which was a modern innovation at the time. Traps and rack-based setups, such as the Swingster and Gigster consoles, were also developed, offering a practical and visually striking setup for performing drummers.
Military and Regimental Drums (1920s – 1940s)
Alongside its dance and theater kits, Premier produced a broad range of military and regimental drums during the interwar period. These included rope-tension and rod-tension side drums, tenor drums, and bass drums, many of which featured decorative painted crests and regimental insignia. These instruments were used by British and Commonwealth regiments, as well as in school cadet bands.Premier’s military drums were constructed with durability and visibility in mind, employing deep wooden shells, calfskin heads, and traditional rope lugs with leather ears. The company's early catalogues showcased these instruments as both ceremonial and functional tools, suited for parades and formal occasions. These models also formed part of Premier's growing export offer, particularly to territories with British military influence.
These regimental drums remained in production throughout the 1930s and into the wartime period, forming an essential part of Premier’s identity as a full-spectrum percussion manufacturer.
Olympic (1937)
Premier launched its Olympic brand in 1937 as a lower-cost alternative to its main drum line. Designed for students, schools, and budget-conscious drummers, early Olympic kits shared the same shell construction as Premier’s professional models but featured simplified hardware and fewer cosmetic refinements. These included triple-flanged hoops, six-lug bass drums, and single or double-headed toms.Production of Olympic drums was suspended during the Second World War, but resumed in the late 1940s and continued through the 1970s. During this period, Olympic kits gained a reputation for quality and value, often serving as a first kit for future professionals. Notable users included Bill Bruford, Larry Mullen Jr., and Paul Thompson.
In the 1990s, Premier revived the Olympic name for a new series of entry-level drums manufactured in Asia. These models, inspired by the Pearl Export format, retained some distinctive Premier design elements but were positioned firmly in the student market. Despite the offshore production, the Olympic line remained part of Premier's broader brand ecosystem until it was eventually phased out.
Standardised Outfit Naming (Late 1940s)
Following the Second World War, Premier introduced a standardised system for naming its drum outfits, aligning with a broader post-war drive toward factory efficiency and product consistency. Model names such as Outfit No. 21, 25, and 50 became common in Premier catalogues, each representing specific configurations of bass drum, toms, and snare.This period also marked a design shift toward full-shell matching, with snares finished to complement the bass and toms. The popular Outfit 54, for example, included a Super Ace snare and became a default four-piece kit for many British drummers during the late 1940s and 1950s.
The move to standardisation coincided with Premier's adoption of die-cast manufacturing processes that had been developed during wartime production. These allowed the company to produce consistent hardware components such as flush-braced lugs, cast hoops, and folding stands, contributing to a recognisable post-war Premier identity.
Post-War Growth and International Recognition (1950s–1960s)
In the 1950s and 1960s, Premier solidified its reputation as a leading British drum manufacturer through a growing range of drum kits tailored for professional, orchestral, and emerging rock players. A defining innovation was the introduction of the flush-braced long lug in 1947, which appeared across Premier's drum lines and became a core design element into the following decades.One of the most recognisable configurations of the time was the Outfit 54, a four-piece set consisting of a 22"x14" bass drum, 12"x8" and 16"x16" toms, and the Super Ace snare drum. The kit was typically fitted with Everplay plastic heads, Premier’s in-house alternative to calfskin, and showcased Premier’s distinctive chrome hardware and wrap finishes.
These years also saw the company offering complete ranges of orchestral, marching, and dance band kits. In addition to producing its own drumheads, Premier manufactured cymbals under the Zyn, Super Zyn and 5 Star Super Zyn names to complement its drum sets. These were included with several kits aimed at school and military bands as well as semi-professional players.
By the 1960s, Premier kits were used by many high-profile artists, including Ringo Starr, Nick Mason, Mitch Mitchell, and Keith Moon. Custom configurations and unique finishes became more common, including kits built for touring musicians. These artist associations reinforced Premier’s position as a versatile and export-ready drum brand.
Resonator (1970s)
Premier’s Resonator series, introduced in the 1970s, featured a distinctive twin-shell construction designed to enhance projection and eliminate interference from mounting hardware. Each drum contained a thin inner “resonator” shell, suspended within a standard outer shell by an air gap, with all lugs and fittings attached only to the outer shell. This design allowed the inner surface to remain smooth and uninterrupted, effectively creating a resonant chamber.The design was originally conceived by Staffordshire drum builder Alan Gilby in 1972. Gilby first applied the concept to a Ludwig snare owned by jazz drummer Kenny Clare, who then collaborated with Premier to develop the production model. The company subsequently licensed the idea and paid royalties to Clare and Gilby for each Kenny Clare Resonator snare drum sold.
The Resonator line became popular among professional players in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in live performance contexts where its enhanced projection was beneficial. A limited-edition black-lacquered version, known as the Black Shadow, was produced during this period and has since become a collectible variant of the line.
While the series was eventually discontinued, its engineering approach influenced future drum design and remains associated with Premier’s period of technical innovation.