It’s been pretty slow going with the edrums, but Santa was good to me this year. My Musicians Friend wish list had a few things related to the build and made it very simple for people to get me exactly what I wanted. I got a kick pedal, throne, and three Roland piezo cones. The pedal and throne were both Musician’s Friend “Pulse” brand, and I have to say I was really impressed with the quality of both items, and they cost about a third the price of one of the more popular brands. I used to be a lot more concerned with brand names. Most of my guitars are USA made Fender or Gibson, but the older I get (and the more kids I have), the more I find myself looking for true value. And while it’s not true across the board, the fact is that the factories overseas are now capable of making extremely high quality gear, and at a very affordable price.