Full disclosure- I am not a musician and I don't know anything about drums so I can't comment on the quality of the selection or the knowledge of the staff in that regard but popped in to get a new pair of concert ear buds before a show. The lovely human working that day was so kind and helpful. As someone who is making an effort to buy things at locally owned places instead of big box retailers, I appreciated that while they did not have a large selection they did have some variation and the $20 pair I bought was much cheaper than what you see online and they worked so well. So if you ever find yourself in Portland for a show and need a pair- Rhythm Traders has you covered. read more

I can't say enough great things about Rhythm Traders! I was helped by two different employees who enabled me to close deals on a used cymbal stand and used hardware case. Being a musician and writer, I'm always on a tight budget, so I appreciate their recommendations. read more

After getting some advice from the team I purchased a Yamaha Stage Custom to replace an older set I had practiced and played with for a couple of years. Set up was easy (they had done pre-set up for me). I couldn't be happier. I got a lot of my questions answered. Gobs of good advice. And as a relative beginner I wasn't made to feel like an idiot. Thanks to Nate and the team. Time and money well spent. read more

Rhythm Traders - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

This is my go-to drum store and has been for about 16 years now. Awesome staff, great selection, and have always been eager to talk about products and help me find what I need. If they don't have it, they will get it for you! So ask :-) I only knocked one star off because it can be difficult to get a complete set of the same drum heads there. I usually have to buy 1-3 of the same style and then come back or have them order me some. Usually not a big deal, but a little inconvenient at times. But I love this store and would highly recommend anyone in the greater portland area or traveling through to check it out! read more

I'm just sick of the Portland attitude there. They don't answer phones, don't return e mails, and I asked someone if they could match Amazon and he said they would prefer to charge a higher price to keep the lights on! The only reason I would go there is to save the tax but frankly Amazon has way better prices and customer service. These guys act like they can care less if you shop there or not. I'm done with rhythm gaugers. read more

Went in with a broken snare throw-off hoping to get it repaired. Their store policy doesn't allow people to work on their drums there, but they gave me a great deal on a used throw off to replace it! Everyone there was very polite and helped me solve my problem, would recommend this store to all drummers:) read more

Rhythm Traders - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

When I went in to get a new head for my conga drum, the two people staffing the store were totally friendly and didn't even opt to put on a new drum head. One of them checked out my drum, spent some time tightening and tuning the head, and then played it with expertise. He sent me home with my rejuvenated drum, after giving me some instructions about the care and feeding of the drum head, including selling me some shay butter, plus information I requested about drum classes. Basically, they fixed my drum for free. I was delighted, grateful, and impressed. read more

These folks ROCK! Or swing, or samba, or just about any beat you need. (go visit the tribal room in the back) -weber read more

Rhythm Traders is a wonderful spot. I had some ideas when I wanted to pick up a drum set. Starting to learn the drums at 52 years old, but having played air drums on surfaces my whole life, I needed some serious guidance. They got me the right electronic set, the right accessories and the right sticks to really get started. Cool staff and atmosphere. Came back to grab a few things over the next week and every time the staff was in good spirits and helpful. Won't go anywhere else. Highly recommend! read more

Do you like to bang things? Are you a banger? Do you have rhythm? I might have just the place for you. Rhythm Traders have just about anything you'd ever want to percuss! I was personally on a mission to find two pieces of wood to bang together in a 3-2 beat...in other words claves. R.Traders not only had them, but they had several of them in a variety of wood options! Heck I coulda equipped a whole salsa band here: cow bell (yes, we need more cow bell), timbales, and so many conga drums! If you want to get your Afro-Cuban rhythm on, you've found the joint! They also have a selection of African drums, and it also looks like they have a workshop to make African drums right there in the store. Of course they have your standard drum sets as well---they were well and abundant. They also have a decent selection of music, videos, and literature related to percussion. If you didn't have rhythm going in, you might just walk out with a little strut in your step. Oh, and the #6 stops right in front of the store! read more

Rhythm Traders - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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I have been a steady customer for about 4 years. The old location was good and the new location is better! The thing that sets Rhythm Traders apart from the other drum shops is their commitment to the entire industry. They sponsor lessons and workshops by the legends of drumming. This type of commitment does not come cheap to a shop like this! They spend some serious cash to get the best drummers in the world to "drop by to teach a class." Today I attended an awesome workshop by Mamady Keita. For those of you who don't know, Mamady is the #1 Authority on African drumming. I have been honered to be able to attend two workshops with him and it wouldn't have been possible without Rhythm Traders! Brad - You rock and I appreciate your commitment and support of african drumming! Want to learn to drum with the best? Caton Lyles teaches several classes each week and can give you the foundation to become a great drummer. read more

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Excellent selection of gear. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly, making shopping for gear a great experience. The pricing is fair and competitive with other independent drum shops. Highly recommend! read more

I'm from Oakland, CA and was out here checking some stuff out while on the road with my band. All the staff was very friendly and helpful, but Sarge really hooked it up. Understanding my position as a traveling musician, he gave me a great price on a snare drum that i just couldn't pass up. He even went as far to detail clean it for me. This store's selection is extensive, and i'd be surprised to find that they didn't have something you'd need. Rhythm Trader as a great vibe, excellent selection, and is a clearly run by passionate drummers. Support your local businesses! read more

I get everything here. No better place. Great inventory and if they don't have it they will get it in a timely manner. read more

This place is a gem, and should get a 6th star! Ben was a joy to work with and very helpful and knowledgable about products without being pushy. They had the kit I was looking for in-stock albeit not displayed, but they offered to unbox one for me to try. Even helped us load my new kit into the car. Good selection, prices, and consistently excellent service (2 visits)! A business worth supporting! read more

I'm not a musician in any sense of the word so my opinion on their seemingly vast selection may have little merit. I was looking for a 22" Remo Kids Percussion Gathering Drum (yes, it was that specific), and had called 3 other places who recommended me to Rhythm Traders. I could have easily ordered the drum online for about 30% less but I wanted to support a local business and I didn't want to wait 2 days for it to arrive. Sales girl was really nice and their shop dog is super bad. read more

Yes! This is the place guys and gals. You will get excellent service and the best prices. There really is no place I know of like RT. Brad, the owner, makes sure the place is run right and that the customer gets just what they need. Awesome selection of everything percussion! Again, no place like Traders. You need help, they help. You need the newest in cymbals, they have it. And if they didn't, they hunt it down in minutes and get it for you. Portland is vey lucky to have this shop that not only carries great percussion and supplies, but re-heads drums, gives lessons in hand and kit percussion, and much more. A family run business worth your time and attention... Great prices! read more

Had a negative experience there today. Was asked not to play a particular kit, because there were guys talking nearby. Normally not a problem. However, what made it bad were two things. 1. The manager proceeded to lecture me on why he did that, as if I'm 5 yrs old. Very condescending. 2. He pretty much shooed me away from playing it at all, despite my interest in it. I have purchased 4 cymbals from them and many misc. items over the past 16 months or so. All of their associates are great guys (and gal) but the manager was not such a great guy today. He pretty much s--t all over my customer experience there. Try Revival Drums in Portland instead. Even Guitar Center treats you better than this. read more

I needed some parts I couldn't find easily, gave this shop a call, and Ben was super helpful with information and help. He was so patient with all the issues and questions I had, I am very thankful. Such an awesome spot!!!!!! read more

It's awesome having a great drum store so close to home. Nice, helpful crew, good selection, and they've introduced me to some gear and brands I didn't even know existed. Happy to support a local shop! read more

I had to sign up for Yelp just to review this drum shop. Please bear with the story: Early March I went in to discuss ordering a drum set and a few days later decided on a Crush maple kit. I went in to place the order and Sarge was very helpful throughout the entire process. He mentioned that unfortunately Crush is backordered on that kit but it will arrive at the end of May. I thought worth the wait for what I wanted so I put down a $300 deposit on the kit. Sarge mentioned when I ordered it, "good choice, I have the exact same kit..color and everything, sitting in my living room!" I get a call at the end of May from Sarge with a big apology saying that Crush has moved the date back on them and it will be another month and a half before the kit arrives. Bummed, I went in the next day to talk to him and to maybe order something different. To my dismay, he offered to sell me his personal kit! He said it was in mint condition and only played a handful of times (with wear on the heads as you would see from brand new kits they have on the floor to sell). He brought it into the shop the next business day he was working and as promised the kit was in immaculate showroom condition. He had it setup in the back room for me to play when I got there to pick it up. He helped me load it into my car, I paid for it, and he gave me a nice smile and handshake sincerely happy that I was happy. I highly recommend this shop and I will for sure give them my business in the future! Also if you find something online I recommend giving them a chance they seem very reasonable about matching prices. read more

Fun class and easy going group lesson. Get ready go be blown away with all their drums... you will be suddenly certain you need one of your own :) read more

This is one of the best drum stores in the country. Selection is a wide array of percussion instruments from drum kit to hand and ethnic percussion. The people who work there are intelligent, and have strong product knowledge and music. I purchased a custom made snare drum last spring which was made by Tony Esperanza, a gentleman who works at the store. This is still the best drum in my collection. read more

I love these guys! Been going to RT for years. I am a percussionist and educator and send all my student there to get not only equipment, but to attend master clinics, and other events such as The Oregon Big Beat, Drum Fair and other events that they sponsor. Brad, Sarge, Scott, and Tony and the best helpers and prices are reasonable. This store truly understands the "referral-giving-getting customers" ideology. A great relationship with good people who are knowledgeable and kind is a thing of mutual beauty: it's a win-win for me and my students. RT has also supported me as an educator: inviting me to perform at their events and sponsoring several clinics. The prices, amazing selection, and expertise these guys have is UNMATCHED by any other drum shop in Oregon and I know them ALL. Keep up the good work guys! xoxox Rene' Ormae-Jarmer Percussionist & Educator www.renesdrumstudio.com read more

The quintessential percussion store! If you couldn't find what you were looking for here, chances are you weren't looking hard enough. Plan on spending some time tinkering with a million cool instruments - they encourage it. Plus, they offer some excellent community music classes. If you're a percussionist & you've never checked this place out, do yourself a favor & go - you won't be disappointed! read more

Rhythm Traders is awesome! The staff there is so helpful and nice. My boyfriend is always looking for ways to upgrade his drum kit, and they are always full of helpful suggestions. When we go there, Scott is usually the guy who helps us (and by us, I mean my boyfriend). I'm clueless about drums and drumming, but that's okay because no one there treats me like I'm an idiot (which has happened at other shops which shall remain nameless). Anyway, this place gets five stars because it's a comfortable environment, with people who know what they're talking about, and never try to up-sell you. it's like they actually give a shit about your happiness (shocking for Portland). Good prices, good people, good shit! Go here, you will not be disappointed! read more

Great shop, nice & knowledgable employees. All things percussion. Looking forward to coming back soon!

Excellent assortment of drums, percussion, and hardware, with a good balance between name brands and handmade or fringe brand equipment. It's crowded, but I've never been to a good music store that wasn't --really how could it not be? read more

We love Faith and Mitch. I went to Rhythm Traders looking for a V-drum set for my other half. He's a drummer and I am not. So, I had no idea what to get, what to buy (you get the picture). Faith helped me from day 1 and recommended the Roland VK-11 for us. We eventually traded it for the mesh head set which feels closer to an acoustic set. If you're a drummer, this place is a drummer's mecca. Coming here, it makes me want to take up learning how to play the Djembe. We shall see how it will work with my work schedule. These guys are great....support local businesses! read more

Finally decided to upgrade my kit and couldn't be happier that I got it here!! Spoke with Tony mostly, who has a wealth of knowledge in the area and provided excellent customer service from start to finish! He really spent the time to answer all my questions thoroughly which is just what I needed to walk out with a kit I loved! I'll definitely be returning here a lot in the future for all my drumming needs!! read more

Love this place... great selection, great staff... they've walked and talked me through many hi-hats and pedals etc., so friendly... so easy! read more

All the "Heavy Hitters" in town frequent here. Be it salsa, alternative rock, West African, Afro Cuban, samba, blues, funk-the best percussionists in town shop or teach here. But the most impressive element of this shop is the free clinics, sponsored by Traders whereby legendary drummers tell their stories and explain techniques designed to get their signature sounds. Education is obviously an important vision for this store. Almost forgot, check out their youtube videos! read more

Pretty cool store. It is quite rare to find a competent drum shape. There are hardly any real reasons to shop at Guitar Center other than convenience and lack of somewhere else. I was in town working in the area. I started checking out cymbals and I had someone help me pick out a set of cymbals and even went around hitting each for me to hear how they sound together. He could tell I wasn't so sure so he set them up at a kit. He let me try and then he also let me hear from in front of the kit while he played. He boxed the cymbals up for me and got them ready to ship. I also got a snare drum. I paid for them first and he boxed them up before I came back to pick them up. However, after leaving I saw that a very similar set was at a few online retailers and wouldn't have a used ride cymbal that I selected. That ride had rivets which I wasn't too keen on. I was going to take them out. I also spoke with a friend back home that also had a similar set for sale. So, I went back to the shop and said I'm sorry I have a change of heart and need to only take the snare drum. I mentioned that I understood the clerks efforts and am very sorry because I know he took time to package things up. He was visibly and a little vocally bummed but not rude. He said ok it's ok then let's just void it out minus the snare. I could tell he was frustrated losing the sale and probably more so that he packed up the cymbals already. But he remained cordial and let me do the return. Thank you for your understanding and nice efforts to help me in my search. I told him that I probably just need to spend more time in a choice where I'm spending over $1,000. I was a bit rushing because my time was limited being that I was only in the area working. Thanks for all your efforts and as far as the shop I am highly impressed with the upkeep especially tuning of most of their drums. The selection is quite nice too. read more

Great drum shop! They had in stock the exact drum heads I was searching for. Much more to choose from...

I went into the old location a while back to get a coupler for my hi-hat. I waited in line for quite a while (there are certain customers with whom the staff seem much more interested than others), then finally got someone to talk to me. He explained that they were in the middle of moving so they couldn't find a small part, but I should come back when they were at the new store. Today, I go into the new location, ask for the same thing. Same guy explains that they don't have it and tells me I can look through their parts, but someone else came in looking for the same thing a week ago, so he knows it's not there. Doesn't have any interest in helping me look, ordering the part, even up-selling me on a new stand. Suggested I go to Trade Up Music instead. Perhaps they'll actually be interested in my business. read more

Sarge was so helpful helping us tune our drums after selling us some good head drums. He is so knowledgeable and taught us a ton. Our music will sound 100% better now. Thanks! read more

My favorite place to visit when ever I'm in Portland, I am a drum enthusiast and I could spend hours wandering around and sampling all the great gear they have to offer. The sales people are very knowledgeable and accommodating. In fact my wife got a migraine while we were shopping and they found her quiet place to relax until she felt well enough to drive home, and even brought her a glass of water. These guys are the best and I would recommend them to anybody. read more

Rhythm Traders carries everything you can hit, shake, or scrape! All the new and used drums, cymbals, and world percussion from all of the best brands and sources. Whether you need an authentic West African djembe, set of congas, used cymbal stand, new head for your drum, or anything else drummers might find themselves in need of. This is a great independent drum shop full of helpful drummers who are passionate and knowledgeable about their instrument! read more

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Drummers that grew up in a city with easy-to-access gear stores don't know my pain. Where I grew up, the only drum shop shut down right in the middle of high school. There were no places to go if you needed tension rods, specialty heads, a new rim for your floor tom, etc. Drums encompass a vast array of tones and styles, and only a drum-specific shop can offer it all to someone who's looking to change or upgrade their sound. Rhythm Traders does have a little bit of everything drum. I find myself going there to shuffle through the 3 barrels of stand parts, all reasonably priced, and perfect for drummers like me their piece hardware together. Rhythm Traders has a ton of curio items, used single drums, used and cheap cymbals, really cheap and decent drum heads, and most accessories you'd need for a kit. Not all of their prices are on-par with Musicians Friend, but you pay more for the convenience of having a "5-Star Certified" drum shop in town and easy to visit. The staff is very polite- they can sometimes get distracted, but I can imagine working at a drum store would be like having your own all-you-can-eat candy jar. I've purchased a few cymbals, a couple of stands, a tom or two, and tons of accessories from Rhythm Traders. I'd recommend the shop to any parent looking to outfit their child with a quality student kit (they have the best deal in Portland for student drums), and for any seasoned drummer looking to drool. read more

I ordered a goatskin drumhead on line and got a phone message that the price was 200% what showed on the order confirmation. I emailed their service address to cancel the order but they shipped it anyway and debited the double price and never answered my email. This transaction is now under appeal to Mastercard. read more