Don Sleishman, has spent a lifetime in drums. He is a professional drummer with over 40 years playing experience.

Along with his absolute passion for playing, Don also has a natural inventive nature- one that has seen numerous world firsts and a truly unique approach to drum manufacture. It all started back in the sixties. Already a well known drummer in Sydney, Don became equally well known in the drumming community for his ability to improve the sound of friends and fellow drummers personal kits. Bearing edges, re-finishes, hardware repair. You name it, Don could enhance the quality of any drum.

It wasn't until Don met fellow drummer and lifelong friend Evan Biddle, that his inventive nature really began to start breaking new ground. Evan is disabled as his left arm is not completely formed. He therefore had to compensate his drumming as a result. Don noticed one trait in particular about Evan's playing. His left foot worked at an incredible pace. Evan could literally nerve roll with his left foot. Don immediately saw this as a positive that allowed Evan to compensate for his lack of left arm movement. Immediately recalling the original recording of the famous Louis Bellson track ‘Skin Deep', it was obvious to Don that Evan had to get onto two bass drums. To make life even easier, Don immediately thought of two pedals on one drum.

The original twin bass drum pedal was born. There were no double pedals around back then. This was to be the start of something very new.

Twin Pedal

Like most revolutionary inventions, the twin pedal was seemingly ahead of it's time. Phrases and figures that drummers could now achieve on one bass drum were not yet called for in the music of the day. This did not stop a tenacious Don from taking on the world with his original design.

1972 saw the first production line pedals take to the market place. Due to their way too early introduction, response was not as Don would have liked. Music was to take some time before it demanded drummers made the double pedal a must have inclusion in their kits.During all of this time, Don's mind never wandered far from the drums and ways in which to enhance their natural sound.

The history of the Drums

Like most players with a good ear, Don was always striving for tonal performance out of his drums. Again, due to a natural inventive nature, Don began working on an idea that he had for sometime. This idea is the very foundation upon which all Sleishman drums are produced today.

By removing all the bolted fittings from a shell (this he had to do quite often when repairing or re-finishing drums), he noticed that when tapped, the resonance and tone of the shell were undeniably better than with all the fittings still on the drum. He then let his creative side go to work and came up with the first version of the patented TRS ( Total Resonance System)

Sleishman Drum Company

Drummers around Sydney soon began talking and it wasn't long before Don was called on to convert players kits over to this revolutionary system. Always improving as he went, Don launched the Sleishman Drum company in 1978. Numerous versions of the TRS have been incorporated by the company since inception, the latest of which was settled on by Don in 1995. Since then, a worldwide name has been forged through providing a unique, hand crafted, top end drum that delivers exactly what is promised of it. More tone, more projection and more resonance.

Along the way, numerous world firsts have been incorporated into the design and function of our revolutionary kits. We were the first and still the only company to offer floor tom resonator springs on all of our floor mounted toms. (the springs act as if you are holding the drum in mid air. This gives any drum more tone and resonance. Go on, try holding your floor tom up and striking it. Compare the difference!)

Another first and only from 1995 is our use of the mini rack to mount toms and cymbals off. Due to our policy of nothing bolted to the shell, a way was thought of in which to mount drums minus bulky double braced stands. The mini rack was born and has stayed as a very practical alternative to standard tom mounting.

The future... who knows what lies around the corner, but you can be assured of one thing, Sleishman is not just another drum company, we are a drum manufacturer with a one track mind. Constant Improvement. As a passionate boutique manufacturer, this is our simple philosophy and we will continue to make drums with this commitment always.