In January 2002, Virgil signed an endorsement deal with Pearl Drums.

After a long association, Virgil parted ways with the Premier Drum Company, and has signed a new endorsement deal with Pearl. As a lot of people may be aware, Virgil has been endorsing the Pearl Eliminator Pedals for the past two years, and now the switch to Pearl drums as well, seems like a natural progression. It's expected that the benefits of this deal will accrue to the ever-growing Virgil Donati fans.

Says Virgil: "I'm thrilled to be playing Pearl Drums, and I'm excited by the possibilities that this relationship will open up. My association with Pearl will give me the opportunity to get out there even more!" Pearl has made a commitment to bring Virgil's brand of drumming to more people in more corners of this Planet!

We'll announce the new series that Virgil will be using in detail in the near future. The gear section will be updated soon after. Initially, Virgil will be playing on the Pearl Masters MRX Maple 6-ply along with Sabian Cymbals.

Launched at NAMM 2005, Virgil Donati's very own signature snare drum model!

The new VG-1450 Virgil Donati signature snare drum features a 14” x 5” shell with 4 outer plies of 100% Maple over 4 inner plies of 100% Birch. The 8 ply shell produces a super bright tone accentuated even more by the 4 inner plies of Birch. With a rounded top bearing edge many drummers will find that they can play this drum wide open without any muffling. Virgil selected the snare bed used on Pearl’s Philharmonic snares which provide a totally flat bed within the width of the snares for ultimate snare response. The drums impressive styling is capped with Die Cast chrome hoops and a Smoke Flake finish. Other features include chrome plated brass tube lugs, ultra-precise Stainless Steel tension rods and SR-017 Vertical Pull Strainer.

<<< Pictured is the unveiling of Virgil's signature snare drum at the Winter NAMM show in 2005.

In January 2000, at the Winter NAMM show, Sabian unveiled Virgil's signature Saturation crashes. The available sizes are 16", 17", 18" and 19".

SATURATION CRASHES for Virgil Donati.

Virgil's big thing is crashes. And because of his tremendous proficiency with double bass pedals he's extremely particular about the crashes he plays when accenting with his feet. His request was for bright, explosive sounds that would be dense with tone... sounds that were literally saturated with a full range of musical tonality, so the response would be full and resonant at all volume levels.

The response was the Signature Saturation Crash. These are available in 16", 17", 18" and 19" sizes and offer a new and powerful crash option for players who dig dynamics and value the presence of tone in their accenting. It delivers bright, powerful response boosted by a wide range of frequencies saturate the sound with color.

Virgil's association with Remo Belli goes back many years. They first met in Australia in 1989, when Remo and Virgil toured together in promotion of the Remo product. Shortly after that, Remo invited Virgil to travel to Los Angeles to be part of the Remo Drum Day at UCLA.

This was to be Virgil's first appearance on U.S. soil and the catalyst for his future move to Los Angeles. On that memorable day, Virgil was in the company of great names such as Jeff Porcaro, Vinnie Colaiuta, Greg Bissonette, Mark Craney, Ricky Lawson, Louis Bellson and many others.

In September of 1999, right after Virgil's Powerhouse and Shedder sticks, Vater went back to the drawing board to create the ultimate stick for Virgil's supreme power and speed. They came out with the signature Assault Sticks.

"I've been accused of "cutting loose" on the drums...it's my Vater sticks that propel me."

According to Vater, once this stick was launched out to the drumming world, the orders for Virgil's Assault Sticks have been "flying out the door". With tons of orders coming in from several drum shops across the world, Virgil's new stick has really set the standard for drummers looking for that extra power in a stick without the useless weight.

Similar to a 2B in grip, Virgil's stick has a beefy shoulder and quick taper to a rounded barrel shaped tip. A great solid-feeling stick for when volume and projection are needed. Hickory model only