Blog · 24 September 2026

Polmuz Model 1 vs Model 2: what is the difference?

Polmuz Model 1 drum kit in black fade next to a Model 2 in Champagne Gold Sparkle

Model 1 and Model 2 are our custom drum kits made in Poland. In photos they look almost the same, so I often get asked what you actually pay extra for in Model 1. The short answer: the wood is the same. The difference is the hardware, the heads and how much time we spend on each drum.

In short

	Model 2	Model 1
Wood	usually maple, 6 plies, 4.8 mm	same as Model 2
Hardware	chrome	heavier-duty: lugs, claws, legs, mounts, tom holders
Heads	Polmuz branded or Remo Encore	Evans
Where it is made	in our workshop in Gdynia	in our workshop in Gdynia
Custom order, 20/12/14, natural wood	approx. PLN 5,500	approx. PLN 7,400
Example of a ready kit	22/12/16 Champagne Gold Sparkle, approx. PLN 7,300	18/12/14 Satin Brown, PLN 6,400

Prices from drumstore.pl, September 2026, rounded to PLN 100, without a snare drum.

What they have in common

You build both models around yourself: you pick the wood, the colour and the drum sizes, and we make the kit. Inside, everything is done the same way.

Thin plywood, usually maple, six plies. In 2019 I ordered a whole pile of different plywoods and tested which one sounded best. This one won. Knock on a bare shell and you can already hear its pitch.
A 45° bearing edge, milled, polished and waxed. The head sits on its flat part, so the drum tunes low and stays in tune.
Holes drilled to within 0.2 mm. I draw the hole layout in QCAD, the same way I used to draw ship hull sections. The screws go in straight and do not rub against the hoop.
Tom mounts that do not drill through the shell.
A badge with the owner’s name in every drum and a lifetime warranty on the shell.

For both kits we recommend stainless steel mounting screws, acid-proof like in shipbuilding, and double waxing and oiling of the inside. That makes the kit practically indestructible: nothing in it goes mouldy or rusts over the years.

Inside a Polmuz Model 1 maple shell with the owner name badge — Inside the shell: waxed maple and a badge with the owner’s name.

How the hardware differs

From a distance the two models look the same. The differences are small and you only see them up close: Model 1 hardware is heavier-duty. I put the same parts of both models side by side.

Bass drum claws

The claws hold the bass drum hoop. On Model 1 they are cast.

Bass drum claw on a Polmuz Model 2 — Model 2

Cast bass drum claw on a Polmuz Model 1 — Model 1

Bass drum legs

On Model 1 the legs are massive, with retractable spikes.

Bass drum leg on a Polmuz Model 2 — Model 2

Massive bass drum leg on a Polmuz Model 1 — Model 1

Bass drum lugs

Lugs hold the tension rods on the shell.

Bass drum lug on a Polmuz Model 2 — Model 2

Bass drum lug on a Polmuz Model 1 — Model 1

Tom mounts

On both models the mount does not drill through the shell.

Floor tom leg brackets

They hold the floor tom legs on the shell.

Floor tom leg bracket on a Polmuz Model 2 — Model 2

Floor tom leg bracket on a Polmuz Model 1 — Model 1

Model 2 – from approx. PLN 5,500

Model 2 is made in our workshop in Gdynia. A 20/12/14 custom order in natural wood costs about PLN 5,500. A colour, fade or lacquer adds PLN 500 per drum. The hardware is chrome. The heads are Polmuz branded or Remo Encore: clear, single-ply, with a muffling ring on the bass drum.

We also have ready kits in colour, for example the Model 2 Maple 22/12/16 in Champagne Gold Sparkle for about PLN 7,300.

Polmuz Model 2 Maple 22/12/16 drum kit in Champagne Gold Sparkle — Model 2 Maple 22/12/16, Champagne Gold Sparkle.

22 inch bass drum of a Polmuz Model 2 in Champagne Gold Sparkle — The 22″ bass drum from the same kit.

This is how it sounds

Model 2 Maple, played by Krzysztof Klingbein.

A walnut kit, played by Grzegorz Sycz.

Model 1 – from approx. PLN 6,000

Model 1 is also built by us in Gdynia. The wood is the same as in Model 2, but the drum hardware is heavier-duty, for example the lugs, claws, legs, mounts and tom holders. The bass drum claws are cast, and the bass drum legs are massive, with retractable spikes. Evans heads come as standard. And we can spend more time on the details of every drum.

The smallest ready kit, 16/10/14, costs about PLN 6,000, and an 18/12/14 in satin brown PLN 6,400. A 20/12/14 custom order in natural wood is about PLN 7,400. The most expensive, most extended Polmuz we have ever made cost PLN 40,000.

Two examples. We built a kit in polished black fade for the Warsaw Philharmonic (Filharmonia Narodowa): maple finished with oil and wax. An orchestra needs drums that sound clean without muffling and stay in tune for the whole concert, and that is exactly what the edge and the precise drilling give you. The white and red kit with the eagle on the bass drum was made for the Polish Army.

Polmuz Model 1 Maple drum kit in polished black fade built for the Warsaw Philharmonic — Model 1 for the Warsaw Philharmonic: polished black fade, oil and wax.

Polmuz Model 1 tom in black fade with an Evans drumhead — Evans heads come as standard on Model 1.

White and red Polmuz Model 1 drum kit with the Polish eagle on the bass drum, built for the Polish Army — White and red Model 1 for the Polish Army.

Cast bass drum claw on the wooden hoop of a Polmuz Model 1 — A cast claw on the wooden bass drum hoop.

Listen to a maple Model 1

Model 1 Maple 22/10/12/13/16/18, played by Jędrzej Jakubowski.

Model 1 Maple 22/12/14/16, played by Tomasz Mądzielewski.

Which one should you choose?

If you want a custom kit made in Poland, in your own colour and sizes, Model 2 gives you the same shell, the same edge and the same drilling for less money.

Go for Model 1 if the drums are going to play on stage and last for years, and you want Evans heads and the strongest hardware we offer from day one.

Not sure which one?

+48 797 317 035

Call us or come to the workshop in Gdynia and turn the key on both.

Prices and ordering: Polmuz Custom Order on drumstore.pl or the order form on this site. I compare all our kits, from Model 4 to Model 1, in the guide How much does a drum kit cost and which one to buy?

How we price drums, finishes and add-ons is laid out on the page How we price a drum kit.

Tomek Stukan, owner of DrumStore and the Polmuz brand. I have worked with drums professionally since 2006.