Bonzo Drum Company is the best in restoring, repairing, refinishing, and customizing. I am an avid drummer and collector and expect only the best in quality and service. Matt Sinyard offers only the highest standard of both. I trust Matt in every aspect of work performed and I am never disappointed. I put my reputation on the line for Matt.
Billy Jeansonne
Publisher
Classic Drummer Magazine

Knowing Matt's capabilities through our two-decade friendship, I commisioned him in 2004 to create a custom kit, using a set of new/old-stock, solid maple Slingerland shells I'd acquired about six years before. He gloss-lacquered the insides and edges, and wrapped the outsides in green sparkle. He also found all the extra (authentic!) badges and hardware needed for the final assembly.
The resulting drumset is so much better than I deserve, that I'm a little ashamed every time I set them up. They're astonishingly beautiful, resonant and responsive, and are perspicuous at any volume (as well as conspicuous on any stage).
Thank you, Bonzo Drums, for finding me the love of my life.
Sincerely,

Peter Hartbarger,
Drummer - The Deathrow Bodines.

Having used my Tama superstar 4 piece kit for some 20 years, I was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with my ability to position the 14" x 13" power tom. I decided I had two choices: search ebay for a conventional tom or find someone who could cut my tom down to accommodate the desired angle I was searching for. Upon speaking to a custom drum builder, he directed me to Matt Sinyard of Bonzo Drum Co. After five minutes on the phone with Matt I felt like we had known each other for years. Living within driving distance, I was able to deliver the drum to Matt. Two days later I watched Matt put the finishing touches on the drum. His care and attention to detail is not something "extra" but is the standard Matt seems to live by. He took the time to create an identical bearing edge which was important to me. Above all else, once I played the drum, the tone was even better than before. Matt thanks for making me happier with my old drums!
 
Brian Gibbs

Keith Thibodeaux (Little Ricky) I Love Lucy Show  "Original 1956 Gretsch round badge 20" 13" 16" in Midnight Blue Pearl, used on the TV series"

Thanks Matt for the fantastic restoration of my 1956 set of Gretsch. When Billy Jeansonne of Classic Drummer Magazine began talking to me about getting my drums restored, he told me about you and your work. I knew I could trust you, but what I didn't know was how much attention you would pay to the details of my kit. They are better than when I first got them! You fixed the mistakes that had been done on my kit and then some. You also made them look as they ought to look for drums of that caliber. Again much thanks for the time and care you put in the project.
God bless,

Keith Thibodeaux

A few months ago, I decided to get my late 1970's Slingerland drum kit re-covered and refurbished. This was the first kit I owned, so, needless to say, I didn't just want to get anyone to do the job. I began searching on the internet for drum companies and came across the Bonzo Drums web site. After spending a few minutes on the site, I noticed that they were located only an hour from my home, so I gave Matt a call. The next day I was on my way to deliver my drums to him.

Three weeks later, my drums had been transformed! He re-covered them in green sparkle wrap, plugged the extra holes in the shells, and re-finished the insides. It was like getting a new kit. Not only did they look better, they sounded better also. He even took the time to re-assemble them for me when I went to pick them up.

It was a great experience working with Matt on this project. I actually learned a lot just from the short amount of time that I spent with him. Not only is he is very knowledgeable, but a nice guy as well. Thanks for the great job, Matt. I would definitely recommend you to anyone who is looking for custom drum work.

Davey Staton

About 10 years ago I had the good fortune of finding a couple of old Ludwig drum kits that were in great shape. I already had a mid-70’s Black Beauty Slingerland kit and had been unhappy with their sound, so I had the edges redone on all kits. They sounded a little better but I knew they weren’t right. Their “sound” was missing. For years afterward, I searched for someone who could do them right. I had talked to a couple of different guys but never had the gut feeling they were the right guys. Just about the time I was going to give up, I accidentally ran across Matt’s page.
 
 I read the impressive testimonies (Keith “Little Ricky” Thibodeaux’s was way cool!) and decided to email him to test the waters a bit. I had explained in my email that I had done the edges before on a 1968 Sky Blue Marine Pearl kit and was concerned about taking any more wood off but was unhappy with them. I asked if I could send a single drum for him to inspect and would pay him for his time even if he thought I was nuts. So he emailed back and said he’d love to take a look at it.

 A short time later he emailed back and said that they were indeed not true and had been cut with the wrong size router bit. Then, what really blew my mind, was that he called one evening shortly thereafter and really wanted to talk about what he was about to do and what I was wanting.
We talked a long time. That really sold me…he was totally concerned about this drum. In my search, couldn’t get other guys to talk much and one guy in Nashville wouldn’t talk to me at all.
 
 Matt worked on the drum and when it came back…one whack out of the box, and a big smile came across my face. On inspection, he had finished and resealed the edges. The last time, the edges came back raw. He also took off any seam bumps on the reinforcing rings to keep the router cut from shifting on the edge, but not without my permission first. Now that’s attention to detail! The rest of the kit went to him ASAP and now they are so much fun to play. The guys in my band even turned around the first night onstage and commented on how good they sounded, (imagine that, fellow drummers) and I hadn’t had time to even tweak them in yet. My harmonica player said they had gained a fat midrange sound…like I said…"their" sound was back.

If you need work on your drums and are looking for someone who will go to the “nth” degree to make it right, then, you’re here!
 
 
Thanks a ton Matt. After so many years, I can relax and actually enjoy hitting these babies again! I’ll be sending the other kits in as I can.
 
 
Kelly Pace
Greensboro, NC
 
Be sure to check out Matt’s gallery, my snare is in there.

 One evening I “discovered” Bonzo Drum’s website. I was blown away by what Matt had done restoring, repairing and recovering vintage drum kits that were very similar to mine. I own a Ludwig Classic Downbeat kit and got it new back in 1969. The kit was in nice condition, but after 35 plus years of use, it looked tired, and I felt that it needed an overhaul and maybe even a new finish. After sending him an email with my list of early restoration questions, I received a call from Matt a couple of days later.

One of the first things you realize when talking with Matt is that he takes a very consultative approach to working with you. Once you are able to tell Matt what you would like to accomplish with your kit, be it a cleaning, repair or restoration project, he gives you concrete guidance on what you can do. At this stage, there is no heavy selling on his part. Matt offered me useful advice as I was also interested in having my drums re-wrapped in a different finish. I asked questions such as “what does it all involve?”, “will the new wrap seams be clean and tight?”, “will you be able to make weathered hardware and rust/pit areas to look new again?” and on and on. To all of these questions and concerns, Matt patiently guided me through the overall process and explained how he works on each of these areas in detail. This was an exciting conversation because Matt took personal interest in my kit and seemed to identify exactly what I wanted to do. To some of you, sending your precious kit half way across the country to a person you “met” online only several days ago, will take some courage. I felt that way until Matt and I talked.    

I quickly became more comfortable and ready to entrust Matt with a full restoration and rewrap project:  I sent him pictures of my kit and we talked again on the phone. He was able to advise me on how to pack the drums for shipping, and how much to insure them for. In addition to this, he sent me a detailed task description with his price quotation so there would not be any last moment surprises. All throughout this time, Matt also sent me pictures of other customers’ kits- work in progress and nearly finished drums. He did this mainly to remind me in pictures of the many things he explained earlier to me by phone. Seeing these pictures was really reassuring.

And finally, the proof is in the pudding. All I can tell you is that I am now a happy and proud owner of a completely transformed 1969 Ludwig kit that looks and plays better than I can ever remember. The kit has been expertly overhauled by Matt to mint condition. A collector friend once told me that the Ludwig factory cranked out 120 to 140 of these kits daily during its boom period, and designed/built these drums to last only several years. For those of us lucky enough to own these precious vintage gems, and for those who want to own the ultimate, fully restored kit. I recommend you talk to Matt. You will be happy you did.

Ron Hosogi
Seattle, WA