About Instruments Express

15641 Product Ln A12

Huntington Beach, Ca 92649

checks payable to SurfCity Music


SurfCity Music Mission
* To offer the best value through attention to quality, customer service, detail and pricing.
Our Milestones-
* Established musical instrument company in 1976 becoming one of the largest independent music companies in the US. * Received industry award for "Best Music Co." in southern California 1996 and 1997. * Developed, produced, and distributed throughout the U.S., "Making Music With Midi " a pioneer learning tool for digital music interfacing. * Developed a charity driven clinic program that attracted some of the greatest names in the music business.. Artists include members of Kiss, Guns and Roses, Dick Dale, Red Hot Chile Peppers, Alice in Chains, Dave Weckl-Madonna, Carmine Appice, Greg Bissonette, Santana and many more. * Established music learning center educating over 50,000 people to play a musical instrument. * Created a band workshop curriculum that became the model for Yamaha as their pilot program in the United States. * Member International Music Association since 1976 . * Creator and designer of HB Drums and SurfCity Musical Instruments. * Featured as One Of The "Best Value" Drum Companies in 2004 by MMR



Client Testimonials
I just finished the first rehearsal with my new Predator set. These shells SING!!! I'm not a big fan of single ply heads, they have a little too much ring for my personal taste, but I didn't have the funds to re-head the kit when it arrived. I put the provided heads on and tuned them fairly low, I was astounded at the tone. I can't wait to hear what they sound like when I put some EC2's or Pinstripes on them. I'll be doing my first gig with them this coming weekend and I look forward to hearing them when they're mic'd up. I have to say that anyone who is looking for a new kit needs to consider HB. The tone is incredible, and you won't have to drain your bank account to get the sound that you've always thought unobtainable from "budget priced" kits. It's an investment that you will not regret. Thank you for a great product and keep up the good work. Best Regards,JH

HELLO DAVE, GREAT QUALITY, GREAT LOOKS, GREAT SOUND, GREAT HARDWARE, GREAT PRICE. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOUR COMPANY..(HB DRUMS)...THANKS AGAIN ROGER THOMAS

I love HB Predator! the 22"x18" kick is a beast! So much response and boom to it, just amazing, and at such a low price! sweet jesus! And that 14"x4" laquer snare. that thing is amazing. I put a coated emperor head on top and clear ambassador on bottom, and heres what i did: I tuned the heads quite high, then turned off the snare, and unscrewed the thing that holds the snare on the side opposite of the snare trigger, and made it tighter, so it was fairly tight, even when the snare was off, now i can get two sounds out of it!!! A really sharp and cutting sound when turned on and a more subtle noise that still has buzz with more PoP to it. I used the snare-off more than on. I love that snare!

first off just wanted to say i love your drums! i already have a set of your predator series drums and they sound great. 24x18 bass 15x13 tom 16,18 toms. ....thanks alot dave

I recieved my kit about a week and a half ago or there abouts, and let me just say this, I LOVE IT, the sound these drums put out is thunderous, and the finish,STUNNING. I am a very happy camper and will be a return customer again and again. BV

Being a one finger typer i send very few e-mails, however i felt the need to punch this one out. My girl friend was going to buy her 8yr old daughter drums at the local toys r us. I am so glad i somehow surfed on to your site.ANYONE thinking of dropping a couple of hundred on toy drums should reach a LITTLE deaper into their pocket and get real drums.Had i known the quality i was going to receive i would have done so my self,oh and if you can send info on what peices i need to make my set a little better ,oops,i mean my step daughters set.THANKS 4 MAKING OUR CHRISTMAS and expect more orders from Pittsburgh.THANX AGAIN N HAPPY HOLIDAYS

WOW! That is the feeling I got when I played the new floor tom I bought from you. I've been a drummer for over 40 years and I've played on just about any brand of drum kit you can mention. I bought the 16" floor to add to an old Pearl kit I've recently refurbished and I was so impressed with the sound that it's taken the place of the original tom. Prompt and courteous service with an excellent product gives you an A+ rating. I will definitely recommend you to several drummers I know. Thank you much. Vic W.

just wanted to let u know im enjoying gigging with my kit in central ny and getting a lot of ques and comments on my hb kit. how bout an endorsement here on the east coast. check me out at http://remedy111.tripod.com or myspace.com/remedyrthere remedy is my band and we love the drums,ty erik strail
inkenbrandt:Just wanted to say thanks to Dave Moody and staff for another job well done! These toms look and sound great! Thanks again! Rock on! i really like the way my HB kit sounds and i think a lot of it has to do with the heads. thanks bootvog
SWEET, you just made my day i will let everyone know about you guys thank you very much, great service and means alot to me as a customer that u care, ... i will look forward to buying more from you, thanks alot!!!!! mike HB 12 predator

This is the most amazing delivery service I have EVER had! Before I could even enter the tracking info, the packages were here! We are putting the kit together tonite, and my son will come home from his visit with his grandparents to an awesome set! You guys rock!..Cynthia Wilson
Dave, this drum is cool. I can't believe it's going to match my Yamaha set almost perfectly. The construction is strong and the sound is booming. I LOVE IT. Thank you so much and I will be calling you guys for a whole new set. I'm really diggin this. Have a great day and talk to you soon. Your new lifelong client,Robert Miller-BMD Records-Naples, FL
Greetings, I just purchased my first acoustic drum set from you guys a Predator 6 piece double bass kit I am new to the hardware world for my first instrument is a guitar and drums are a hobby of mine. I am ultra impressed with this kit. My experiences with drums is in the higher class kits, my current drummer plays a Birch Starclassic with A Keplinger ayeotte snare and my old drummer had an entire double bass set of ayeottes' and i must say this predator sounds every bit as good as the Starclassic and blows away the Ayeotte kit - Jesse
I received the Brass snare drum yesterday and it sounds wonderful. It definitely gives me the bottom end that I needed. How fortunate can one person be to have such great friends as the friends I have at HB? I was very fortunate this past weekend to play with one of the piedmont blues greats named Big Ron Hunter. Big Ron had a heart attack earlier in the week and I thought that I may miss this opportunity to sit and play with one of the greats. But being the great he is he was released Friday and we played Saturday. He is kind of a local hero and the turn out was large even in spite of the rain. He came out in a wheel chair and we all played like there was no tomorrow. The crowd and the musicians in the band were all moved by his dedication. I guess I am saying this because I want you to know that I really appreciate all you have done for me and help you have given in raising my musical aspirations. Since getting back into music and purchasing my first set of HB drums I have had more opportunities than any middle age drummer my age should be allowed to have. Warming up for The Guess Who, 38 Special, playing with Doc Holiday members, Archie Bell, sitting in with blues greats. playing with my own band and being called to fill in for others and being sponsored by a very reputable company. Honestly it really is more fun than one person should be allowed to have. So with the utmost sincerity I would like to say thank you. I cannot wait to see what set I buy next year. HB drums are an addiction and I love them! So be good and thanks HB drums are truly a weekend warriors dream. KR - (HB Drums - thanks again Kevin - you are truly da man and we wish you continued success)
I want you to know that you're one of the finest merchants I've dealt with and I really enjoy shopping with you...I just wish I had a way to tell others that. THANKS FOR YOUR GREAT CYBER-SERVICE AND PRODUCT. Anytime someone can say "I like spending money with that guy" then you've done something right. Take care...Chris (predator 9 pc set)
Good Morning Dave! I just recieved the 14x5.5 birch snare drum I ordered from you last week. I'll admit, at first I was sceptical. Now?? I'm a believer! This drum is awesome! The web photos don't do this beautiful instrument any justice! I replaced the batter and reso heads with evans and this drum sings! I am VERY impressed with the overall quality and more than that the SOUND! VERY PROFESSIONAL! Congrats to HB for delivering an outstanding product at an easy price! Delivery and customer service are EXCELLENT! I WILL recommend HB drums to everyone I know in the drumming community. This drum has made me an HB believer and customer for life! When everyone else's claims fail... HB REALLY delivers! Anyone who is a sceptic... HB is the real deal! Thanks, JG Milwaukee, WI.
HB Drums A Drum set for Every Style and Level of Playing Kevin Ratermann I have played HB drums exclusively for three years. I started lessons at the age of five and continued my lessons all the way through college. Outside studies Include several summer sessions with the great Ed Soph via Jamey Aebersold clinics not to mention percussion symposiums at Indiana University. I was the drum captain for my high school drum line The Centerville Jazz (always a top 10 contender in Bands of America) my sophomore year. I am a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts where I studied percussion with James Massey Johnson and was a freshman at Ohio State University where I studied under Dr. James L. Moore and Linda Pimentel. My playing credentials include the Dayton Philharmonic, Winston-Salem Symphony, Ohio State University Big Band, North Carolina School of the Arts Big Band, Piedmont Airlines Big Band, The Jazz Arts group of Columbus and stints with Greg Allman, BB King, Phil Wilson, Ron McClure, Herbie Mann, Tommy Redd (Nantucket), Archie Bell, Mike Berrier (Nantucket), Rick Skelton and Too Tall Tommy Evans (Doc Holiday) not to mention several small jazz combos and rock and roll bands up and down the east coast. Several years ago I walked away from music for several personal reasons. After a long venture away from what I loved. I decided to jump back into the business with both feet. However, a real job, family and bills kind of put a hurting on my pocket. I could not afford a brand spankin new name brand set. I might as well have bought a car. I was on the search for a NEW fair priced kit. There were none to be found locally all of the so-called entry level kits just were not up to the standards need for a gigging musician. Then I stumbled onto the HB Drum site. Mik and Dave must have thought I was out of my mind. I asked question, after question, after question until I finally made a decision to invest my money with HB Drums and I have not regretted it not one bit. I love HB Drums. I love them so much I own The Predator series seven piece set, The Predator Elite five piece set and a seven piece Duke set. I am also a very proud owner of HB Timbale and roto-toms too. I use all of them but NOT at ONCE!!!! Why would someone have all three? Well in my case my passion for music and playing basically has brought me to this obsession. The other is the quality and craftsmanship of these drums. I get comments like HB I never heard of them about my set before a gig from drummers spending HUGE amounts of money on monster kits but after they hear me play my HBs the comments move quickly to man those drums sound great and guess what they do. I am absolutely in love with my drums. PERIOD!!! Now why do I say HB has a drum set for every level and style? It is easy to say when you own all three and have had the chance to play them in various styles and shows. NO MATTER WHAT YOUR LEVEL or BUDGET may be you can find a winner with HB.
I use my seven piece Predator set (I call her Gwenivere) for my heavy local rock shows. She has a heavy sound that cuts through and mixes well with even the heaviest of Rock. I would recommend the predator set for anyone just starting out or for someone like me who has the training and looking to get back into the business. The craftsmanship and hardware are outstanding. She has also done several recordings with me. My five piece Predator Elite is absolutely fantastic for acoustic jazz and blues. The drums resonate so well they will cut any club gig. Even an amped blues gig. I never have a problem cutting over the amplified stuff when I play Jasmine. (yes I name all my sets). I would recommend the Predator Elite for any intermediate player or any professional who is looking for a deep resonant sound. Last but certainly not least is The Duke Series. I call her Lucy she is a fiery red head of a set that cannot be tamed. If you are a constantly gigging professional The Duke Series is what you want. The Duke has it all. Suspended toms, Heavy Duty Hardware, beautiful finishes and best of all the HB warranty. I use The Duke when I am on the road and when I do big name gigs. She just sounds great and looks great. I have recently used The Duke in the studio and the sound engineers have loved her. We made NO adjustments to the overall sound of the drums. Recorded them flat and they rival ANY name brand out there. So if you are considering investing in a new set of drums look at HB closely. If you would like to ask me about mine please feel free to ask Dave or Darren to get you my e-mail or phone number and we will talk about the superior quality and service that HB Drums offers. Regards, Kevin Ratermann HB Customer to the end.
...just a quick thanks for your help in getting my drums to me(British card ,buying drums in the US,to be sent to Canada!!)they got here in a few days with not so much as a washer missing.Great quality too mate. thanks again ian p.

Hey Dave, It's been a year now since I bought my set from you and I still love it!! I got the ebony mist finish and when ever I show it off to the ladies they go "oh and ah!" Then I start playing and things get really interesting!! These drums sound so good I can't get enough!! Thank you so much for such a great set and for great customer service you gave when I ordered them! - Tom M-HB-Right on Tom, HB is a babe magnet!
I recently purchased one of your predator series double bass drum sets and it is totally AWESOME! It's everything you said it would be and more...B Anderson 9-1
First of all I would like to say I'm very happy with my purchase. ... we won a battle of the bands and played on a larger stage... the sound guys at both stages said the drums sounded amazing. Thanks Again, Steve Couch 8-12-05
HB- Congrats to Steve and his band "The Volts" on winning the battle of the bands in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba Canada! We love you guys up north eh! Continued success and thanks for the great news and pics Steve!
Hey Dave, Sorry this has taken so long to write and say thanks for the Grand Prize. But between the daytime gig and music I have been outrageously busy. My Kameleon Kolors set is awesome. She is beautiful and SOUNDS FANTASTIC!!! My bass player loved the color so much he went out and got his bass done the same way. I cannot get over the way she resonates. I use her on my smaller Blues and Jazz shows and her tone is like Ella Fitzgerald...smooth and punchy. I have named her Jasmine because of her exotic look and intoxicating sounds. At First Gwenivere was jealous but now she is fine! She knows I will not leave her long. Jasmine and Gwen both say hi and that all is going well..they keep asking me when I am going to fly Duke home.(their brother)..LOL. The new Duke 7 is MIGHTY appealing...HB Drums are like an addiction...take care and again thanks so much for your awesome product and outstanding service. Kevin Ratermann