Sam Adato's Drum Shop
Category: Musical Instruments & Teachers [Edit]
Neighborhood: SOMA283 9th St
(between Clementina St & Folsom St)
San Francisco, CA 94103 (415) 863-3786
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
8 reviews
San Rafael, CA
"A big improvement over Guitar Center sales and service. Carries basically all the same product lines as Guitar Center & Sam Ash at the same…" read more »
34 Reviews for Sam Adato's Drum Shop
I've lived in SF for over 8 years and have been coming to this store since then. Not once have I walked in there and seen Sam in a good mood. Of course he's in the resale business, which is tough, but he doesn't have to be a perpetual dick about it. If you are going in there to trade or buy you better be ready to negotiate because Sam is a tightass and will try to rip you off. Again - he has good selection but his prices are not as good as Guitar Center and although they are annoying at least they aren't dicks like Sam. I hate to write such a negative review but this guy knows he's the only drum shop in town and he acts like he owns the world. The only reason I will go back to this place is to piss on the front door.
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Man!! I didn't know that there was a car accident there a few days ago!!!
I drove by there today and was bummed because I thought they had suddenly closed down, hopefully everyone involved is ok and this place gets up and running again.
This drum shop is truely a gem in this city!!!
Sam Adato is the Best! A San Francisco Original!
Please support him in rebuilding the Drum Shop!
To: Tong L.
'I have bought the Sam Adato Signature Snare Drum. I will love its tone and resonance, and will cherish it forever'!
I have No. 100 built with Sam's special additions! YES!
I've never experienced Sam as grumpy - he's always been 100% helpful, friendly and knowledgable. A musician through and through and a drum afficionado with great selection and a love for his instrument. I wouldn't shop for drums and accessories anywhere else in S.F.
ok correct me if im wrong, i've been trying to find more info online, but i was driving down folsom today and 9th between folsom & howard was closed off due to which looked like a car that crashed inside this store today around 1130am. regardless of what store it was, the situation sucks and my thoughts & prayers go out to the owners, pedestrians, driver, passangers, and everyone else involved!!
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Kick snare drumb shop! ( haha im pretty funny eh?!!) No really, MY drummer Mark works here a few days a week, and this is the best shop in town. Screw Guitar Center, this place has great prices and they will fix anything
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Repeat after me ...
'I will buy the Sam Adato Signature Snare Drum. I will love its tone and resonance, and will cherish it forever'.
Very good. Now proceed to rock socks off!
I LOVE this shop! Sam is the MAN! I have been playing a DW drumkit with a 28" bass drum for the past couple of years. Finding heads for it proved to be a SERIOUS pain in the ass, UNTIL I found Sam. Not only did he have it, but he kept them in stock for me for as long as I have had the kit. Every single head I have bought since, comes from Sam Adato. This shop is a true life saver! Thanks Sam!
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Oh c'mon, Theres no place like Sam's! Customer service is his specialty.
Here's a perfect example....Why just the other day, I called to say I'm on my way - they stayed opened for me after hours, until I was able to get there. For 1 drum head! Can you believe it? Saved the recording session.
And if you need something fixed, dont waste your time going anywhere else. You know it's true, GC cant help ya there, now can they?
Thanks Sam, you're a superstar.
Rock on!
Guess What........??? Sam Adato Rocks! I Only Know This Because He Happens To Be My Neighbor! Love Ya -CHICKIE-22-
Sam hooked me up with a kit 15 years ago, have purchased many heads, sticks and cymbals and even a cool vintage Ludwig set.
I wonder if he would sell that sweet Buddy Miles poster?
Sam's is THE place to go in SF for anything drum related. First time I saw his shop when I moved here 8 years ago, I knew I would spend some time there and get to know this guy. Whatever you might ever need, he has the part or will get it for you. And as someone else mentioned, if you need some machining done on a part, his buddy does it for cheap.
For any repairs you need on your drums, Sam is the best man in town for the job. About once every couple months, I take my snare down to Sam, kick him $20, and come back the next day and my snare has new heads, cleaned up, tuned precisely by Sam himself, and sounds 1000% better than it did before.
If you are going to do some recording, take Sam your snare and kick drum, let him clean/tune/new heads on them, and your session will be awesome.
Good for Sam for staying in business, send him as much business as you can, cause he can always use the customers, but it is also fun just to go in there and beat on a few things and talk about drums with the man.
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Adato's is great, what can i say? Much cheaper than guitar center and music unlimited!
I had to get my snare fixed, and Sam was so awesome - I'm a fan for life. The place is a bit dark and cold, but the vibe is great. Stacks of drums everywhere - and an honest guy who knows everything. The price is right too, and I'm pretty sure that GC would've charged me more, AND would've taken longer to fix. Sam got it done in a half hour.
Rock on.
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I am an idiot. And that's how I met Sam.
I just bought a drum kit off of CL, and though the snare sounded fine, I felt like I needed fiddle with it to tune it just right. Mind you, at this point with a week worth of drum experience under my belt, I'm not sure what right actually IS. Off come the hoops and the heads. Using the internet as a handy resource I proceed to reassemble the snare. And when I was done, IT SOUNDED TERRIBLE! Horrified, I began to loosen the tension rods and realized that one was cross-threaded. Because of the tension, it bound completely and I ended up shearing it completely in half. Great, I just effed up my snare. I took it completely apart in disgust.
Being Saturday, I didn't want to deal going to Guitar Center on Van Ness, so a quick search on Yelp for shops in SF yielded Sam's shop. Five stars? Wow, impressed. And fellow Yelpers, you are all spot-on the mark. As well as not embarrassing me with my incompetence, I received a mini-lesson on snare care and assembly: simple things to do with absolutely brand new snares and drums, using vaseline on rods in high tension, and things to listen for when comparing different snares. Oh, so that metallic ring is inherent? And this plastic ring kills it? Fabulous! I don't think he charged me for the assembly and parts, but I did pick up a practice pad and a few other goods.
BTW, while I was there, he had sold a complete kit to a kid and his mom and another to a guitarist father for his 4 year-old. Sam really knows the right questions to ask and how to assemble a kit that works specific to someone's needs.
I'll admit that I don't mind Guitar Center: it's kind of like a crazy, kid-in-the-candy-store, wet dream up in there. Then again, I'm nowhere near a die-hard musician and have only been up to their drum section twice, so I can't be a fair judge of their service. But I do adore local businesses and there is no doubt that I'd go to Sam first for repairs and service. Definitely the first stop when I decide to upgrade my gear. Uh, if I don't break it all first.
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Sam always seems grumpy whenever I had went to the shop.. but it's probably just my special treatment. I've only heard good things about his shop.
Lots of vintage drums here, cool stuff and decent prices. I traded in some nice 70s Ludwig toms in here for a Ludwig 60s 3 ply bass drum in pretty shitty shape. I had to add a bit of cash too, but it was worth it. I wanted the drum. I probably got ripped off, but I don't care. I got the drum.
4 stars for the selection.
We went here for a cowbell once... and he had a vast selection. WHat else needs to be said?
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Sam Adato is a fantastic individual. He knows his drums and is both incredibly patient and generous with his time. I needed a new set of heads all 'round my kit and asked for some tuning advice. The man tuned my whole set and it had NEVER sounded better. A 30 year old kit and it just rang out so nicely. Don't hesitate to visit Sam's shop.
I've only been here once, but it was just what I expected based on a few friends' recommendations. I am a little sad that Sam himself wasn't there, but the dude that helped me was really helpful and unpretentious. The vibe one gets in this shop is the polar opposite of a place like Guitar Center. This store makes me feel good about playing music (I'm pretty new to playing drums) and unafraid to ask questions, rather than feeling like I have to prove myself to be taken seriously.
I love this place, if not just for the fact that Sam's been in the scene here for years. I even have one of his albums from his band "Wrekking Machine"!
GO.HERE.NOW
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Like great movies, the mark of a great establishment is that when you go in you can easily surrender to the ambiance, fully buy into the suspension of reality and become whatever they want you to be . . .
Welcome to Sam Adato's Drum shop. Like classic record, comic book or trading card stores when you come in, no matter how geeky you may be you are all of a sudden cool! I am a mediocre drummer (and that's a stretch), but when you visit this store, take in the smell, look and vibe, in just a few short moments you feel like you can kick John Bonham's A$$.
Plus . . . you know you are going to get solid gear, won't always be the cheapest (Why should you expect that, anyway?) but you are paying for good service, solid recommendations, quality gear and the serious cool factor of being able to say, "I get my drum stuff from Sam, you know Sam Adato!"
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OLD-SKOOL, HOMIES !!!!!
If there's a better of example than Sam's....of why many folks mourn the downfall of the small, local business in this world of e-commerce... find it for me.
Literally a San Francisco fixture for about 20 years now....nobody knows more about drums than Sam. Also, the parallels to Bonham abound, yes...but Sam can talk about any sorta drumming....any sorta gear....any player (Nick Fatool, anyone ?) or any kind of music from jazz to klezmer to mega-death....
Best prices anywhere on heads and sticks, also (one may initially argue that you can get 'em cheaper online...but when you add the $hippin' and the 2-3 day wait for the package....you may have ended up saving a buck ....woo-hoo....)
I do wish he stocked more than just new Remos, though...more Aquarians would be nice....
Also, HOT TIP #1: Jack, his machinist....is a master at cutting/repairing cracked cymbals. $20 a pie....you think your beloved ride or crash is finished 'cuz o' that lil' crack or warp or ding on the edge ??? Think again.....
TIP #2...folks, Sam runs this place like the real oldtime merchant he is...the pricetag is just a STARTING POINT....anyone who goes in there and pays sticker price...dude, you must be a headbanger knucklehead !
Haggling...another lost art in the world of e-commerce. On anything of substantial size/value (single drums, kits, stands, etc) offer him, say, 85% of the sticker price, payed cash up front...just for starters. You wanna be edgier ?.... offer 75%, see where it goes. Not a hardfast rule, but on most days....
This is part of the fun of the place....
TIP #3 ~ the hardware bins.....if you have tons of quarters for the friggin' street meters....spend a half-hour diggin thru his (creatively filed) bins....you can basically build a stand or a pedal for under $10....
Sam's da Man...don't waste your time at Haight Ashbury or Guitar Center...unless you happen to be Mr. Moneybags (in which case you are NOT a real drummer to begin with)....
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Sam rules! I've been a customer of his since he opened. In that time I've lost most of my hair but his magnificent tresses have stayed the same. The place to get that hard to find rack tom to complete your kit or hang out and get your drum-geek on. (I said rack, teehee) If you're buying drums or drum stuff or just need a fix of drum-porn skip Gutter Center and go see Sam.
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I saw Ben V.'s quality review and had to add my very own Sam Adato endorsement. Sam gets 10 stars for humoring drummer wannabes with advice as they attempt to assemble drum kits piece by painfully expensive piece. I am a total dilettante who plays only because my boyfriend has forced me to accompany his jazz piano. Think of us as the dorky White Stripes...
Sam's aura can be emulated but never appropriated. The "Louis XIV deadpan rocker dude" vibe is just tres hard to pull off if your name's not Sam Adato. You have to meet him for yourself. And when I asked if they had pandeiros (a variant of the tambourine), he tossed me a free used one. Charmer.
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Sam is the MAN!
I brought in my well used, well loved '63 ludwigs for a much needed tune up and polish. I was shocked as heck when Sam said he'd have them back to me same day, with new heads all the way around, polish, and fixing any stripped or bad fittings, nuts, and bolts... SAME DAY FOR ALL OF THAT??
He turned my beat, sad excuse for a vintage ludwig into a dream that i now love to play every chance I get. I've never been able to use the rail mount or cymbal holder until now, and the bass spurs always gave me hell. Not now!
Everything stays in place and works just as it would have back in the day... Plus they are clean as hell, and tuned ever so perfectly! And the price!! More than fair for a days work to bring these dusty old ladies back into full working order, but i wouldn't have known by the price. Sticks, heads, cymbals, you name it... everything there is a great deal compaired to most shops!
I'm going to Sam from now on for every drum need I have! Thanks, Sam!
A great drum shop that specializes in vintage kits, all beautiful, many of which Sam has fixed up himself. I went in to browse one Saturday and ended up leaving with a Slingerland kit well out of my price range, not just because Sam played them and made them sound amazing, but because I felt like I was really buying something that is one of a kind. The emphasis in this store is really on fixing over throwing away, and Sam seems to be an expert on repairs. Also a great place to find spare parts, or even rent a snare.
A unique store that completely took the anxiety out of my biggest recent purchase.
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They helped me find a super-obscure piece of hardware for my '79 Rogers drums! Since their credit card machine was broken and I had to walk to the ATM, they skipped the tax! Woohoo!
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Look, it's simple--anything you need to do with drums, just go see Sam. He's an SF institution for good reason: anything he doesn't know about drums isn't worth knowing. Whether it's repairs or gear you need, Sam's the man, and while you might get better prices online, I wouldn't recommend it for the same reason that you shouldn't make any test-drivable major purchase online. Just go see him at his shop--he's very congenial, and as knowledgeable as they come. You can thank me later.
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I think I speak for everyone when i say that I was very disappointed during my first visit and realized that this was NOT Sam Alito's drum shop.
The drums are far too liberal.
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Yes, it's true Sam Adato's is the place for all your drum kit needs. Sam seems like a natural "tinkerer" and always comes up with simple and ingenious solutions to my technical or locistical percussive problems. Oh, and he loves vintage drums and the store is full of these beautiful kits and the odd sparkley or swirley tom. Every town needs a shop like Sam Adato's, and we're lucky enough to have the real thing here in SF
Sam is way cool.... hooked my little dudes up with a drum set... gave them a free lesson and can't thank him enough for the help!
Great price too!
this is the ONLY place in town to buy drums, sticks, heads and cymbals. dont' waste your time at guitar center or any of the other hack shops in town. go to Sam's cause drums are his life. so much love goes into his shop and he's always blaring the loudest rock whenever i go in there. i'll pay the premium cause i know i can trust Sam, not the wannabe asshole musicians who work at guitar center.
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sam is john bonham re-incarnated....ba-ba-ba-boom. single vintage toms can be reasonably priced. i picked up a sweet, slingy 13" tom for $100, and his case-bag prices are impossible to beat. if i were to sell my drums, i'd hit ebay...but, if you need a drum or any bolt or washer for that re-wrap project...go here.
some new guy works there from time to time. very informed and knowledgable as well.
sam's shop is the best! if you hate going to guitar center as much as i do, then you'll love going to sam's. he's a total east coast old school rocker dude, with big posters of all the greats like ian paice, john bonham, etc., but don't let that deter you, indie kids, he loves you too! he's very encouraging and sports very little attitude, making the novice and seasoned pro feel equally at home. plus he makes his own snares! i have #38.
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