Badges Drum Shop

This place is amazing ! So perfectly set up with a wide selection of choices in all categories. Charlie was the best ! They even opened up the store an hour early as I was driving through town with limited time. I of course fell in love with a vintage slingerland kit that I purchased a few days later. The packages arrived quickly and were meticulously packed with the greatest attention to detail. This store is truly one of a kind and their passion for music and drumming shows in the details and layout of the store. So if you're anywhere in the area or just traveling by...... it's worth the trip!

Charlie at Badges represents the very best of the small business experience: personal courtesy, integrity, knowledge of his product, great communication, follow-up and follow-through... He was patient with me, thorough in answers to my questions, timely with email responses, fair and honest in terms of representing his product, and square in his deal making. You know that feeling that you're missing something every time you leave the soulless chain music store that for most of us is the only game in town? What you are missing is exactly what a business like Badges and a proprietor like Charlie offers. I will absolutely do business with them again, and highly recommended this shop to my fellow drummers!

One of the best vintage drum shops I’ve been to. Need to come back when I have more money to spend. Very helpful service too.

What a drum shop! I’ve been to Badges more times than I can count, and it’s always been the best experience a drummer could want. Charlie is an exceptional human, and runs a fantastic shop. You can tell the minute you walk in the door - this is something special. I highly highly encourage any drummer anywhere close to the Cincinnati area to stop in and check it out!

Where do I start?! Badges drum shop is literally the best of the best! The shop really has everything you’d need for all stages of your drumming career! from a beginner to a seasoned professional badges has you covered! Also the staff!! Don’t get me started!!! Charlie is someone who knows all there is to know about drums, gear, cymbals you name it he knows and if he doesn’t he can find out in like 3 seconds! I recently ordered my FIRST custom drum kit from Ludwig through badges and Charlie helped me the whole way! I got EXACTLY what I wanted and I felt secure in my decision of making the transaction through badges! If you haven’t been to badges go! If you have been to badges KEEP GOING! this place is really a gem in Cincinnati and I absolutely love it!

I bought my entire set of K Sweet cymbals, bag, a snare, and more sticks/heads/accessories than I can remember from Charlie and he's always been great to work with. He's patiently answered every dumb question I've had and always pointed me in the right direction, even if it meant spending less money. For instance, I was considering buying a Black Beauty snare, and he suggested I try a considerably less expensive Gretsch Brooklyn snare- and it's been my daily driver since I've bought it. Not to mention the store has a incredibly cool vibe. I genuinely look forward to every visit, and the trust I've built with Charlie is worth every penny I've ever spent and then some. Highly recommend.

Badges Drum Shop is amazing! When I was thinking about taking up drumming, Badges was my first stop. Charlie helped me configure my dream drum kit. One that would last me forever. Well, as forever goes for a drummer :-)

I can't recommend Badges enough! They are amazing!

What an amazing collection of drums! Beautifully curated and displayed with a surprisingly large selection of boutique and big brand cymbals. The drums on display sound amazing. If you're a drummer, you have to visit this place!

I could not be happier with the service Badges Drum Shop gave. I purchased a Salmon Marine Pearl Ludwig Classic from them that looked amazing online and even better when it arrived!! Charlie did a hell of a job packing this kit. You could dropped it off a truck and noting would have happened to it. That is someone who cares about the instruments they sell. Badges Drum Shop well be the first place I look when I am ready for another drum kit!

Went to Badges looking for a smaller live kit, and Charlie was super helpful. He set me up with a Ludwig kit that I love & provided an awesome shopping experience.

Awesome shop with a very cool vintage vibe. Charlie and Beth are aces, so glad I was able to visit while passing through the area. Great new & used cymbal selection. I will definitely be back next time I travel through Ohio. Highly recommended!

I bought a vintage drum set and couldn't be happier. Charlie was great to work with and the drums were packed extremely well. I appreciated the communication from the moment I clicked "purchase"! Charlie sent me an email explaining how the drums were packed, so when they arrived I knew just what to expect. Thank you, I will be back when I need something more!

This shop is incredible! Walking in you can feel the love and effort put into it. Charlie is knowledgeable and friendly, and definitely knows his drums. The community reflects that- he greets shopgoers by name and everyone seems to thrilled to be here and have a conversation. The kids taking lessons in the back are beaming to learn and chat. Overall, I couldn’t think up a better drummers heaven. The vintage drums and cymbals are piled high and it is a wonder to take in.

Charlie and the team are awesome! I purchased two beautiful Byzance cymbals from these folks online! They gave me a fantastic deal, discount on combined shipping and the packaging job…..Jesus! They exceeded my expectations in every way and earned a loyal customer!
I would more than recommend

I have never had such a pleasant customer experience anywhere! I have interacted with a number of other vitiate drum shops, and while owners are generally friendly, they can be often be impatient with the learning process customers undergo as they consider spending thousands of dollars on an instrument. This is not the case with Charlie, and the Badges crew. They were SO personable, informative, helpful, and just all around friendly and kind. Most importantly, he treated me like a fellow drummer, not a potential sale. He worked HARD to help me get the right gear to make my music! He earnestly cares about me as a musician and fellow drummer, and that is very rare these days! At no point was I just a number or potential sale! Charlie, and the whole crew, at Badges are just a class act. I could not recommend them more earnestly! Spending money at Badges is an investment in my instruments, an investments in the sustainability of boutique drum shops that serve drummers, and, honestly, an investment in civility and all that we value about humanity! Charlie is one of the nicest, friendliest, kindest, most helpful guys I’ve encountered. He is true class act and Badges an FANTASTIC place! I look forward to doing business with them again!

Man, where to begin… Charlie was great to work with from the start, even though I first reached out as a sort of tire kicker over Instagram. He was super friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful throughout the process of helping me find the right upgrade kit for my son. I couldn’t be happier with the way the transaction happened, the advice along the way, and the entire experience end to end. Communication after the sale was amazing. The drum kit was shipped in the equivalent of a vault and showed up very fast. It was actually shocking how well packed it was - a sign of how much he loves and respects these instruments. If you deal with Charlie you will find him to be a straight shooter all the way! I’m super happy to have supported his growing small business, Badges Drum Shop. It’s gratifying to spend my money with someone so truly passionate about his shop, his product line, and his whole way of doing business.

Xilxo 24" Legend Turk Ride Cymbal - 3850g
The cymbal was packed professionally and he shipped it so fast I had to duck, the cymbal sounds beautiful and I highly recommend this seller because he's honest, professional and what he sells is authentic. Thank you!

This is absolutely the coolest music store in the Greater Cincinnati area... worth visiting no matter what your musical background or level of experience, and definitely a geek-out spot for drummers. Small shop with an impressive array of high-quality gear, attentive customer service direct from the owner, and the gear is always rotating so there’s always something new to see and hear. It’s nice to have an alternative to the big box stores with product that is mostly artist-level. Charlie helped me pick out a new ride cymbal that is absolutely beautiful and fits the sound I was hearing in my head. Highly recommend!

Wonderfully curated shop, and the owner Charlie is such a nice guy. The community he's created here is unmatched. As a nearby college student I can't overstate enough how appreciative I am that Badges is nearby.

Charlie was extremely helpful in getting my son started with the right gear and growing his kit as his skills progressed. Excellent selection of new and used options, awesome teachers available for lessons. Best retail experience in town!