Polmuz Model 1 Bubinga - Made to Order

Bubinga is the heaviest wood in our workshop and the top Polmuz model. The shells are 100% bubinga and only 4.8 mm thick, and we sand the 45° bearing edges ultra-sharp on every drum, the bass drum included. Ready-made kits cost PLN 12,371 (22/10/12/16), PLN 12,311 (20/10/12/16) and PLN 9,704 (18/12/14), and single drums start at PLN 1,942, all with chrome hardware and heads. You choose the finish, gold hardware and other add-ons separately, and we build the whole kit by hand in Gdynia.

15 products

Ready-made bubinga kits

The three setups people order most often. The price is the sum of the drums with chrome hardware and heads, and you pick the finish and extras in the add-ons. The snare drum, cymbals and stands are not included in the kit.

22/10/12/16PLN 12,371Our most popular, with a full rock low end. Bass drum 22×18″, tom 10×8″, tom 12×9″, floor tom 16×16″.20/10/12/16PLN 12,311Versatile and easier to take to a gig. Bass drum 20×16″, tom 10×8″, tom 12×9″, floor tom 16×16″.18/12/14PLN 9,704Small, for clubs, jazz and the studio. Bass drum 18×14″, tom 12×9″, floor tom 14×14″.

What is bubinga

Bubinga isn't one tree but the trade name for several African species of the genus Guibourtia. It grows in equatorial Africa and is dark, heavy and very dense. Dry, it weighs about 890 kg per cubic metre, maple about 700, walnut about 600.

You feel the difference the moment you pick up a shell, and you hear it even more: the low end is huge, the attack is clear, and the drum cuts right through the band. The dense wood also lets us sand a very sharp bearing edge, so the drum tunes easily and sounds modern and articulate.

Bubinga isn't a wood you'll find at every timber yard. Since 2017 its trade has been controlled under the CITES convention, and finished instruments have only been exempt from permits since 2019. For a while we didn't have any at all. Now it's back.

Quilted bubinga grain and the gold Polmuz logo on the bass drum
Quilted bubinga, with a rippling grain pattern.

How it sounds: Paweł Ostrowski's test

Paweł teaches drums and runs the 4Drummer channel. He played the bubinga Model 1 in a rehearsal room and studio setting and recorded everything through microphones. “A lovely drum, elegant, really striking, but as we know, it's not about the looks here, it's above all about the sound,” he said at the start, and after that he just played.

Setup: 20/12/16 and a 14×6.5 snare. Evans EMAD 2 on the kick, Evans G2 on the toms, Evans HD Dry on the snare. Each tuning is recorded twice, with no EQ and with light EQ:

  • 0:36 low tuning,
  • 1:43 medium tuning,
  • 2:53 high tuning,
  • 3:37 toms and snare with no muffling at all.
Polmuz Bubinga Model 1, sound test: Paweł Ostrowski.
Paweł Ostrowski playing a Polmuz Bubinga Model 1 drum kit
Paweł Ostrowski behind the bubinga kit.

How we build a bubinga drum

Bubinga is a Model 1, so every drum is made here, in our workshop in Gdynia.

  • 45° bearing edge, sanded and waxed, ultra-sharp on every drum, the bass drum included. It gives a fast, clear attack.
  • 4.8 mm shells, 100% bubinga. That way bubinga doesn't only play rock, it also works in quieter music.
  • Tube Lug lugs barely touch the shell, so the drum resonates freely. Long tension rods with a metal and a nylon washer hold the tuning.
  • The tom mount doesn't interfere with the shell.
  • Inside each drum there's a label with the owner's full name, and we give the shell a lifetime warranty.
Polmuz bubinga snare shell on the router table, surrounded by bubinga shavings
A bubinga snare shell on the router table.
Freshly routed sharp bearing edge on a Polmuz bubinga shell
The edge fresh off the router.

Finish and hardware

We do the finishes by hand, so every kit has its own wood figure. You choose them in the add-ons, and the price is per drum:

  • natural wax, showing the full bubinga figure: PLN 100,
  • oil in one colour, fade or solid: PLN 500,
  • lacquer: PLN 500,
  • black matte: PLN 590,
  • artistic finish, hand-painted with a brush: PLN 990.

Standard hardware is chrome, so silver. Gold also suits the warm colour of bubinga really well: we can fit gold hardware to any drum for PLN 400 each. Black chrome is coming soon too.

Polmuz bubinga toms with chrome hardware
Chrome.
Gold snare strainer on a Polmuz bubinga snare drum
Gold.

Quilted: a storm of grain

This kit got the premium version of bubinga, with a rippling wood figure. The dark fade towards the edges gives it depth. A pattern like this can't be repeated: no two sheets of ply are identical, so every shell comes out different.

Two 22″ bass drums, 10″ and 12″ toms, a 16″ floor tom, high-gloss lacquer, chrome hardware and a gold logo. It costs PLN 19,473, and we'll build you the same one to order.

Premium Quilted Bubinga Burst kit

Polmuz Model 1 kit in quilted bubinga, two 22-inch bass drums, burst finish
Premium Quilted Bubinga Burst, 22/22/10/12/16.

Bubinga snare drum

A snare in the same wood suits a bubinga kit. It's 14×6.5″, with a nine-ply bubinga shell, 5.4 mm, and a 3.2 mm focus ring, also bubinga. The focus ring shortens the sound and takes out unwanted overtones, a solution known from many classic snares.

Gold hardware included in the price, stainless screws, 2 × 45° bearing edges, wax polished to a shine, Evans HD Dry and Evans Hazy heads, Puresound wires. It costs PLN 2,500.

Polmuz Bubinga 14×6.5″ snare drum

Polmuz bubinga snare drum 14x6.5 with gold hardware
Bubinga snare with gold hardware.

Which bass drum size to choose

22″ is the classic: the most low end and air, great for rock and big stages, and bubinga deepens that low end even more.

20″ is the sweet spot. The kick is tighter and faster, it works in any style, and the whole kit fits in a car more easily.

18″ is what jazz, small-club and studio players go for. Little to carry, quick to set up, and dense bubinga gives a low end hardly anyone expects from such a small bass drum.

Not sure which to pick? Call us: 797 317 035, and we'll talk about what you play and where.

Kit prices

KitDrumsPrice
22/10/12/16bass drum 22×18″ PLN 5,254 + tom 10×8″ PLN 2,032 + tom 12×9″ PLN 2,196 + floor tom 16×16″ PLN 2,889PLN 12,371
20/10/12/16bass drum 20×16″ PLN 5,194 + tom 10×8″ PLN 2,032 + tom 12×9″ PLN 2,196 + floor tom 16×16″ PLN 2,889PLN 12,311
18/12/14bass drum 18×14″ PLN 4,757 + tom 12×9″ PLN 2,196 + floor tom 14×14″ PLN 2,751PLN 9,704

Prices include VAT, with chrome hardware and heads, without finish, as of 15 October 2026. How we work out the price when other add-ons come in is explained on our page How we price a drum kit.

Single drum prices

Drum (diameter × depth)Price
Bass drum 16×14″PLN 4,660
Bass drum 18×14″PLN 4,757
Bass drum 20×16″PLN 5,194
Bass drum 22×18″PLN 5,254
Tom 8×7″PLN 1,942
Tom 10×8″PLN 2,032
Tom 12×9″PLN 2,196
Tom 13×10″PLN 2,564
Floor tom 14×14″PLN 2,751
Floor tom 16×16″PLN 2,889
Floor tom 18×16″PLN 3,853

Questions and answers

How much does a bubinga drum kit cost?

The 22/10/12/16 kit costs PLN 12,371, the 20/10/12/16 PLN 12,311, and the small 18/12/14 PLN 9,704. That's the price of the drums with chrome hardware and heads. On top of that comes the finish, priced per drum: from PLN 100 for natural wax to PLN 990 for the artistic finish. Single drums cost from PLN 1,942 (8×7″ tom) to PLN 5,254 (22×18″ bass drum).

Are the shells all bubinga?

Yes, the shells are 100% bubinga and 4.8 mm thick. The bubinga snare has a thicker shell, 5.4 mm, plus a bubinga focus ring.

How is bubinga different from maple?

It's much denser: dry bubinga weighs about 890 kg per cubic metre, maple about 700. A bubinga drum has more low end, stronger projection and a clearer attack, and it's also heavier to carry.

Can I put together my own kit or order a different size?

Yes. You can buy every bubinga drum separately, so you build the setup however you like. We make sizes outside the price list for an extra PLN 300 per drum.

What finishes and hardware colours are there?

Finish is priced per drum: natural wax PLN 100, single-colour oil or lacquer PLN 500, black matte PLN 590, artistic finish painted with a brush PLN 990. Standard hardware is chrome, gold costs PLN 400 per drum, and black chrome is coming soon.

Is bubinga legal, and can the kit be taken abroad?

Yes. Since 2017 the bubinga trade has been controlled under the CITES convention, and since 2019 finished musical instruments have been exempt from permits. We ship finished kits within Poland and abroad.

Where can I see and hear a bubinga kit?

You can hear it in Paweł Ostrowski's test at the top of this page. To see it live, come to our workshop at ul. Szczecińska 38/5, Gdynia, by appointment: call 797 317 035.

What warranty does a bubinga kit have?

We give a lifetime warranty on the shell and 36 months on the hardware.

There's more about bubinga, with Paweł's full test, on the maker's blog: Bubinga drums: the heavy artillery of our workshop.