EPISODE 019: JOHN GOOD & DON LOMBARDI | DW DRUMS

The Leadership Crucible Podcast

Don Lombardi is the founder of DW Drums and Drum Channel. Don is also a dedicated educator and inventor with more than 30 patents registered to his name. Don's mission is to improve the quality of a drummer’s life through education and by making quality products. Don was inducted into Guitar Center's Rock Walk on Sunset Blvd. in 2018 and was most recently honored with the Percussive Arts Society President’s Industry Award for 2020.

In the early 70’s Seeing an ad for Drum Workshop in the Yellow Pages, John Good, now DW's Vice President, signed up for lessons at age 17 to improve his drumming and reverse what he refers to as "bad drumming habits."

"After three months of lessons, Don approached John and said, "You know, I've had lots of successful students. I don't think you're going to be one of them"; John says laughing. "So I said, "Great…now what."

Realizing that overhead was eating up his profits, Don brought in investors and additional teachers and began selling sticks, books, and drums to help subsidize the expenses. Hiring John as a part-time sales manager, the two spent hours discussing different ways to improve the art of drumming through improving drum products.

"That's how the spark and enthusiasm got started," John recalls. "We would talk for hours about our ideas for creating better products. Before we knew it, we were working together."

Out of these brainstorms came the first DW product: Don's new design for a height-adjustable trap-case seat. Selling about a dozen seats a month, John quit his day job and went to work full- time for Don.

"After teaching all day, we would move the drum sets to the side and bring out the tables to make the seats," Don remembers. "Then I'd usually leave for my playing job, and John would stay into the night to build the seats and fill the orders. I even bought a sewing machine to sew on the top of the seats, but John put his foot down and said, "No sewing: I don't do sew”.

In 2022 Don and John Good were presented with NAMM’s Milestone Award for 50 years of excellent service in the music products industry. At Drum Workshop, The Drummer's Choice® is more than a slogan, it's a fact. After more than thirty years of innovation and tireless dedication to improving the way drum products are made, DW drums, pedals and hardware are the standard by which all others are measured. To get here, it takes more than a working knowledge of the instrument or a few good ideas; it takes a true passion for designing and manufacturing the absolute best.

To download the Team Discussion Guide, click here .
To watch the Video Podcast on Youtube, click here .