What is Guitar Center Drum-Off?

Guitar Center's Drum-Off is the world's largest drum competition with the goal of finding the next great-undiscovered drummer.

How do I sign up?

In order to compete you must sign up at a Guitar Center store. You cannot sign up online or over the phone. When you go into the store tell any sales associate that you'd like to sign up for Drum-Off and they will have you fill out an official sign up form.

How long do I have to sign up?

Sign ups start August 1st and run until the 10 contestant spots and 2 alternate spots are filled at each store, for each of the 3 store preliminaries. There are a total of 30 spots and 6 alternate spots available for each store holding a competition. You can sign up for any of the 3 store preliminary competitions so long as the spots aren't already full. They do fill up quickly so don't wait, SIGN UP NOW!

What are the requirements?

You must be 16 years of age or older to compete and must be a lawful resident of any of the 48 contiguous United States or the District of Columbia.

How does the competition work?

The competition is broken down into 3 store preliminary competitions: Store Finals (store prelims and store finals take place in 214 Guitar Center stores); 24 District Finals; 5 Regional Finals and 1 Grand Final. All stages of the competition take place at a Guitar Center store with the exception of the grand finals. Grand finals location to be announced.

The contestant with the highest score from each of the 3 store prelims and the contestant with the second highest score from each of the prelims will advance to the store finals. This leaves 6 competitors at each of the 214 store finals. There will be only 1 winner at the store finals. This store winner will go on to compete at one of 24 district finals. From there the 24 district winners will compete at one of 5 regional finals. The 5 regional winners will then go on to compete at the Grand Finals.

How much time do I have for my performance?

You will get 5 minutes to set up and 3 minutes to play. If you make it to the regional finals you will have 5 minutes to play. At the Grand Finals you will also be allowed 5 minutes to play.

In the event of a tie, you will be required to play an additional 2 minutes so be sure to have some extra tricks up your sleeve!

What will the store be providing for me to play on?

The store will have a 5-piece drum kit complete with cymbals, hardware, cowbell and a drum throne set up for your performance. The brand and model of the drum set, hardware, throne and cymbals will vary by region. See stores for details.

Will I be able to bring any of my own gear for my performance?

You are allowed to use your own snare drum, drum sticks, bass pedal, and drum throne. These are the only personal pieces of gear you may use during your performance. Do not attempt to bring anything other than what is listed above.

What do I win?

• The Grand prize is $25,000 cash
• Plus: A High-End Roland TD series drum kit and PM-30
• Feature in Modern Drummer Magazine
• Custom drum kit by DW, Tama, Pearl or Orange County Drums & Percussion
• Complete Set of Sabian AAX cymbals or Zildjian Z3 cymbals
• Drum, stick, cymbal and drumhead endorsement deals
• Monster Energy Drink Endorsement Deal
• VIP Experience at NAMM 2010
• For a complete list of prizing (store finals, district finals, and regional finals go here. (link to prize page)

If you still have questions, please see the official rules or email us here (link to the customer service e-mail).