ASBA

In 1927, long before rock and roll had a name, Alfred and Simone Boudard started a small shop in France, crafting musical accessories. This business, which took the name ASBA (Alfred & Simone Boudard Accessories), initially focused on items like trumpet mutes and stands. After World War II, they pivoted into the world of percussion, eventually building complete drum sets that would define a generation of French music and find their way into the hands of iconic drummers like Mitch Mitchell and Elvin Jones. A standout innovation was the Caroline bass drum pedal, so well-regarded it was licensed and distributed in the USA by Ludwig. Despite decades of success and a reputation for quality and innovation, the 1980s brought intense competition from lower-cost manufacturing in Asia, and in 1983, the original ASBA closed its doors. The brand lay dormant for over thirty years. Then, in 2016, entrepreneur Guillaume Pornet, with cooperation from a descendant of the founding family, decided to relaunch the historic brand. The new ASBA, based in Lyon, France, aimed to blend the company's historical values with modern manufacturing. The resurrected company faced its own challenges, including the global pandemic, and even a brief closure and subsequent buyout by its own employees in 2023. Despite the turbulence, the mission remains: to bring high-quality, French-made drums back to the world stage, proving that a legendary beat can indeed play on.