Sonor (Pronounce Suh-Nor) is a German percussion manufacturer. From early in the 20th century, Sonor drum sets and hardware are both revered and notorious for being constructed in a very durable, painstaking, and therefore, unusually heavy manner. They have a reputation for being very expensive but are the weapon of choice for many studios and professional musicians. In the 1980's Sonor's tagline was "The Rolls of drums." This was an allusion to the perfectionist (and expensive) way they constructed their drum shells. They made very thick (13mm) and heavy shells that were beech wood, with an innermost and outermost ply of furniture-grade veneers, such as Rosewood and Bubinga. They also created a snare drum cast from solid metal that tipped the scales close to 40 lbs. Nicko McBrain of Iron Maiden was one of the most prominent Sonor artists of the 80's, along with Steve Smith of Journey and jazzman Jack DeJohnette.