Founded in 1854 in Granville, Massachusetts by Silas Noble and James P. Cooley, Noble & Cooley is one of the oldest drum manufacturers in the world. The company began producing toy drums and shifted to building marching snare drums for the Union Army during the Civil War, and by 1873 was reportedly turning out around 100,000 drums a year. The factory remains in its original western Massachusetts location, where drums are still built largely by hand.

The company entered the modern professional drum market in 1983 with the SS Classic solid-shell snare drum, developed in collaboration with designer Bob Gatzen using a steam-bending process that produces a single-ply shell from one piece of wood. That instrument is widely credited with helping establish the boutique drum category. The current catalog centers on snare drums and drum kits, including the Solid Shell Classic, Alloy Classic, CD Maple, Horizon, Union, and Walnut Classic series.

Noble & Cooley snares and kits have been used by drummers across rock, pop, country, and session work, including Phil Collins, Alex Van Halen, Nick Mason, Bill Kreutzmann, Tre Cool, Bill Stevenson, and Nick Buda. The brand's reputation rests on small-batch, single-ply solid-shell construction and a tonal character distinct from larger-scale ply-shell manufacturers.

Noble & Cooley has 13 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Snare Drums and Drum Sets. Their gear is featured by 9 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Pop, and Jazz. Notable users include Nicholas Collins, Tré Cool, and Phil Collins.