The battle of the high end kits

[Coldbricks]

Yeah, here we go.

DW, pearl masters/reference, Yamaha Absolute, Starclassics, Sonor..


what to do?!

At school, I have a Pacific kit which is birch and sounds very, very good. It defiently rivals some of the mid level DW kits. At home, my studio really, I have great cymbals, great snares (like 4 snares), but a crappy pearl forum I have had since my jr high days! I am ready to upgrade. Any suggestions? And in your opinion, how do you feel birch compares to maple? Thanks!

[chrisso]

Buy a cheap high end kit from the 60's, 70's or 80's.

Gretsch, Yamaha 9000, Ludwig.

[elroy jetson]

I have mapex Orions and i prefer them to the high end tamas and Yamaha's that i've tried. But if you're getting a high end kit, they are all good by the time you're spending that much money.

I would personally recommend the Pearl Reference series. If i had all the money in the world and could buy any kit i wanted, i would pick up a reference kit before any other. They are absolutely stunning.

[biggator6]

with some good heads and a pro tuning - I bet you can make your Forums smoke.

That being said - I'll second going for something older.. either 'not too old'.. 10-15 years, which will be very similar to current drums and a TON cheaper.. or 'vintage'.. old ludwig, slingerland, rogers, etc...

Do you want birch or maple.. or don't you care, you just want good?

Theres 2 kits for sale at the moment over on drumforum.org that would kill in the studio.. one is an old 3-ply ludwig, the other a stop-sign-badge Gretsch kit... either one would be amazing. Both are VERY reasonably priced.

[jayfrigo]

Originally Posted by CuminGingerSpice

Yeah, here we go.

DW, pearl masters/reference, Yamaha Absolute, Starclassics, Sonor..

Don't limit yourself to the local music store stuff. Expand the search to include companies like Gretsch, Pork Pie, Noble & Cooley, GMS, Brady...

[Funkster]

Originally Posted by jayfrigo

Don't limit yourself to the local music store stuff. Expand the search to include companies like Gretsch, Pork Pie, Noble & Cooley, GMS, Brady...

....and Ayotte.

[jbsg02]

whatever you do, dont buy it at guitar center

[vitreouswindows]

Check out the glass drums at www.artofmusicinstruments.com - there's a clip of them at the Chicago Drum Show last year. Great drums, especially the toms. Amazing sound. And stunning to look at - unlike anything else, ever.

[msquared]

Originally Posted by CuminGingerSpice

At school, I have a Pacific kit which is birch and sounds very, very good. It defiently rivals some of the mid level DW kits. At home, my studio really, I have great cymbals, great snares (like 4 snares), but a crappy pearl forum I have had since my jr high days! I am ready to upgrade. Any suggestions? And in your opinion, how do you feel birch compares to maple? Thanks!

If you're asking this question, you need to take some time and go play some of these kits. Once you get to the level of drum you're talking about, they're all good.

Same goes for birch vs maple. One isn't better than the other, it's just what you want to do with it.

Also, if you don't know enough about tuning and head selection to make your Forum at least sound decent, you're better off not spending the kind of money that a DW kit involves. Forums aren't great but they can be made to sound pretty good if you know what you're doing.

[Dean7]

Well, I live in Portland so I'm biased, but Kirsch drums are pretty amazing if you know exactly what you want and special-order them:

Jeff Kirsch Custom Drums , Drumsets , and Bearing Edges Made in Portland Oregon

Keep in mind, I'm not a drummer. I just know what good drums sound like.

-Dean

[chrisso]

Originally Posted by biggator6

either 'not too old'.. 10-15 years, which will be very similar to current drums and a TON cheaper.. or 'vintage'.. old ludwig, slingerland, rogers, etc...

Bingo

Theres 2 kits for sale at the moment over on drumforum.org that would kill in the studio.. one is an old 3-ply ludwig, the other a stop-sign-badge Gretsch kit... either one would be amazing. Both are VERY reasonably priced.

Bingo


thumbsup

[Fabi]

I´d say it very much depends on the style.

But I am also a big fan of birch

I love my Pearl Master Birch Studio, the Kick can do anything from chopping your head off to very subtle Jazz playing. (22´´)

The toms are very musically and respond fast. Probably not so suitable for very agressive styles though.

My personal oppinion is, that birch offers more character.

If you do a lot of studiowork DW is probably a very good choice, they handle easy in recording situations, in my ears though lack character. So probably not that good for a life situation. (hopefully no one gets mad at me for that - nothing personally)

I mostely play them life

[HeavyG]

All the kits you mentioned are well made and will give you great tone. I would say that along with the Big 3 (pearl, yamaha and tama)...your boutique kits are compelling, too (some others mentioned GMS, Ayotte, Gretsch etc)...

Figure out what kind of tone you like and dial it in from there (Eric Kretz on the first STP album, Bonham on LZ II, etc).

Maple vs. Birch...don't believe the marketing hype. I have heard world class tone from each type...just remember that birch tends to be a bit snappier and brighter with a quicker decay...maple tends to resonate a bit more and sounds a bit warmer (since its tone spectrum is a little more balanced). Dont buy into the drum company marketing fluff that maple is the top of the line...it may be the most expensive...but it isnt necessarily the best (and I own both).

[Hazer]

Check out Unix stave drums. Unix Custom Stave Shell

I bought a raw snare shell from Francois (the builder at Unix). He makes an excellent drum, bearing edges are perfect, his finishes are spectacular from what I've seen (I finished mine myself), and the glue joints are practically invisible.

[Nutmeg II.]

Originally Posted by HeavyG

...Maple vs. Birch...don't believe the marketing hype. I have heard world class tone from each type...just remember that birch tends to be a bit snappier and brighter with a quicker decay...maple tends to resonate a bit more and sounds a bit warmer (since its tone spectrum is a little more balanced). Dont buy into the drum company marketing fluff that maple is the top of the line...it may be the most expensive...but it isnt necessarily the best (and I own both).

Very well put!
The tuning of the drum does more to the sound than the wood type.
That said, there are different sound qualities, but moving the drumset 1m in the room does make more agian.

Quality woods over cheap stuff I would say.

[stevesmithfan]

I bought a Sonor SQ 2 kit a year ago, it's the best kit I've ever played or owned.

[HeavyG]

Originally Posted by Nutmeg II.

Very well put!
The tuning of the drum does more to the sound than the wood type.
That said, there are different sound qualities, but moving the drumset 1m in the room does make more agian.

Quality woods over cheap stuff I would say.

No question, bro. Many overlook the HUGE impact that new heads and proper tuning can have on your drum sound...I would agree that this aspect is more important than the wood type or the name on your bass drum head. Understand the relationship between your batter and resonant heads (and how their tensions impact the sound palette). Learn the "Black Art" of massaging a great sound out of your kit...and you will be one of the few...the proud....

I feel that "Dont'FearTheRingo" needs to chime in here...it is only fitting that the cat with the coolest name on the Slutz boards should be heard on this subject. it is obviously right in his wheelhouse...thumbsup

[biccys]

If you can find one, and if you're prepared to buy a non-big-4 company kit, seek out a Peavey Radial Pro 1000 kit. THE best sounding kits ever made!! They have NO holes in the shells and have NO hardware attached to the shell. It's all attached to a big hoop of wood attached to the edges. Trust me, I have a set and they're awesome!

[biggator6]

seek out a Peavey Radial Pro 1000 kit.

Very true - these are amazing kits... they RARELY come up for sale.

That being said - studio only. I would not gig with one, they're not real heavy-duty to be thrown around... but for recording? Great.

Another option - find a set of Premier Signias or Genistas.. these were their top-line kits in the 90s (maple and birch, respectively) You can find these on Craigslist for under $1000 - and they will stand up against pretty much anything.

[Tuga]

Originally Posted by biccys

If you can find one, and if you're prepared to buy a non-big-4 company kit, seek out a Peavey Radial Pro 1000 kit. THE best sounding kits ever made!! They have NO holes in the shells and have NO hardware attached to the shell. It's all attached to a big hoop of wood attached to the edges. Trust me, I have a set and they're awesome!

Agreed! Those drums sound amazing. I wish I still had mine.

[Dean7]

Originally Posted by biggator6

Very true - these are amazing kits... they RARELY come up for sale.

That being said - studio only. I would not gig with one, they're not real heavy-duty to be thrown around... but for recording? Great.

Another option - find a set of Premier Signias or Genistas.. these were their top-line kits in the 90s (maple and birch, respectively) You can find these on Craigslist for under $1000 - and they will stand up against pretty much anything.

Well, this might interest the GS in you then:

6 Piece- Peavey Radial Pro 1000 Drum Kit-- Very Rare!!! - eBay (item 270245446596 end time Jun-15-08 18:14:58 PDT)

[biggator6]

Not sure I dig the metallic orange - but those are in REALLY nice shape.. and have the snare (those snares are AWESOME!)..

Someone out west had one on Craigslist for a while - I think it was some special factory kit.. it was a jellybean setup - one drum in every color they made.. IIRC he was asking a lot for it.

Here's another one in a nicer color
Rare Peavey Radial Pro Drum Kit

[Dean7]

Originally Posted by biggator6

Not sure I dig the metallic orange - but those are in REALLY nice shape.. and have the snare (those snares are AWESOME!)..

Someone out west had one on Craigslist for a while - I think it was some special factory kit.. it was a jellybean setup - one drum in every color they made.. IIRC he was asking a lot for it.

Here's another one in a nicer color
Rare Peavey Radial Pro Drum Kit

Interesting. I really want to hear one of those kits now! My brother and I record with his maple customs, and they have been doing us right, so I'm not hurting or anything, but still interested in other sounds.

-Dean