My new RMV

[JIM_fear]

This was just a little christmas present to myself for a long year of school and work. After getting tons of feedback from the Pearl Drummers Forum and many positive reviews, including one from Dingbat here on DW, I decided to buy a set of top of the line Concept series drums from the relatively unknown RMV. I received these drums with high expectations in terms of sound and quality and I was not dissapointed. The sound of these drums are at the very least comparable to anything I have every played, if not better. RMV really knows how to make drums and the Bapeva wood they use on these babies is idealistic for great drum sound in live or studio situations. And the price of these kits is simply amazing. You won't find a better sounding kit in this price range. You'll end paying twice as much for a high end kit if you want a quality of sound equivalent to these drums. Of course, some may find that the finishes on RMV kits are not as beautiful as those of DW's, Starclassics, and the Masters series, every possible adjustable part on the kit ( tom mounts, holders for floor tom and bass drum legs, etc.) needs a drum key and a hex wrench ( tiresome to say the least, especially when gigging) , the overall craftsmanship of these kits is not of the highest quality, and some people might have a problem with the carbon fiber lugs they use ( this attributes some of superb sonic qualities of drums imo). But, all of that really goes to the backburner when these drums are given the chance to sing to their full potential and none of the potential turn-offs are detrimental whatsoever to the overall quality of the drums. Anyways, enough of my babbling, how about some pictures?

Specs:

Studio shells - 4 mm w/ 2mm reinforcement rings
22 x 18 Bass
10 x 8 Rack
12 x 9 Rack
14 x 13 Floor
5.5 x 14 Snare

gibraltar, pacific hardware,
14" hats, 16" crash, 20" ride, 10" splash All Sabian AAs
19" A custom crash, and an 18" ZBT china

[Josh is a cult]

THAT IS A CRAZY NICE KIT!!!!!!
ALL CAPS!!!!!

[jollymosher]

i like it! im not much for 5 peice kits, but thats a friggen cool kit man!

[maddrummr]

beautiful set man
Loving the black hardware on the drums
and your cymbal selection is nice too.

[iamtak]

nifty looking kit. I've never heard of Bapiva. Are the rims carbon fibre as well or powdercoated?

[dingbat]

This was just a little christmas present to myself for a long year of school and work. After getting tons of feedback from the Pearl Drummers Forum and many positive reviews, including one from Dingbat here on DW...

Thanks for the reference, I hope that my review was accurate and helped you make your decision. Absolutely love the natural finish, was actually going to get that finish too, but the deal I got on the kit in granite sparkle was too good to pass up. Who did you buy it from? Congrats on a beautiful kit!

[JIM_fear]

Thanks to everyone for the comments. iamtak, Bapeva is actually Brazilian Maple. It is actually 18% denser than North American maple allowing for more attack. It has sonic qualities of both high quality maple and birch and has even been compared to the exotic wood that Brady uses in their prized drumset. As for the rims they are powdercoated 2.3mm steel hoops.

[JIM_fear]

Thanks for the reference, I hope that my review was accurate and helped you make your decision. Absolutely love the natural finish, was actually going to get that finish too, but the deal I got on the kit in granite sparkle was too good to pass up. Who did you buy it from? Congrats on a beautiful kit!

It was a great review and the quality was just as you suggested. I actually was close to buying the granite sparkle as well, but decided to go with the natural. I still love the look of the sparkle though. Did you get a chance to play it in a mic'ed situation yet? I'm wondering how well it sounds it live. I'm really looking forward to that first gig with it. Oh, and I bought it from Bentley's Drum Shop.

[Drummer Karl]

My drum teacher told me about RMV ages ago...he wasn`t that happy with the hardware...but I think the drums are awesome! The shells look beautiful and I really guess that it is a good quality!
How does such a wood sound for you? How do they feel, the drums?

Karl

[JIM_fear]

Yeah, the hardware is not for everyone. Like I said before, some people have problems with it, but I think it adds to the sound and it also makes the drums extremely light for easy transportation. As for the sound of the wood, it's fantastic. I'd seriously compare it to any high-end drumkit out there. The tone and resonance of these drums has to be heard to be believed. And you can get a shell pack for around the same price as a Pearl Export or Tama Superstar. It's definitely one of the best kept secrets in drums.

[Drummer Karl]

It's definitely one of the best kept secrets in drums.

Well...I believe you!!!
It is so similar with man other drum companies and it was the same with PDP.
First my teacher didn`t recommend the PDP kit but just weeks after that he showed us a pic of a PDP CX very proudly and he liked the sound very much...till now I can`t say much about RMV...but I think soon I`ll try em...

Karl

[GRUNTERSDAD]

In a word.....Jealous. Another fine natural wood kit.

[mind_drummer]

Beautiful, absolutely beautiful...

I have RMV on top of my list with MAPEX Saturn for my next/future kit...

These RMV babies are sounding so sweet and above all it give you the opportunity to have your own personal sound, mostly because bapeva isn't used in any other kit maybe except Odery.

[JIM_fear]

Well...I believe you!!!
It is so similar with man other drum companies and it was the same with PDP.
First my teacher didn`t recommend the PDP kit but just weeks after that he showed us a pic of a PDP CX very proudly and he liked the sound very much...till now I can`t say much about RMV...but I think soon I`ll try em...

Karl

You should definitely give them a try. Believe me, I had my doubts about them as well, but if you look around the internet, I don't think you'll find one negative review about these kits. And once you hear them and play them for yourself, you'll know exactly why that is.

[nhzoso]

WOW, very hott...Thats a gorgeous finish. Not sure I could get past the hex wrench for everything but man that is one pretty set.

Not to be a downer or anything but did'nt I read on here that RMV was going out of business or something like that?? Is it warrantied?

What kind of music do you mainly play and how much if you don't mind saying?

Congrats, on a beauty..Treat her well.

[Exportdrummer]

amazing i really like it man. I like the paint job

[mind_drummer]

WOW, very hott...Thats a gorgeous finish. Not sure I could get past the hex wrench for everything but man that is one pretty set.

Not to be a downer or anything but did'nt I read on here that RMV was going out of business or something like that?? Is it warrantied?

What kind of music do you mainly play and how much if you don't mind saying?

Congrats, on a beauty..Treat her well.

They dont go out of business but their US importer said they were terminating their contract with them. Soon there will be another one importer even better, I think they (RMV) plan to establish themselve in the US.


You can get a RMV 7 pieces shellpack from indoorstorm for 1199 $ usd, absolutely amazing kit at a more than amazing, even affordable price.

[nhzoso]

They dont go out of business but their US importer said they were terminating their contract with them. Soon there will be another one importer even better, I think they (RMV) plan to establish themselve in the US.


You can get a RMV 7 pieces shellpack from indoorstorm for 1199 $ usd, absolutely amazing kit at a more than amazing, even affordable price.


WOW really?? $1199?? Hmmmm I wish I could hear this kit in person 1st. Is it good for classic rock? I know they have sound samples on indoor storm but I can't tell the difference between most different sets.

[mind_drummer]

WOW really?? $1199?? Hmmmm I wish I could hear this kit in person 1st. Is it good for classic rock? I know they have sound samples on indoor storm but I can't tell the difference between most different sets.

You sure will hear the difference between any maple/birch set and these RMV Bapeva kit. They are sounding so good and deep.

http://www.indoorstorm.com/product_info.php?products_id=3262

[dizkneelande]

i think id climax in my ears if i had that kit! really very awesome. I ususally dont think black rims look good but man those fit perfectly.


gratz!

[JIM_fear]

To tell you truth those sound samples don't do the kit justice. They sound alot better in person. I mainly play rock, but I also play a lot of funk, blues, christian contemporary, and even some prog. It's great for all of those styles. If you do decide to buy one, go for the studio style shells, 4mm w/ 2mm reinforcement rings (they also have 4mm thin shells, and 6mm thick shells) as they are the most versatile and have a more focused sound. As mind_drummer said, I believe they are losing their U.S. importer, but they are by no means going out of business. In fact, their U.S. website is currently under construction because they are set to introduce more colors and options in 2007. And you can still find some kits for sale on ebay. I got mine, a 5-peice shell pack, for just under 1000 USD after tax and shipping through Bentley's Drum Shop of Fresno, CA.

[maddrummr]

They dont go out of business but their US importer said they were terminating their contract with them. Soon there will be another one importer even better, I think they (RMV) plan to establish themselve in the US.


You can get a RMV 7 pieces shellpack from indoorstorm for 1199 $ usd, absolutely amazing kit at a more than amazing, even affordable price.


If they establish in the U.S look for some price increases, so if your looking to buy those RMV's do it NOW.

[FunkyDrummin]

Those are sexy.

I'd hit them. :D

[JIM_fear]

If they establish in the U.S look for some price increases, so if your looking to buy those RMV's do it NOW.

I don't they will actually raise their prices much if that happens, unless they upgrade finishes or hardware. I have heard that even in Brazil they are considered relatively inexpensive. They make everything in house, from the hardware, to the heads, to the shells and, in turn, they are able to sell these kits to consumers at a low price.

[maddrummr]

I don't they will actually raise their prices much if that happens, unless they upgrade finishes or hardware. I have heard that even in Brazil they are considered relatively inexpensive. They make everything in house, from the hardware, to the heads, to the shells and, in turn, they are able to sell these kits to consumers at a low price.

Production costs....
It costs a lot more to make things in the US due to the fact that the minimum wage is quite high. So they will have to pay those people more to make the kits...and to get that money they have to make a bit more profit. Thats why companies move to mexico and ship their stuff to the US, cheeper labor and no taxes on imports.

[JIM_fear]

Eh, you're probably right, but I don't how close they are to becoming an American company. Who knows how long it will take them? But I still think there prices will be less than the competitors because they make virtually everything on the kits themselves.

[mind_drummer]

Production costs....
It costs a lot more to make things in the US due to the fact that the minimum wage is quite high. So they will have to pay those people more to make the kits...and to get that money they have to make a bit more profit. Thats why companies move to mexico and ship their stuff to the US, cheeper labor and no taxes on imports.



I dont think they will make their kit in the US but just open an office something like TAYE has done, an Office and warehouse it's all its need.

[bicycle]

I've always liked RMV... doing their own thing I guess. Maybe my next kit will be an RMV

[latzanimal]

Wingnuts, wingnuts, wingnuts.....otherwise

Great looking kit!

[JIM_fear]

Hey, I haven't seen this thread in awhile. Thanks a lot for the comments guys. I'm glad you like it. The necessary drum key and hex wrench adjustments are a pain, especially when gigging, but other than that, everything is perfect.


This is basically the set-up I use now besides a few head changes:

[de Nick]

the finish is very nice and I like the black hardware. Now it looks even more comfortable to play.

[latzanimal]

Hey JIM,
How hard would it be to take the screws you'd like to change, measure them and then order screws with grips or wingnuts built into them. I can't imagine (but not entirely impossible) that RMV would be using such odd sizes that Nowhere else coould be found.
There are a bunch of companies thet only deal in screws, etc such as Fastenal. I would think it would be easy to find replacements.

I realize and agree that One shouldn't have to go to such trouble, but it may save you headaches later on at gigs. The only reason not would to keep the kit "authentic", but if you hold onto the parts, you can always put them back.

Just a thought......