My good old DW's

[drumr0]

Hello all,
I thought I would post some pics of my DW's

1994 Drum Workshop 6 piece White Marine Pearl wrap (Keller shells)
Power tom configuration
10", 12", 14", 16"
6.5"x14" DW maple snare
18"x 22" Kick

Heads: All toms have Remo white coated emperors
Snare: Remo CS batter with reverse dot
Kick: Evans Emad2 (which I absolutely love!!)

RIMS mounting system with Tama style brackets
Gibraltar rack

DW 5000 double pedal (which is my crutch for a slow foot)
DW 5000 Hi Hat stand

Cymbals:
14" Paiste Signature Power hi hat top & Signature dark crisp bottom
16" Sabian AAX stage crash
10" Sabian AAX splash
8" Sabian AAX splash
18" Paiste Signature Full crash
20" Paiste Signature Power ride
14" Sabian B8 Pro mini china

CAD mics (yes they are cheap, but better than nothing!! and the condensers sound real nice!!) The tom mics are internally mounted thanks to some inspiriation from Nutha Jason.
Behringer board to sub mix

The older these get the better they sound. (I am the original owner).

[radeq]

wow :) the kit looks very good :) though I dont like sparkle finishes, it doesnt matter to me on this kit

[Garvin]

Nice kit. Looks like a fun outdoor gig too. Where was that taken?

[hateplow]

I haven't seen too many DW's in power tom sizes. I'll bet they sound huge!

[drumr0]

Thanks for the great comments!! Please keep them coming.

Garvin: That was a fun gig, I play in a christian contemporary band (Third Day, Mercy Me) kinda sound. The guy that put it on wanted to appeal to everyone (I guess) so he booked a country band, a christian band, and a classic rock band. It went real well. The gig was at Defeated Creek Marina in Defeated, Tennessee. It about 70 miles east of Nashville on Cordell Hull Lake. We weren't the headlining group so I had to set up in the corner. I was going to play the headlining groups Tama's but he's a lefty and I aint that good!!

Radeq: They don't sparkle too much, I think my flash made them look a little more sparkly.

hateplow: They are huge sounding drums and I do love the way they sound. Most of the time I don't even have to mic them, but we have done alot of outdoor gigs lately that have been louder than usual.

[drumr0]

Hateplow:
I just took a look at your DW exotics...one word...WOW!!!..absolutely gorgeous!! Well that's three......

Kudos.....
JD

[fijjibo]

Lovely kit.

Its lovely and clean looking, even the rack - so futuristic man.....

[drovja]

I've got the same drum mics (CAD with the rim clips)..... how did you mount them to the inside of your shells? I've been thinking about doing this since I stumbled over the modification thread, but I'm not all that great at DIY stuff, so I was a little lost on how to start.

[drumr0]

drovja:

If you look on the chrome part that clips onto the drum rim you will see 2 black screws that hold it to the mic mount, I took the 2 screws out and took off the clips which leaves a flat surface with 2 screw holes.

I then unscrewed 1 of the small screws that hold my DW badge in place. The mic wasn't quite wide enough to span both of the screws so I only used 1 to hold it to the shell. I didn't drill anything or make any new holes. I snugged it up pretty tight with the one screw and also snugged the butterfly nut on the mic clamp up pretty tight too and so far they haven't moved from where I set them.

I then unsoldered the mic cable and ran the cable through the vent hole and resoldered and now have internal tom mics!!

I followed Jason's advice and pointed toward the resonant head, but it was kinda dull sounding. I know he is using higher end mics which are more sensitive.

I ended up pointing toward the batter head and have been really happy with the sound I am getting out of them. My overheads are catching some of the attack while the internal mics are are doing a great job of keeping the sustain going for as long as I want them too.

I like them because it is one less thing to have to set up and worry with.

I hope I explained this ok and if I need the clarify I will do my best. I can also take more pics if necessary with the bottom head off for clarity.

***If you do this, just try it on 1 drum at first to make sure you like the sound so you won't have to change the mics around in all of your drums.***

JD

[drovja]

So you've just got your mic cable running out what.... a port hole? I kinda liked DMC's idea about making a plug right on the side of your drum. Anyway, thanks!!

[drumr0]

Yeah, the mic cable is running through the vent hole. I didn't want to drill any holes in the shells so I just run them through. I believe Nutha Jason already had mount holes that the XLR plug fit perfectly into. I may put some plugs on mine in the future, but for now I am happy with them.

Good luck with yours!!
JD

[SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ]

Hooray for a floor tom on the left! :)

[punkdrummer1]

woah. Nice kit. love the finish on that baby, and It has to be a great sounding kit too :P

[stasz]

Ah DWs... They never cease to amaze me. I also love the cymbal selection, and I also like how since you mount the china inverted you can't see the B8 Pro logo (which in my opinion is ugly-lookin').

Those sticks sitting on the floor tom seem kind of short (since it's a 16" tom). What model are they? ...Or maybe it's just a camera trick.

[drumr0]

Sleepy: I just have done this very recently, and I can say that I really like having that drum over there. I found, that in the style of music I play, I usually only use 3 drums in a fill, and was hardly ever hitting my 16" so now this gives me more options, and I find I use that 14" on the left more often then when I had it on the right.

Punkdrummer: Thanks!!

Youenjoy00myself: Thanks for the comments!! I agree with you on the B8 logo, it is not attractive, and is much too big. The sound of that cymbal just kinda surprised me, it was inexpensive, so I bought it.

The sticks....That is no camera trick. I got those in 1988 and I think they were called hot sticks, but not sure. I bought 2 pair, a set of 5a's which lasted a month maybe and those 7a's which have no tips any more have lasted for 19 years..They are made of some sort of plastic and they are hollow. I play drums at church, and found to be quiet enough, I got to use little sticks. I pretty much use these everywhere I play for some reason. They don't sound as good as wood on the drums, but sound better than wood on the cymbals. I play and practice with these all of the time. I don't know what I'll do when I finally break them because I haven't seen them in years. They were longer when I bought them but I have worn them down over the years and they keep going, and I have beat the snot out of them too.

JD

[Mendozart]

Could you tell me the exact sizes of your drums, depth x diameter? Thanks.

[drumr0]

I am at work and will measure them later on this evening and post...

[drumr0]

They are:

10x8
12x10
14x12
16x14

JD

[Mendozart]

Sweet. I have the same sizes with an additional 16x18 floor and my bass drum is 24x18. Mine are 89' keller shells. I think I'm also going to go with the coated emperors on the toms. What are you using for resos? That's a really nice set. Hang on to them, they don't make them like that anymore.

[drumr0]

Mendozart: Thanks for the kind comments..I would love to hear yours with that 24" kick..I bet it sounds awesome.

I am using the stock dw resonant heads on the bottom which I believe is a clear ambassador.
It also says its a batter head so go figure. These drums were made when DW was going back and forth between Remo and Aquarian stock heads. I really like the coated emperors it gets me the sound I am going after. I have tried pinstripes..which I hated..and white emperors without the coating..they are ok but much brighter. I have just put an emad2 on the kick and have been so happy with it I think I am going to try the evans coated G2's on my toms next.

Check the picture of the drum that I have flipped up to show the mic, you can see what the resonant is.

I will keep these drums because I haven't seen hardly any older DW kits anywhere. The older these get the better they sound. I'd hate to have to start over again.

JD

[drumr0]

There is a story behind these drums that I would like to share:

I actually only paid $160 for this set of drums..(this is my 2nd set of DW's)

I bought my first set at Forks in Nashville. It was on consignment and I paid $1500 for a 6 pc set. Same color as my 2nd kit. They showed me before I bought them where the wrap was coming apart just a little..not bad at all..It was in great shape and sounded wonderful..I think they were made in 1990.

Well I was gigging and needed bags to haul these around in, so I go to buy bags and they had them all but the 12" so they ordered it for me and when it came in I took the 12" drum with me to see if there was any way to fix where the wrap was coming apart..mind you it didn't look bad and was easily hidden..no big deal to me.

They call DW and DW says "our drums don't do that" kinda snobby like and then they asked me to ship back to them for a free repair. So I was like sure why not...So they call me 4 weeks later with my drums back and when I get there they are still in the boxes so I opened one up to see the repair job and I thought I was going to CRY!!

They took a 3" wide strip of the same wrap and glued it over the seam of the drum like a giant patch. It looked horrible. I was devastated. Well the drum store owner was in as much shock as I was and he promptly got DW on the phone and ripped them a new one and at that time he was the only DW dealer in Tennessee so you could imagine how big of a deal that is.

DW once again told us to ship the drums back and they would take care of it. Another 4 weeks went by and I got a call from Forks saying my drums were back. I opened up the boxes and I have a BRAND NEW set of DW's. I was thrilled, but then I thought well if I knew they were going send me a new kit I probably would have gotten a different finish, but hey...Beggars can't be choosers..So I was happy and still am..even though I still think my 1st set of DW's sounded better than my current set does.

I paid for the shipping for the 1st trip of my DW's going out for the original repair which was $160.

Sorry for a long post but just wanted to share..

[Mendozart]

That's quite the story. I can't believe they would just try to patch that seam. My set is the first snow-white pearl laquer finish DW ever made. I bought these off a DW endorsed drummer, and he personally hand picked the shells with John Good. I have a pic here, without the 18" floor tom. BTW, the SKII bass drum head sound phenomenal on these kicks. One other thing I did to my set was put the newer STM mounts on the toms, I like them alot better than the RIMS mounts.
http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=13301&d=1183616994

[drumr0]

Mendozart: You have a BEAUTIFUL kit. I love that finish. Is that a DW rack? If it is I never knew they made racks. Thats cool to pick up an endorse kit with hand picked shells. Are those Ebony's on your resonant side? It looks cool but how do they sound? You should definitely be proud of those!!

JD

[Mendozart]

Mendozart: You have a BEAUTIFUL kit. I love that finish. Is that a DW rack? If it is I never knew they made racks. Thats cool to pick up an endorse kit with hand picked shells. Are those Ebony's on your resonant side? It looks cool but how do they sound? You should definitely be proud of those!!

JD
It's a DW/PDP rack. They are pretty much the same, the DW rack comes with spiked feet and DW boom arms. The PDP comes with rubber feet and PDP boom arms. Everything else is the same. I didn't like the PDP arms, so I used all my Tama Roadpro arms. The only other difference is the level with the logo. I bought this rack off ebay and the guy gave me both the DW and the PDP levels. In fact all the Gibraltar stuff will fit and I've seen guys use some of the black clamps on these racks. I went with the Remo Ebony resos for looks, but they also sound good.

[GRUNTERSDAD]

how do the toms sound with the batter heads on the reso side. I think thats what I'm reading on the one picture.

[drumr0]

Gruntersdad:
The ones on my drums sound very warm with a lot of sustain. I would guess they are clear ambassadors. I have never tried anything else on them to compare with though. I have always been happy with them.

JD

[fourstringdrums]

Very beautiful kit. It's nice to see people on here who've had the same kit for over a decade. Hopefully I can reach that point :) I'm a fan of the WMP finish as well. The best color wrap IMO, of course I'm biased :)

[Mendozart]

how do the toms sound with the batter heads on the reso side. I think thats what I'm reading on the one picture.
Actually Ambassadors are batter heads, it's just alot of guys are using them as resos.

[Mendozart]

Gruntersdad:
The ones on my drums sound very warm with a lot of sustain. I would guess they are clear ambassadors. I have never tried anything else on them to compare with though. I have always been happy with them.

JD
So are those the original resos, or do you order DW heads?

[drumr0]

Fourstringdrums: Thank you for your kind comments. It is a really cool color. I have found just about anywhere I take they stand out in a classy kinda way.

Mendozart: Those are the original stock heads, I've had them off but have never changed them. I'm not real sure what I would put on if I changed them

[fourstringdrums]

Fourstringdrums: Thank you for your kind comments. It is a really cool color. I have found just about anywhere I take they stand out in a classy kinda way.

Mendozart: Those are the original stock heads, I've had them off but have never changed them. I'm not real sure what I would put on if I changed them

You haven't changed heads since '94? Those drums definitely aren't living up to their potential then. I would just put clear Ambassadors on.

[Mendozart]

You haven't changed heads since '94? Those drums definitely aren't living up to their potential then. I would just put clear Ambassadors on.
Yeah, that's pretty amazing that you haven't changed those for so long. Clear Ambassadors would be just fine, wake them babies up!

[drumr0]

I have been having a tough time tuning them lately. I will be planning on putting some new tops and bottoms on very soon.

[drumr0]

Just wanted to post a few pictures of the outdoor gig we did last night. It went real well. This gig was the kickoff for the start of the younglife organization in our county.

We ususally do our gigs with a pair of Peavey SP-4's and 2600 watts, and it sounds fine. Our bass player usually mixes our sound on stage.

Our lead singer is the pastor of a church in our community and a guy started coming to his church who sets PA equipment up in chruches and different venues, so he just pieced together a little 9500 watt PA system with stuff he had lying around. He also had an Audix drum mic kit too that he let me use. I used the D6 in the kick and it sounded AMAZING! Used a D4 on the snare and since I got the CAD's mounted internally I used them in my toms,but they couldn't hold a candle to the Audix mics. I HAVE GOT TO HAVE ME SOME OF THOSE MICS... Wow! The sound was unbelievable. My kick sounded like a cannon going off, one of the best mixes I have ever had.

I have learned the hard way over and over to buy quality not quantity..so as soon as I can afford some Audix or some higher end mics, that will be my next investment... http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb318/drumr9/P8250011.jpg

[sio_13]

Beautiful kit man, I love to see white kits- so classy... Congrats on those gigs, I love playin outdoors... I'm also a fan of a left side tom. Props bro-

[drumr0]

Beautiful kit man, I love to see white kits- so classy... Congrats on those gigs, I love playin outdoors... I'm also a fan of a left side tom. Props bro-

Thanks alot for the comments!! l took a peek at your Tama's and they look great too! I love the last setup you have going on, once again, I am inspired!!

I also see you are right up the road from me..

I had a real good time doing those outdoor gigs last summer even though it was so hot.

[drumr0]

I got some Evans coated G2's on them now along with a coated genera with internal ring and the snare. They are a little bright than the coated emperors were, but full of tone!!

Due to my wife getting a new car (it now resides in the garage) I had to relocate my drums in the garage, and due to the lack of space the 14" is back on the rack instead of on the left.

[Mendozart]

I love having the 14" tom there. That's how I roll.

[sio_13]

Thanks alot for the comments!! l took a peek at your Tama's and they look great too! I love the last setup you have going on, once again, I am inspired!!

I also see you are right up the road from me..

I had a real good time doing those outdoor gigs last summer even though it was so hot.

Yeah last summer was pretty rough, I was doing HVAC duct work... not fun. So I'm gonna network a bit now- If you guys need any recording done or know anybody that does, I'm great for it- that's what I studied in school. I'll do it on location with protools (I'm digidesign certified) and won't charge an arm and a leg either. I'm Zach, by the way.

[Exportdrummer]

Nice kit i like it a lot, wish i had DW's

[drumr0]

Nice kit i like it a lot, wish i had DW's


Thank you for the comments. I really enjoy playing these drums. I was very fortunate when I got this kit. When I got my 1st set of DW's, I wasn't even shopping for drums, I was looking at PA stuff, but the price was right. You just never know when a killer deal will fall into your lap!!

[Mendozart]

I noticed you got some new batter heads, but did you finally replace those resonant heads also? If you did, I'm sure you noticed a big difference, correct?

[brianthedrummer]

I think I am going to coated myself. Which ones though???

[drumr0]

I think I am going to coated myself. Which ones though???


At first, I didn't like the the coated G2's as much as I like the coated Emperors, but now after some more tuning I have got them sounding very nice and they have grown on me.

The Evans are brighter sounding than the remo's on my DW's. I haven't tried the G1's on them yet though.

[drumr0]

I noticed you got some new batter heads, but did you finally replace those resonant heads also? If you did, I'm sure you noticed a big difference, correct?

Sorry about the delay in replying, but I overlooked your post. I have not replaced the resonants yet. It just about destroyed my wife that I spent $75 on new heads. I am still planning too, but have to wait a little while. Just replacing the batters gave quite a bit of life back to them, they are full of tone again.

[NIMBY]

wow, nice kit dude.

what are you using as a batter head on that cannon of a bass drum?

[Norske]

Hey drumrO!

Don't know how I missed this thread earlier, but that is one gorgeous kit man!!

I saw a DW set at my local drum shop this afternoon, and I'm not certain if they were the same finish as yours or if the broken glass comes in white? But I can tell you this -- I almost wet my pants they look so good in person! They totally wowed me!

I have a set of the Audix drum mics, and I love them. Glad to hear you were impressed with em, there are lots of sound engineers that are recommending them once they hear how well they perform. Good mics without spending a fortune.

I have three kits, with different heads on all of them, so IMHO it takes a little playing around to find the ones that will give you the best sound on a particular drum. For example, I tried EC2's on one kit, and they sounded completely dead, but on another of my kits they sound awesome.

Anyway, I really just wanted to comment on what a fantastic kit you have!

[aydee]

WOwzeeeeee! beautiful!

[vedox1024]

heeey. nice set. that's real purdy. there's something about pearly white sets.

how do you like that hi hat combo? I've been trying to figure out which paistes to get to about complete my setup.

[drumr0]

Thanks guys for the comments!!

Nimby: I have a clear EMAD 2 and have been very happy with it. Its tuned super low for the thunderous effect. I have read from other posters that they thought that the EMAD was too "clicky" sounding. Behind the kit, mine is clicky too, but in front of it, it is not at all.

Norske: You are definitely right about drum head selection on certain drums. A friend of mine has a DW collectors with EC2's on them and they have way too much overtone. He has to run the Remo-rings on them to settle them down. Those Audix mics are really sweet. I hope one day to own some myself.

Vedox: Back when I bought those cymbals I thought it was a sin to mix brands and I couldn't
find the sound I was looking for with the Paiste Signatures they had in stock. So I asked, and they told me I could mix and match. After some trial and error I came up with the Dark Crisp bottom and a Power top. I cracked my Power top so I just flipped them over and they still sound great.

[Deathmetalconga]

The composition and stance of this kit make it seem muscular. A great brand, top-quality components, deep toms and a cool arrangement - I like!

[baz]

...Drumr0

I don't know how I overlooked this thread before either, but I think that already know my opinion regarding white marine pearl.

I like your post on the history of your kit, and aside from the first screw up, it is nice to see that DW made good.

I have been playing DW for the past six years, but the kit that I refer to as "mine" I have owned for almost three years. I hope that it lasts for another twenty.

Once again, very nice kit, and it is great to have another brother in the DWWMP club.

Barry

[Guillermo]

I don't know if it's perception, maybe it is... but FOR ME at least, DWs from that era sound better than the ones being made now... back then, I guess, it was a more hands on, fewer kits operation... DW from the early mid 90's just have a massive sound... beautiful tone and perfect tuenability... and time has shown they REALLY hold up well... love your kit man!

[drumr0]

DMC: Thank you for the kind comments, it means a lot to me coming from you.

baz: Thank you for the comments, DW did me right on the first kit. Even though, I believe, my first kit sounded a little better than these, they are mellowing out nicely. Also, I do enjoy being a part of the DWWMP club. It's just such a great color.

Guillermo: I absolutely, wholeheartedly agree with you. There is something about the late 80's and early 90's DW kits. Maybe it's the Keller shells, or just how the wood mellows with age, but my drums just have so much tone and volume and I do love the way they sound. I think Mendozart would agree with this too. I would love to hear his '89 Dubs!

I had an interesting gig the other night at a church that I sub at every now and then, my band played there for the first time. We had a great time. Their drummer has a beautiful set of DW collectors in the Natural finish with gold hardware, he is quite anal about keeping them clean and looking perfect (which is a good thing). I hate playing them because they are SO clean that I don't want to even put a stick mark on them.

Comparing my drums to his...His kick sounded better, mine has an EMAD 2 he has an Aquarian Super Kick 2, He has the DW res with the little holes around the edge and mine has a 6" port hole so I'm sure that made a difference

He has a gorgeous DW EDGE snare which sounds incredible. My plain old DW snare sounds just about as good as his. I was surprised actually.

My toms blew his away. He is running the clear EC2's and I am running white coated G2's. Mine just have a lot more tone where his were quite dead comparably.

[♪♫Aaron♫♪]

Hello all,
I thought I would post some pics of my DW's

1994 Drum Workshop 6 piece White Marine Pearl wrap (Keller shells)
Power tom configuration
10", 12", 14", 16"
6.5"x14" DW maple snare
18"x 22" Kick

Heads: All toms have Remo white coated emperors
Snare: Remo CS batter with reverse dot
Kick: Evans Emad2 (which I absolutely love!!)

RIMS mounting system with Tama style brackets
Gibraltar rack

DW 5000 double pedal (which is my crutch for a slow foot)
DW 5000 Hi Hat stand

Cymbals:
14" Paiste Signature Power hi hat top & Signature dark crisp bottom
16" Sabian AAX stage crash
10" Sabian AAX splash
8" Sabian AAX splash
18" Paiste Signature Full crash
20" Paiste Signature Power ride
14" Sabian B8 Pro mini china

CAD mics (yes they are cheap, but better than nothing!! and the condensers sound real nice!!) The tom mics are internally mounted thanks to some inspiriation from Nutha Jason.
Behringer board to sub mix

The older these get the better they sound. (I am the original owner).

very impressive kit. one question though. i noticed you have a mic mounted on the inside of the tom and was woundering if that affects the sound any different than mounting it on the rim on the outside. never thought about micing the inside before.

[Cedwico]

That kit is flipping gorgeous, looks like my friends Slingerland. Truely jelous!

[drumr0]

very impressive kit. one question though. i noticed you have a mic mounted on the inside of the tom and was woundering if that affects the sound any different than mounting it on the rim on the outside. never thought about micing the inside before.

Thanks!

There are definitely benefits from internal miking. Sound isolation and taking the mics out of harms way.

I did have them mounted on the inside of the drums, but have since removed them. They worked fine and sounded good like that. Most of the time, I've seen folks mount an XLR adapter in the side of the toms. I didn't want to drill a hole so I took the cable apart, ran it through the vent hole and put it back together. The only thing I didn't like about that was when I didn't need to mic them I still had to deal with the cables.

I also like the look of the mics on the drums too for some reason, even though they are cheap CAD's.

[drumr0]

That kit is flipping gorgeous, looks like my friends Slingerland. Truely jelous!

Thanks! It is a great kit! I have enjoyed them over the years and the older they get the better they sound!

[Micael Öberg]

WOW..im jealous....i realy want one of those kits.........

[drumr0]

WOW..im jealous....i realy want one of those kits.........

Thanks! I just wish I got to play them more than I do!