What's the difference?

[jay norem]

I'm just betting that this has been discussed here before, but being new here I'm going to re-open the discussion.
I've been wondering about this for some time. You've got Yamaha, DW, Pearl, Ludwig, Mapex, Premier, Slingerland, I guess those are the "main" drum manufacturers, I've probably left a few out. And I would have to imagine that any drum coming from these companies is an excellent drum. And I swear that when I hear a drummer playing one of these kits, I really can't hear how his drums sound better than those made by another manufacturer when played by another drummer. Different, because of how the drums are tuned and played, but not better.
Is there a difference then? Is, say, a top-of-the-line Yamaha drum better than its DW or Pearl counterpart?
Or is it about the pricing, the hardware, the "non-drum" aspects that determines who chooses to play what?
One reason I'm asking this is that I've been thinking about getting a new kit for awhile, and I'm sort of leaning toward Yamaha, simply because a lot of jazz drummers seem to like them, they sound just fine to me and they also make drums in the bebop sizes I play.
But is there really any significant difference in sound and quality between the drums these companies produce? If not, how do you choose?

[Michael G]

The difference is the wood, how the shell is constructed, the hardware, and the price.

Whether it matters or not, it is all about is shopping around by testing different kits or looking for them being played or recorded anyway. Whatever floats your boat.

[The Ploughman]

Once you reach a certain price point, and thats kind of hard to define accurately, there really isnt a difference. Just personal preferences. High end is high end. Up there, its mostly in the paint.

[stasz]

Like already said, not too much margin of difference once you get high enough in price. Maybe finishes, features, and of course badges, but if you're not too picky or have a favorite anything will do. Of course some people find the "best" drums to be exotic, handcrafted solid-shell drums, just because of the qualities associated with them. Really it's all about what sounds good to you.

[Jeff Almeyda]

The drum shell itself contributes about 30% of the acoustic sound. The other 70% is a results of tuning and head selection.

[Unix]

The drum shell itself contributes about 30% of the acoustic sound. The other 70% is a results of tuning and head selection.

Well I dont agree here, sorry but I just can't. There is a fundamental difference in pitch resonance, or vibration on each different company, each different method of construction and even more difference in wood choice.

You should try different configuration some times, you would see the huges difference result in those choice. I would say 70% the shell, his bearing edge and his construction and 30% the heads choice and tunning.

[Jeff Almeyda]

Well I dont agree here, sorry but I just can't. There is a fundamental difference in pitch resonance, or vibration on each different company, each different method of construction and even more difference in wood choice.

You should try different configuration some times, you would see the huges difference result in those choice. I would say 70% the shell, his bearing edge and his construction and 30% the heads choice and tunning.

Well, I'm not going to argue with the master here. Especially since I'm ordering a new kit from him!

I had just read a quote from Ray Ayotte in the recent Modern Drummer that said something to that effect so I just basically threw it out there.

Either way, it's certainly enough of a percentage to make the difference between good and great.

[aydee]

I've got a slightly twisted ,post- silicon -bust-survivor buddy living holed up in greenwich connecticut,a real posh and tony neighborhood full of wine connossieurs. One of the sick things he does for fun every now and then, is to throw wine- tasting parties....... with the wines all mixed up, the bottles changed etc. None of the so -called expert guests ever catch on, and he laughs his merry ass off after they leave. Worth the price of admission alone, he tells me.....

...Me being a long time Yamaha nut and loyalist, and a tuning geek I can usually tell ( non miked ), if I'm listening to a Yamaha. I recognize some of its accoustic properties which are different from anything else. But I share the posters original premise that a well made drum well tuned, would sound great to most people. plain and simple.

I say this respectfully, in the presence of the master. ; )

[eddiehimself]

But I share the posters original premise that a well made drum well tuned, would sound great to most people. plain and simple.

That's like with anything though really, guitars, recorded music, televisions, cars, etc... Obvious differences will be apparent from the offset but it's not until you really look, listen or feel or something like that in great depth and you have experience with what is good and what is bad that you can really tell the diffo between various things.

[sshu]

I've got a slightly twisted ,post- silicon -bust-survivor buddy living holed up in greenwich connecticut,a real posh and tony neighborhood full of wine connossieurs. One of the sick things he does for fun every now and then, is to throw wine- tasting parties....... with the wines all mixed up, the bottles changed etc. None of the so -called expert guests ever catch on, and he laughs his merry ass off after they leave. Worth the price of admission alone, he tells me.....

...Me being a long time Yamaha nut and loyalist, and a tuning geek I can usually tell ( non miked ), if I'm listening to a Yamaha. I recognize some of its accoustic properties which are different from anything else. But I share the posters original premise that a well made drum well tuned, would sound great to most people. plain and simple.

I say this respectfully, in the presence of the master. ; )

To take the wine analogy a little further, I find for me it is helpful to learn a little bit about the construction of things. For example, when I first started tasting wine, I couldn't tell a Pinot Noir from a Cabernet. Then I was trained to see how Pinot Noir (despite the misleading Noir designation) was one of the lightest color and tasting reds. That little piece of training created awareness.

Same thing goes for drum construction. For example, here's a link on bearing edges that I have found very useful. http://www.texarkanarocks.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=11604 . One can find other links on stave shells, steambent, reinforcement rings, woods, hoops, hardware, etc. May help one to better identify what one likes about different drums, etc. and which factors matter more to you.

All said, I think heads, tuning, and tasteful playing can go a long way (recording aside perhaps). I've seen the masters play on some low-end and mid-range kits, and they can make them sound good.

Steve

[aydee]

That's like with anything though really, guitars, recorded music, televisions, cars, etc... Obvious differences will be apparent from the offset but it's not until you really look, listen or feel or something like that in great depth and you have experience with what is good and what is bad that you can really tell the diffo between various things.

Yes, thats exactly my point. Everything has become Coke & Pepsi. We live in the age of product parity.

Technology has made product differences miniscule, and irrelevant. What differentiates one product v/s another today is the attitude, its styling, personality, its endorsees etc. .. mostly the untangibles.

[ihitdrumz]

a particular set of drums could be known as superior to others, just by its name, but the sound you want is entirely up to you.
For example; there could be a drumkit that costs over $1000, and another that costs $100, the one that costs $1000 is probably intended to "sound better" but if you prefer the sound of the $100 kit, you'd choose that one. There is no good and bad kits, there is only opinion , (well, unless a kit is REALLY rubbish)

[eddiehimself]

Yes, thats exactly my point. Everything has become Coke & Pepsi. We live in the age of product parity.

Technology has made product differences miniscule, and irrelevant. What differentiates one product v/s another today is the attitude, its styling, personality, its endorsees etc. .. mostly the untangibles.

erm, i didn't quite mean that. I don't think they are irrelavent. It's just for the discerning user to notice and if you don't well that's fine. You are of course entitled to your opinion, that's because we live in a society where people are allowed to have their own opinions. On the same token we also have a choice, we can choose how to live our lives, what we do to earn money and what we do with that money. People like choice. If you think about it choice isn't really a bad thing. I mean what would be the point in this forum for instance if there was only one drum company making one type of kit? Also I don't think this is a very good place to post something like this, a drum GEAR forum? It's a bit like going on an ANP forum saying "why can't all humans just get along?"


There is a real difference between coke and pepsi btw, i usually drink coke during the day when i'm at collage and pepsi at home on an evening, just so i don't get sick of the same thing constantly ;)

[shepfu1]

It is all subjective!! I get a kick out of people on these types of forums asking opinions on "which drums should I buy", "which drums sound the best". Quite simply they are the drums that sound best to YOU! It doesn't matter how someone else thinks they sound, you are the one that is going to be playing them and living with the fact that you have made a fairly substantial investment in them. I ask non-drummers all the time "do you hear how good those toms sound. Do you hear how that snare cracks. The usual response I get is "drums sound like drums, they all sound the same to me." These are the people we are playing for, our audience, so I think sometimes we worry to much about how one wood sounds as compared to another. I have been playing and listening to drums and drummers for a long time and I can't listen to CD or the radio and say "that is Maple set or that is a Birch set etc". I guess I am rambling but I have had a couple of beers tonight. But I hope you get my point!