What makes you like a certain brand of drums?

Sound
Construction Quality
Hardware design and durability
Price

No where in my process is "who else plays them".....since they won't be playing mine.....
 
AzHeat said:
Some Chinese made products are top notch, due to impeccable quality controls. It's not that they don't make good stuff. It's their openness about "stealing technology" and blatant disregard for intellectual property that makes me do my best to avoid their stuff if I can. I love Mapex Stuff. I'm a big fan of Wuhan for crying out load. I get that companies go to china to keep their prices competitive. At the same time, I avoid their products when I can. Mind you, options are limited. Now, when it comes to buying used, I can't say there's anything wrong with one vs. the other, since "they" already got paid. It may however protect ones resale value, which for me is a pretty big deal, even if I don't offload often.
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This is a well thought out reply. I'm sorry for not giving you the benefit of the doubt. Usually when I hear people say "I won't buy made in China" it is due to their perception that it is poorly made. I see that doesn't apply to you. Well put.


Also - PorkPieGuy - I like how you tried to answer every single question I asked :) I liked reading your reply.
 
Honestly, I played Slingerland because when I started playing, I got a hand me down kit from my uncle. The next kit was a Ludwig because that's what my parents bought for me. The next kit was an American Custom. It was a custom brand sold by West Coast Drum Center. They talked me into buying it.

Then came my first Tama Rockstar, which I bought from my uncle. So I got a Tama because that's what my uncle played. I liked the Tama kit so much that I sold it so that I could get an older Imperialstar kit, which I played for years. I got rid of that one, and my next kit was a Franken-Pearl built from various Pearl style drums. Then I got another Tama, a vintage Rockstar Pro which I still own and love dearly. Then I got a Ludwig Element Birch, just because it was such a great deal and I like Ludwig drums ahving played them before when I was young. And most recently I bought a used Yamaha Stage Custom based on all the great things people on this forum have said about it. I agree it is a great sounding kit, even with Pinstripes on it.
 
AzHeat said:
Some Chinese made products are top notch, due to impeccable quality controls. It's not that they don't make good stuff. It's their openness about "stealing technology" and blatant disregard for intellectual property that makes me do my best to avoid their stuff if I can.
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I don't understand this statement. What technology has China stolen, in drums or other circles? Moreover, the companies producing drums in China are not Chinese companies either, so China cannot be stealing their 'technology'.
 
Midnite Zephyr said:
Honestly, I played Slingerland because when I started playing, I got a hand me down kit from my uncle. The next kit was a Ludwig because that's what my parents bought for me. The next kit was an American Custom. It was a custom brand sold by West Coast Drum Center. They talked me into buying it.

Then came my first Tama Rockstar, which I bought from my uncle. So I got a Tama because that's what my uncle played. I liked the Tama kit so much that I sold it so that I could get an older Imperialstar kit, which I played for years. I got rid of that one, and my next kit was a Franken-Pearl built from various Pearl style drums. Then I got another Tama, a vintage Rockstar Pro which I still own and love dearly. Then I got a Ludwig Element Birch, just because it was such a great deal and I like Ludwig drums ahving played them before when I was young. And most recently I bought a used Yamaha Stage Custom based on all the great things people on this forum have said about it. I agree it is a great sounding kit, even with Pinstripes on it.
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Aren't those 90's rockstars some amazing drums? I still don't really get why they speak to me so much. I too still own a rockstar set in midnight blue wrap that I'm not likely to get rid of even though I mostly use the more expensive birch kit nowadays.
 
I have a set of Tama Starclassic B/B. Immaculate build quality, great look, easy to tune and sound great. But for some reason, they just don't 'move' me.

I also have a set of C&C African Mahogany. Love the look and quality but I have a lot of trouble getting a sound that I really like out of them. But there is something about the feel of the kit that makes me want to play it more than the Tama.

Go figure.
 
opentune said:
I don't understand this statement. What technology has China stolen, in drums or other circles? Moreover, the companies producing drums in China are not Chinese companies either, so China cannot be stealing their 'technology'.
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My statement is a general statement and not targeted at drum technology. Their government has openly stated they intend to steal all they can from other countries and we've seen this pay off for them over and over again when we see the fruits of our labors in their products. As mentioned, I do understand why Tama or Mapex would make their drums there. I don't have to like it and do my best not to support them when I have options.

I doubt Mapex or Tama drums are made that way, but far too many products are. This isn't as much of a factor in the drum world, but guitars and amp knockoffs, electronics and games are a whole different story. Critical defensive infrastructure.....almost entirely stolen. That's where I spent most of my life every day sadly.

It's tough to be in cyber security all day long, doing your damndest to keep the slime off your network, then turn around and say, yeah give me the stollen technology built with child labor at half the price...yeah, I'm all about that!
 
I love Sonor drums, because when it came time to buy a drum kit, I purchased a Sonor Bop Kit. And like getting a pet, I have gotten attached to them.
 
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What's with all the survey type threads, could it be someone is conducting a survey or 2 ? I have 9 drum kits you figure it out.
 
keep it simple said:
This is one of the main drivers behind companies offering entry level drums. You buy your first real drum kit. You boast about it to your friends, & convince yourself in the process. After a while, the desire to upgrade kicks in, & so long as the original experience was mostly positive, keeping with the same brand is more likely than changing brand.

The standard multinational manufacturer structure goes roughly like this: Your entry level stuff spreads the net wide & draws customers in at the earliest opportunity. Its also where much of your artist program exposure is concentrated. Your flagship / top of the range stuff provides an aspirational goal. Your mid line stuff delivers most of the capacity & features to most of your long term customers. You typically make less margin on the entry & flagship ranges than you do on your midline stuff.

Manufacturers know exactly what drivers are at play in selecting which drums to buy. On an aspirational level, brand is absolutely top of the tree, & that's why it receives by far the most marketing focus.

Still at a mostly aspirational level, but with some practical element, introducing "new" features, or simply highlighting existing ones, keeps things fresh & offers differentiation, irrespective of wether the feature offers real value or not. Finishes are right up there as a major driver too.

Next come practical considerations such as price point / affordability, sizes, hardware practicality / durability, availability.

Finally, sound. Manufacturers know that sound quality is a given if you're already snagged on the brand messages, & in any case, can be presented effectively through manipulation of delivery media such as video.
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Always feels like I did something right if I get Andy to chime in one one of my threads. And yeah, since he has more than a few posts, I shouldn't feel special, but I still do. Great post as always :)
 
I don't know but I love those Pearl Reference drums. I just went to Lone Star Percussion and tapped on that Reference kit they have on display. The sound is thundering and immaculate. I can only imagine what it would be like to tap around on a Guru kit.
 
When I was a teenager I cared about brand brand brand now I care about tone, cost and everything else just seems subjective.
 
I'm really not a brand loyalist at all. All I care about is if the company is reputable and known to produce quality products. Beyond that, I just look for the features that I want. Since I buy most of my drums used, I have to choose from what's available to me, and just finding the sizes/finish/shells that I want is hard enough without the extra hurdle of specific brands.
 
In 1996, after I sold all my darkroom equipment, I went directly to my local drum shop and bought a Sonor Force 3000 rock kit, with a Scandinavian birch finish. For about three years I was in hog heaven. When the hi-hat clutch broke, I had to wait about 4 months and pay $180. Even though the hex-rod design was a brilliant idea, and functioned perfectly, I felt burned. And I felt like I had to baby the kit 'cuz replacement parts were expensive and difficult to find.

In 2004, I sold it. Took the cash and—again—went directly to my local drum shop. I asked, "Which drum brand has the best hardware?"

"Tama", said the owner.

I haven't regretted my Starclassic purchase since. The tone is better, it tunes much easier, and I can buy weird little parts easily. If there's an accessory I want, I can contact Tama USA to see if it's in stock. If it is, I place an order with my local drum shop and the part arrives within a week.

Full disclosure: In my smallish town, there was no Pearl dealer at the time, and Yamaha gear was sold in a piano store, with no kit on display.

Sonor_01.jpg



Kit.jpg
 
Not to sound like a hippie or some new age BS but, the drum or cymbal just has to speak to me and say something interesting.
 
I don't buy into brand loyalty really, but I was sort of a Yamaha guy for a long time. I just liked the way their drums sounded and the build quality and fit and finish was second to none. After playing Yamahas for a long time, I was starting to tire of playing "perfect", modern kits, so I kind of went the opposite direction and got a Legacy kit. I certainly didn't choose Ludwig because I thought they were the best built, best engineered drums out there, but they just had the aesthetic I was after and sounded a little rougher around the edges than the Yamahas I had played previously. I just found that sort of interesting.
 
Elementary really.

I played on cheap, second-hand, beat-up, banged-up drums all my life, so last year I decided it was time to invest in a dream kit for myself. I mean a true dream kit, as in brand new, everything that I want in drums and hardware, cymbals to match, and shell configuration and sizes that work for me, and after reading a ton of reviews, countless articles, and combing through an absurd amount of topics and posts tied to drum forums, I narrowed my search down to DW.

DW stood out of the crowd for me, so last year I moved on a DW Collector's Series Black Nickel over Brass Snare Drum, and after seeing the quality and workmanship that went into the drum and hearing the sound, I was sold.

If all goes as planned, I'll be following through with the remainder of the kit this year to complete the package.
 
I've had so many different brands, I don't think I could ever be considered brand loyal--probably more like brand disloyal. In the last year, I've kind of settled in on what I like: when it comes to drums, I really prefer maple shells. At the moment I have a DW collectors kit, Ludwig Classic Maple, and two Canopus RFM kits. Very different sounds from each of these, but they are all maple shells. Each of these kits produces a sound that I find musical and that works well for jazz.

So number 1 for me is sound. After that, I'm concerned about quality. I'd rather have fewer things of high quality than more of lower quality. Third is probably aesthetics. I like sparkle finishes and also am pretty fond of WMP. One of my Canopus RFM kits is just blond maple in a satin oil finish. I actually didn't like the look of it all that much at first, but I've come to love it--partly because they sound amazing.

As for cymbals, this varies a bit. My Paiste 602 set of cymbals is one set I've held on to for a long time. Had a bunch of Bosphorus cymbals that I let go recently, but can't seem to let go of the Paistes. Again, it's all about sound. They sound right to my ear and blend well with the drums I play. My other set of cymbals is Zildjian, consisting of K's and K Constantinople. These are brand new and I'm still getting used to their sound, but I really love them. I was actually able to pick these cymbals out at the Zildjian factory, so I got exactly what my ear wants to hear. I can't imagine ever letting them go.

Snare drums at the moment are the two Canopus snares (1 maple and the other mahogany with rings), a Ludwig Supraphonic, and Craviotto Solitaire. I like the sound of aluminum snares a lot. These tend to get used based upon the venue in which I am playing. The mahogany is kind of quiet and works very well with my Canopus RFM Club kit.

I don't seem to care much about brand name, beyond the fact that certain brands are known for quality, at least among high-end kits. Canopus produces quality drums regardless of what level you buy. They are an amazing company. I own two of their snares and really love them both. I'll probably buy another this summer in Tokyo.
 
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