Ludwig's new Signet 105 drum line!

No finish issues yet, although I treat all of my gear carefully, and the Signets are in plush bags. I would recommend exercising caution as you would with anything you want to remain in nice shape.

The accessory thing is a matter of taste and need, I installed tom mounts on my kicks right off the bat! If Atlas mounts are desired, all of Ludwig's other lines accept them, as do just about any drum manufacturer's.

As for value, I don't know of any other new, US-made drum that can be had at that price. If owning a US Ludwig kit isn't important, then yes, there are other drums that cost less, even from Ludwig.

Bermuda
 
It's good to know that a salesperson cares enough to discuss a product's pros and cons, and isn't just trying to make a sale... any sale. That's especially surprising coming from a GC guy! But it's a huge disservice to the customer when they don't know what they're talking about! I don't know what (if any) kind of info was given to the people in the stores when the drums came out in January, or if those people that got the info are even there anymore. Opinions about certain aspects of the drums are fine, IF they're based on his or various customers' experience. But I guarantee that the salesperson has no actual experience using the drums, and it's very unlikely at this early point since they're release, that there's feedback of any kind at the retail level for him to assess anything about them.

Bermuda

I agree with most of your points...but a salesperson can give pros and cons without coming right out and saying 'I wouldn't buy that kit if I were you'. That goes beyond expressing an educated opinion about a kit and informing the customer. Maybe he had something against Ludwig.
 
I agree with most of your points...but a salesperson can give pros and cons without coming right out and saying 'I wouldn't buy that kit if I were you'. That goes beyond expressing an educated opinion about a kit and informing the customer. Maybe he had something against Ludwig.

Pros and cons, yes... if they're based on his (or his customers') experience. An educated opinion would have been fine, but this just his personal hunch based on... I don't know what. It's not like he said "we've had some complaints about..." That would be something valid to tell a customer interested in a particular product or brand.

There's really no excuse for misinformation, or not knowing. Either this guy wasn't around when the Ludwig rep stopped by the store to talk about the drums, or the rep never came (which is a possibility, reps are typically independent, not company employees.)

This isn't about me being a Ludwig artist, although in the case of the Signets, I probably have more hands-on experience with them in various scenarios than anyone else. If I was selling drum gear, I would make sure the customer got the best product for their present and future needs, that would fit their budget, regardless of the brand, or how much commision I could expect to make. I'd give the customer solid information, not just my guess as to how well something was manufactured or might perform.

Bermuda
 
Another reason why Ludwig should just stay out of Guitar Center.
I wonder why they chose to place the new Signet line in GC in the first place. Pretty obvious that outside of a black beauty snare and maybe an accent set, GC doesn't even carry Ludwig.
Did they need the marketing help/publicity that badly?
Why not give the line to the independent dealers who support the brand??

Off my soapbox now.....
 
Another reason why Ludwig should just stay out of Guitar Center.
I wonder why they chose to place the new Signet line in GC in the first place. Pretty obvious that outside of a black beauty snare and maybe an accent set, GC doesn't even carry Ludwig.
Did they need the marketing help/publicity that badly?
Why not give the line to the independent dealers who support the brand??

Ludwig used to have their full line in GC, then something happened and they didn't, then Black Beauties & Supras crept back in, then Ludwig began making GC exclusive drums with special finishes and configurations.

They're not in GC for publicity or marketing. Ludwig has a loyal, strong independent dealer network, and is available at Sam Ash and (I believe) from all online sellers. Like it or not, GC is important to most companies, simply because they are the major dealer in most of the US markets they're in.

It's a matter of business, not principle. Ludwig, or any company that has dealers, can't control who the stores hire.

Obviously, any manufacturer wants the people selling their product to know about it, and it's up to those companies' reps to train the people in the departments. But as I mentiioned earlier, the people in the stores who were trained are often gone after a short time - especially at GC - and the new people haven't been trained. It's supposed to be an ongoing process in order for the companies and retailers to be successful.

So it boils down again to information. When salespeople don't know something, the good ones seek the right answers. The bad ones just pretend like they know, and that's unfortunate for everyone concerned. If Ludwig sent me to the stores that are so confused about the Signets, they don't even want to sell them... I'll bet I could straighten-out the sales staff in about 15-20 minutes.

Bermuda
 
So back when the Signets first came out back in early march I went up to guitar center to try them out. I started playing on them and they sounded awful. I asked the guy working the percussion section if I could tune them up and his response was "yea but those things are going to sound like crap no matter how you tune them". After I got them all tuned up they sounded great. I went home that night and decided to order myself a set of Signets. Fast forward to this past weekend almost 4 months later I go back up to guitar center because I was in the are and wanted to see what all they had in stock. The same guy was working and he asked what kind of kit I play. I told him that recently I had been playing the Signets. I was waiting for his generic "I don't like the sound of those" comment when he proceeded to tell me about how he couldn't get them to sound right and then some guy came in and made them sound great. He told me that the next day they sold 5 of the kits. I got a little smirk on my face assuming he was talking about me when he recognized me. He then asked me if he bought himself one if I would teach him to tune it. So I spent half an hour or so teaching a Guitar Center employee how to tune drums.

I went off on a rant here but I think that this is a good testament for how good these drums really can sound. This guy was just bad at tuning in general and all the kits they had sounded awful. I have now been playing this kit for 3 months and Drummers and musicians alike really did the sound and look. Me personally I would give the look a 5 out of 10 but on sound I would easily give them a 9 overall and for the styles that I play they get a 10.
 
Great story drummerjims !!

So if a Guitar Center was hiring a person for their guitar section and I walked in to apply for the job, and I said, "no I don't know how to tune a guitar" would they hire me?

Gheesh, maybe they would..............

.
 
I have to admit, I played the gigabeat at my local GC and it sounded like garbage. It needed a good tuning as well. Even knowing this, I think it did subconsciously effect my decision to not buy the Signet. I'm a novice compared to you guys but I should've known better.
 
I have to admit, I played the gigabeat at my local GC and it sounded like garbage. It needed a good tuning as well.

It's a fate that befalls just about every kit - and snare - at just about every GC. There are three main reasons for this:

1) Kits and snares are played (beaten) by 'customers', and not re-tuned or re-headed.

2) Many of the people in the drum departments don't know how to tune. I'm not talking about my not liking the way a kit sounds... I mean unacceptable-under-any-circumstances tuning.

3) Many of the employees just don't care, and don't understand why a drum's sound is important in order to sell it.

Bermuda
 
It's a fate that befalls just about every kit - and snare - at just about every GC. There are three main reasons for this:

1) Kits and snares are played (beaten) by 'customers', and not re-tuned or re-headed.

2) Many of the people in the drum departments don't know how to tune. I'm not talking about my not liking the way a kit sounds... I mean unacceptable-under-any-circumstances tuning.

3) Many of the employees just don't care, and don't understand why a drum's sound is important in order to sell it.

Bermuda

At the GC by me, here's the deal:

1) There are no "kits." It is "kit" - singular. And it always sounds like crap. They once had a Green Sparkle Bonham kit on display and the poor thing was damned near beat to hell.

2) There are not "many people" working in the drum dept. The last three times I have been there (once to look, twice to buy heads), nobody was home. I had to have a guitar guy check me out.

3) When they were fully staffed, the guys working the drums did know their stuff. As a matter of fact, about a year ago the drum manager (he has since disappeared into the unknown… spooky!) helped me with a one of my snares. I actually learned a lot from him.

Now, with the sidebar over with; If I could, I'd buy one of those Signet 105 Gigabeats in a heartbeat.
 
I was fortunate enough to get a new Macassar Ebony Gigabeat set for under $750 shipped to my door. My suggestion for any new Signet owners (and all sets really) is to inspect each shell/bearing edge, etc and make sure there are no obvious flaws. The first kit that arrived had ply separation on the 12 inch tom and the holes for the spurs were mounted on the wrong side of the bass drum (noticed another poster had this issue). It resulted in a few weeks of headaches w/ musicians friend and Ludwig, but ultimately I received a second set and I am very satisfied with the sound and feel of these drums, especially for the price. I'm a fan of the way it looks and hope to get some pics posted in the coming weeks. Hopefully their initial production issues are out of the way and this series prospers in time.
 
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I saw one of the blue sets at GC. I am tempted by a USA Ludwig maple kit at that price, but I really don't dig the finish.
That probably means I am shallow, but if I don't like what I see when I look up at the kit at a gig, how can I be happy with it?

Side note, I noticed neither of the independent drum shops around here carry the Signets yet...
 
Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I figured I'd do that instead of starting a new one. I recently got one of these sets, a Gigabeat on sale at GC in Blue and have to say it's one of the best sets I've played on. The one I had was fully assembled so I didn't have to go through that process. I really wasn't sure about the blue but it's grown on me... plus I've owned a number of sets, but this is the only set that my wife actually said she liked the looks of so I guess it isn't too bad.

Right now it's sporting a Coated Emperor on the 12 and a Coated Vintage Emperor on the 14 both over Clear Ambassadors. The bass has a Powerstroke Pro, which I'm not 100% sure if I like it or not.
 
nice dude! i'm following the signet since it first apeard, and now i have desided i'l buy one to :) but just to be shure, i'm gonna test some more, think'n on buying one around january ;)

how is your kit doin? like, give me your personal pro and con's :)


Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I figured I'd do that instead of starting a new one. I recently got one of these sets, a Gigabeat on sale at GC in Blue and have to say it's one of the best sets I've played on. The one I had was fully assembled so I didn't have to go through that process. I really wasn't sure about the blue but it's grown on me... plus I've owned a number of sets, but this is the only set that my wife actually said she liked the looks of so I guess it isn't too bad.

Right now it's sporting a Coated Emperor on the 12 and a Coated Vintage Emperor on the 14 both over Clear Ambassadors. The bass has a Powerstroke Pro, which I'm not 100% sure if I like it or not.
 
nice dude! i'm following the signet since it first apeard, and now i have desided i'l buy one to :) but just to be shure, i'm gonna test some more, think'n on buying one around january ;)

how is your kit doin? like, give me your personal pro and con's :)

It's great and sounds great. With head changes you do have to be careful with the lugs as they will shift, I haven't had one fall out though. I didn't really like the stock heads and have been in the middle of playing around with a bunch of heads. I traded in some stuff to GC and got a bunch more than I had anticipated so I ended up buying a bunch of heads to tryout on the Signet.

The only real negative I would say is the lack of adjustability for the bass drum spurs, since I can see for some it might put your bass drum at an angle you might not want.. The upside is the whole kit is extremely light especially with the Gigabeat. Also it might be a negative to some, but remember it's a virgin kick, so you'll have to find somewhere else to mount your tom unless you do bermuda I think did with adding your own tom mount.

The only two finishes I've seen are the blue ones which I have and the ebony. The ebony looks really nice. I wasn't 100% about the blue, but it's grown on me. When I went and got mine all they had was a Terabeat Ebony and the Gigabeat Blue. I got the Gigabeat because I wanted the 20" Kick plus it was significantly cheaper (the Gigabeat was on sale and the Tera was full price).

Anyway these drums won't be for everyone, as they are pretty unique in both construction and look.
 
About the tom moutns, i don't like drums whare the tom or toms are mounted on the bass, but thats my preference.... so no prob there. The look is amazing and indeed, the heads need to go! ol tho, when tuned good they sound not that bad :) (tuned one in my local drum shop whit the owner :) )

about the bass spurs, i don't see any problems whit that :) wy sould the angle be a problem???

The signet is on 1st place on my new drum list, the gretsch renown is on 2. Talked in the shop, they say the gretsch will be able to do more then the ludwig, but the gretsch will never be able to do what the ludwig does, and thats bein a ludwig :) i thotch that was niceley said of the man ^^

It's great and sounds great. With head changes you do have to be careful with the lugs as they will shift, I haven't had one fall out though. I didn't really like the stock heads and have been in the middle of playing around with a bunch of heads. I traded in some stuff to GC and got a bunch more than I had anticipated so I ended up buying a bunch of heads to tryout on the Signet.

The only real negative I would say is the lack of adjustability for the bass drum spurs, since I can see for some it might put your bass drum at an angle you might not want.. The upside is the whole kit is extremely light especially with the Gigabeat. Also it might be a negative to some, but remember it's a virgin kick, so you'll have to find somewhere else to mount your tom unless you do bermuda I think did with adding your own tom mount.

The only two finishes I've seen are the blue ones which I have and the ebony. The ebony looks really nice. I wasn't 100% about the blue, but it's grown on me. When I went and got mine all they had was a Terabeat Ebony and the Gigabeat Blue. I got the Gigabeat because I wanted the 20" Kick plus it was significantly cheaper (the Gigabeat was on sale and the Tera was full price).

Anyway these drums won't be for everyone, as they are pretty unique in both construction and look.
 
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