Show Off Your DW Kit

Here is a new(ish) 14x5.5 VLT I picked up today. Has been sitting a my local music shop a couple of years and finally got to a price I could stomach.

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Very nice purchase jimbo. VLT snares can produce a nice open ringing sound.
But don't play it till Christmas ;P

I'm kinda addicted. This is my 3rd VLT; now I've got 14x4.5, 5.5 & 6.5 models. I wouldn't go back to a horizontal 10&6; I like that open, ringing sound too much. I wish I had know about VLTs when I bought my kit. I got standard shells with re-rings all around. I guess the floors and the bass have the built in bottom though, which is like a 1/2 VLT.
 
I'm kinda addicted. This is my 3rd VLT; now I've got 14x4.5, 5.5 & 6.5 models. I wouldn't go back to a horizontal 10&6; I like that open, ringing sound too much. I wish I had know about VLTs when I bought my kit. I got standard shells with re-rings all around. I guess the floors and the bass have the built in bottom though, which is like a 1/2 VLT.

So... the VLT is THAT MUCH different from the 10&6?
 
So... the VLT is THAT MUCH different from the 10&6?

For my money, a 10&6 vs. a VLT is as different as a 10&6 vs. a solid shell.

People who haven't played VLT, X or HXV shells will tell you it's all marketing crap. It's really not. As more vertical plies are added to the shell comp, the natural pitch of the shell lowers. So a standard DW horizontal shell (standard/10&6) in a 5" depth will have a much higher pitch than a DW vertical shell (VLT) in a 5" depth. The re-rings (the &6) also impede some of the resonance of the shell to remove the ring and make the pitch even higher.
 
I'm kinda addicted. This is my 3rd VLT; now I've got 14x4.5, 5.5 & 6.5 models. I wouldn't go back to a horizontal 10&6; I like that open, ringing sound too much. I wish I had know about VLTs when I bought my kit. I got standard shells with re-rings all around. I guess the floors and the bass have the built in bottom though, which is like a 1/2 VLT.
Woa, you love some VLT snares. I have a 13x6 vlt snare. Dig it, but the 14" does allow for more tuning options and playing on the rim sounds awesome and musical for some reason. If I had a chance to do again, I would have gone 14x6vlt.
I understand the vlt tom option. A few years back I got a finish ply vlt kit. The 20" bass was lower than the 22" bass on my standard collectors. So I had to liquidate my exotic kit to replace it with a new exotic vlt/x/vlx kit :p
 
So... the VLT is THAT MUCH different from the 10&6?
The vlt (straight with no re rings) def has different character. Seems to offer a bit more diversity. Much more open, almost gives a metalic ring especially when miked. But the 10&6 can tune a bit more cracky and solid sounding.
 
The 20" bass was lower than the 22" bass on my standard collectors. So I had to liquidate my exotic kit to replace it with a new exotic vlt/x/vlx kit :p
That has to sound phenomenal because even my blue collar 22" HVX kick has got it going on in the bottom end dept. IMO.
 
My heads on the vlx bass drum are tuned tight. It's almost too low otherwise:p
Maybe you can tell me...The VLX is is the lowest timbre shell DW produces if I'm not mistaken. Of all their shell lines, where does the HVX shell fit in the line-up in regard to low timbre, comparing shells of the same size?
 
Maybe you can tell me...The VLX is is the lowest timbre shell DW produces if I'm not mistaken. Of all their shell lines, where does the HVX shell fit in the line-up in regard to low timbre, comparing shells of the same size?

HVX have a few horizontal plies, vertical, and diagonal. So those shells natural tone is deeper than vlt, but not as deep as X or VLX. VLX has zero horizontal grain so will be the lowest fundamental.
Nice new kit btw, congrats. That performer snare drum you have is identical to the vlt snare JimboJim is addicted to.
 
HVX have a few horizontal plies, vertical, and diagonal. So those shells natural tone is deeper than vlt, but not as deep as X or VLX. VLX has zero horizontal grain so will be the lowest fundamental.

The light bulb went on as you explained this. Thanks, I appreciate it.
 
Woa, you love some VLT snares.
The first one I got was kinda by accident. I bought the NP Time Machine snare mostly for the aesthetics. I quickly fell in love with the sound once I spent some time with it.

The 14x4.5 was my second VLT, and I got that one on eBay at a REALLY good price (sub $300). The guy selling it wasn't a drum buff and had no idea what type of shell it was. He kept replying it was a "Collectors" drum. I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived and it was a straight shell VLT. It sounds more like a 5.5 than a piccolo.

This one was definitely on purpose. I had been looking for a DW in an exotic finish and wanted either a solid shell, edge or VLT. I found this VLT (sitting at GC since 09) on clearance at easily half or a third of what a new Edge or Super Solid exotic would of cost me.

The 5.5 and the 4.5 will end up being my two workhorse wood snares. That will let me keep the Time Machine mostly on display and only for practice at home/recording or special (and clean) gigs.
 
This one was definitely on purpose. I had been looking for a DW in an exotic finish and wanted either a solid shell, edge or VLT. I found this VLT (sitting at GC since 09) on clearance at easily half or a third of what a new Edge or Super Solid exotic would of cost me.
If you get a sweet price that you can always resell at about the same price then you can't lose. That 300.00 vlt surprise was a great win!
 
I keep the pillow inside. I recently put an aquarian super kick 2 on. So I would like to yank the pillow, but I need to switch the reso back to the one without a hole.
I haven't experimented as much as I should.

I go without the pillow on my two Collectors: more boom and less thud. On my DWJazz kit, kept the pillow and got the boom AND the thud! Simply marvellous! :eek:))))))
 
I go without the pillow on my two Collectors: more boom and less thud. On my DWJazz kit, kept the pillow and got the boom AND the thud! Simply marvellous! :eek:))))))

My Performance series kick delivered with two small pillows, one for each head. Good punch without killing the boom.
 
I go without the pillow on my two Collectors: more boom and less thud. On my DWJazz kit, kept the pillow and got the boom AND the thud! Simply marvellous! :eek:))))))
SInce this particular kit doesn't leave the echo chamber of my basement, I tend to lean toward less boom and more control. But I really owe it to myself to hear what that thing does un pillowed.
 

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I thought the pillows were for when you fall asleep from the boring sound of the drums. :p
 
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