PDP X7 drumset

MNDrums

Junior Member
I've bought a silver to black sparkle PDP x7 kit that comes with two Zildjian zbts and zbt high hats . I saw it I person once and it sounds pretty good, but it's been sitting for about 1 month. Any tips on setting the set up or best ways to play it?
 
Slap on some Evans G2 over G1 and you're good to go! I use emad2 on my x7 bass. its lovely! Are yours maple or poplar? Pre-2009 would be poplar wood. I usually tune a little on the high side for my mounted toms so I can get nice projection and attack.
 
I like clear single ply heads on poplar drums. coated single ply heads also sound good. poplar has a surprisingly nice tone but it's not as tight or controlled as some other woods. I bet that finish looks great.
 
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I'm pretty sure the finish he described was only for the maples. I have the maple X7 in black on black.

Play around a lot with where you mount your toms. Learn the importance of ergonomics. Look at the best of craigslist thread to see how not to set it up; look on the your place section to see how to properly set up a drum kit. I have spent countless hours and hours fiddling and changing my hardware configurations to get everything just right. And the memory locks on the tom L-arms are very handy. When you're first setting up the kit, just loosen them and leave them down the arms until you're done tweaking everything a million times. Afterwards you can slide them back up and tighten them.

I've had a bunch of different head combos so far, but I always stick with a 2 ply (emperor, G2) batter and a 1 ply ambassador/G1 weight reso on the toms. The stock bass reso is pretty nice, but you might want to put a hole in it if you plan to use the pillow. I would get an aquarian superkick II or an emad 2 for the bass batter, since they're durable and they seem to have the sound most people are looking for. I am on my third SKII. Also the little reinforcement patches for where the beaters hit are nice. I like the evans eq and the remo falam slam. For the snare, look for something 2 ply for durability. I can recommend the remo pinstripe, remo emperor suede, aquarian hi energy, aquarian hi velocity, and the evans dry series. I usually tune mine pretty high, though. Also remember that half a moongel can go a long way on any head.

For tuning, just go to youtube. Take your pick. Try a bunch of different tunings and methods and see what works best. I like to use two matching drum keys and tune opposite lugs at the same time. Tune your drums all the time because it takes a whole lot of practice to get decent at it. I've been drumming and tuning for six years and sometimes I still don't think I have the hang of it. Remember that your kit sounds different out front than it does sitting behind it, and that the room has as big an impact as heads do. My little drywall practice room sounds like garbage, but I can live with it since I know my drums sound massive on stage.

Also if you're looking to get new gear, look at thrones FIRST. I made the mistake of waiting until last year before getting something both stable and comfortable. Go to a music store and sit on everything to see what you like. And for all gear, try to buy used whenever possible (except heads) and try to get hands-on with it first whenever possible.

Play the damn thing however you want to play it. Learning songs is cool and helpful, but just sit down and freestyle as often as possible. Try to use and learn good technique so that you don't break everything and to maximize your drums' sound. Don't use massive sticks. A good sense of tempo is the most important thing. Practice practice!
 
I've bought a silver to black sparkle PDP x7 kit that comes with two Zildjian zbts and zbt high hats . I saw it I person once and it sounds pretty good, but it's been sitting for about 1 month. Any tips on setting the set up or best ways to play it?

Slapping them with your hands hurts. Use sticks.
 
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