My New Premier Series Birch Classic

mattyg@@

Member
Hey, this is my latest kit. It's a Premier Series Birch Classic. Sizes are 12x9, 13x10, 16x16,
22x18 and the snare is 14x5.5. I've never considered buying a Premier kit before, I always overlooked them. I originally went into the store to try out a Yamaha birch absolute, but walked out with the Premier. The bass drum on the Birch Absolute was less than impressive, I think the box it came in would have more low end than the drum itself. Anyway, this premier kit had the exact shell sizes I was after, so I tried it out and was totally blown away by the sound of the whole kit, the bass drum shakes the walls and the toms sound huge and are really warm and responsive. I've owned quite a few drum kits including an oak custom, maple absolute, brady, recording custom, but this one blows them all out of the water! It makes me wonder why more people don't buy them, I've never heard a rave review about them. It may not look as sleek as some of the other high end kits out there, but man the sound is amazing. I'm in love!
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I really like your set and I certainly believe that it sounds better than many other more "famous" kits!

I also think that Premier is highly underrated (oxymoron?), and I already asked myself many times why: look? advertising? company strategy & product lines?

Older Premier sets (say from the sixties up to the end of the eighties) were absolutely excellent from a sonic point of view, but had, in my opinion, some "modernity" problems with their look and their hardware. As of today, I find both things are OK (sets look good and the hardware - thanks to Yamaha? - has certainly been improved). It would be interesting to hear other opinions on Premier (or maybe there is already a specific thread?).

Anyway: well done, it is always refreshing to meet people who buy with their ears and feel and not only because of advertising campaigns!
 
Nice looking set there. What's the name of that finish?
I second the fact that Premier makes some great kits. I've got a Cabria APK and I love it. I just wish Premiers were easier to find in stores. I haven't found a lot of places that stock them. The place where I bought mine no longer stocks them, and they used to only have two anyways.

I'm rambling. Great kit! Have fun!
 
Looks good to me and if it meets your sound needs then it is perfect? Like Wolfgang asked, what is the finish called.?
 
Its a wrap finish called black oyster, i'm usually not a fan of wraps but for the sound and price, i was willing to compromise. i had it side by side with my recording custom yesterday, the premier bass drum is more beefy, the toms are louder and sing more and have a different tone, but the floor toms on the RC are a bit louder, the floor tom on the premier is warmer and more focused but not quite as loud. That experiment was done with clear and coated emperors and coated vintage A heads. Vintage A heads are pretty damn good by the way, the first time i've used them.
 
Hey there, i'm just wondering if the Birch snare came with the shell pack,
i just bought a greatly knocked down in price premier 2003 model birch classic (new) and the shop had the matching snare but would only sell it separate to me,, are they right to do this or should i open a can off whoopass tomorrow. also i did not buy the snare, but i am considering doing so if it is supposed to be sold separately..

be great if anyone could help with this..
Karl
 
Very nice Premiers Matt. I agree with you on just how good they are, and most people don't know it.
 
Nice kit! People USED to know how nice Premiers were -
Premier has suffered HUGE quality control issues over the years. The company has changed owners many times, and their booth at the NAMM show has been pathetic.
They were in their prime during the late 80's, and haven't been the same since.
I've owned 2 older Premier kits, which I loved. The Chrome snares in the 80's were some of the best ever produced.
Hopefully they will bounce back...
 
Nice kit! People USED to know how nice Premiers were -
Premier has suffered HUGE quality control issues over the years.
They were in their prime during the late 80's, and haven't been the same since.
.

QC? When? I have not witnessed this. I had a Genista and a Signia in the mid 90's, and they were better finished/constructed than my DW's, Yamaha's, and the majority of my Sonor's.. Have you seen the current "Series" line? I've seen a handful of kits up close, and they are top shelf offerings.
 
QC? When? I have not witnessed this. I had a Genista and a Signia in the mid 90's, and they were better finished/constructed than my DW's, Yamaha's, and the majority of my Sonor's.. Have you seen the current "Series" line? I've seen a handful of kits up close, and they are top shelf offerings.

I don't want to hi-jack this guy's thread, but Premier's QC issues were certainly no secret throughout the industry. From Wikipedia: "Premier has had a history of new ownership. Although the chrome plating was lauded, the actual hardware and drum quality has been variable. In the 2000s, Premier started making drums in Taiwan under the Artists maple and birch series. The Premier series, maple, birch or hydbrid/ gen-x shells are made in England. Distribution in the USA isn't as large as it was in the past. The hardware is made on the same assembly line in Taiwan as Tama's."
 
I don't want to hi-jack this guy's thread, but Premier's QC issues were certainly no secret throughout the industry. From Wikipedia: "Premier has had a history of new ownership. Although the chrome plating was lauded, the actual hardware and drum quality has been variable. In the 2000s, Premier started making drums in Taiwan under the Artists maple and birch series. The Premier series, maple, birch or hydbrid/ gen-x shells are made in England. Distribution in the USA isn't as large as it was in the past. The hardware is made on the same assembly line in Taiwan as Tama's."

I'm still not seeing any sort of connection with the stuff from England in this generalized "wiki" thing.

Do you have any direct experience with REGULAR and CONTINUOUS QC issues from the English drums?
 
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