Buying a higher end kit, what to get

SLUSHPUNK

Junior Member
I have basically narrowed it down to 5 drum company's and I am looking to spend around 4 to 5000 on a new 6 piece maple kit with no snare
( already got one )

Custom companies


1. DW Drum Workshop - Drums, Pedals and Hardware
2. SJC . SJC ):. Custom Drums

3. TAMA - starclassic ( maple or bubinga )
4. PEARL - Refrence or Masterworks
5. SONOR - Delite series

I have heard good things and bad things about DW, PEARL,TAMA
But I have yet to hear anything bad about SJC

And I have heard nothing but amazing things about Sonor, I was always under the impression that DW made the best drums sets, but it seems like Sonor is that company.
Buying a higher end kit, what to get
 
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I have never heard anything bad about Sonor's top end drums. Thay have fantastic quality control and build quality. Whatever you decide on you probably will be very happy.
 
Can't go wrong with any of those......Sonor seems to be the standard that all are judge against.
You might want to take a look at Pork Pie too. They make a fantastic product.
 
Ayotte
Brady
Craviotto steambent solid
Ddrum USA custom
GMS
Orange County Drums ocpd
Pork Pie custom
Joshua Tree Percussion stave
Unix Stave

Man, if you've got 5 large to drop on a kit minus the snare, I'd get something truly custom and handmade, not a factory kit. There's a whole world of custom shops that are truly custom.
 
What about Yamaha??? They make great drums and hardware.

I think all the companies you listed make really good high end kits, just a matter of if you like their hardware, mounting systems, color choices.

Like DiosDude mentioned there are a ton of Custom Drum manufacturers out there that can get you a kit built to your specs, something to really look into as well.
 
I don't want to sound rude here, and I apologize if I do come across that way...but why would you want to spend four to five grand on a kit but not know EXACTLY what you want? Have you been playing long? It seems that most people who play for a while get into their head exactly what they are looking for. If you are a novice, I would recommend holding off on getting a kit of this type...as awesome as they are, they only sound as good as the drummer who plays them. You will have a lot of choices to make, such as head sizes, drum depths, what types of wood you want, what types of mounting system you want, etc. It would suck to drop $5000 on a new kit with all huge drums because they look cool, only to find out down the road that you prefer smaller drums, and are uncomfortable behind your kit.

If you are an experienced player, then go with what you like...no one here can tell you what is best for you. Sonor fans love to say that Sonor is the best. DW fans say that DW is the best. Yamaha fans say that Yamaha is the best, even if it's not one of the options you listed. You get the idea.
 
Oh, one other thing to consider. I know you already said you have a snare, and it might be a great one, and if so, ok. But the snare is the most important part of the kit (you could argue the bass, but it's def. top 2). If you talk to a lot of famous drummers, they will tell you that they have a few kits, and a ton of snares. Even when I go in to a studio session, I have one five piece kit that I take (unless I know I'll need additional stuff), but I'll take all 8 of my snares (and that's a small amount compared to what a lot of pros use...I want to say that Bermuda has said on here that he has over 100 snare drums). So, again, from your post, it's hard to figure out exactly what you want, where you are at, etc, but I would strongly consider getting a nice snare if you don't already have a great one. Only the snare and bass are heard on every measure that you play in every song in most styles of popular music.
 
Am I a novice player , NO , Am I a novice drum buyer, YES

I know my cymbals and snares well, but not my drums.

I have been playing drums since 1991, and I haven't really cared about what I have been playing until last year. I spent the last year building the sickest cymbal set up and now I am ready to get rid of my Pacific drums and find that kit.

Thanks to everyone for helping with there advice I am somewhat out of the loop with new drums and I don't have the access to try everything out.

PAISTE

17" , 18" signature full crash
17" , 18" signatur refelctor heavy full crash
17" alpha rock crash

22" signature refelctor bell ride powerslave
22" signature power ride

Sabian

14" AAX excellerator hihat

ZILDJIAN

17" K custom hybrid china
17" k custom dark china
 
Am I a novice player , NO , Am I a novice drum buyer, YES

I know my cymbals and snares well, but not my drums.

I have been playing drums since 1991, and I haven't really cared about what I have been playing until last year. I spent the last year building the sickest cymbal set up and now I am ready to get rid of my Pacific drums and find that kit.

Thanks to everyone for helping with there advice I am somewhat out of the loop with new drums and I don't have the access to try everything out.

PAISTE

17" , 18" signature full crash
17" , 18" signatur refelctor heavy full crash
17" alpha rock crash

22" signature refelctor bell ride powerslave
22" signature power ride

Sabian

14" AAX excellerator hihat

ZILDJIAN

17" K custom hybrid china
17" k custom dark china

Nice set of cymbals!

Let me ask you something, maybe we can help you out more. Tell us about your kit (as many specs as possible), then tell us what you like about it, what you don't like about it, etc. That may help with what direction you want to go in. Like many have said, you really can't go wrong with any of the high-end stuff, but there are small things about each company that you may or may not like. For instance, for me, the Pearl hardware just doesn't do it. One great example I give is Mapex VS PDP. Both are great brands, with great gear as you move up the line. PDP hardware is very lightweight, but sturdy. Mapex hardware is very heavy, and really sturdy. Both are great, but I know a lot of people who won't use PDP because the hardware feels so light, and a lot of people who won't use Mapex because the hardware is too heavy. Stuff like that makes all the difference.
 
I think i'm going to go with a custom drum maker, but I'm stuck between a few

1. sjc
2. shine
3. tmd
4. odery
5. dark horse
6. phattie

I am upgrading from my maple pacific
 
positive go for DW why?.........................SOUND, QUALITY, KEEPS VALUE, AWSOME FINISHES, NEVER HAVE ANY TROUBLE WITH IT, EXELLENT HARDWARE ..............I HAD ONE FOR 6 YEARS I SOLD IT THIS YEAR AND IM GETTING READY TO GET ANOTHER ONE!!............ITS A GOOD INVESTMENT I HAD MY KIT FOR 6 YEARS I PAID $3500 I SOLD IT FOR $2300 I KNOW IF I WOULD OF HAVE BOUGHT SOME THING ELSE I WOULDNT GOT THE MONEY........THE OTHER THING IS THAT EVERYBODY HAVE DIFERENT TASTE YOUR GONNA GO FOR WHAT YOU EARS LIKE OR THE MONEY YOU CAN SPEND! !! THIS IS MY EXPERIANCE MAYBE THIS WILL HELP
IT WAS A 6PC LACQUER


PEACE!
 
yamaha?? anyone??
there obviously doing something right if they've got names like gadd and beauford, and i just picked up a set of birch custom absolutes and they're the best drums i've ever heard, they look great, and the hardware is great.
but what i think it comes down to is preference, i mean when ur spending multiple thousands of dollars, one company A's north american maple/japanese birch isn't going to sound different than the next...it comes down to bearing edges, quality of build, finishes, hardware, and heads. imo, yamaha has the best of those, that's why i got one, but its all personal preference
 
Very cool on the Yamaha's ! Got any pictures of them for us ?
 
I think i'm going to go with a custom drum maker, but I'm stuck between a few

1. sjc
2. shine
3. tmd
4. odery
5. dark horse
6. phattie

I am upgrading from my maple pacific

I have a Phattie snare and Dennis does great work. I love the look of his Phat Rat lugs too.

Of your list I would take Phattie or Odery. Every Odery kit I've seen has beautiful, flawless finishes, deep, full sound, and gorgeous hardware. I also love the fact their hardware is designed by and unique to them.

Just my two cents. Odery or Brady.
 
Wow you are in a nice place to be. The choices are huge, and picking something out will be just as fun as getting it and finally playing.

Truthfully at the price range you are talking about you can't go wrong with any of the manuf. you have listed. Resale value will be equal for all the kits you are thinking about, as long as you don't get off the wall sizes.

The only thing I have negative to say about some of the so-called "custom" companies is that they use keller shells...which are great don't get me wrong, but you are basically paying 4-5K for someone to drill and mount hardware, and of course do the finish.

If it was me I would figure prices for all the shells, lugs...etc. from drumfoundry, or drummaker, and then check with a local cabinet shop on a custom finish. It may or may not be cost effective, but just imagine having a set that you had a hand in building from start to finish. I can tell you that I built a keller kit and wrapped it and the sound is equal if not better than the high-end kits that I have owned over the years.

This is just a thought...it might not be for you, but at least it's something to think about.
 
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