750, pdp x7 - catalina maple - used ?

jtkiv

Member
First - I'm selling my set, and I'm trying to pick out a set to buy so I can buy it as soon as mine sells...

I prefer buying used, but I'll probably be with this next drum set for a good while so new is kinda nice. The only used set in my area that i can find that is good (6pc or bigger, not the lowEST end :) http://louisville.craigslist.org/msg/1066374207.html

my max price for a shell pack is 675ish, hardware raises it. I don't want to go over that, below is nice :) So with that max price i had it narrowed down to the Catalina maple or the pearl if the guy still has it (waiting to hear back). Today, however, i discovered the X7 from pdp and it really seems to be a nice set. The Catalina and Pearl are both maple this X7 is poplar. The Pearl and PDP would both be 650 no hardware (maybe less on the pearl) but the Catalina would be 750 with Ludwig hardware (from ebay). Hardware for both Gretsch and PDP is 2 stands, snare stand, throne, single pedal. The PDP is 780 with PDP hardware. Something the PDP has over both of these is the extra small tom. In terms of finish, my favorite on the Gretsch is the Amber, on the PDP the wraps are cheaper, but id really rather have one of the lacquers. I'm not really overly partial to the amber of the gretsch, the pearl finish, or a pdp finish (haven't chosen favorite) so their all pretty equal. If you figure in used hardware for the pearl, these sets all come out at about the same price. So with price out of the comparison, what set in your opinions would be the best?

And on the Gretsch, i hear 5-lug is the worst thing in the world to tune - no directly opposing lug - and i think to 2 top toms are 5-lug.
 
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And on the Gretsch, i hear 5-lug is the worst thing in the world to tune - no directly opposing lug - and i think to 2 top toms are 5-lug.

Thats subjective, I've owned 3 Gretsch kits and they are no harder to tune than any other kit. With regards to the PDP and Pearl, I have owned a PDP FS birch kit , a Pearl Session, and a Pearl ELX many years ago. In my opinion I'd go Gretsch, PDP, Pearl in that order. Pearl makes great high end drums but I've never been impressed with the sessions and below. PDP overall good quality and good sound (and the new X7 is all maple not poplar). Gretsch has hit a home run with the Catalina's though. Great sounding drums for the money.
 
Thats subjective, I've owned 3 Gretsch kits and they are no harder to tune than any other kit. With regards to the PDP and Pearl, I have owned a PDP FS birch kit , a Pearl Session, and a Pearl ELX many years ago. In my opinion I'd go Gretsch, PDP, Pearl in that order. Pearl makes great high end drums but I've never been impressed with the sessions and below. PDP overall good quality and good sound (and the new X7 is all maple not poplar). Gretsch has hit a home run with the Catalina's though. Great sounding drums for the money.

Here is what I found on the X7 and it does not state Maple:
Pacific Drums by DW X7-7 Piece Drum Set Features:

  • All-poplar shells
  • F.A.S.T. tom sizes
  • STM pro tom mounts
  • True-pitch tuning
  • Sparkle lacquer finish choices
  • Matching bass drum hoops
  • Bass drum pillow
  • REMO heads
You can also find this as well in Maple as stated:
Pacific X7 Maple 7 Piece Shell Kit Drum Set Features
  • All Maple Shell
  • Complete 7-piece shell kit
  • F.A.S.T. Sizes
  • True-Pitch Tuning System
  • STM Suspension Tom Mounts
  • Sparkle Lacquer Finishes
  • Remo Heads
So, you can find them in either flavor and not just maple...there is another X7 that states it is a hybrid hardwood so they have yet another flavor.

I looked at the PDP and wondered about the poplar shells...would really want to hear them in person and play on them...I know the kit interests me, but I have to hear it and sit at the throne to really know...I suggest you find them and test it out. I would love to compare the poplar to the maple shell and see if I could tell the difference.
 
In the latest issue of "DRUM" magazine on page 49: "The shells in the X7 series have been upgraded from poplar to maple with no change in price."

This leads me to believe that maple is now the only option although the magazine could be wrong or you could have the option of both. I guess you'd have to call PDP to find out for sure.
 
I would go with the X7 if its now in maple for the same price as poplar. With it, you'll get PDP/DW quality, with 5 toms, and alot of diversity in setup.
 
"Poplar is derived from fast growing straight medium hardwood trees and is a less expensive alternative to Birch and Maple. Its finish can be somewhat green in color and is therefore used in the inner ply layers as substitute for more expensive and less plentiful woods. To my ear it takes on more of the tone of birch or mahogany than maple."

small excerpt from prof.sound :)

Doug, thanks for helping out on the 5-lug thing, I read about 5-lug in a book once, and whoever wrote it must of had some sort of bad experience cause he was pretty hard on them.

Thing is on the maple or poplar, the poplar ones are the only ones i can find for 650, and i would get maple if i could find them. Id really like to find a maple, blue fade, but i can't seem to find one. Anyways, I have to sell my drums first, so I'll see what it looks like by the time those are gone. If its the same (only poplar) then would the X7still top the Gretsch?
 
jtkiv;559878 If its the same (only poplar) then would the X7still top the Gretsch?

Without playing poplar first I'd say Gretsch...at least you know what you are getting. Catalinas are very popular for a reason. I don't know anyone who has the X7. Good luck with your decision.
 
Reposted, again, for X7 info:

Even more info on the new Pacific lines- Mr. Dewey's reply below, with my initial email below that [I'm sure he won't mind me reposting, since it's promoting his company's products]:

Thanks for choosing Pacific Tim,


We are glad to hear that you have a good experience with our drums. We honor our warranties and always want our customers to be satisfied.

The M5 and X7 Maple kits will be manufactured in China and will have a 7 ply shell. The Platinum shells will be made in our factory in Baja, Mexico. The Platinum series is a 9 ply maple shell that will be identical to your CX series. The M5 and the X7 kits are preconfigured shell packs while the Platinum series you can purchase individual toms to build more of a custom style kit. The finishes are similar although they are painted in 2 different factories they could have variance. I hope this helped to answer your questions for you and please feel free to get back to me with anymore questions you might have.


Best Regards,


Jon Dewey

Customer Service Representative/Key Accounts

Drum Workshop, Inc.

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From: Tim Evans [mailto:[email protected]]
Posted At: Thursday, March 26, 2009 11:36 PM
Posted To: Comments from Website
Conversation: maple models' shells
Subject: maple models' shells




Hi! I'm a longtime Pacific player; 5 years on my CX shell pack which has served me very well. I've had 2 minor complaints: some wrap bubbling issues on the 1st kit [promptly replaced by you guys, thanks very much], and a couple of minor bearing edge spots where the wrap seems to encroach on the edge right around the wrap's seam, causing a slightly uneven edge at those spots [but this issue hasn't caused me any tone or tuning problems, so I didn't bother returning again]. Oh, and I had to replace the snare's batter hoop 'cause the 1.6mm stock hoop didn't give me a very good side-stick sound. Replaced with a Gibraltar 2.3mm. Golden. Overall, a great kit for the price.

I'm looking at a 2nd kit, and was considering the Platinum series because, upon inspection at my local store, the wrapped kits didn't seem to have these bearing edge/wrap issues. After learning of your upcoming maple kits in the X7 and the new M5 series, I'm prompted to ask: other than pre-set configurations [7-piece kits being the point of the X7s] and, I assume, finish options, will there be any differences in shell construction between these two and the Platinums, and will any of them be any different from my CX shells?

I'll likely be going with the silver to black sparkle burst Platinums, since it's the closest thing to the regular silver sparkle finish I prefer that you offer, even though I prefer wrapped kits over laquer. [Weekend road warrior, y'know.] I got my CX kit just 2 months before the silver sparkle model came out... *sigh* I don't suppose you have any SS wrap left, and that I could order a maple kit with it in any of these maple models [preferrably the Platinums, since I like the lugs better]? And why is the sparkle on the silver to black sparkle fade X7 kits in pacificdrums.com's photos much more, ummm... "sparkle-y" than on the silver to black sparkle burst Platinums? Is it indeed the same sparkle finish [other than the fade/burst difference, of course] and it's just an issue with the site's photos, or is the X7 kit's sparkle effect actually more vivid?

Thanks for getting through the wordy descriptions to my questions, if you made it this far, haha!

Tim Evans
Wilson, NC
 
Has anyone had a bad experience with poplar? I can't find any negative raves on it, its suppose to be a bit drier than the maple in this price range, but otherwise the same. Maple from higher ranges will obviously sound better, but in this range the maple, from what i can gather on the enet, is about the same sound/quality. So other than the wood i have the finish to look at, what are your opinions on these?

http://gretschdrums.com/kitpopup.cfm?iid=74
http://www.pacificdrums.com/x7/k-silver-black-fade.htm
http://www.pacificdrums.com/x7/k-red-black-burst.htm

(probably my favorite of the pdp finishes, but as of now pdp is sold out)
http://www.pacificdrums.com/x7/k-blue-sparkle-fade.htm
 
Has anyone had a bad experience with poplar? I can't find any negative raves on it, its suppose to be a bit drier than the maple in this price range, but otherwise the same. Maple from higher ranges will obviously sound better, but in this range the maple, from what i can gather on the enet, is about the same sound/quality. So other than the wood i have the finish to look at, what are your opinions on these?

http://gretschdrums.com/kitpopup.cfm?iid=74
http://www.pacificdrums.com/x7/k-silver-black-fade.htm
http://www.pacificdrums.com/x7/k-red-black-burst.htm

(probably my favorite of the pdp finishes, but as of now pdp is sold out)
http://www.pacificdrums.com/x7/k-blue-sparkle-fade.htm

I have the pearl forum kit that is poplar and i do not really enjoy the sound of it. However i have not played a maple kit in that price range. Hope that helps!
 
I own Renowns with 5 lug toms and hard tuning is a myth. probably someones guess who doesn't own them. Catalina Maple is all over eBay. They are also new with an extra floor tom and I'm not sure about PDP/DW quality. From a lot of what I've read on this forum, there is PDP quality and DW quality. And they are not the same.
 
Just so you know, the real Cat Maples have 6 lug toms. Only the limited cat maple set came with 5 lug toms and not all of them did either. The limited set was made for bigger stores and designed to be a cheaper alternative. That particular set also came with really lame tom mounts too. Gretsch even acknowledged that it had lesser quality hardware. My kit has 6 lugs and the 4 lug mount system. It is a great set. You can tell if it is a limited set because that set comes in honey amber transparent and cherry. The good version (non limited) comes in Deep amber, ebony lacquer, cherry red, and sunburst. Be careful because there are red kits in limited and regular versions. The regular version is the cherry red finish. The other version had a different name. My kit is cherry but you can tell right away by seeing if the tom mounts wrap around the drum.
Here is a pic of the cheaper set
Gretsch_HoneyMaple_01.jpg


Here is mine
P1010093.jpg

Note the 4 lug mount on my toms compared to the other kit.
 
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