Sonor S-Class Pro kit + some new gear!!

[xopethx]

hey fellas, i'm new around these parts, and relatively new to drumming in general -

i've been playing full time since last september, with a pretty solid background in jazz-rock fusion, metal, and progressive rock beforehand...
been taking lessons every week since i got the kit, and i take my practice time very seriously.

a few of my inspirations while drumming -

Jean-Luc Ponty (Steve Smith, Casey Schurell)
The Mahavishnu Orchestra (Billy Cobham, and moreso, Narada Michael Walden)
Gavin Harrison (porcupine tree)
Martin Lopez (opeth)
Chad Wackerman (Allan Holdsworth's stuff)
Virgil Donati
Keith Carlock


anyway, enough talk, ON TO THE PICS!

here's a picture from March, to compare with -


and the new additions -











for the lazy/blind, they're a 20" K Custom ride, 13" K Hi-hats, and a 17" K Thin Dark crash :-D

comments, questions?

[d.c.drummer]

Let me be the first to say your kit is absolutely stunning. I like your cymbals, but then again, my cymbals set up is similar to yours =). But I would take your kit over mine ANY day.
How long have you been playing? (You say you went ful time in September but before that?) At any rate, thats a heck of a starter kit.

And also allow me to be the first to say WELCOME TO DRUMMERWORLD!

[Velimor]

That kit looks really familiar. You wouldn't happen to be a member of KT, would you?

Either way, nice kit and nice cymbals to match. Looks like a really comfy setup.

[Ironcobra]

thats a beautiful kit, personally i dont like the colour, but its amazing, nice solid, almost vintage look to it, did i misunderstand or did you say this was your FIRST kit?

[Butch Axsmith]

I like your SONOR drums ////
You have the best '''''''''
Butch Axsmith

[xopethx]

Originally Posted by d.c.drummer

Let me be the first to say your kit is absolutely stunning. I like your cymbals, but then again, my cymbals set up is similar to yours =). But I would take your kit over mine ANY day.
How long have you been playing? (You say you went ful time in September but before that?) At any rate, thats a heck of a starter kit.

And also allow me to be the first to say WELCOME TO DRUMMERWORLD!

thanks mate!! - i've piddled around on whatever kit i could find since i was a kid, but i TRULY started playing drums last September...i've had plenty of amazing music soaking into my noggin beforehand though :-D , and it's definitely helped me be creative and sort of get a "jump start"

Originally Posted by Velimor

That kit looks really familiar. You wouldn't happen to be a member of KT, would you?

Either way, nice kit and nice cymbals to match. Looks like a really comfy setup.

yes sir! i'm also on Kerrazy under the same name, good to see some fellow KT people around.

Originally Posted by ironcobra

thats a beautiful kit, personally i dont like the colour, but its amazing, nice solid, almost vintage look to it, did i misunderstand or did you say this was your FIRST kit?

yep, first drum kit i've ever owned...i got a KILLER deal on it, so i don't feel bad about buying a professional level kit...something to grow into, ya know ;-) and i just wouldn't feel right buying anything else...if you're gonna do something, fully devote yourself to it.


thanks for the positive feedback! i really appreciate it....my friend has a set of binaural microphones, and i'm going to borrow them and see if i can record some of my playing soon.

[BIG_c]

yeah, i'd tap that...

how much did all that set you back? is it all in new condition or second hand? it looks freaking amazing man.

i am green.

[frank0072]

wooow, that's a starter set that I hope to own in 10 years or so... I started in september too and I was sooo happy with my Tama Rockstar with crappy cymbals as a starter set..
You've set the standard way high for first drum kits. Enjoy playing and learning.

[xopethx]

Originally Posted by frank0072

wooow, that's a starter set that I hope to own in 10 years or so... I started in september too and I was sooo happy with my Tama Rockstar with crappy cymbals as a starter set..
You've set the standard way high for first drum kits. Enjoy playing and learning.

thank you , friend!

i checked out your myspace profile, and i see you like Underoath and Extol! (Extol was the first metal band i ever listened to, and they're still one of my very favorites to this day!!),
a few of the original Underoath guys are actually from my town (in central Florida), and they used to practice and play shows at my church all the time, years ago when they were black/death metal (with Dallas on vocals). Just thought you might find that interesting :)

cheers!

[fijjibo]

Best "starter" kit ever.

Thats Awesome - I love the cymbals!!!!

[radeq]

wonderfull :) very beautifull kit :) also the cymbal choice :)

[Drummer Karl]

To me Sonor has such a beautiful sound. I know that their quality is amazing and well, the look is incredible. Hope I can get such a small 3007 Jungle kit and one 3007 snare drum.
It`s just awesome.
Very nice finish and wood grain, the sound and feel of S-Class Pros is great.

What are the specs of the drums? And which wood was used?? I forgot that. Maple?

Karl

[dw D]

Beautiful colour, nice set.

[ermghoti]

Gorgeous and unique color, and birdseye to boot! Sonor is pure class, you may have bought you first and last kit, unless you need a beater some day.

[xopethx]

Originally Posted by Drummer Karl

To me Sonor has such a beautiful sound. I know that their quality is amazing and well, the look is incredible. Hope I can get such a small 3007 Jungle kit and one 3007 snare drum.
It`s just awesome.
Very nice finish and wood grain, the sound and feel of S-Class Pros is great.

What are the specs of the drums? And which wood was used?? I forgot that. Maple?

Karl

thank you all!!

to answer you Karl, they are 8x8, 10x9, 12x10, 14x14, 14x5 snare, and a 20x17.5 bass drum, and yes they're maple :)

i definitely need new heads, anybody have any experience with these drums and coated reso heads? i've only changed the heads out once since i've owned it, so i'm still experimenting a lot.

i'm thinking perhaps Coated Emperors on beater side, but i'm not sure what to do about the other, and i don't even know how much difference it will make...i know a coated head will sound much more "dead" but that's about it.
any suggestions?

[jayp]

Wow that kit is sooooooo beautiful I own a Sonor Foce 2005, and hopefully one day I will on an S-Class or Delite, sonor makes some of the best products in my opinion..

The finish is amazing I love it, the only thing I would maybe mess with is your cymbal arrangement, it seems a little odd. But whatever works for you

[maddrummr]

Definitally one of my favorite finishes of any kit on this site. Simply beautiful. I also dig the cymbal selection

Nice kit, yucky color and too much hardware, but still nice. It's funny, but Sonor reminds me of a kind of robotic drum because of all the metal on the shell, it's like Robodrum.

[volume_3]

Wow

Thats what my dream kit looks like at the moment... just a different colour

[ArtyZ]

Originally Posted by xopethx

...and relatively new to drumming in general -
...i've been playing full time since last september...

Playing since last September?

Man, the set I had when I began was a Japan-made (when having a Jap set was definately NOT cool) 3 piece silver sparkle Maxitone (see avitar). It came with the absolute worst foot pedal ever made; and the cummiest cymbals. I used that set for about 5 years (!) until I landed a 4 piece Burmuda Sand Ludwig 'Standard' Kit. Man, I wish I hadn't sold that one. It had weak hardware, but a great woody sound. Stupid move. Oh, well.

Anyway, real nice kit.., good luck.

Arty Z

[zambizzi]

Phew! That's a beautiful kit ya got there. I love the lugs and I REALLY like the color - very trippy. I've never so much as played a Sonor but I hear good things about them. I priced out an SQ2 kit for fun...then I got my total...and it stopped being fun.

That's impressive for a "first kit"!

[joeybeats]

Man, that set is a solid 10! Absolutely gorgeous. The close up pic of your tom is just perfect, showing the amazing finish. Nicest I've seen in a while. I love your new kit, and the way you have it set up. Congratulations. Joey

[eddrummer05]

hey man i love that green!!!! that color is one of my options for my next sonor!!! also i love that ride i want to buy it, but i never got a chance to listen to it!!! how it sounds??? is it good for jazz, rock, etc??... please let me know!!!! thanks man.... blessings...

[Norske]

Wow, nice looking kit! If you described that color to me I would say you're nuts, but seeing the pics I really like it! I have never seen that finish before, and it's really different....nice different!!

CONGRATS!!

[xopethx]

wow! thank you all so much for the compliments!!! this means a ton coming from all of you, with -in my opinion- much nicer kits, and definitely more skill than myself!
thanks again

Originally Posted by Norske

Wow, nice looking kit! If you described that color to me I would say you're nuts, but seeing the pics I really like it! I have never seen that finish before, and it's really different....nice different!!

CONGRATS!!

haha i know! when i found the ebay auction and read the description, i kinda said "ughhh" to myself, until i scrolled down and saw the pictures! It's very unique, and the downside is that if i ever want to add a 16" floor tom, i'm pretty much outta luck finding a good match.

Originally Posted by eddrummer05

hey man i love that green!!!! that color is one of my options for my next sonor!!! also i love that ride i want to buy it, but i never got a chance to listen to it!!! how it sounds??? is it good for jazz, rock, etc??... please let me know!!!! thanks man.... blessings...

it's a very versatile kit, in my opinion with the Coated Ambassadors on it right now, (and clears on bottom), it sounds best for jazz and softer rock....with the amount i practice (about 2 hours a day), i need something more durable and a little heavier, so that's why i'm thinking about the Coated Emperors and possibly something coated on the bottom heads, so that it's just like a BLAST of tone with almost no ringing and minimal sustain...

*edit* - i see you were asking about the ride :-D the bell is EXTREMELY cutting and clear, i love it!!! nice and high-pitched, but not tinny. full of tone. The cymbal surface gives a very nice click and not too much overtone and ring....all in all , it's perfect for what i enjoy playing (fusion/metal/prog)



and also -! my buddy is coming over tonight with his special microphones, so i'll be able to post a recording of myself within a day or two!!

[Samf]

As an Sclass Pro owner as well I can offer some suggestions on heads. Any head combo you use will sound great on these drums. Here are some combos for you to try.

1. Coated G2's batter and coated G1's reso gives a nice warm deep tone with very controlled ring and nice sustain.

2. This is what I am running now.
Clear Studio X Batters and Ambassador clear reso. The tune up nice and the sound is amazing. You get a nice deep sound with no hi freq ring with the Studio X but the drum has nice tone and sustain. With the single ply clear Studio X you also get a better stick response. If you are a heavy hitter you may want to stick with G2's. The amazing thing about these drums is that it does not take a heavy hit to get what you want. Many will say the Studio X will make the drums sound dead but not on the S CLass Pro they are great. My next change will involve Studio X coated just to give em a try.

The S Class Pro snare is the loudest snare I have ever heard in my life. It sounds great with an Evans Genera Dry (single ply with vents) and a diplomat reso. You need to crank the tension up on the S CLass pro snare and it will drop right in and sound great. As for bass I love the factory PS3's that come on them.

Hope it helps

[DannyG]

That is one sexy arse kit you got there fella! I bet when the lights hit that, it's a beast to look at! even without the lights its pretty god damn shagadelic to lay your pie's upon ! !

[eddrummer05]

hey thanks man!!! really nice stuff!!!

wow.....


yeah...just wow....


thats hot....

[lpdh]

Originally Posted by xopethx

hey fellas, i'm new around these parts, and relatively new to drumming in general -


for the lazy/blind, they're a 20" K Custom ride, 13" K Hi-hats, and a 17" K Thin Dark crash :-D

comments, questions?

whtat's the china cymbl is ?

[xopethx]

the China is a Wuhan 14" (20 dollars can't stretch ANY further, in my opinion :-D )


anyway, i have a recording!!!

it's kinda hastily put together and i definitely didn't get to practice the song as much as i'd have liked... but i bet it's normal to finish something and then be like "Aw man, i wish i would have remembered to put that little fill in there" or whatever..


and i present - my first drum recording! the song is by Jean-Luc Ponty, called "Fake Paradise". I used Adobe Audition to layer myself on top of the track.

http://media.putfile.com/Chris-Anderson---JLP-Groove

*edit* my drums weren't mic'd at all, we used my buddy's set of Binaural microphones, and he stood behind me while i played, and recorded it onto his iPod.

[Mr. Pasquini]

Your ride looks way out in right field but I assume you have that worked out. Nice kit and LOVELY cymbals. I'd love to have a run at that!

[max77]

Man , it's my dream kit.
What a sexy piece of drums.

[stasz]

Excellent kit, definitely not an ugly finish, people who say so are crazy.

The pictures look nice-- odd how some have flash and some don't.

Actually, the ones without flash look nice, not so much the other ones. Do you have a fancy camera or something? I guess it helps that the drums look so good.

YEM

[Drummer30]

Nice kit, I wish I had that just starting out, it should last you a long time.

I'd tend to agree with mr. pasquini though, that ride seems rather far out there and high in the sky, but I'd guess its just personal preference

[frank0072]

Originally Posted by xopethx

thank you , friend!

i checked out your myspace profile, and i see you like Underoath and Extol! (Extol was the first metal band i ever listened to, and they're still one of my very favorites to this day!!),
a few of the original Underoath guys are actually from my town (in central Florida), and they used to practice and play shows at my church all the time, years ago when they were black/death metal (with Dallas on vocals). Just thought you might find that interesting :)

cheers!

Nice to see some fellow brother who has great taste in music ;). I saw both Extol and Underoath live in a show, Underoath even twice. I still can't understand why Aaron still isn't listed on Drummerworld, but Bernhard must be very busy.
Have a great time playing your kit!