braincramp
Gold Member
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It is really insane that so many people think nowadays that maple is a superior wood for drums. I hope that this trend ends someday. There are so many great birch-kits out there, that sound a-m-a-z-i-n-g, like e.g. the Recording Custom, the Starclassic Birch-Bubinga, the Sakae Almighty Birch or the Sonor SQ1. Btw, I just love my birch drumsets. They work like a charm and sound great.... Got them for 399 which shows the birch hate (or maple love) that exists now. ... Has all the low end of the maples I've owned but much more attack and presence.
There are so many great birch-kits out there, that sound a-m-a-z-i-n-g, like e.g. the Recording Custom, the Starclassic Birch-Bubinga, the Sakae Almighty Birch or the Sonor SQ1. Btw, I just love my birch drumsets. They work like a charm and sound great.
They also all cost $2500+. Too rich for many people's blood.
I think the Maple/Birch love/hate is more popularity than anything else. Anytime maple is mentioned, we have to know which maple. North American, or Canadian(which is North America) Asian, etc etc etc. I don't think I have seen such division for Birch kits other than some times mentioned is Scandanavian birch. Birch gives a brighter sound but I wouldn't call it a better sound. Just whatever your ear likes. If you can find an expensive kit used, that is the way to roll.
In the world of drums, Finnish birch and Japanese birch tend to get more favoritism than Asian birch. Probably because the 2 most revered birch drum sets have been made from these woods (Premier Genista and Yamaha Recording Custom). .
RC's are currently North American birch. But I hear you about long ago..
Silverstar and Stage Custom are afaik not using birchwood from the US. But who cares really? Excellent birchwood can be found in North America, Asia and Europe...Huh! I never realized the Recording Customs were NA birch. Do any of you guys know if any of the mid level birch drums (Silverstar, Stage Custom) are North American Birch aswell?
Silverstar and Stage Custom are afaik not using birchwood from the US. But who cares really? Excellent birchwood can be found in North America, Asia and Europe...
A weird trend this "where does the wood come from"-thingy. Years ago, people didn't care much about the wood, until a now extinct company started the whole mess for pure marketing reasons (it worked fantastically for keeping tha company alive, didn't it?). And now, people go crazy, asking about the exact origin of wood.
As a historian, I beg to differ. Actually we had a global economy in place for centuries now. The way the global economies works (transportation methods, new and faster communication-possibilities,...) has changed over the past centuries, but in its essence, it is pretty much the same today as in the 15th/16th century. Stuff got shipped from China to Europe to Africa, to India, to America, ..., merchants created an artificial public interest in new trading objects, they robbed each other, they tried to win the "merchants battle" for new markets by offering more diverse or somehow "improved" stuff,... But I better stop before it gets too much off-topic.Well, 40-50 years ago we were much less of a global economy than we are today.