Pearl Session Studio Select??

Jbravo

Senior Member
Anyone here have experience with Pearl Session Studio Select drums?

I’m shopping for a new kit, hopefully my last, and I thought I had it down to DW or Ludwig, but I ran across these, which check a lot of my boxes:

White marine
13,16,18 and 24 sizes
Thinner shells

The down side is I’m guessing that they’re not made in the USA, which would be my preference.

The upside is they seem to have a lot of nice features (and at a great price, which in the scheme of things isn’t terrible...)
 
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Those are good drums from what I’ve seen. Made right in the USA in Nashville! Bo probably knows much more on these than I do, especially given the fact that he toured the plant in Nashville recently on a trip. The only issue I’ve read about is the wrap and seam being loose, but that was early in production so hopefully that’s ironed out by now
 
Those are good drums from what I’ve seen. Made right in the USA in Nashville! Bo probably knows much more on these than I do, especially given the fact that he toured the plant in Nashville recently on a trip. The only issue I’ve read about is the wrap and seam being loose, but that was early in production so hopefully that’s ironed out by now

Well if you’re right, that will be another boxed checked! Thanks!
 
Those are good drums from what I’ve seen. Made right in the USA in Nashville! Bo probably knows much more on these than I do, especially given the fact that he toured the plant in Nashville recently on a trip. The only issue I’ve read about is the wrap and seam being loose, but that was early in production so hopefully that’s ironed out by now

I think just before, or just after Bo got the Gold flake maple kit he has, he got a Pearl Session Studio in sheer blue I think? That's birch right? It sounded great-that much I do remember, but that could be Bo plays so well too:)
 
All the drums Pearl makes are made in Taiwan. The Music City custom line are shells sent to Nashville, and they’re drilled, wrapped and assembled there and then shipped out. In any case, most of what Pearl makes is good. I used to be a “I want it from the USA” guy, and I’ve had my fair share of those too. But the thing I love about Pearl is how quickly they take care of any issues you may have. The support system they have in place is top notch - their whole lifetime warranty thing to the original owner is very cool, so you can bet if you have any problems, you won’t be waiting long to get it taken care of.

I’ve had both Ludwig and DW, and both were a little lackluster if I had something go wrong and needed service.

But the new Select drums are cool. Instead of birch-kapur, it’s now birch-mahogany. Although I couldn’t tell the difference between the Select and the now discontinued Classics. I stick with Masters and above because I like the weight. My Masters BCX drums are pretty hefty and sound great.
 
All the drums Pearl makes are made in Taiwan. The Music City custom line are shells sent to Nashville, and they’re drilled, wrapped and assembled there and then shipped out. In any case, most of what Pearl makes is good. I used to be a “I want it from the USA” guy, and I’ve had my fair share of those too. But the thing I love about Pearl is how quickly they take care of any issues you may have. The support system they have in place is top notch - their whole lifetime warranty thing to the original owner is very cool, so you can bet if you have any problems, you won’t be waiting long to get it taken care of.

I’ve had both Ludwig and DW, and both were a little lackluster if I had something go wrong and needed service.

But the new Select drums are cool. Instead of birch-kapur, it’s now birch-mahogany. Although I couldn’t tell the difference between the Select and the now discontinued Classics. I stick with Masters and above because I like the weight. My Masters BCX drums are pretty hefty and sound great.


Thanks Bo! I’m a thin-shell guy, I guess it goes back to my first kit in the 70’s being 3 ply slingerlands. And I play at home, so durability isn’t to much of an issue.

Slight count against for not being USA made in my book.

However the lifetime warranty and great customer service are a huge plus.

I’ll continue to investigate...

Thanks again-
Steve
 
Thanks Bo! I’m a thin-shell guy, I guess it goes back to my first kit in the 70’s being 3 ply slingerlands. And I play at home, so durability isn’t to much of an issue.

Slight count against for not being USA made in my book.

However the lifetime warranty and great customer service are a huge plus.

I’ll continue to investigate...

Thanks again-
Steve

And even then, you gotta go with what your heart wants. Certain things inspire you to play, so if that’s a Ludwig or a DW, that’s ok. And that beats really good service when you get right down to it. I’m just lucky enough to have tried mostly all the major manufacturers and settled into Pearl. I’ve visited headquarters in Nashville and know a couple of the people there and they’re just really nice and sincere. They never hard sell me on their gear and take care of me if something comes up. They certainly don’t make me feel like “the little guy”, so that’s a big plus in my book.

If you are into thin-shells, have you looked at the Masters Maple Reserve? Basically a thin maple shell with re-rings. Very good drums too, but more expensive.
 
And even then, you gotta go with what your heart wants. Certain things inspire you to play, so if that’s a Ludwig or a DW, that’s ok. And that beats really good service when you get right down to it. I’m just lucky enough to have tried mostly all the major manufacturers and settled into Pearl. I’ve visited headquarters in Nashville and know a couple of the people there and they’re just really nice and sincere. They never hard sell me on their gear and take care of me if something comes up. They certainly don’t make me feel like “the little guy”, so that’s a big plus in my book.

If you are into thin-shells, have you looked at the Masters Maple Reserve? Basically a thin maple shell with re-rings. Very good drums too, but more expensive.

Checked them out. They’re really nice, but I think if I went that high in price, I’d probably go Ludwig or DW just for the nostalgia/ made in USA factor...
 
I have a friend ( I know but this is real) that is a current Pearl Endorser and the horror stories he has told me about the poor quality of kits he has been receiving from Pearl are shocking. He had a lacquer finish kit where the lacquer just broke off in chunks. He then ordered a wrapped kit and the wrap bubbled. It was only adhered with tape.

I would want to inspect a few kits in person before I would purchase a Pearl kit.
 
I have a friend ( I know but this is real) that is a current Pearl Endorser and the horror stories he has told me about the poor quality of kits he has been receiving from Pearl are shocking. He had a lacquer finish kit where the lacquer just broke off in chunks. He then ordered a wrapped kit and the wrap bubbled. It was only adhered with tape.

I would want to inspect a few kits in person before I would purchase a Pearl kit.

I’m surprised he’s an endorser. Has he made Pearl aware of how unhappy he is?
It seems weird that Pearl would let stuff like that go out the factory door. The wrap bubbling is a common problem with a lot of brands that don’t glue it on like another ply. But I’ve had a wrapped Music City Custom Reference Pure sit in the hot sun for hours and nothing happened. It’d be interesting to hear more about this.
 
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I've NEVER in decades heard of any regular Pearl QC issues from the TAIWAN factory. I would rate that factory on par with anybody including the Japanese stuff.

The kit's I HAVE heard of issues are the ones assembled in Nashville.
 
I’m surprised he’s an endorser. Has he made Pearl aware of how unhappy he is?
It seems weird that Pearl would let stuff like that go out the factory door. The wrap bubbling is a common problem with a lot of brands that don’t glue it on like another ply. But I’ve had a wrapped Music City Custom Reference Pure sit in the hot sun for hours and nothing happened. It’d be interesting to hear more about this.

He has made Pearl aware and they have been very slow to action their discrepancies or even explain them.
 
He has made Pearl aware and they have been very slow to action their discrepancies or even explain them.

That’s even stranger considering how quickly Pearl takes care of the regular customer (which are really more important considering that there are more of them). Too bad you can’t really give us any specifics - it would be nice to get the true story.
 
I have contacted pearl on a few occasions and EVERY time they got back to me and fixed the issues WAY above what I expected. Their customer service has been unreal and will keep me with them.
 
I have contacted pearl on a few occasions and EVERY time they got back to me and fixed the issues WAY above what I expected. Their customer service has been unreal and will keep me with them.

I had one of their top-of-the-line thrones and after a few years of use, the clamp that locks the spindle in place broke. I emailed Pearl, they asked for my address, and a few days later a new throne (with an updated design) was sitting on my porch. Crazy-good customer service.
 
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