My new Premier Genista

Sidewinder

Junior Member
played my first gig with the new kit last night.Premier Genista in Sparkle Blaze,birch shells,
22,12,14,16.Plays like a dream,sounds awesome and looks beautiful under the lights.Im a very happy boy.Its the kit I have been waiting for all of my life !
Heres a blurry picture from last night-quality is bad because it was taken on a mobile.Ill upload a few more soon.
 

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Very nice kit!

How is the quality of the Genistas and the Series Elite Premier kits?

Also, what does it mean when Premier states its shells are "3 mm undersized" on their 5.7mm 7-ply un-supported tom and floor tom shells??
 
I think those drums would cost some serious money here in the States, with the current Pound to Dollar conversion rate. Eek!
 
I think those drums would cost some serious money here in the States, with the current Pound to Dollar conversion rate. Eek!
You're kidding, right? Currently hovering around 1.6-1, three years ago it was around 2:1. It's a good time to buy UK from the US.

BTW, I like the undersized shell thing, I always have, but I've never got on with Premier's stuff. Not tried any of the new gear though, I'd like to if I get the chance.

Congratulations on your new tubs. Some sound samples would be good if you can get to it.
 
Hey Andy,

Those are my tubs--they are sidewinder's Premiers. But I'd like to hear them too!

So what does "undersized mean"??

Well, 1.6:1 is still kind of bad--a 1,990 pound kit price = $3300 here in the States. Eek! I can get Masterworks or even an SQ2 bop kit for less!
 
Roberto M.. The under-sizing is what Premier and Sonor have done for many decades to get the full resonant potential out of their hi-end drums. It creates more of a "Tympanic" response from what I have read.

So, basically, with a 12" diameter tom.. it is actually more like 11.7" diameter. The head "floats" over the edges.
 
Hey Andy,

Those are my tubs--they are sidewinder's Premiers. But I'd like to hear them too!

So what does "undersized mean"??

Well, 1.6:1 is still kind of bad--a 1,990 pound kit price = $3300 here in the States. Eek! I can get Masterworks or even an SQ2 bop kit for less!
Oooo, that is a lot of money. They'd better be good for that. Is that including a hardware set?
 
Thar's awesome, I'm so glad premier brought back the genista series. They are one of my absolute favourite drum series of all time. I used to have one of the older ones, and I really miss it. I prefer the slightly larger lugs on the original ones though. They've just got so much style in my opinion. Congratulations.
 
Oooo, that is a lot of money. They'd better be good for that. Is that including a hardware set?

I think the £1990 price was for a four-piece kit with no hardware. So, a 3pc bop might be a bit less, but that would still put a small kit in the mid $2K's in the States. That's a lot!

Some shops here can do a 3 pc bop in Masterworks for just under $2500, I think. Like you said, a Premier better be really good for that kind of money!

What is Premier's reputation right now? I have this impression that they've pulled a Ludwig/Gretsch--that is, were known for really good drums, then went through a period of quality problems, and are now making a comeback. Is that accurate?
 
Premier has already re-established themselves, although I don't think they will have a presence in the U.S. yet. Universal Percussion was going to distribute.. and now that got messed up.
 
The undersized shells mean that they are,as a previous poster stated,smaller than 12/14/16/22 by 3mm.doesnt sound like a lot but it does make a bit of a difference.tuning theses drums is a breeze and they sing like a gospel choir ! iv only managed to play them for a couple of hours and only roughly tuned them for last saturdays gig but they sound epic-even with the stock heads.
i already had all the hardware-which Premier stuff,Trilock hi-hat stand (which is an awesome piece of kit) and Tristar cymbal stands, from the late eighties which still stands up against any of the newer,more modern designs.The only new-ish hardware im using is a Tama IC-which i couldnt live without.
The snare drum is a Worldmax 14 x 6.5 black brass which is pretty much a Luddy copy and sounds.in my opinion,easily as good as the Luddy.
Premier is,again,on top of its game and although not British anymore,the quality is seriously stunning.
The kit (i got a bit of a good deal) was less than £1000 which in $ is around $1700.Thats for the 4 drums pictured plus the matching 14 x 6 snare (which iv not used yet).
Id recommend this kit to anybody who is looking for a great birch kit.Im sure the maple version would be just as awesome.
 
They are entirely British based, but only the Series Elite is made in the UK.

I guess it depends on how you look at it but with around 80% of the kits being manufactured in the far east personally i wouldnt consider (as much as id love them to be) them to be 'entirely British based'.Shame really,especially as the original Premier factory is only about 5 minutes drive from my home and looks in a sorry state compared to when i used to go by as a kid.
 
The undersized shells mean that they are,as a previous poster stated,smaller than 12/14/16/22 by 3mm.doesnt sound like a lot but it does make a bit of a difference.tuning theses drums is a breeze and they sing like a gospel choir !
Completely agree on the benefits of undersize shells. Of course, you can bring about the same benefits in other ways too, like placing the bearing edge on the very inside of the shell for example. Getting that bearing edge away from the crinkle portion of the head makes a difference, but also, the contribution of the tensioned head material between the bearing edge and hoop should never be underestimated, & nor should the acoustic properties of the hoop itself.

Although I've never been a Premier fan, it's great that they're back in the mix as a serious contender.
 
I guess it depends on how you look at it but with around 80% of the kits being manufactured in the far east personally i wouldnt consider (as much as id love them to be) them to be 'entirely British based'..

What I meant Sidewinder, was the company is based in UK.. Pearl is based in Japan but the far majority of their products are not built there. Gretsch in US, but more and more heavy percentage not built here. etc.....
 
What I meant Sidewinder, was the company is based in UK.. Pearl is based in Japan but the far majority of their products are not built there. Gretsch in US, but more and more heavy percentage not built here. etc.....

I got ya.Its a shame companys like these have to get kits built elsewhere to keep cost down and cant remain in their 'birthplace' though.
 
Just waiting now for new heads to arrive.Iv gone with Evans G+ coated on the toms and an EMAD2 on the bass-cant wait to hear how this kit can really sound !
 
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