What about Birch? Who make the best birch kits?

Another vote for Yamaha Recording Customs.
 
Check out a Canopus Yaiba Groove kit. You will be blown away.
Although it is rather limited only coming in a 22-10-12-16 but if you're happy with those sizes, great!
 
I’ve had 2 1/2 birch kits. The first one I still own 1988 Yamaha power tour custom with birch mahogany and birch shells. That’s the half LOL next up is a 2007 model Yamaha birch custom absolute nouveau and last but not least is a 2003 all birch tama starclassic Performer kit. The Tama kit is what I’m currently playing. All three are great and I haven’t noticed very much difference at all in them. If you get a quality drum kit they should be fine no matter what the brand is. I had my 88 model and 2007 model drums at the same time in the same room with the same heads and I could not hardly tell any difference between the two they sounded incredibly similar. I haven’t compared the tama drums with my old Yamahas I don’t have the room for two kits now and the heads are quite a bit different now on each kit. I can tell you that I really like the Tamas. I don’t know why but I’ve always liked birch drums it’s probably a mental thing LOL
 
Have a set of 2005 Yamaha Recording Custom's & I will never sell that kit :) Also have a 1986 Premier Projector which is Finnish Birch (Beech re-rings) & that is phenomenal. I will only record with Birch Kits (But use a Maple Bass Drum)
 
I have no clue who makes the "best" now, but it saddens me to se birch being so much out of favor for most companies, usually they put the all-birch kits into the low-end category, if at all. Seems like every now and then, some all-birch lines will show up, and will disappear in about a year or 2 (like my BCX). I suppose it's all about the demand, and it's easier to remove the birch lines if people have a general consumption that maple is the best wood for drums anyway, and they got lower and lower in price.... I like Yamaha drums in general and I know they were big on high-end birch kits, but I really think their newer ones are way too pricey for what you actually get. If you look at competitors like Tama, Pearl, and to a certain degree, Mapex, look at how much you get for the money in comparison. But that is another discussion I guess. I really like the sound of my Pearl Masters BCX though, even though there clearly are better drums out there. But I guess I am in a minority for prefering Die-Cast hoops, I just feel they are more rigid and stay in tune better, but I might be wrong. I would put Yamaha Recording Customs and Sonor SQ2 up there for best all birch kits of today.
 
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The most classic IMHO is Premier Series Elite, 3-ply, low profile die-cast hoop, with beech rings (beware of pre-international sizes though). I think the Soundwave, Projector and Resonator (with inside shell removed) have pretty much the same construction. Not sure how today's multi-ply Elites would fare.
Sonor makes great birch shell kits too. SQ1 should be good to go.
 
The most classic IMHO is Premier Series Elite, 3-ply, low profile die-cast hoop, with beech rings (beware of pre-international sizes though). I think the Soundwave, Projector and Resonator (with inside shell removed) have pretty much the same construction. Not sure how today's multi-ply Elites would fare.
Sonor makes great birch shell kits too. SQ1 should be good to go.
I hunted around for a Premier Series Elite kit for a couple years. Really hard to find here in the US. Do you have any pictures of the model range you're speaking of?

I have an SQ1 kit that has changed my whole outlook on birch kits. Great drums but VERY limited finish options.

Note: If people read the OP question it reads "Who make the best birch kits?" not "Who makes.......". It allows for opinions about multiple brands.
 
I hunted around for a Premier Series Elite kit for a couple years. Really hard to find here in the US. Do you have any pictures of the model range you're speaking of?
TBH I don't have a kit, but I can find some pictures of Keith Moon playing one, courtesy of Whotabs.
5443D261-1319-4BF4-AB47-2566CF903D99.jpeg
By that time maybe it was not called Series Elite, but the lugs and die-cast hoops look the same. Beware of pre-international ones though.
 
Kumu are pretty up there.
I'd rate Kumu as more than up there - pretty much the bar standard in Birch drums IMHO. Let's put it another way, if I wanted a birch set, I'd buy a Kumu before anything else.

BTW, when considering used / readily available options, another vote here for early Yamaha recording custom. They pretty much epitomise what a standard production birch set is & should be. I don't have sufficient direct experience to judge the latest RC offerings.
 
I'd rate Kumu as more than up there - pretty much the bar standard in Birch drums IMHO. Let's put it another way, if I wanted a birch set, I'd buy a Kumu before anything else.

BTW, when considering used / readily available options, another vote here for early Yamaha recording custom. They pretty much epitomise what a standard production birch set is & should be. I don't have sufficient direct experience to judge the latest RC offerings.
Interesting about the Kumu drums. I'm going to look into them. That was another question I had whether the use of scandi birch was the way to go. I took that into consideration when I bought my SQ1s. I'm very happy with them. Not sure what birch Yamaha is using now and the flimsy hoops were a turnoff to me. This thread was as much about who is still making birch kits as to what are the good ones.
 
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