anyone know of them. They look nice. Price is economical.??
Barton...New to Musicians Friend
- Thread starter JohnnyG
- Start date
anyone know of them. They look nice. Price is economical.??
cellophanenick
Member
I've seen them mentioned on this forum a couple of times. I've never seen one in person, but they do look nice. they sound good in all the demos I have seen as well. I was tempted to get a set at one point when I was in the market.
Chicago Drum Exchange had a contest and gave away one of the Essential Maple kits a few months back. while browsing the facebook marketplace I saw a Barton set listed about 40 minutes from me. turns out the guy won the contest, but didn't need the kit so he put them up for sale. kinda lame...
Chicago Drum Exchange had a contest and gave away one of the Essential Maple kits a few months back. while browsing the facebook marketplace I saw a Barton set listed about 40 minutes from me. turns out the guy won the contest, but didn't need the kit so he put them up for sale. kinda lame...
Remember, when you win a $4000 prize, you need to write a ~$1000 check to Uncle Sam. (Note, 4k was selected to keep the math easy. I have no idea what the MSRP of the Barton was)
The situation is indeed lame, on multiple levels.
@OP, I'd love to check out a Barton, but have not yet had the opportunity. Their glamor shots look really nice.
cellophanenick
Member
fair point. I totally forgot about having to claim prizes on your taxes. it's more of the principal of it that bothers me I guess- it was listed within days of receiving it, unplayed, and if I remember right it was initially listed for even more (or very close) than the price you'd pay if you just bought it direct from Barton. seems like they basically entered the contest to flip the kit. (I just checked and it's actually still for sale at a good price) I know you can do whatever you want with your winnings, but just sucks to think about someone who entered who would have actually used the kit.
anyway, I think their white/blue duco is really cool:
:
Vintage Old School
Gold Member
Barton is based out of Chico, California. Their drums are outsourced overseas in limited runs but they appear to have a solid business plan. What little I've heard about them has been consistently positive.
Winston_Wolf
Platinum Member
I'd cut the guy a little slack. I enter a ton of music retailer contests and I'm pretty sure that at least half of the prizes I could possibly win would either be re-gifted or re-sold. Not that I've ever won anything or even expected to. I'm sure this guy felt the same way.
cellophanenick
Member
eh, I guess so. at least now they're listed for a price where someone can actually get a good deal on them.
I know nothing about Barton. I've not seen them before, or heard any of their drums. Here is what I do know just from this picture:
This wrap is ugly as hell but super telling. The fit and finish is perfect. The lines are perfectly horizontal. The lugs and leg mounts are exact, you can see no deviation on those wonderfully ugly perfect lines. The hoop and head collar on the bottom of the kick are almost hidden within the lines of the wrap. Even the vent hole and badge, it's in exactly the same stripe and spacing on the floor tom and kick. I can't help but think that if this much attention goes into the finish, the whole kit is of equal quality. Just my thoughts.
If that's a finish and not a wrap, I'm even more impressed.
This wrap is ugly as hell but super telling. The fit and finish is perfect. The lines are perfectly horizontal. The lugs and leg mounts are exact, you can see no deviation on those wonderfully ugly perfect lines. The hoop and head collar on the bottom of the kick are almost hidden within the lines of the wrap. Even the vent hole and badge, it's in exactly the same stripe and spacing on the floor tom and kick. I can't help but think that if this much attention goes into the finish, the whole kit is of equal quality. Just my thoughts.
If that's a finish and not a wrap, I'm even more impressed.
AudioWonderland
Silver Member
I have never liked duco finishes personally. They always came across to me as DIY weekend hatchet jobs but they certainly have a fan base. I have always been hesitant with the shared lug casing design too.. The extremely long lugs are too easily bent. Just my hangups, I have no idea what the quality of these these drums are. Cost effective drums are always a good things as long as the fundementals like edges etc are good.
cellophanenick
Member
I could see that. it's certainly not my favorite finish, but there's a few of the duco combos I like. I just thought the white/blue combo reversed like that was cool and unique. I agree about the shared lugs too.
If anyone has (had) the opportunity to test drive one:
Are they lightweight and thin shelled like a George Way? The marketing says seven plies, but that is not always a reliable indicator of thickness. They don't appear to have re-rings, which also is an indicator that it's a thick heavy shell (like gretsch for example).
The bearing edge is a 45, does it play/respond/feel like a modern kit like a Pearl/Mapex, or a vintage kit like an old Ludwig Club/Outfit?
Are they lightweight and thin shelled like a George Way? The marketing says seven plies, but that is not always a reliable indicator of thickness. They don't appear to have re-rings, which also is an indicator that it's a thick heavy shell (like gretsch for example).
The bearing edge is a 45, does it play/respond/feel like a modern kit like a Pearl/Mapex, or a vintage kit like an old Ludwig Club/Outfit?