Has Anyone Played the New Premier Elites?

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dmmoroney

Junior Member
Hey Everybody!

Just wondering if anyone has had a chance to play the new Premier Elites?

I'm not expecting much, I guess because of the G4M ownership, but I notice that they are using North American maple & birch - so maybe they sound good?

I can't seem to find any actual reviews online.
 
I have not, but they're $2,300 and upwards. A thin 5mm shell. Other than paying an additional $1,000 for the re-rings, I don't see that you get much more than you'd get from a Barton, INDe, or Tama Superstar kit. And resale would be much worse.
 
Rattlin' Bones said:
I have not, but they're $2,300 and upwards. A thin 5mm shell. Other than paying an additional $1,000 for the re-rings, I don't see that you get much more than you'd get from a Barton, INDe, or Tama Superstar kit. And resale would be much worse.
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We're not British drummers. For them, the Premier might have saved some P&P compared with imported INDe's and Bartons.
Personally I've a soft spot for Premier, even just for the Keith Moon and Phil Collins connection. I also feel that the Genistas come across extremely well under microphones. But IMHO what they should really do (after they've raised enough starting fund) is to re-release the thin, mahogany-shelled Elites, the kit that Keith and Phil made history with.
 
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The premier name is now owned by a large music retailer in the UK called Gear for Music, the kits are made in the Chinese factory where a lot of the other instruments they import are made, I very much doubt that they will gain much momentum as a brand as it just seems to be another line for them, there is no real passion behind it.
 
I play Premier drums, and I love them. In the 90s, they were right up there with the best of them. When I bought my first kit in 1986, I wanted Ludwig, but at that time, Ludwig was in a down era, and Premier was swinging. Not sure what happened to Premier, but it's a shame. Kind of like what happened with Slingerland and Rogers, I suppose.
 
Rattlin' Bones said:
I have not, but they're $2,300 and upwards. A thin 5mm shell. Other than paying an additional $1,000 for the re-rings, I don't see that you get much more than you'd get from a Barton, INDe, or Tama Superstar kit. And resale would be much worse.
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Yeah, I came across them on Amazon yesterday and they were all north of like $6,000 - crazy!!! You can get some great kits for that money, I don't know that "Premier" is one of them.
 
Rattlin' Bones said:
I have not, but they're $2,300 and upwards. A thin 5mm shell. Other than paying an additional $1,000 for the re-rings, I don't see that you get much more than you'd get from a Barton, INDe, or Tama Superstar kit. And resale would be much worse.
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Yeah, I don't really know that I'd see much value at their current prices. Unless of course the sound and finishing are amazing - which I doubt considering I can't find any legit reviews, lol.
 
I’ll admit up front that I am a Premier fan. I’ve used a set of Premier Signias as my main kit since the mid 90s. I also have a set of the Asian-made Artist Birches. Both of them sound great in their own way.

I’ve been able to check out the newer Genista and Elite kits at Fork’s Drum Closet in Nashville. Both seem as well-made as the Artist series, if not a little nicer. The finishes look beautiful in person, especially the sparkle lacquer. The drums sound good, but the knock-off Pinstripe-style heads they’re shipped with don’t do them any favors. From what I can tell, a will-tuned set of either model, with good heads, will sound excellent.

If there was any way I could justify owning another kit, I would not hesitate to pick up one of the new Elite sets.
 
I was looking deep into the Elite. On the paper, it seems to tick a lot of boxes : thin shell with re ring, NA maple, undersized shells, 16 deep bass drum, nice finish. Nice pre configured set.
But the price, at least in France, are really really high.
 
they dont sound to obad for what they are, but IMO they lack that old premier "sparkle" that the UK-made kits have, i have several M.I.E. snares and kits and they just sounded......i dunno..........different.
 
markiet1966 said:
The premier name is now owned by a large music retailer in the UK called Gear for Music, the kits are made in the Chinese factory where a lot of the other instruments they import are made, I very much doubt that they will gain much momentum as a brand as it just seems to be another line for them, there is no real passion behind it.
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Cue British Drum Company.
 
I’m looking to snag a 24” Elite bass drum at some point to turn my Blaby Road Gen X into a double bass monster…if Ged is still playing them, that’s good enough for me… :) (y)
 
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