Help deciding on maple kit...

Bo Eder said:
So apparently the kit of your dreams is an intermediate level stencil kit made in China?

I say you’re not dreaming big enough. Look at Gretsch USA, or Pearls Masterworks. Save your pennies and purchase when you can. Between what you have now and these is a well-spent world of difference. Decade Maples? They’re good but nothing to write home about.
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:poop::poop::poop:
 
john352050 said:
Much better than my old Pearl Exports poplar kit, completely stock, straight outta the store, built up by employees at Guitar center...
I hope!!!

I saved all the pennies i could find, this kit is a little over $2,400. The rack and stands/hardware are all top quality...so my old poplar shell's vs new Maple shell's is what it comes down too, hopefully its good 'nuff!

Havent played in years, so couldnt wrap my head around paying anymore than that! Got a good deal on the Decade shells anyhow. The Gretsch Catalina was the other option for me, but that wouldve been more for shells.

Thanks!
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John. Just have fun with your new kit and play, play play till the sun goes down.:):):)
 
john352050 said:
Much better than my old Pearl Exports poplar kit, completely stock, straight outta the store, built up by employees at Guitar center...
I hope!!!

I saved all the pennies i could find, this kit is a little over $2,400. The rack and stands/hardware are all top quality...so my old poplar shell's vs new Maple shell's is what it comes down too, hopefully its good 'nuff!

Havent played in years, so couldnt wrap my head around paying anymore than that! Got a good deal on the Decade shells anyhow. The Gretsch Catalina was the other option for me, but that wouldve been more for shells.

Thanks!
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Did I miss something? This kit costs $2400? I thought you were paying $150. Is the $2400 some retail value or something?

If you like the drums, that’s all that matters, however, I think there are several on this forum who think you probably could have found something of a higher quality without breaking the bank. Just an observation.
 
The used shells I was gunna buy ended up falling through, ended up buying new, the 5pc SHELLS only from sweetwater, those were $500.

My bad, i was thinking of the total.
But with the shells and rack, DW3000 double bass pedal, stands, Zildjian "Quiet pack" with silent stroke heads, and also Paiste PST5 cymbal pack, hardware, etc, etc. Couple new sticks, isolation headphones, drum tuner, throne, etc....all that was $2400.

So the total kit itself was something like 2g, maybe a little more. This was a complete setup, all new. Only extras were what i listed above (may have forgot a couple extras)
 
Well, good for you. The Pearl hasn't been around as long as the other two kits, so you'll gonna have to be point man for us on how Decade Maple performs.
 
You'll enjoy the Decades-$500 for a 5 piece is great. I played them with the stock heads for several months before replacing with better heads. They have a ton of tone and resonate forever. I'm not sure of the "type" of maple but is a nice warm sound compared to my Pearl Vision Birch kit I had. They can be finicky tuning so if you need help just ask. My shell pack didn't have a snare so not familiar with Decade snare. I got the 13/16/24 shell pack which I love the 13 in tom and 24 kick drum-the 16 in is the finicky one and not so much the 6 lugs as the thin shells can produce over tones if both batter and reso heads aren't dialed in. Sound like you got about every bell and whistle that took me years to collect LOL. So welcome back to drumming!!!!
 
pianowillbebach said:
I'm a big fan of Pearl, but I know a lot of people who have found the Gretsch to be long-lasting
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I've heard that as well, and all about the Gretsch "sound", but came across a post somewhere online from a guy claiming to work at the Gretsch factory (in the USA), talking about what crappy quality control there was and how they would just churn out drums so fast they didn't care if there were mistakes, etc...especially in the lower priced drums they make like the Catalina Maple (my second choice)...

Might've been a pissed off customer, but since Ive worked factory jobs, churning out products, I know the feeling and how upsetting it can be to watch sub-par items go out for the masses (who think they've paid for "quality USA made products")

Did seem to come across a few post about the finish on the Catalina looking like crap, where there (supposedly) would be an ugly looking seam on the shells. And the Cat would've been a few hundred more vs. Decade.
 
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GetAgrippa said:
You'll enjoy the Decades-$500 for a 5 piece is great. I played them with the stock heads for several months before replacing with better heads. They have a ton of tone and resonate forever. I'm not sure of the "type" of maple but is a nice warm sound compared to my Pearl Vision Birch kit I had. They can be finicky tuning so if you need help just ask. My shell pack didn't have a snare so not familiar with Decade snare. I got the 13/16/24 shell pack which I love the 13 in tom and 24 kick drum-the 16 in is the finicky one and not so much the 6 lugs as the thin shells can produce over tones if both batter and reso heads aren't dialed in. Sound like you got about every bell and whistle that took me years to collect LOL. So welcome back to drumming!!!!
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Many thanks for your reply! Searched around online for the lowest price for the 5pc, most places had it for $100 to $200 more.
Yeah Ive read that the floor tom especially can be finicky to tune and keep dialed in, and the kick can take a little time too.
It'll be interesting to see if the 14" maple snare has decent sound, seems like most shell packs or complete kits that come with a snare are horrible, but most reviews (which may have been 'brought to you by Pearl') talk about how it shines...so we'll see.
Its good to hear the stock heads are decent enough for a bit. Didn't buy new heads, except for the silent stroke's.
Appreciate the offer for tuning them up, I'm sure I'll take you up on that soon enough!



Just really excited to set up the kit. I'm sure it'll take me a bit to figure out the rack, never owned one (went with the Gibraltar 500 height adjustable).

Probably stare at it for 15 mins then go out in Dana Carvey mode!
"I like to play"
 
john352050 said:
Looking into buying a new Maple kit (shell pack)...narrowed it down to:
-Gretsch Catalina Maple
-Pearl Decade Maple
-Tama Superstar Classic Maple

Also torn on 5pc or 7pc kit....I was never a big tom's, but would like to expand since I've gotten so into Danny Carey's stuff!

Leaning towards the Pearl Decade Maple...mainly because of price. But I know like most all things in this world, you pay for what you get...
Looking for both sound quality but also nice hardware...This new kit wont be moving all over the place though, setting it up in a spare room, where (hopefully) it will stay there for years, so 'touring durability' isn't a big concern.

I should also mention, I haven't played in years, but don't consider myself a beginner...as long as it all comes back to me after a few months of practice haha! My past kits were always Pearl Export's. But looking to build an intermediate priced dream kit finally!

Would love to hear some opinions on between these 3 shell packs!
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Used kits are a great option but many manufacturers have released some high quality kits in the past few years under 1000$. I have owned a Tama kit and will say that their kit hardware is really dependable and high quality. Yamaha also makes high quality kits and the stage custom is an excellent kit both in quality and sound. Some people might say that a low priced maple kit doesnt sound any better than a poplar kit, or birch isnt as good as maple. While there is a slight difference in the sound of woods, the kits hardware and head selection influence the sound of the kit more significantly. Gretsch has really improved with their catalina line and I would highly recommend them. Pearl, Tama, Yamaha, Gretsch, Mapex are all high quality kits. They likely have more features than a used kit and you will also get a warranty with a new kit. Pearl offers a lifetime warranty. You wont get that with a used kit.
 
Johnburkhalter said:
Used kits are a great option but many manufacturers have released some high quality kits in the past few years under 1000$. I have owned a Tama kit and will say that their kit hardware is really dependable and high quality. Yamaha also makes high quality kits and the stage custom is an excellent kit both in quality and sound. Some people might say that a low priced maple kit doesnt sound any better than a poplar kit, or birch isnt as good as maple. While there is a slight difference in the sound of woods, the kits hardware and head selection influence the sound of the kit more significantly. Gretsch has really improved with their catalina line and I would highly recommend them. Pearl, Tama, Yamaha, Gretsch, Mapex are all high quality kits. They likely have more features than a used kit and you will also get a warranty with a new kit. Pearl offers a lifetime warranty. You wont get that with a used kit.
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This is exactly the kind of post I was referring to in the zombie thread that drives me nuts. Why are you resurrecting a thread from 2019 and acting like the OP is still trying to decide on a kit? This makes absolutely no sense to me.
 
TK-421 said:
This is exactly the kind of post I was referring to in the zombie thread that drives me nuts. Why are you resurrecting a thread from 2019 and acting like the OP is still trying to decide on a kit? This makes absolutely no sense to me.
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Because I live to drive you nuts lol. I'm truly sorry that my simple comment caused you such significant mental trauma. Good news friend, there is help for you and anyone who suffers from metal health issues.
 
His point was that you're replying to something from 2 years ago and the OP already acquired a Decade Maple kit from Pearl as stated in post #45.
As mentioned and subsequently deleted from another post, please don't make jokes about mental health issues, it's not funny to those of us that actually have them. It reflects poorly on you.
 
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It wasnt a joke. The fact that someone gets so distressed from a persons "late" comment could be a sign of mental illness. It's not normal to get irritated by something like a late comment. Also there are people w hi o come across these posts after the fact looking for answers to the same question. All opinions are important and I'm assuming I'm not the only person in this vastly populated world who came across this post late. Again, I truly apologize if a late post caused so many issues. Going forward I will keep you both in mind before I comment. Thanks and I hope you have a great day.
 
When a brand new member commits a date stamp infraction, a little tolerance is required.

Not everyone notices the date stamp at first. It took me some time before I noticed it.

It's a new member rookie oversight, that's all.

Welcome to the forum John. TK is a good guy.
 
Thanks for welcoming to the forum. And for the others I really didnt intend to offend. I hope everyone can move past this. I already have. It's just important to recognize a forum as a place where people can openly share opinions and experiences. That's how drummers help drummers make good decisions. Like I said, I will look for the time stamp going forward. Thanks again for welcoming me to this forum.
 
Johnburkhalter said:
Thanks for welcoming to the forum. And for the others I really didnt intend to offend. I hope everyone can move past this. I already have. It's just important to recognize a forum as a place where people can openly share opinions and experiences. That's how drummers help drummers make good decisions. Like I said, I will look for the time stamp going forward. Thanks again for welcoming me to this forum.
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There is a current thread going called "Zombie Threads", where this very situation, late responses to old threads...are discussed. Most don't mind the zombies judging from the consensus of that thread. So it's fresh in everyone's mind basically.

Then along comes John and totally upsets the applecart lol.

Bad John! :p
 
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Late comments are just the beginning.

What's worse (and I've done it many times) is when someone reads the first post or two of a long thread,
and then offers comments or solutions that have already been given years before - sometimes many times.

Especially like the current thread, where someone has already bought a kit, and people keep suggesting different kits than what the OP bought.
Not saying that happened here, it's just something I've noticed.
 
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