I think a mid-tier drum kit can sound great, and may be the best value out there because mid-tier kits offer the same if not better quality of higher-end kits of 20 years ago. Heck, take a mid-tier kit with a great sounding snare and cymbals, and there's a kit for a lifetime.
I opened for a major act in the country music industry several weeks ago who have had chart-topping singles over the span of 12 years. The drummer was using Gretsch Catalinas, and they sounded just fine!
Yea it’s wild to think how much value we get from drums now. Im almost 38 and when I first started playing as a teen, there was no way in hell that a thousand bucks could get you a maple drum kit.
So much innovation has moved down the market in the past 15 years. I think DW really changed the game with the PDP stuff and it put so much pressure on everyone to build better drums in the low and mid tier
That honor belongs to Yamaha with the Student Model in the 60’s, YD220 model in the early 70’s, The 3/5/7000 series in the late 70’s, The Stage series in the 80’s The Power V (and in lesser way the Rock N Road) in the early 90’s, the first generation Club Custom in the mid 90’s, and with their longest running line the Stage Custom since the late 90’s.
By delivering sets with the same quality as their top tier sets they really changed they way quality drums were available for more audiences who didn’t want to spend top bill right away.
The same thing can be said for Pearl (and probably Tama) since the 80’s/early 90’s
That honor belongs to Yamaha with the Student Model in the 60’s, YD220 model in the early 70’s, The 3/5/7000 series in the late 70’s, The Stage series in the 80’s The Power V (and in lesser way the Rock N Road) in the early 90’s, the first generation Club Custom in the mid 90’s, and with their longest running line the Stage Custom since the late 90’s.
I think part of what Justin is referring to is the 100% birch or maple shells in the lower end.. All those Yamaha's you mention are primarily Luan or Philippine Mahogany with a few other varieties mixed in there depending on the year.
I think part of what Justin is referring to is the 100% birch or maple shells in the lower end.. All those Yamaha's you mention are primarily Luan or Philippine Mahogany with a few other varieties mixed in there depending on the year.
The quality that other brands than PDP brought to the table long before they did (they did a good job still, don't get me wrong).
On a side note. I rather have better build quality than pure or mixed woods, I even prefer the mixed woods as they add to the sound character, Like the 80's Stage, or Rock Tour Custom (an upper mid-tier set).
Mid range drums were the obvious best bang-for-buck for me. But I also think another sweet spot is the 2500-3500 range, where you can get a high end kit without paying the additional cost of custom options and extra "features". This was precisely why I chose my DW and Tama kits rather than their custom flagship counterparts. I wanted top of the line shells, finish, hardware, craftsmanship, and no extras.
He had mentioned this in his main point : " when I first started playing as a teen, there was no way in hell that a thousand bucks could get you a MAPLE drum kit."
Quality in General was already very good for several models when he was a teenager and it was very good well before that period.
The quality that other brands than PDP brought to the table long before they did (they did a good job still, don't get me wrong).
On a side note. I rather have better build quality than pure or mixed woods, I even prefer the mixed woods as they add to the sound character, Like the 80's Stage, or Rock Tour Custom (an upper mid-tier set).
No I was talking maple drums and birch to a lesser degree.
When I bought my first real kit out of high school it was a pearl Export kit which I think was kit made of poplar.
The first couple sets of PDP kits that were maple completely changed the game. It’s crazy that DW which is kinda known for being a bit over priced, also changed the low end market
Saved up all year to buy a 7 piece pearl export in a gun metal metallic wrap.
I bought my next new kit in maybe 2008.. a tama Hyper Drive kit (the OG model with birch shells) I was pissed to find out that they made maple ones a few years later. That said I hated that tama kit
I bought my next new kit in maybe 2008.. a tama Hyper Drive kit (the OG model with birch shells) I was pissed to find out that they made maple ones a few years later. That said I hated that tama kit
I think the PDP kits with maple shells came out in 2007... Called LX and LXE.
At the same time Pearl had their Export 100% Maple ECX kits which were built by Pearl in the same Taiwan factory as your Session Custom , and they also had the Vision Birch and Maple that followed but came out of their Pearl China factory.
Sonor had their German made lower level Sonic kits which came out in 1994 or 1995 which were 100% birch and made in the same molds as the top German model called Designer.
I think the PDP kits with maple shells came out in 2007... Called LX and LXE.
At the same time Pearl had their Export 100% Maple ECX kits which were built by Pearl in the same Taiwan factory as your Session Custom , and they also had the Vision Birch and Maple that followed but came out of their Pearl China factory.
Sonor had their German made lower level Sonic kits which came out in 1994 or 1995 which were 100% birch and made in the same molds as the top German model called Designer.
I dont know if PDP was the first to do it, I just think they were the main ones to disrupt the market with it because they were a new name on the block.
but my overall main point was that a 1000 dollars gets you so much better made drums now than you would 15-20 years ago. Personally think PDP deserves a lot of credit for it... their entry level Double bass pedals were also more affordable and still functioned half way decent than other hardware on the market.
Even today, the Concept Maple Series is one of the cheaper good sounding maple kits on todays market
I don't cast stones at the guy who buys a $10,000 shell pack or any other "crazy" purchase. I just way over-paid for a piece of land and off-the-grid cabin for no other reason than... I wanted it.
But for me... mid-line drums are just fine. To my ear, they sound every bit as good as high level stuff. This evening at band practice, I played a very old Pearl Sensitone that I purchased used off EBay many years ago. I haven't touched it in about a year. Didn't check tuning. Just threw it on the stand and started playing. In a nutshell, it sounded beautiful, like angels singing!
All of my drums are similar mid level quality. I'm very happy with them. If I decided to buy another new kit, I wouldn't hesitate to shop the $1,500 price range. There are many great choices.
No I was talking maple drums and birch to a lesser degree.
When I bought my first real kit out of high school it was a pearl Export kit which I think was kit made of poplar.
The first couple sets of PDP kits that were maple completely changed the game. It’s crazy that DW which is kinda known for being a bit over priced, also changed the low end market
They are good drums (I really like their concept series), but (especially hardware wise) its still mediocre at best, especially compared to other brands that came out long before pdp and even pacific (they even had a solid shell, and 3ply kit) at the same price range.
But each to each own. Its good we have choices for all of us.
I have recorded/sampled a huge variety of drums over the years for companies like Toontrack. I'm partial to Black Beauties, Craviotto and N&C snares, but every time we record a Sensitone I'm reminded what great drums they are. They deliver. It is a bit more of an exception than a rule however.
I have a 5 piece mid-level MIJ Yamaha set, from the 90s. To me, it is perfection. The set was less than $400, definitely higher quality than the same money would have gotten from new stuff.
Mid-level drums are okay with me.
CX and LX (Covered and Lacquered, respectively) came out in 2003. MX (Matte) also, but that model may had been birch. I bought the CX in my sig in '04.
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