New Pearl Masterworks Drum Set Comparison - 4 Kits Head to Head!

Another astounding video. Can't thank the DCP Crew enough for their service to the drumming community for putting these resources out there.

Pearl is certainly upping their game these days. Honestly I would be happy with any of these kits. Without auditioning them personally the two standouts--to my ear--are the Maple/Mahogany (entire kit) and the Birch/Mahogany (toms and snare). But if I were to order the Birch Mahogany kit I would sub the Maple/Mahogany bass drum in lieu of the Birch/Mahogany bass drum. If I had to choose one of the four featured kits it would be a tough decision but I think my nod goes to the Maple/Mahogany. My two cents.
 
Not much of a Pearl fan, but watching it now... thanks for doing this! (y)

OK, just finished. I thought the maple/mahogany had a nice fat tone. The birch/mahogany were my next favs followed by the maple/gum. Didn't really care for the birch/gum kit, though.

Hope you guys keep doing videos like this. Really informative, IMO. :)
 
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Great drums. I'm not sure why more people don't know about the Masterworks build program. Pearls been doing this since the 90's (1995?). North American Maple, Scandinavian Birch, and African Mahogany. Not sure when the added Gum to the line-up,
 
I'll take a maple/gum in that beautiful Shimmer of Oz. Yeah I wish. In this scenario, take is the appropriate word.
 
I would think these kits would be less expensive than they are due to the cheap labor. They do offer a nice level of customization though.
 
I love seeing shootout videos like this. It's easy to think you have a favorite when looking at specs on paper, but to actually hear what those specs sound like can be surprising.

I liked the two gumwood kits more than I thought I would, and though maple/mahogany was the choice I thought I'd like the most after hearing it I wasn't particularly knocked out. Relatively, of course.

The one snare that stood out the most to me was the one with sharp 45 edges. So did I like the shell material, or did I like sharp edges on a snare?

I've also changed my mind about the Shimmer of OZ finish. In catalogs it looked a bit boring, but it looked great in the video.
 
Pearl forever . . . and ever . . . and ever. If I can't play Pearl in the afterlife, I'll be filing a spiritual complaint.

If I were to build a Masterworks kit from the ground up, I'd combine birch and African mahogany, the same composition as that of my beloved Session Studio Select shells. That's one reason I'd never drop a mammoth sum on a Masterworks kit. I already have what I want in a less exorbitant package.
 
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Pearl forever . . . and ever . . . and ever. If I can't play Pearl in the afterlife, I'll be filing a spiritual complaint.

If I were to build a Masterworks kit from the ground up, I'd combine birch and African mahogany, the same composition as that of my beloved Session Studio Select shells. That's one reason I'd never drop a mammoth sum on a Masterworks kit. I already have what I want in a less exorbitant package.


Cool story bro.
 
Maple/Mahogany rules over all. The Birch kits in true birch form sounded a little clattery and cold in comparison to the maple to my ears. All kits were delightful anyway, so no complaints from me!
 
Maple gum for sure. The Great Gretsch Drum sound combination. Just hope it's not that green one, and they had to add sparkle to make it even more noticible.
 
Thank you for this great (again) comparison. They all sound pretty damn good. I would go Maple / Mahogany with Re-ring personaly.
The green shimmer finish is awful though.
 
I like those Maple Gum with the overtones going a little further into the midrange. This is my peeve when seeing a band in an arena. All I hear in the audience with most sets is stick attack and bottom end. The Maple Gum sound like they might carry some of those complexities into the mix better.

The addition of Gumwood seems to make more overtone growl that I like. I'd like to hear an oak/gum shell with fat tone hoops. I bet it would be a nice rock shell.
 
Not really a Pearl guy . I do like drums with maple/mahogany shells but don’t like reinforcing rings especially with diecast hoops .
I am glad they went with triple flange hoops for all these kits .

The birch/gum kit really caught my ear . I like the attack and roundness of that kit .
 
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