Pearl president series
- Thread starter Vandalay
- Start date
Ransan
Senior Member
It’s simply not just replicated, they are brought back out, not sure of the same mold or a slightly modern one, but reinforced with today’s technology.
I’m normally a bit suspect of rail mounts but this is from Pearl and it’s new.
Yep, back in the day, the Luan or Philippine Mahog recipe worked for Cope with his Imperialstars, no one’s complaining about his early sound…
Juniper
Gold Member
I'm confused, when did Japan become a communist country?
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What are you trying to say? Headquarters might be in Japan but the drums are made in China.
Juniper
Gold Member
What am I trying to say? I'm confused by your point
Iristone
Silver Member
Hmm, could be due to the price. In my country, the phenolic kit is about the same price as, say a Ludwig Classic Maple kit, so it'd definitely be more favourable than, say, in the US, where this kit is expensive and Ludwigs are relatively affordable.
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I've edited/clarified my above response. It's not a big deal as I don't like Pearl stuff for most part and would probably never buy one of their kits. Same with Yamaha. I am allowed to choose my own stuff aren't I? Oh, and by the way, my Tama Star kit is made in Japan, not China.
Juniper
Gold Member
Haha, you do what you want. I was just confused by your reasoning, given it’s bizarre nature.
The Phenolic President is the more intriguing of the series though cost alot more. Isn't that basically Gadd's tom sound pre-77' mixed with a Gretsch BD and supra? I think many have mixed up thinking RCs when actually a fiberglass Pearl shell they were listening to.
I guess you have to like luan and want the modern hardware...would put the Presidents over the C&C here for both price and authenticity. Warm and fat for recording seems to be application....less so on projection. But since MIJ have gained popularity and vintage rush in general, it's smart marketing. I tend to side for actual vintage rather than re-issues in this case.
If I had to guess, they are probably made in Taiwan like everything else...which is neither Japan or China, or depending if you see them as a sovereign nation or not...I think most do, ROC does not....certainly the international relations are completely different. But as Ukraine heats up, perhaps Taiwan as well. So maybe an impact on Pearl in the future however this plays out.
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Sorry if I got you all confused. I'm sure they're lovely drums. You can keep that logo though.
Ransan
Senior Member
About the pheno shells, what you mentioned may definitely be recognized, but with this limited 75th Anniversary series (not sure about the luan deluxe) there are only 100 produced.
As for what Gadd used I didn’t know - good to know
I know The Catman did use pheno shells and that’s the sound I’ve always loved.
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Did Jeff Porcaro use them? It's interesting who was endorsing Pearl around this time, the fiberglass shell appears to still be available assuming the same as the 'F series'. You also got players like Keltner, Bellson, Phil Collins, Chester Thompson, Blakey, Narada Michel Walden but not sure what series they were using.About the pheno shells, what you mentioned may definitely be recognized, but with this limited 75th Anniversary series (not sure about the luan deluxe) there are only 100 produced.
As for what Gadd used I didn’t know - good to know
I know The Catman did use pheno shells and that’s the sound I’ve always loved.
Collins didn't start to use Pearl until about 1982, previously he was using Premier. He used BLX series drums for a couple of years before going over to Gretsch. Chester was using Pearl from the mid 70s.
I remember seeing pics of Louis playing the Extender kits in a white Marine Pearl finish. As for Porcaro, the story ( very possibly apocryphal ) is that he not only used Gretsch in the studio but used Gretsch shells with Pearl hardware. I have no idea how true that is.
Ah, here you go: https://www.quitefranklydrums.co.uk/index.php/forsale/15-qfd-museum/kit-collection/6-phil-collins
I remember seeing pics of Louis playing the Extender kits in a white Marine Pearl finish. As for Porcaro, the story ( very possibly apocryphal ) is that he not only used Gretsch in the studio but used Gretsch shells with Pearl hardware. I have no idea how true that is.
Ah, here you go: https://www.quitefranklydrums.co.uk/index.php/forsale/15-qfd-museum/kit-collection/6-phil-collins
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Ransan
Senior Member
Yes, Pearl’s exclusive phenolic shell was/is a different material than fiberglass, it’s an animal in its own right.
Iristone
Silver Member
I wish they'd make a regular production, phenolic or fibreglass kit, with varying sizes. THAT'll make Pearl stand out in a crowd of more affordable, American (due to postage) and Chinese (due to production scale) competitors.
Oh, and Phil made that kit sound like John Bonham on Robert Plant's albums!
I remember Phil used to use an American fibreglass snare drum on the earlier albums. The Pearl was his favourite concert tom kit, and he only left them for Gretsch because they wouldn't make him a backup kit for Western Hemisphere tours.
Oh, and Phil made that kit sound like John Bonham on Robert Plant's albums!
PorkPieGuy
Platinum Member
Are there different grades of Luan? I owned a Luan Pearl kit, and it just wasn't my thing after a while (Session series from the 1990s).
I love the look of this kit, and it sounds great in the video, but if I want vintage, I think I'll stick with Ludwig 3-ply.
I love the look of this kit, and it sounds great in the video, but if I want vintage, I think I'll stick with Ludwig 3-ply.
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Lipstick on a pig!
Ransan
Senior Member
Not sure about grades, though I know there’s various recipes.
As for Pearl they spent years making stencil kits before they came out with their own.
The way I look at it, they refined something to make them want to put out their first Pearl kit which were the President series, I believe 6 ply.
Which is very different sound as an open 3 ply maple.
It’s really more marketing to their MIJ heritage.
Great contribution!Lipstick on a pig!
Look whose come out of the woodwork - Darth parks his cars outside and his drum kit in the garage, does your $$$ kit ever get to go inside the house, and are you allowed to join it?
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