Pics of the new kit

yammyfan

Senior Member
I picked up a new kit earlier this week. Traded in one of my Yamaha Stage Custom kits towards these and figured that some folks might like to see them.

This is a 2020 limited-run DW Design Series kit in Piano Black gloss lacquer. Piano Black lacquer is hardly an exotic finish but it goes with everything and I wanted a drum kit that would look at home on any stage.

Also pictured is my new (to me) DW Collectors Black Nickel over Brass snare. It's a nice match for the rest of the kit but that's really just a bonus. It's the best sounding snare I've ever owned which is what really matters. I think the satin chrome hardware looks pretty cool against the black nickel and gives the drum a distinctive look.

There is so much to love about this kit but rather than rave about it here, I'll save that for another day. I hope I haven't been too hard on DW in the past because these drums blow me away. I'm flabbergasted, honestly, at how much I like them.

Thanks for checking them out, and thanks to Bo Eder for tipping me off to these!

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That's a very nice kit congratulations
 
Looks good! My experience with the Design series is limited to tapping around on some in shops, but they sounded good and the quality looked great. I have played a Collectors BNOB though and it's a killer sounding drum with great hardware. Give us some more feedback after you've put in some time with these!
 
Wow, they look amazing. I've been debating on selling a kit and picking one up myself. I might buy a tom mount and mount them though. Congrats and good luck!
 
That was fast! Congratulations on the new kit, it looks great! Welcome to the Design club!
 
Virgin bass! Drum..thats my boy!. You can never ever go wrong with black...its classy...ALWAYS. Pinstripes?...you mean serious business!. Thanks for the post.
 
Looks good! My experience with the Design series is limited to tapping around on some in shops, but they sounded good and the quality looked great. I have played a Collectors BNOB though and it's a killer sounding drum with great hardware. Give us some more feedback after you've put in some time with these!
Thanks! The quality is unbelievable for what they cost. The bearing edges are super smooth and the hardware is top-notch. I've never seen drums tune up so precisely.
Wow, they look amazing. I've been debating on selling a kit and picking one up myself. I might buy a tom mount and mount them though. Congrats and good luck!

Thank you! These things have jumped to the head of my bang-for-the-buck list. DW hit a home run with this series.

I've always been a drilled bass guy but I have other kits if I want to gig a five piece with a minimum of fuss. I'll probably gig these as a four piece most of the time.
 
Thanks! The quality is unbelievable for what they cost. The bearing edges are super smooth and the hardware is top-notch. I've never seen drums tune up so precisely.
Precise tuning is something that struck me with the Performance drums I bought. My Gretsch drums tune up fine and sound great once i get them where I want, but they're finicky when it comes to finding the sweet spot.
 
Virgin bass! Drum..thats my boy!. You can never ever go wrong with black...its classy...ALWAYS. Pinstripes?...you mean serious business!. Thanks for the post.
Thanks man. I wanted to know what all the fuss was about when it came to undrilled bass drums. ? It's not the lack of a mount that's entirely responsible for the sound but this kick is a monster. It's an absolute cannon.
 
Precise tuning is something that struck me with the Performance drums I bought. My Gretsch drums tune up fine and sound great once i get them where I want, but they're finicky when it comes to finding the sweet spot.
I was under the impression that DW tension rods were a bit of a nuisance but no way, no how. As you've discovered, they're unbelievably precise.

I use a Tune-Bot and typically, applying tension to one rod affects the rods adjacent to or opposite of the one being tightened. Not so with the DW lugs, according to my Tune-Bot. The tension applied is highly localized and generally just affects the one lug for very precise tuning.

As you've seen, it's the opposite with the Gretsch 5-lug system. Tensioning one rod affects the others significantly which is fine because the whole drum tunes up quickly. As a consequence you've really got to pay attention to what you're doing.
 
Amazing kit! It looks so classy. I've had my eye on that $999 deal but I have 3 great Maple kits already. (Tour Custom, Renown, PDP MX) Not sure I could justify another one.

...but I don't have one in black. :unsure: :unsure: :unsure: :unsure: :unsure:
 
Amazing kit! It looks so classy. I've had my eye on that $999 deal but I have 3 great Maple kits already. (Tour Custom, Renown, PDP MX) Not sure I could justify another one.

...but I don't have one in black. :unsure: :unsure: :unsure: :unsure: :unsure:
Tough decision. $999 is a smoking deal for this caliber of kit. The fit and finish is superb.

That said - you're set. Those are some nice kits you have there. :)
 
What made you go with Pinstripes? Not knocking it at all, just curious. I was actually wondering what my Yamaha Tour Customs would sound like with Pinstripes. I already have Coated Ambassadors on my Renowns. Maybe Pinstripes would be a nice contrast?
 
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