Pics of the new kit

IBitePrettyHard said:
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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I had the Pinstripes lying around so I decided to use them. I also have a set of coated Ambassadors on hand though I'm thinking about trying them on my Renowns. How do you like them compared to the clear Emperors they came with?

I've Pinstriped nearly every kit I've bought in the past 3-4 years and they work every time. That said, I'd like to give clear black dots a try. These DWs might be the perfect candidate for that.
 
yammyfan said:
I had the Pinstripes lying around so I decided to use them. I also have a set of coated Ambassadors on hand though I'm thinking about trying them on my Renowns. How do you like them compared to the clear Emperors they came with?
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I like the Coated Ambassadors a lot better. The Clear Emperors sounded great, but I've always preferred the feel of single-ply heads because I have more of a jazz/fusion playstyle.

I think Gretsch chose to go with Emperors to rein in the excessive resonance of the shells. That's the only slight issue I have with my Renowns, they're almost too resonant for faster notes.

So, a few days ago, I ordered an entire set of die-cast rims! I just got the 12" rims in today, I'm about to put them on now. The others should arrive tomorrow hopefully.
 
yammyfan said:
Thanks! Your positive experience with your kit influenced my decision. (y)
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I’m heading out shortly for my first gig of the year and my first gig ever with my Design kit. Looking forward to hearing it with the band finally!
 
IBitePrettyHard said:
I like the Coated Ambassadors a lot better. The Clear Emperors sounded great, but I've always preferred the feel of single-ply heads because I have more of a jazz/fusion playstyle.

I think Gretsch chose to go with Emperors to rein in the excessive resonance of the shells. That's the only slight issue I have with my Renowns, they're almost too resonant for faster notes.

So, a few days ago, I ordered an entire set of die-cast rims! I just got the 12" rims in today, I'm about to put them on now. The others should arrive tomorrow hopefully.
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Let me know what you think of them. I'm happy with the 302s but the diecast crowd loved that edition of the Renowns too.
gish said:
I’m heading out shortly for my first gig of the year and my first gig ever with my Design kit. Looking forward to hearing it with the band finally!
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Break a leg! It will be interesting to hear how they respond to a different room.
harryconway said:
Sweet kit. The Design Series is my fav. from DW. Those smaller lugs kill !!!
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Thanks! The small lugs are one of my favourite things about the kit. Lots to love about these Design series.
 
Those are very nice drums. May they give you years of musical joy! Peace and goodwill.
 
yammyfan said:
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.
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I remember playing one at jd drumcenter..it was a 3 piece in black mirra and i remember thinking you've got to be kidding! me. I left thinking I'm coming back for that kit!. Two weeks go by..i drive up and what!?..its gone!?. You snooze...you lose!.
 
Bozozoid said:
I remember playing one at jd drumcenter..it was a 3 piece in black mirra and i remember thinking you've got to be kidding! me. I left thinking I'm coming back for that kit!. Two weeks go by..i drive up and what!?..its gone!?. You snooze...you lose!.
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I love the black mirra finish. Pics don’t do it justice...in fact, the iridescent sparkles don’t show up in pics at all.
 
Drumolator said:
Those are very nice drums. May they give you years of musical joy! Peace and goodwill.
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Thank you! They're certainly well made and we can all use a little joy!
PaisteGuy said:
Congrats on the New Kit. The Piano Black is a Classy and Timeless Finish.
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Thanks! I had a black set a couple of years ago that looked good everywhere I took it. Never should have sold it but that mistake is fixed now. :)
Jml said:
Beautiful, beautiful kit! Enjoy!
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Thanks so much! There's nothing like a new kit or bit of hardware to spark one's enthusiasm for the instrument!
 
yammyfan said:
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.
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Those tuning rods are close threads and that helps a lot. Add a thread locker type washer to the snare and you'll be rock solid for a couple shows.

Great kit, man! Black goes with everything, so it's always a great choice.
 
CommanderRoss said:
Those tuning rods are close threads and that helps a lot. Add a thread locker type washer to the snare and you'll be rock solid for a couple shows.

Great kit, man! Black goes with everything, so it's always a great choice.
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The tuning rods are a favourite feature already. I'm a stickler for precise tuning so these things are really enamoring themselves to me. :)

Thanks for the feedback!
 
I'm becoming really comfortable with these kits that sit 2/3 of the way up in manufacturer's lines, like the Gretsch Renown and these Design Series. Seems to me that you're not giving up too much materially - you're predominantly paying for labour and options when it comes to the higher lines. Not entirely, but substantially.
 
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yammyfan said:
Break a leg! It will be interesting to hear how they respond to a different r
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yammyfan said:
Let me know what you think of them. I'm happy with the 302s but the diecast crowd loved that edition of the Renowns too.


Break a leg! It will be interesting to hear how they respond to a different room.


Thanks! The small lugs are one of my favourite things about the kit. Lots to love about these Design series.
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Thank you for the encouragement! The gig went well, the band played very well and we had a great crowd considering it was a Wednesday night. Now, let’s get to the important stuff, feedback on how the kit performed. The drums sounded phenomenal; the Tom’s had a fat sweet tone, and as you stated previously the kick drum is a cannon. It was a fairly large room, but very live. We ended up only miking the kick, with the rest of the kit naturally bleeding into the vocal mics. Doesn’t always work out this way but the drums sounded Great outfront and great from the throne. I got very positive feedback from some audience members, my bandmates, and even the sound guy. Another plus to these drums that I don’t believe was discussed yet, is that although they have a fairly thick Eight ply shell they are pretty light. Considering the sound And Overall build quality, the price point, and the light weight, in my opinion this is an ideal buy for a gigging kit. IM beyond elated with these drums, I would have paid double for this level of sound and quality.
 
gish said:
Thank you for the encouragement! The gig went well, the band played very well and we had a great crowd considering it was a Wednesday night. Now, let’s get to the important stuff, feedback on how the kit performed. The drums sounded phenomenal; the Tom’s had a fat sweet tone, and as you stated previously the kick drum is a cannon. It was a fairly large room, but very live. We ended up only miking the kick, with the rest of the kit naturally bleeding into the vocal mics. Doesn’t always work out this way but the drums sounded Great outfront and great from the throne. I got very positive feedback from some audience members, my bandmates, and even the sound guy. Another plus to these drums that I don’t believe was discussed yet, is that although they have a fairly thick Eight ply shell they are pretty light. Considering the sound And Overall build quality, the price point, and the light weight, in my opinion this is an ideal buy for a gigging kit. IM beyond elated with these drums, I would have paid double for this level of sound and quality.
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Still can't believe you got them for $599. What a deal!
 
Oh, and one more thing I forgot to mention. In case anyone missed it, my design kit is the limited edition 3 piece 13-16-22. Color is called iron satin metallic. From the day I got it to my eyes it looked more like a flat black with a hint of gray in it. Well, at the gig, under stage lights, the color turned morphed into a really cool (IMO) steel-ish gray. I walked out to look at the kit after I set up and was like, wow isn’t that cool! I can post a few pics later if anyone would like to see them.
 
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