Bo Eder
Platinum Member
Isn’t that weird?Yamaha is out of China .. which is even cheaper than Taiwan to operate I believe....... but the quality they put out is easily better than DW and most others IMO.
Isn’t that weird?Yamaha is out of China .. which is even cheaper than Taiwan to operate I believe....... but the quality they put out is easily better than DW and most others IMO.
TBH the cost of housing in China is the one aspect that's not really more affordable than in Western countries. Most other aspects of living will cost more competitively, though.however dw is not paying high wages whatsoever relative to living expenses in LA.. they pay around minimum wage in CA.. which is what... $14 minus taxes?? unless they changed this ........ then go find an apartment in LA.. You know the average rent of an apartment in a decent area in LA currently?? if you are doing the general shell working at dw.. you are renting a bedroom in LA.
Taiwan minimum wage is $6..... but the cost of living is a massive fraction of USA.. and especially LA.
TBH the cost of housing in China is the one aspect that's not really more affordable than in Western countries.
Prices can and should be set as high as someone is willing to pay for a non-essential item.
So you came here to get talked out of it? Really? Wrong move Buddy! It’s a great kit!!!! BUY IT !!!!I am very lucky to own two high end kits already so I know I’m being greedy, and trying to talk myself out of it.
Just randomly, I saw a picture of a satin rose gold kit and I know it’s not the most masculine finish but I have wanted a kit in that colour for a while.
Back in the 90's-00's Taiwan was very developed to us mainlanders. Now as the living standards rise in mainland, this impression becomes not as impressive.yeah of course.. mainland China.. many of the cities are not that cheap...... but this is about where the References are made in the main Pearl factory which is Not in mainland China.. it is in Taichung Taiwan.. and it is a very inexpensive place to live. ..... Especially compared to los angeles.
No I’m gonna hold off for a while. If one comes up used I may pounce on the opportunity!So what happened here? Did our OP get the Reference drums?
Oxnard is not in LA (or Los Angeles County). Still an expensive area though.however dw is not paying high wages whatsoever relative to living expenses in LA.. they pay around minimum wage in CA.. which is what... $14 minus taxes?? unless they changed this ........ then go find an apartment in LA.. You know the average rent of an apartment in a decent area in LA currently?? if you are doing the general shell working at dw.. you are renting a bedroom in LA.
Taiwan minimum wage is $6..... but the cost of living is a massive fraction of USA.. and especially LA.
Just for fun, what does it for you?I've never heard them in person, but every video I've heard of Reference Pures does nothing at all for me.
It changes every few years haha, but currently SQ2 toms and ludwig classic maples.Just for fun, what does it for you?
I love my Ref's. Played Masters for years (still my casual gigging set) and thought they couldn't be beat until I bought and tuned my Ref's. Roll around the toms has same volume levels on all but the tiny tom with no change in strike power. It is very subtle, but soothes the soul. Been playing 56 years. Like a warm, round sound. Yup... They are heavy! Snare is a monster".The Reference is a distinguished series. That goes without saying. If I were on the market for a kit, I'd ask myself the following question: Does the Reference have stand-alone traits (qualities I can't find in other Pearl offerings) that captivate me to the extent that I won't be satisfied with anything else? If the answer is yes, I'd get a Reference. Otherwise, I wouldn't. Shells in that price range have to arrest me to the point of infatuation, the way my Pearl Music City Custom snare does. If they don't, I keep my money.
If their quality is equal to the others why should they charge less. The bottom line we are paying for the end result and they should charge what the comps are. The fact they may pay less for labor is not concern.I’m not saying it’s crap. Pearl makes great sounding drums (so does Yamaha)… but it seems like the price should be cheaper if you are producing high end kits in a low wage market..
I just feel like pearl is saving a lot of labor costs and should be passing that on to the customer. But they dont. It goes to their pocket.
I just find a little unethical. But all corporations do it. Nike could be manufacturing in the US and still have great profit margins but they don’t. It’s one of the biggest things that rubs me wrong about pearl. A corporation taking jobs away from their home market not for cheap consumer cost just bigger profits.
Sure people can do what they want. I personally dont want to support a company abusing a low wage markets for maximum profit when their are other companies charging less in higher wage markets. Pearl Hardware on the other hand is great, is priced within the same range of its competitors and I do buy it because its good.If their quality is equal to the others why should they charge less. The bottom line we are paying for the end result and they should charge what the comps are. The fact they may pay less for labor is not concern.