Sonor Safari made of ?

Htown Tony

Junior Member
Glad to be part of this group. So here is my first post. I wanted to buy a Sonor Safari kit. I noticed on one music online distributor it said it was "crafted from select basswood". On all other descriptions from other stores it says 9mm of poplar. The one described with basswood retails $389 while the others are $479. I haven't received back any information as of yet. Any Sonor fans that may know the answer? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
 
Hmmm some do say select hardwood?? Mine is supposedly poplar and it is a great little kit (well made)-I love mine and have gotten tons of compliments. The snare isn't great but with good heads and tuning it's fine. Great for practice in small rooms and gigs in small venues. The Pearl vision kit I got years ago when they first came out was basswood/birch, since then they are made of birch or maple so maybe there was a similar transition once the kits seemed popular-I think now they are poplar.
 
Loved the Safari when I had one. I believe it says "select hardwoods" on the badge? I figure at $450, who cares? If it sounds good and holds up, just play 'em;)
 
I don't think there's a real difference between the different-priced ones you're seeing. I do see that Sam Ash has their Safaris for $390 – that's a good price and especially reasonable considering Sam Ash introduced the Sonor Player kit which is also $480 but has real sizes, 10-14-14-20. (I have one and it's a fantastic kit.) There might just be a price change that hasn't gotten around to every retailer, or maybe Sam Ash is just selling them at a lower price. I doubt there's a material difference though.
 
Hello and welcome to DW Htown Tony. The Safari is made from Poplar from China and is 9-ply. Sonor uses this in SE, Smart Force and Smart Force Extend series.

Sonor only uses woods from select, certified and environmentally friendly sources.
 
Indeed. There's plenty of praise for the low-end Sonor kits on this forum, they have some magic in them!

I'm still waiting for my check from Sonor for having sold so many of those kits with my Safari video ;)
 

Does anyone have concerns about lug breakage on a Pearl Export? Jeez. It's a sub-$500 kit, is it your intention to take it on a world tour to the arctic circle? A lot of the Sonor stuff is built better than some of the more popular intermediate kits made by others, but I never hear anyone talking about quality issues with those kits.

Sorry, I don't mean to jeer. But if anyone is so concerned about quality issues, then they should be spending a lot more $$$$ to alleviate those concerns by buying a pro kit that's built for the abuse, no?
 
Any worries about lug breakage?
http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122798
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...Help!!&usg=AFQjCNH27QtP3TjOBvzkI5tKhhIHA1vIGg

Not try to rain on anyone's parade, but I've been thinking about a "cheap small kit" and it has me concerned.

No issues here with my Safari kit which I bought slightly used in 2012 and subsequently has seen plenty of action. I never even considered issues with the lugs, but the kit certainly is solid for it's price level and with the right heads/tuning does sound fantastic, as does the Sonor Player kit that I have as well.
 
"I'm still waiting for my check from Sonor for having sold so many of those kits with my Safari video ;)" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UctXiY-ivnA
Yep count me as one Bo-I'll buy you your favorite beverage if I ever meet you in person ;) But seriously your video sold me this little kit could perform. I played it with a civic orchestra-so I was squashed in with other players and the small footprint was great-no mics and it carried with the orchestra=got lots of compliments on it-even the little kick. Man I know there are some products made of cheap metal now but I've never had a lug break on any kit in 54 years?? But I'm not a heavy hitter and limited use of rim shots-so I've never produced a stick that looks like a beaver been chewing on it either.
 
"I'm still waiting for my check from Sonor for having sold so many of those kits with my Safari video ;)" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UctXiY-ivnA
Yep count me as one Bo-I'll buy you your favorite beverage if I ever meet you in person ;) But seriously your video sold me this little kit could perform. I played it with a civic orchestra-so I was squashed in with other players and the small footprint was great-no mics and it carried with the orchestra=got lots of compliments on it-even the little kick. Man I know there are some products made of cheap metal now but I've never had a lug break on any kit in 54 years?? But I'm not a heavy hitter and limited use of rim shots-so I've never produced a stick that looks like a beaver been chewing on it either.

Thanks for the compliment! I appreciate it. I have to agree - I've never broken a lug. The only time I've seen that happen is if the drum gets dropped and the lug hits the ground - and any lug could break under that kind of abuse. Drums hardly fail when being played. They fail when they get abused from people moving them around. If you like to move them around without cases or padded bags, then you need to be careful. Common sense, eh?
 
Thank you for the help everyone. I did hear from Sam Ash today. The only comment given, was the SE's are made of poplar.
 
Thanks Force 3005. I'm guessing from your user name you might be a Sonor fan. Sonor's website has a category on their web page, SE drums. Which is all of their smaller bop type kits. I thought I found a bargain when I saw Sam Ash was selling the Safari for $380. I clicked on the description and the Safari they sell is made from "select basswood." The color was a bit different on these kits too. I emailed them and they confirmed it was basswood and nothing else. I thought the lower price was due to using basswood. Granted, I am not well versed on different woods used to make drums other than the usual suspects, ie., poplar, birch, and mahogany. There were 5 good reviews for the Safari at Sam Ash.
I am curious if the basswood safari would have a noticeable difference in sound vs the poplar? I was thinking about using Coated Remo Ambassador heads and putting the top heads in place of the bottom heads. Undecided with the bass. I haven't pulled the trigger because of my concern regarding sound because I was thinking if a couple options. I won't be playing in front of people. It's been 16 years since then. I really want to get back into drumming and playing with my son.

This leads me into a few questions. I want to keep the kit smaller. I hauled my 88' Pear Export to my son's to play and I don't want to do that again. Not to mention it needs quite a bit of work. I'd like to be able to load it into the back of my SUV and bring back. Not all of the time.

I just came across a used Ludwig Breakbeats near me for $300. I've seen alot of good reviews. Does anyone have suggestions for Compact kits $500 and under?

Lastly, I put on my list the latest Pearl Export drum kit in fusion configuration. Poplar/Asian Mahogany shells and the 3 point isolation suspension contact points too.

Sonor Safari shell pack...$380 to $480 new.
Pear Export shell pack ...$400 new.

Sonor: Pearl Export fusion
Snare 14 x 5 14 x 5.5
Tom 1 8 x 10 10 x 7
Tom 2 n/a 12 x 8
Floor tom 14 x 12 14 x 14
Bass 16 x 16 20 x 16

The sizes are very close.
Snare and tom are equal.
Floor tom width is the same.
The width on the bass drum is 4"s wider.
It doesn't seem like the Pearl bass would be a big deal.
I will be using 4pcs to play with my son.

Any suggestions on similar drum kits to the Sonor Safari or whether the Pearl export could be a good option. I can add to the Pearl too. I just want to get up to speed using 4pcs. Thank you to everyone! I love the forum. This is the last I will ask any questions on this subject. Thaks again and everyone rake care.
 
I have a Bop set and I've played on an Export set as the club house kit.
I say go for the Pearl set.
Pearl makes very solid shells.
Unless you really, really like a 16" bass drum, you will likely prefer the 20" on the Pearl.

If the need for a small size is because of feebleness, go with the Safari.

I'm perplexed as to why there might be a basswood set and a poplar set.
When I got my Bop set, it was drop shipped from Sonor in Nashville. I can't imagine they have two different, but similarly named sets, unless they maybe made a special basswood set for Sam Ash?
 
WallyY, I think the first production might have been "basswood", then maybe they changed. Its a mystery to me. I have searched the internet and found nothing. I came across a Natal 4pc on eBay that was under $400. Birch shells. Missed it. But, I like the Pear Export. The size difference is miniscule. Thank you for replying.
 
Hi HT. The Safari kit came out late 2014 and was made of Poplar and still is as of today. Sonor made kits of basewood till around 2007. Poplar is just a little harder than basewood. Basewood is more plentiful and very easy to work with.

As for kits I still go with the Sonor because of build quality. Only thing, that it comes in two colors. Take a look at the Yamaha Stage Custom Birch Bop kit. But, it does not come with a snare as the Sonor and Pearl do. The Pearl is o.k. and if you like your other Pearl kit go for it. As for the Ludwig kit, I can't comment on it. I am not a Ludwig kit guy. But they do make make some very good sounding snares.

HT, keep asking questions, we are here to help you.
 
Hi HT. The Safari kit came out late 2014 and was made of Poplar and still is as of today. Sonor made kits of basewood till around 2007. Poplar is just a little harder than basewood. Basewood is more plentiful and very easy to work with.

force3005- Maybe you hit a typo above. The kit came out prior to 2014.

Bo did a review of the Sonor Safari kit here on Drummerworld on 1/13/11.
After reading his review, I purchased a used one in June 2012.
http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70982
 
Hey Newoldie. I am sorry about that date line. It was a few years earlier. Thanks, for correcting me.
 
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