un-impressed with DW

[Cmdr. Ross]

How did the bass drum sound? I didn't see that in the original post.

I for one like them for some things, but sound isn't one of them. My DW liking is in the material research & how John Good will experiment making a drum kit out of about anything.
I'm sure he has a vault of some failed experiments that I'd love to see what they sound like.

The wood inlay skills of their technicians is unreal & their paint department really knows how to get a color right.

But sound doesn't really play into the decision for me. And many drummers will say that HAS to be the first thing about why you like a kit.
So I play what sounds good to my ear. Nothing less.

 

[Drumolator]

The only time I played a DW drum set was from a backline kit that had heads that were way beyond shot. But The PA guys made it sound good over the PA. The hardware was nice though. Peace and goodwill.

 

[atlantadrumguy]

I ordered from scratch a Collectors maple set…probably 8 years ago. I basically said, I want the basic shell with no frills. Couldn’t even tell you how many plies or anything, but I didn’t want VLT or any of that stuff. I got all standard depths. They’re good/great drums, but I could be equally content with a high end Yamaha or something I’m sure.

 

[bermuda]

To me, DW is very much hit or miss. I’ve played plenty of DW kits that sounded thuddy and boxy, but I’ve also played some that sounded great

Same here. I've played a handful of their kits for backline and house kits, and some sound great, others not so much. But I think that's the same for most/all brands.

 

[BobC]

That is not a great expierence.

My advise.

Try more DW’s (more than just this performance series, that was a most likely very used backline kit) and pedals.

Because they can have a great sound (especially live under the mics and from the audience view).

The Pinstripes might have to do with the bad sound experience from your playing side.

As I found them to be probably the worst heads for them (ironically, after their own clear coated ones).

Although I understand why a backline company would choose them for their durability and thus less expensive to replace soon.

Me personally never had issues with any of the problems you encountered that way.

Not that I havent encountered any (their chroming for instance doesn’t do well in colder, humid enveironments), but those are case to case issues and I wouldn t blast all DW for just one or even multiple of them.

This to a great extent. Sorry you had a bad experience, but we all like different things. Pinstripes are not ideal heads for those drums. The heads DW uses are made by Remo and they work fairly well, but Evans also has options that work. Those fine thread tuning rods are either loved or hated, no doubt about it. I don't have trouble with them. Some drummers change them out. DW's hardware is amazing, and always has been, including their 9000 series pedals, a benchmark of the industry. I can't argue with success.

I've played just about every brand of drums in my career, and high end DW is far and away the best of the best, IMO. I've owned five DW sets, and all were excellent drums in every way. I wouldn't condemn DW as a whole based upon your one experience. That's short-sighted and unfair. I also think Tama, Yamaha and Pearl make great drums. They're just not my choice.

I have found that people who hate on DW are often less than stellar players, dislike the company's marketing efforts, or are just jealous that they can't afford them. Maybe that's not you, but I'm simply stating my experiences, based upon when I as a member at DFO, where the rabid DW hate was based around those three facts. At DFO, if you didn't bow down to the The God Ludwig, you were a pariah.

 

[Bozozoid]

To me, DW is very much hit or miss. I’ve played plenty of DW kits that sounded thuddy and boxy, but I’ve also played some that sounded great. I think a lot of it has to do with all of their different ply orientations in their shells—VLT, HVLT, etc. My guess is that one or more of those ply orientations sounds horrible to me, and one or more sound great. But unfortunately I have no idea which are which to my ears.

There’s also the head issue—I’ve never played or even heard a DW kit that I liked with those factory coated/clear heads. They all sound terrible with those, but clearly that wasn’t the issue with this backline kit. So maybe it was the ply orientation.

As for DW hardware, I’m not a fan. Sure everything is super stable once you get it setup, but their stands are heavy as hell and way over-engineered to the point where it can be very cumbersome to make adjustments. I’m specifically referring to their snare stands with the basket that attaches to a horizontal arm before it attaches to the vertical post. Trying to dial in the perfect snare position with that stand takes me a frustratingly long time.

Also, I remember one time having to change a head on my friend’s DW snare with those finely threaded rods. It took me a ridiculously long time, especially since the rods wouldn’t spin freely so I had to unwind all 10 rods all the way by hand.

Gotta press reply here..you just said it all for me. I've looked at kits from drummers headlining and things were so different build wise concerning DW kits. Some shells are so much heavier. Gotta stop here cause I could go on and on.

 

[DutchDrummersDreams]

This to a great extent. Sorry you had a bad experience, but we all like different things. Pinstripes are not ideal heads for those drums. The heads DW uses are made by Remo and they work fairly well, but Evans also has options that work. Those fine thread tuning rods are either loved or hated, no doubt about it. I don't have trouble with them. Some drummers change them out. DW's hardware is amazing, and always has been, including their 9000 series pedals, a benchmark of the industry. I can't argue with success.

I've played just about every brand of drums in my career, and high end DW is far and away the best of the best. I've owned five DW sets, and all were excellent drums in every way. I wouldn't condemn DW as a whole based upon your one experience. That's short-sighted and unfair. I also think Tama, Yamaha and Pearl make great drums. They're just not my choice.

I have found that people who hate on DW are often less than stellar players, dislike the company's marketing efforts, or are just jealous that they can't afford them. Maybe that's not you, but I'm simply stating my experiences, based upon when I as a member at DFO, where the rabid DW hate was based around those three facts. At DFO, if you didn't bow down to the The God Ludwig, you were a pariah.

You tagged the wrong one

 

[BobC]

That is not a great expierence.

My advise.

Try more DW’s (more than just this performance series, that was a most likely very used backline kit) and pedals.

Because they can have a great sound (especially live under the mics and from the audience view).

The Pinstripes might have to do with the bad sound experience from your playing side.

As I found them to be probably the worst heads for them (ironically, after their own clear coated ones).

Although I understand why a backline company would choose them for their durability and thus less expensive to replace soon.

Me personally never had issues with any of the problems you encountered that way.

Not that I havent encountered any (their chroming for instance doesn’t do well in colder, humid enveironments), but those are case to case issues and I wouldn t blast all DW for just one or even multiple of them.

Uh, go back and look at Post #66.

Somehow, I did tag the wrong one also. My bad.

 

[bud7h4]

What you mention is there..not imagined. DW can be made to sound good?..absolutely..if you like that kind of good (John Good ) No reference to Larry..its not a BAD sound but it's identifiable. When I first heard Ricki Rocket recorded with Poison I said..there it is in all its glory..you can change it but it's a changed DW sound. I read all responses here because I DO NOT have a way with words. Some here do.

My Performance kit simply sounds like a quality maple kit, barely any different than my SC Maple. The only real difference is in the kicks, and that's obviously due to different heads and port vs no port.
The only "DW sound" I've heard is from those single-ply heads they ship with. With my usual Evans heads all I hear is that delicious maple sound. I don't think there's a particularly unique sound to the HVX shells, they're designed to sound good consistently from drum to drum.

 

[DutchDrummersDreams]

Uh, go back and look at Post #66.

Somehow, I did tag the wrong one also. My bad.

My post was #66. But all good.

Just wanted to let you know you were barking up the wrong tree.

 

[Jasta 11]

How did the bass drum sound? I didn't see that in the original post.

the bass was a cannon! Funny story about it, i was sound checking each drum and hit the bass 50 times and a friend who was coming to the gig texted me and said: "can you keep the noise down, you sound like..." so i looked out at the crowd that was thre hoping to see him and laugh. He was actually at his house which was behind the direction of the stage about 2 miles away! He knew we were first and assumed it was me, it was perfect timing!

 

[Jasta 11]

Those fine thread tuning rods are either loved or hated, no doubt about it. I don't have trouble with them.

It would have been ok if the heads were tight and i only needed a few turns but every head top and bottom, every lug, in a rush kind of, showed me the short coming of fine thread.

I wouldn't condemn DW as a whole based upon your one experience. That's short-sighted and unfair.

a kit with new heads did not impress me when trying to tune it, it could be any brand, this was DW so thats what the thread is about. I never post things here unless I have first hand experiance. I dont hate DW at all, its acually the first DW ive ever played though and seemed unnessesarliy difficult to tune.

I have found that people who hate on DW are often less than stellar players, ,

Ouch, its probably me! I never post vids of my playing here so who knows???

or are just jealous that they can't afford them.

absolutely hahaha. that attitude is the same for BMW and Mercedes owners who are too ashamed to admit they bought the hype, not a great car!

 

[BobC]

It would have been ok if the heads were tight and i only needed a few turns but every head top and bottom, every lug, in a rush kind of, showed me the short coming of fine thread.

a kit with new heads did not impress me when trying to tune it, it could be any brand, this was DW so thats what the thread is about. I never post things here unless I have first hand experiance. I dont hate DW at all, its acually the first DW ive ever played though and seemed unnessesarliy difficult to tune.

Ouch, its probably me! I never post vids of my playing here so who knows???

absolutely hahaha. that attitude is the same for BMW and Mercedes owners who are too ashamed to admit they bought the hype, not a great car!

Just for the record, I never intended to imply that it was you.

 

[Jasta 11]

Just for the record, I never intended to imply that it was you.

I have found that people who hate on DW are often less than stellar players, dislike the company's marketing efforts, or are just jealous that they can't afford them. Maybe that's not you, but I'm simply stating my experiences, based upon when I as a member at DFO, where the rabid DW hate was based around those three facts. At DFO, if you didn't bow down to the The God Ludwig, you were a pariah.

I know the intent of what you are saying but to think people who dont like DW only fall into those catagories kind of stings, I didnt like the way they tuned from practical experience not any of those 3 catagories. I may never get the chance to play another DW kit so this one time is all I have to go by. Price, marketing and jealousy are not factors in my time behind that kit.

 

[TK-421]

absolutely hahaha. that attitude is the same for BMW and Mercedes owners who are too ashamed to admit they bought the hype, not a great car!

Sorry, but I totally have to disagree with that one. I didn't buy the "hype"—I bought a great driver's car. It's fast, handles extremely well, and looks incredible. Sounds great too, especially when I turn on the sport exhaust. If I have any complaint, it's that the suspension is very stiff and makes rough roads pretty uncomfortable to drive on. But that's the price you pay for a great handling sports car.

And for the record, I can absolutely afford a DW kit. I don't play one because I'm not enamored with them enough to justify the cost. To me, Gretsch sound WAY better, they have way better "mystique" and can be had for less.

 

[Jasta 11]

Sorry, but I totally have to disagree with that one. I didn't buy the "hype"—I bought a great driver's car. It's fast, handles extremely well, and looks incredible. Sounds great too, especially when I turn on the sport exhaust. If I have any complaint, it's that the suspension is very stiff and makes rough roads pretty uncomfortable to drive on. But that's the price you pay for a great handling sports car.

And for the record, I can absolutely afford a DW kit. I don't play one because I'm not enamored with them enough to justify the cost. To me, Gretsch sound WAY better, they have way better "mystique" and can be had for less.

View attachment 135588

you got lucky, my boss and his wife had an s420 and an e430 both constanly in the shop.

 

[BobC]

I have found that people who hate on DW are often less than stellar players, dislike the company's marketing efforts, or are just jealous that they can't afford them. Maybe that's not you, but I'm simply stating my experiences, based upon when I as a member at DFO, where the rabid DW hate was based around those three facts. At DFO, if you didn't bow down to the The God Ludwig, you were a pariah.

I know the intent of what you are saying but to think people who dont like DW only fall into those catagories kind of stings, I didnt like the way they tuned from practical experience not any of those 3 catagories. I may never get the chance to play another DW kit so this one time is all I have to go by. Price, marketing and jealousy are not factors in my time behind that kit.

No offense intended. My reaction was highly informed by the way DW drums and players were (and possibly still are treated) at DFO. It was painful to read members bashing my choice of gear nearly every day over there. It was pretty constant. Ludwig was the brand that all the "cool people" worshipped, and if you weren't in that silly clique, you were often flamed for it. I just got fed up with the whole thing after a while. The clique thing was juvenile and reminiscent of high school to me. There are a lot of great drums being made today, drummers have their preferences, and should be able to enjoy those choices without stupid idiots railing against them and making personal attacks on individuals. I'm sure you would agree. This forum is much more civilized, fortunately. At that time, DFO was like the Wild West, and bad behavior was tolerated by the admins, who eventually entered into business relations with Ludwig, further exacerbating the Ludwig bias. Don't know what it's like now, and I don't care.

DFO was eventually sold and almost all the guys I was friendly with over there bailed out. I keep in touch with a couple of them still through FB.

 

[PorkPieGuy]

Let me start by saying I have a DW5000 pedal that I love and will never part with...that's my disclaimer.

So we played a benifit gig last weekend and were on 1st so sound check was up to us. there was a complete backline provided and this was the kit and hardware. thank god I brought my cymbals as there were none, the next drummer went home to get his when he found out. anyway,this may be a Performer model, im not sure but the heads were brand new and on the loose side when i got there. I quickly staterted to tune them up and relized the first thing i didnt like..the fine thread on the tension rods...really?? i had to tighten top and bottom heads for this thing and had to turn a thousand times to do it. pain in the @ss for no good reason. Then, I really could not get a good sound out of the toms. I know how to tune but these fought me the entire way. WHY!!!!!! These were brand new heads but the toms were either way too high or just flat and choked. It shouldnt be this difficult to tune a drum. The larger rack tom had this wierd reverb sound after each hit that never went away. The floor tom was either low and flat or too high like a 10inch tom? The snare was fine and I have no complaints about it. They also had a Mapex sledgehammer snare that I would have liked to try but I never played a DW kit so I left it.

Then there is the 9000 pedal. What a joke this thing is, and I will say i always thought of the 9000 as the benchmark of all pedals. the design is poor, the spring is on the inside of the stantions so it can rub your shoe...who thought that was ever going to be a good idea? No drummer would. I did not make any adjustments to it and it was very weak and sort of cumbersome to play. I had my pedal and should have swapped it out.

I was excited to play and looking forward to my first DW experience but left there with nothing nice to say about the drums. Gig was excellent so theres that!

I read through this whole thread, and then I had to go back and read the beginning because I was like, "What was the question again?"

I've played a few DW kits, and I don't hate them, but I can't really distinguish the sound any different from something like a Pearl Masters Maple. Maybe it's my ears. Maybe it was the room(s). Maybe it's the heads. Maybe it's my attitude. I simply don't know, but I didn't really "feel" anything when I played them, you know? Maybe I was ready to be blown away, and I simply wasn't. They are not bad-sounding drums by any stretch, but I just can't get past the price point. They mic well, but I'm not floored by their overall sound.

The really funny thing with me and DW is that I absolutely love just about everything else about DW except the sound of their drums:

• They make an amazing snare drum.
• Oh man, some of those finishes are beautiful. I'll never forget the first time I saw their broken glass lacquer on a kit in GC. I couldn't stop looking at them. Don't get me started on those drums with purpleheart interiors.
• The DW 5000 and 9000 pedals are THE industry standard IMO. I own four. I see more of these pedals out on the road than anything else.
• I own a lot of DW hardware. If anyone out there needs something heavier than 9000-series hardware, they need to take a welding class and make their own.
• I also believe they are the most innovative company out there when it comes to hardware. I feel like they've really thought of everything and made solutions for it. I love seeing what they come up with next.

While I'm not a huge fanboy of their sound, if I find out that the backline kit is going to be a DW, I know everything's gonna be ok, and I don't need to worry about anything.

 

[incrementalg]

I just don't get it. Every brand can be made to sound great. Every brand. I've seen more crapping on DW than all other brands combined. To me it's not the drums, it's the drummers who for whatever reason, can't get along with DW. Which is fine, but I can't help but wonder why there is so much backlash. It seems to me like a personal gripe with DW. Which is fine. I just don't understand it. I don't get the hate for DW.

I had a hard time tuning my DW's when I first got them. I was used to a thick shelled (7.5mm) Pearl kit. The DW shell is much thinner with rings...it flexes more. After I got over the curve, I was able to tune them much easier. And...they hold a tuning better than any drum I ever had. I like the fine threaded rods. IMO that's why they stay in tune so long.

The true pitch rods add turns when first getting em tuned up, but my set stays in tune so well that any tweaks I have to make over time are negligible. For me, the net effect is actually fewer turns of the drum key over time. I've never had a problem getting a variety of great sounds from DWs...except for bop tunings.

 

[BobC]

I just don't get it. Every brand can be made to sound great. Every brand. I've seen more crapping on DW than all other brands combined. To me it's not the drums, it's the drummers who for whatever reason, can't get along with DW. Which is fine, but I can't help but wonder why there is so much backlash. It seems to me like a personal gripe with DW. Which is fine. I just don't understand it. I don't get the hate for DW.

I had a hard time tuning my DW's when I first got them. I was used to a thick shelled (7.5mm) Pearl kit. The DW shell is much thinner with rings...it flexes more. After I got over the curve, I was able to tune them much easier. And...they hold a tuning better than any drum I ever had. I like the fine threaded rods. IMO that's why they stay in tune so long.

My newest DW set is the first with the new tension rods. I too had a bit of trouble getting the heads tuned in the beginning, but once I did, they now hold tuning better than any other set I've ever owned. I also found the snare wires slipped out of tension, but a quick tightening at the throwoff and butt plate easily solved that issue.