Would you? Potential trade

C

CYP47

Member
AzHeat said:
I spent months and countless dollars I could have put forth on a kit, wasting time trying to get my old set to my liking. Got my Gretsch and even my wife noticed the difference. Same heads, same tuning (Tune-Bot), different shells, bearing edges and hoops and voila! With all the ...I can make a trash can sound awesome with proper heads and tuning...posts, I was kicking myself and spending hours trying to figure out why I couldn't. You need a proper foundation, then heads and tuning. Not that OP's DW doesn't have a good foundation, but it just may be wrong for the targeted sound.
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Correct, it just was meh to me. I fell for the dw marketing and though very good drums they don’t inspire me. Believe me, I tried different head combos and different tensions and nothing did it for me. I’ve been playing drums for the better part of 30 years with a little break in between. They just don’t do it for me.
 
C

CYP47

Member
trickg said:
I totally get what you're saying. My first kit, a PDP FS Series birch kit in fusion sizes, had SUPER ringy toms. I attributed that ring to the really sharp bearing edges, which from what I could see were a single 45 degree angle. At the time Phattie Drums, a small boutique company that I believe is now defunct, was making drums with precision bearing edges - dual 45 degree edges with what they called the "Phlat Spot" in the middle. Using that as an idea and a guide, I put together a sanding table with a big piece of MDF and two different grades of sandpaper, and I sanded down the sharp edges on those toms. This is a diagram I made clear back then and posted to the Pearl drummer's forum about what I'd done.


View attachment 87787
I didn't want the sharpness on the outside edge, so once I'd flattened them down, I took a wood block and some fine grit sandpaper and gave it a very light roundover.

The end result, at least to my ears, was pretty remarkable. The 12" tom, which had been horribly hard to tune, would tune right up, and the drums themselves lost that overly ringy/boingy sound. It smoothed out the sound - it was warmer and seemed fuller. I'd kind of wanted to keep them, but I made a deal with my wife that I'd sell them to help fund the purchase of a new kit, the Pearl SMX Session I still have and play.

In any case, I understand the part about the role the bearing edge plays, and I hope you find what you're looking for.
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Thank you, me too lol.
 
harryconway

harryconway

Platinum Member
CYP47 said:
Thanks everyone, I’m doing the deal we are swapping on Sunday.

He gets my DW performance series
12/14/16/22

I get his Gretsch Renown
8/10/12/14/22

He is also tossing in a Tama Starclassic Birch in liquid metal which I believe was made in Japan but I’ll need to investigate further

10/12/14/22

14 is a hanging floor
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Well damn ..... that's a much better deal. Two kits for one.
 
Bo Eder

Bo Eder

Platinum Member
danondrums said:
I wouldn’t. There’s more to be gained and learned by learning how to get the tone you want from your current set. Heads and tuning will impact drum tone much more than shell construction.
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Part of me is into this ^^.

The DW Performance drums aren't bad. Neither are the Renowns. But something tells me you haven't experimented enough with head selection. I can take any kit and by using different heads, can make said kit sound completely different than it did before. I say invest in a couple of sets of different heads and try that approach. I think you'll find that you like your Performance drums again.

But then again, if your heart is really set on it, then go ahead. They're your drums. But I have this feeling you might be ending up saying the same thing about the Renowns sooner or later. Go get coated emperors, and then something else thin so you can try it out on your existing kit. Get a TuneBot if you don't already have one and experiment before you trade. You might not have too.
 
danondrums

danondrums

Well-known member
I'm down with the bearing edge argument now when presented as you guys did and with experienced ears. To me the idea of trying to find an equitable trade still seems like a lot of work for minimal gain. I'd typically sell my undesirable and then get exactly what I want if I were in want new drum set and have to get rid of one to get one mode.
 
KEEF

KEEF

Senior Member
I traded my DW after 10 years for a kit that had a list price one quarter of what I paid 10 years earlier- not regretted it once. As others have stated trading "down" is a not always as real as it seems - play what makes you happy!
 
C

CYP47

Member
Bo Eder said:
Part of me is into this ^^.

The DW Performance drums aren't bad. Neither are the Renowns. But something tells me you haven't experimented enough with head selection. I can take any kit and by using different heads, can make said kit sound completely different than it did before. I say invest in a couple of sets of different heads and try that approach. I think you'll find that you like your Performance drums again.

But then again, if your heart is really set on it, then go ahead. They're your drums. But I have this feeling you might be ending up saying the same thing about the Renowns sooner or later. Go get coated emperors, and then something else thin so you can try it out on your existing kit. Get a TuneBot if you don't already have one and experiment before you trade. You might not have too.
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Already have done all that, I love to research and experiment. They just don’t do it for me
 
johnwesley

johnwesley

Silver Member
DW is way overrated. Promotional department has done a GREAT job getting most everyone to buy into the idea that DW is the only way to go. I even drank the kool aid when I got back into drumming after a couple decades off. THEN after a few years of playing again sold the DWs and put together a kit that sounds so much better and less "manufactured". It also stands apart from the "showroom cookie cutter" sets like everyone else has.
Bottom line for you as stated by several people prior. Go for the sound not the name. It's what YOU do with the drums not what the drums do with you. There are street drummers pounding 5 gallon Home Depot buckets, pots and pans, and garbage can lids that are better than the guy with a 10 thousand dollar drum kit.
 
harryconway

harryconway

Platinum Member
CYP47 said:
Already have done all that, I love to research and experiment. They just don’t do it for me
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I can certainly understand that. And the two kits you just got are great kits, in their own right. And I bet you'll find the Tama and the Gretsch are NOT going to sound the same.
 
johnwesley

johnwesley

Silver Member
Dye182 said:
I

will say this tho I love the hardware, it’s all I use
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Good hardware that is now made by Gibraltar. Nice and solid. OCDP also used to make really good hardware. Have a couple of their heavy duty cymbal stands that are stronger than DW.
 
gish

gish

Senior Member
Bo Eder said:
Part of me is into this ^^.

The DW Performance drums aren't bad. Neither are the Renowns. But something tells me you haven't experimented enough with head selection. I can take any kit and by using different heads, can make said kit sound completely different than it did before. I say invest in a couple of sets of different heads and try that approach. I think you'll find that you like your Performance drums again.

But then again, if your heart is really set on it, then go ahead. They're your drums. But I have this feeling you might be ending up saying the same thing about the Renowns sooner or later. Go get coated emperors, and then something else thin so you can try it out on your existing kit. Get a TuneBot if you don't already have one and experiment before you trade. You might not have too.
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I find it kind of ironic that this is the advice from the guy who has done more kit flipping than anyone on this forum. Do as I say but not as I do?
To the OP; you don’t care for your drums. You have an opportunity to trade them for not one but 2 excellent kits. Seems like a no brainer to be honest.
 
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G

Groov-E

Silver Member
The best sounding kit I ever played was a huge dw jazz cherry set in 24-13-16-18. Best looking also. Funny thing is, I regret not buying even though it doesn't fit my playing style at all, as I usually like much smaller kits. It's not about drinking the kool aid, not about marketing, it's about finding the right one for you. Even when the right one for you is way off !

I am okay with what I have now, but man that kit rocked ! Or jazzed ? I am still confused.
 
johnwesley

johnwesley

Silver Member
Dye182 said:
Really? I’ve never seen the ocdp hardware that’s interesting. Also didn’t know Gibraltar was making dws hardware now. I love the looks of dw hardware and love the snare stands that boom. I own a ton of dw hardware. And some Gibraltar love them both
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OCDP didn't make the hardware for long. I'm thinking just a couple of years. Hard to find, but if you do, buy it. Way tougher than DW or Gibraltar.
 
Bo Eder

Bo Eder

Platinum Member
gish said:
I find it kind of ironic that this is the advice from the guy who has done more kit flipping than anyone on this forum. Do as I say but not as I do?
To the OP; you don’t care for your drums. You have an opportunity to trade them for not one but 2 excellent kits. Seems like a no brainer to be honest.
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What's ironic about it? The fact that I suggested trying more experimentation (thinking the OP hasn't) or saying "They're your drums, you can do what you want"? That's got nothing to do with what I've done with my kits, does it?

If you come on the forum and ask a question, you get a lot of answers. I rarely ask questions regarding kit stuff. I just present what I've done.
 
C

CYP47

Member
Trade is all done. The Starclassics are indeed made in Japan. I think I’ll clean them up good, put some new heads on them and sell them.
 
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