Drum shopping is hard...

The thing i find annoying about going into the GC near me is none of the drums are tuned properly. I once watched the guy set up a kit and he did a different number of turns on every lug (3 on the first 2 on the second 8 on the third 1 on the 4th and after that i stopped counting) thus getting no where near equal tension on the head and then had the gaul to yell at me when i tried to retune them so i could actually get an idea of the thing. It was a DW kit too and while i'm sure if properly tuned it would have sounded great it sounded worse than the beat up kits in the practice rooms of my old school. When i play on other drummers kits i've never had this problem, different tunings i've encountered but this was just incompetence. This also makes the shopping experience much harder.

con struct said:

Why didn't you say so? If I were you I'd head over to Hollywood, to the Pro Drum Shop.

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Ya know, I drive by that place all the time on my way to work. I went in there once to check out some stuff but the guy working wasn't that friendly...

I'll definitely go back and check it out again. It seems like a great place to learn about drums and it's definitely worth a second or third look.

If anyone is interested, I've decided that whatever set I get, it will most likely be maple (as opposed to birch or something else.

JBoom sent me this awesome link describing the different woods used in drums- http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/data/46/link/3402/DTBv3.pdf (there's a specific "wood" section).

For me, maple and mahogany stood out. I'm going with maple as I've been looking up different kits online and in stores and have yet to see a mahogany set. This makes me think the mahogany drums are expensive and will most likely either be out of my price range or just too hard to find, really.

Maple is very common and perhaps the most versatile.
I urge you to try a Mapex Saturn maple walnut kit in your quest.

Its really fun if you have somewhat of an idea of what you are looking for. I would chose a slightly different kit for gigging vs. just studio work. You have a great budget to work with and these days if that all goes towards shells you can get a great sound $2k easy.

There are many maple drum kits available for decent prices from beginner to pro. There are also quite a few mahogany sets such as the Gretsch Catalina Jazz that aren't very expensive. Some of my favorites that I own are bubinga, maple and mahogany/poplar/mahogany, which are reminiscent of shells from kits made in the forties, fifties and sixties. I personally was never really into birch shells, but they do sound nice and many people prefer them. Decide what you like hearing the most and go from there. Sometimes the choices of the type of woods used in the shells are not easily recognisable without a bit of experience because the heads, bearing edges, their tuning and even the way the drums are mounted will have a definite affect on how the drums will sound. If this is the case just buy what seems to grab your attention the most within your budget and always keep a keen eye out for the stability of the drums hardware.

BTW, I'm more or less up and down the East coast, so someone closer to where you are located will better advise you where to shop.

Dennis

audiotech said:

There are many maple drum kits available for decent prices from beginner to pro. There are also quite a few mahogany sets such as the Gretsch Catalina Jazz that aren't very expensive. Decide what you like hearing the most and go from there. Sometimes the choices of the type of woods used in the shells are not easily recognisable without a bit of experience because the heads, bearing edges, their tuning and even the way the drums are mounted will have a definite affect on how the drums will sound. If this is the case just buy what seems to grab your attention the most within your budget and always keep a keen eye out for the stability of the drums hardware.

BTW, I'm more or less up and down the East coast, so someone closer to where you are located will better advise you where to shop.

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Thanks, guys! I'm obsessing over this research! I've had a blast learning about different sets, woods, and bearing edges etc. I'm leaning toward maple, though since I like a more deep sound, I've read that mahogany would work for me also (correct me if I'm wrong on that).

Bobdadrummer- I'll def look for and check out a Mapex Saturn.

Audiotech- I've pretty much ruled out birch. From what I've read, they're better for higher frequencies. I like lows, personally.

Airborne- This quest for info etc. has got me really excited! I'm finding that I have a lot of choices so I'm taking my time to figure out what I should be looking for (as I've narrowed down to Maple or maybe perhaps Mahogany)

Have any of you thought about purchasing custom kits (ie. the Gretsch USA customs or Pearl Masterworks)? Why does one purchase a custom kit like that? Is it becuase they want certain size drums with a certain finish?

dean13 said:

Have any of you thought about purchasing custom kits (ie. the Gretsch USA customs or Pearl Masterworks)? Why does one purchase a custom kit like that? Is it becuase they want certain size drums with a certain finish?

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There are many reasons for ordering a custom kit. The biggest one is to get something that is a bit unique.
Examples; I don't like the deep bass drums that are popular today so I order a custom kit with a 14 inch deep bass drum.
Some drummers like to pick their shell composition also.
You get exactly what you want with a custom kit.
The downside is that they cost more and you have to wait for them.
Resale can be harder for a custom kit too.

dean13 said:

Have any of you thought about purchasing custom kits (ie. the Gretsch USA customs or Pearl Masterworks)? Why does one purchase a custom kit like that? Is it becuase they want certain size drums with a certain finish?

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There's nothing wrong with the companies you mentioned, If you know what you want and exactly how it will affect the sound of the drums. A couple of my kits have some custom features such as lug types, badges, hoop thickness or tom mounting options, but none of them will affect the re-sale value of the drum as much as a unique boutique set of custom drums might. Many people, especially the younger generation will want a set of custom drums just to be able to say that they are indeed "custom". I see sets of boutique custom drums just sitting at high end drum shops for months, some even years because the individual shopping for drums either don't want to pay the higher prices for used custom or simply they don't have the exact same tastes in sizes or exotic features as the original buyer. Just too many people will buy very expensive drum sets with their eyes and not for the quality of sound that they should produce. Then these sets will stay in their bags or basements with the drummer being too intimidated to gig with them because of potential damage to their expensive custom sets. I personally would never buy a set of drums that I can not hear, touch, feel and play in person before laying my money down, and this is exactly what happens when buying a musical instrument with more attention to their cosmetic details than their sound.

Typing this, I can't think of any reason to go fully custom when there are just so many great and more affordable configurations and finishes from established drum manufacturers where you can actually hear and play them in person. I like things that look nice, but when it comes to musical instruments, I would much rather have something that sounds great. I have a lot of difficulties seeing "nice" on recordings.

BTW, don't be fooled with Internet sound files, they can and usually are manipulated even though the original poster may not even have knowledge or control over it. If at all possible, listen to your potentially new purchase in person if you can if you're indeed critical of your sound.

Just my opinion.
Dennis

audiotech said:

I can't think of any reason to go fully custom when there are just so many great and more affordable configurations and finishes from established drum manufacturers where you can actually hear and play them in person. I like things that look nice, but when it comes to musical instruments, I would much rather have something that sounds great. I have a lot of difficulties seeing "nice" on recordings.

BTW, don't be fooled with Internet sound files, they can and usually are manipulated even though the original poster may not even have knowledge or control over it. If at all possible, listen to your potentially new purchase in person if you can if you're indeed critical of your sound.

Just my opinion.

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Thanks, Dennis! I definitely won't be buying anything I can't play in person. Even though, $2k is my max it's still a lot of money for me and I know that when the time comes and I finally pick the set I want etc.- I'll second guess myself and have the HARDEST time pulling the trigger.

Does anyone know when Pearl might be updating their Masters MCX drum finishes/colors? They're one of the sets I'm considering but hate the current colors.

Also, what would Gretsch's equivalent to Pearl's Masters MCX be?

You know if you have the chance play a few kits that you are considering. Try to listen to the tonal differences in the wood you are considering. For the trained ear I promise you will hear the difference.

Also shell thickness and bearing edges make a huge difference. Looking back I wish I could have gotten a medium to heavy bass drum on my kit. Application and your tastes will dictate what is the right fit for you.

The options you mentioned are great. FWIW here is a GREAT deal on a Gretsch Brooklyn kit:

http://louisville.craigslist.org/msg/3191278295.html

dean13 said:

Does anyone know when Pearl might be updating their Masters MCX drum finishes/colors? They're one of the sets I'm considering but hate the current colors.

Also, what would Gretsch's equivalent to Pearl's Masters MCX be?

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Pearl has been playing around with the MCX finishes for years. It seems as if this started happening when they first excluded their Masters Premium series to the U.S. in both birch and maple shells in four and six plys about four or five years ago. I believe they're down to about four or five finishes now. I still do like the "Vintage Wine" and I liked the "Chestnut Fade" before they left it go.

To the best of my knowledge, the Gretsch Renowns might be the closest thing to Pearls MCX drums since they are both maple shells and both have die cast hoops. To my ears the MCX drums sound a little more vanilla than the Renowns.

Dennis

AirborneSFC said:

You know if you have the chance play a few kits that you are considering. Try to listen to the tonal differences in the wood you are considering. For the trained ear I promise you will hear the difference.

Also shell thickness and bearing edges make a huge difference. Looking back I wish I could have gotten a medium to heavy bass drum on my kit. Application and your tastes will dictate what is the right fit for you.

The options you mentioned are great. FWIW here is a GREAT deal on a Gretsch Brooklyn kit:

http://louisville.craigslist.org/msg/3191278295.html

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That's a gorgeous set, not into the tom sizes though...

This weekend Il'l be checking out Guitar Center and Sam Ash. I'm going to specifically be checking out the Mapex Saturn, Pearl Masters MCX, Pearl Reference and the Gretsch Renown.

I have to say, the Reference doesn't seem to be a good fit for me. The price is a bit higher than I want to spend and I'm not finding a ton of people brag about them.

I prefer Renown's over Reference.
I feel that the Renown's are a bit warmer sounding with a slightly wider tuning range.

bobdadruma said:

I prefer Renown's over Reference.
I feel that the Renown's are a bit warmer sounding with a slightly wider tuning range.

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What size drums did you compare when you compared the Renowns and the Reference?

Also, what did you like more about the Renowns? I'm curious...

dean13 said:

What size drums did you compare when you compared the Renowns and the Reference?

Also, what did you like more about the Renowns? I'm curious...

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I have played several Reference kits and several Renown kits over the years. I even got a chance to play both kits in the same shop once.
To my ears the Renown drums have a slightly better overall sound. I have never met a Renown kit that I didn't like.
Pearl makes great drums and this is just my feeling.
You may think different. Its just personal taste.