[Dazzleroxx]

also another reason im not a fan of pearl is when i played a pearl kit at a local festival the snare completely failed i don't know if it was just badly tuned or if there was something wrong with the snare wires or some thing but i struggled though having to make little changes until i eventually managed to get it to sound OK. its more of a prejudiced now because after that happened i have never played another pearl kit but i do have a pearl cymbal stand which is also not as good as my tama ones

[Tainojim]

Failure to inspect the drums before playing is no excuse.

Before I drive any vehicle, I check the tires, all the fluid levels and fuel.

Whether it's an SUV or a Compact. I'm responsible for my actions.

[Downrod]

Don't know much about Pearl, I have never played them nor do I know anybody that plays them. I can vouch for Tama. My back up kit is a 1980 Tama Imperialstar. I am the original owner. The kit is rock solid. It has been shamelessly abused for many years and it has held up amazingly. The bass drum has been caught in the jet blast of a fighter jet and flew across the flight deck like a tumble weed, landing in the netting over the side of the aircraft carrier. No damage.
I have not had one issue with the hardware or the shells, and aside from the many battlescars on the finish wrap, the kit is still like new 30 years later. The poplar shells sound very warm and deep. I do not like the bass drum though, 24 " x 15" doesn't cut it for me. Not enough depth for that diameter.
The Tama kit has been a workhorse for me. Very durable.

	Pearl Drums Shop for Pearl Drums at Musician's Friend

	Tama Drums Shop for Tama Drums at Musician's Friend

[butter]

how the hell did your bass get into that situation??? a jet blast?

[Downrod]

Back in the day, my band did a USO show. We were contracted by the Department of Defense to entertain troops overseas. Did a 3 month tour covering Japan, Okinowa, Phillipines, Hawaii and at sea in the Indian Ocean off of the persian gulf. When at sea, we were based on the Aircraft Carrier, U.S.S. Independence. Great time.

[butter]

sounds like an amazing experience.

[slingerland59]

I agree with the workhorse description for Tama drums. I've had a Tama Imperialstar snare for about 30 years and it's always sounded good through all the abuse -- freezing temperatures, crashing to the ground etc.. It's way simpler, and less finicky than a Premier snare I once had and a Ludwig snare I used in school. I like drums that can take a beating and still sound good -- at least in terms of mid-range kits which are all I've ever been able to afford.

	Tama Drums Shop for Tama Drums at Musician's Friend

	Ludwig Drums Shop for Ludwig Drums at Musician's Friend

[Tainojim]

Downrod, seems like your drums got more mileage than my car.

[LeeDrums]

I would have to go with Tama. Im not biased even though i play tama but i do use Pearl occasionally. Tama drums offer a deeper tone and it has a bit more attack in my oppinion. Dont get me wrong they are both great brands but if i had to choose i would use Tama.

	Pearl Drums Shop for Pearl Drums at Musician's Friend

	Tama Drums Shop for Tama Drums at Musician's Friend

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[revo15]

I have owned and extensively played Pearl and Tama drums (mid to higher end sets more than beginner sets). Here's how I would break up their differences in my opinion...

Hardware - Tama is by far superior in durability and utility in this area (the Iron Cobra and extra wide cymbal stands are the selling points here) I really like the omni-ball tom mounts compared to the pearl style hinged approach. Plus almost every Pearl set has a bass drum mount for the toms and is almost always restricted to the 2 up, 1 down tom setup where Tama switches it up a lot more. The one exception might be the demon drive but I haven't had the opportunity to play one of those extensively so I'm not sure if it would be worth the price tag.

Looks - There's not even any competition here with Tama's extensive use of black nickel hardware and beautiful lacquers compared to Pearl using mostly wraps and plain chrome unless your getting a custom Reference or Masterworks set. Even the mid range Superstars beat out 99 percent of all Pearl sets I've seen as far as aesthetics go.

Sound - For the low priced beginner sets and some of the mid-ranged drums they seem to have about the same quality tones for the most part - however, the higher end Tama sets are significantly better than those of Pearl. The Starclassic Bubinga and Birch/Bubinga sets have yet to be rivaled by any drums I've ever sat behind (and that's including the overpriced DW sets). I've never played a Reference set but the Masters and Masterworks just don't live up to what Tama has come up with.

Please note I have never played Pearl Reference or Forum, or Tama Starclassic Maple or Imperialstar so they could be exceptions.

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