High End Drums vs. Mid Range

tfondrums · #1 (**permalink**) 02-19-2010, 11:27 PM

I've been playing for close to 40 years. I've owned expensive Ludwig and Premier kits and a much LESS expensive 2003 model Gretsch Catalina Birch fusion kit. Interestingly, I got more complements on both sound and looks with my Gretsch kit that cost less than $1,000.00 than I did with my Ludwig and Premier high end kits combined. I'm currently in the market for a new kit and I seriously wonder whether spending the money on higher end kits is really worth it. Having played a bunch of drums during this search, DW, Gretsch, Mapex, Tama Pearl and Yamaha. Given what I've heard by playing various models of these companies and my own experience with a very inexpensive kit here's what I really wonder. I'll use Pearl for my example. If I took a Vision maple kit and put high end heads on all sides of all the drums and put the same heads on a Pearl Masters kit costing perhaps 2 to 3 times as much as the Vision kit, how many people, if any could tell the difference in sound? I'm willing to bet pretty serious money that less than perhaps 1 in 100 would be able to tell any difference in the sound of these 2 kits, IF indeed there would be any difference in sound. What does everyone else think of this?

devin734 · #2 (**permalink**) 02-20-2010, 12:02 AM

I think the only person who would see and hear any differences would be you... Most people who go to see live music hardly ever get to hear the subtle differences between high-end kits and the mid-priced ones. I play rock music and in my experience every kit sounds the same once the sound guy puts mics on them. Cymbals are a different story in my opinion, but it's usually never enough for the average listener to notice.

I play with a "mid-priced" kit as well and I get plenty of compliments because I know how to finagle it to make it look and sound its best. I'm sure with your experience you really know how to tune a kit so I'm sure whatever you play is going to sound and look good. I say just play whatever satisfies you and your pocketbook!

tfondrums · #3 (**permalink**) 02-20-2010, 12:21 AM

I agree with you on the cymbals. Most less expensive cymbals just don't have the tone of higher end products. Most drum makers have such good mid range kits right now that I think the money is better spent on high quality cymbals and drum heads. I happen to prefer birch drums over maple and with 2010 models now out, Pearl Vision, Tama Superstar, Mapex Merdian birch, Sonor Force 2007 would all require complete head changes but with that extra couple hundred bucks spent would pretty easily compete and even exceed the sound of many drum sets costing far more, leaving a good budget for upper end cymbals if you don't already have them.

**dtxtremeiiispecial** · #4 (**permalink**) 02-20-2010, 04:07 AM

I tapped on about 30 kits set up in my local drums store recently. They ranged from TAMA Starclassics and Brady drums to lesser models. I don't know how anybody chooses drums by sound. They all sounded good to me.

tfondrums · #5 (**permalink**) 02-20-2010, 10:52 AM

I suppose that in the end, it comes down to the players ear, taste and budget. I must also say that of all the "pro" level kits that I've tested, the one I would buy is one of the least expensive, Mapex Saturn. I got a price on a 4 tom layout (10, 12, 14, 16, 22 14sd) with hardware included that was well under half the price of Pearl Master Works and DW neither of which include any hardware. I could not hear a spec of difference amongst these 3 drum kits.

**Der Trommler** · #6 (**permalink**) 02-20-2010, 11:16 AM

The differences between the Mapex Orion and DW Collectors are very slight but they are there. There would be a huge difference in sound between the Mapex Saturn and the DW Collectors. The Saturn is Walnut/Maple and the Collectors is Maple.

tfondrums · #7 (**permalink**) 02-20-2010, 08:31 PM

Well, regarding DW, I must say this. When I sold my Gretsch birch kit, I picked up a PDP fusion maple kit for next to nothing. It was the last kit that my dealer had of that series and therefore, I bought it until I could figure out what I really wanted. On the down side, the factory PDP heads are the worst I've ever seen. I replaced both heads on every drum with Evans heads. On the up side, they now sound very good and the finish looks great. Upon close inspection of this kit, I find some very good engineering like a 10 lug 22 inch bass drum. Even my 10 inch rack tom has 6 lugs and the snare is also a 10 lug machine with a great sound to it. So, I must give DW large credit for their design and engineering, even at a ridiculously low price which the entire PDP line is.

resonut · #8 (**permalink**) 02-21-2010, 02:11 PM

Very good question. I am way into cosmetics to the point of being almost rediculous. I play a beautiful emerald green Premier Signia kit which reeks of a pro kit, best chrome plating ive ever seen, beautiful finishing work etc. I also have a Sonor 3007 blue sparkle beater kit. These two kits are built very differently yet i like both kits equally (sound wise). The chrome plating on the Sonor kit is noticably of a lower quality which bugs me. Under stage lights the Sonor kit can look cheap sometimes and excellent at other times.

I also dont like the unfinished interior of the Sonor bass drum hoops, it looks cheap to me. The biggest differences i see from top line and intermediate kits is attention to detail such as plating and finish work. Most guys could care less but the way a kit looks on stage to me is important. Ill spend the extra money to be thrilled with my kit. I HAVE to have top of the line gear.

slingerland59 · #9 (**permalink**) 03-06-2010, 12:37 PM

I almost cry when I go to the drum shop in my area and see the shiny new, small DW kits for $3,000. Unless I win the lottery I don't see a purchase like that in my future.

I take some comfort in the idea that an affordable kit can sound good, with good skins and expert tuning. I'm not brave enough to try refinishing used kits. So for now, I settle for drums that sound good but aren't very pretty.

tfondrums · #10 (**permalink**) 03-06-2010, 01:23 PM

Well, here's something that might offer some comfort to you. I have 2 kits, one of them is a PDP CX maple fusion kit. I bought it at a very good price because it was the last of its kind in stock where I buy my gear. I put new Evans heads on both sides of every drum, Gibraltor 2.3 mm power hoops on the snare and Gibralter maple hoops on the bass drum. I dumped the peddle and high hat stand in favor of Gibralter 6600 series hardware and now have a kit that I would put up against any DW kit for sound and professional "feel". The total amount that I've got in this kit including the original purchase priice is a hair over $1,250. CDN. DW makes great drums no doubt, but I have yet to see/hear one that in my opinion is even close to worth the price that is being charged.