Battle of the birch!

[Lycanthropunk]

I'm kinda fond of these comparison polls, so I thought I would do one! I want to compare pro birch kits from the top drum manufacturers. What would you guys say is the best pro birch kit out at the moment? I'm guessing there's gonna be a lot of Pearl loyalty here, this being a Pearl forum an all!

[Musician]

Since I am very fond of the birch sound too here's what I think on all these models:

Starclassic Performers: cold sound and kinda blah

Yamaha BCA: a little warmer but still rather blah

Premier Genista: warmer yet, actually quite nice

Pearl BRX: Ideal birch tone IMO

[GrooveMaster]

ok here goes:

Tama's just don't sound right to me, the shell always sound...i don't know...dead

I would never touch a premier drum

The birch customs arn't bad, but the recording custom's are better

Pearl's BRX kit is imply the best sound birch drum kit you can possibly get!

-The GrooveMaster

[PADman]

Sonar Designer and Spaun birch deserve honorable mention.

[Lost At... SRX]

Didn't Sonor gain a market share on a reputation for making some of the best Birch drums??

[pearl-drum-man]

SInce I own BRX, there's my vote, however the Genistas are excellent, it came down to them and the BRX's, I went with Pearl due to their look and colors.


http://www.artbybeth.com/misc/drumpicep.jpg

[drumpete]

i own a sonor lite birch set (about 17 years old) and it sounds fantastic. it even beats my mmx. going for a new brx next year.:)

[1337pearldood2002]

Even though Primier's prices are lower, BRX's sound waaaay better. Peace Out! :D :P

[I Like Cake]

i really like the Starclassics. Im seriously considering buying a set of them

[BAMF]

I own both a star classic and a BRX. it is hard to compare the two. there are things that I like about both. Th tama has a wrap on it so I don't know if that effects the sound. Also the sizes are different. The tama has an 18" bass drum that sound surprisingly deep. If I had to choose one it would be the BRX. To me it is the most resonant of all the Birch drums that i have heard or played.

[Ed U Kater]

I like and am going to buy a BRX next month. I am curious why the pollsters do not include DW drums in these polls? Will DW make a birch drum set for you and, if so, has anyone been able to listen to and compare its sound to that of the Pearl Masters BRX drum set? Just curious and interested in knowing.;) ;)

[jon]

I went back and forth for a while with the Pearl BRX kit, the Yamaha Birch absolute, and even the DW kits. but after much time at the drum shop, i finally decided that the pearl BRX kits are the best out there!:D

[powermatt99]

seems like asking this question in a pearl forum is a tad biased, but anyway, the BRX rocks. Thats my next set in midnight fade.

[drummer4JC]

1 - Pearl BRX
2 - Yamaha Recording Custom

those are the only two that compare. they both ROCK! but i like brx better.

[varaflames]

Hello Everyone,

I,ve owned a BRX set now for about a couple of years and
I must say for the quality of the drums and out of box sound that they are incredible for the price, $ 2250, 10x10-12x10-16x16
22x18, and a 14x6.5 snare, w/o mount on kick drum, 3 boom stands, 2 booms, tt stand, hh stand, foot pedal, and boom bracket. all pearl top line hardware, I also own a Yamaha beech custom which I modified with all pearl die cast rims and tama starcast mounting system and all top line hardware at a cost of more than the pearls and they now sound great also. I've owned gretch maple, tama birch 1970's pearl mahogany, 1970's tama imperialstars, set of mid line premeirs, 1960's gretch and the old german made trixons and in my opion the brx tops them all. Oh, did I mention the 60's and 70's drums were bought by me in those years ?

Thanks, Jack

[Spanky]

I have ownwed a brx drumset for 9 months. The sound that they release is fanominal. To me the birch shells have a fuller sound for playing live than compared to maple shells. I have played on Yahmaha and Tama birch series drums. They do not even compare to Pearls brx.

[barney]

i tried the brx and the Starclassic and i liked both of them but to me the tama was the best and also it was £200 cheaper

[timfluharty]

I have been playing BRX since '99. I do feel that Yamaha's Recording Custom drums are possibly better but I have not compared them myself. The Starclassic Performers DO NOT sound as good as the Pearls. I have recorded with both and even mix-matched the two kits. BRX is much sweeter-better tone, better sustain, better response. But, the main thing that got me to decide to buy BRX was the price. For as long as Pearl gives me that beautiful finish at the best price on the market, I will not play anything else. By the way, dw finally started making birch shells (probably because Pearl's sales are killing them). I have never played dw birch because they are pretty new and I haven't had the chance. The real test here, friends, will be in the quantity and quality of pro recordings. Are the studios buying BRX? Are the schools buying them? Are your mentors and teachers playing them?

[David J]

I've played yamaha's Recording Birch and Premier's, but when
I sat behind my brother's BRX's I was so happy with the over-all
sound that I talked him into trading drumkits with me! I gave him
my Noble & Cooley horizon series (over-rated and over-priced) and felt like I finally got the sound I've been searchin' for! I've also been adding toms and look forward to each and every gig, 'cause I no longer have to worry if the drums are gonna sound good. Now I've gotta have that new Limited Edition Birch
5X14 snare!
Thanks Pearl !!!
Dave Reynolds:p

[Alex Hellner]

i've played both, and they both sound REALLY good, but the tama comes with better hardware IMHO, and is also about $300 cheaper at my local drum retailer.

sounds like my next kit is a 6-pc. Starclassic performer in indigo blue.

[varaflames]

Hi,

If your only paying $300 Less for a set of starclassic performer
than a set of yamaha recording birch, either your getting ripped off or where can I find the yamaha set for $1900. A perfomer 5pc. set should run you around $1600 or so. Oh, and by the way
I've owned a perfomer set and one time I bumped the snare into the tom and the finish just chipped right right off about the size of a dime and I immediatly sold the set for a $1000, hardware and all. The set was was about 6 months old. I'll keep my pearl
and I also have a set of beech custom yamaha and that finish is
really reliable also. Just some of the things you have to think about.

Thanks Jack

[drummer4JC]

he meant performer to brx.

[varaflames]

Hello,

Then that would be about right. I had that option at one time
and and I almost went back to the tama but that chip off the tom stuck in my mind even though it might have been a one time thing
I wouldn't want it happening again because of the loss in cash.
It is also said that you get what you pay for and I think in this instance it could be the finish because I do agree on the sound of the performer set, they are great sounding drums and their hardware is excellent on the kit that is. There is also the issue of 8 lugs vs. 10 lugs on the kick and snare which I think is advantagious to the tuning aspect of either kit. When choosing between these two kits,(just drums), they both sound great, it's the other stuff, ie, finish, lugs, optional mounting system, config,
guarrantee and so forth, amoung other things. decisions, decisions. Oh, and by the way, I had the 5pc. 12x10 13x11 16x16
22x16 14x5.5 in indigo blue which is a lot darker than you may think. On stage w/ lights they almost look black.

Have fun,
Jack

[timfluharty]

I set up my BRX kit last night in a brand new auditorium that seats about 800 max. cap. Even I was surprised at how great they sounded. Forget that nonsense about maple being "warmer" or having better low end. My kit is on a 36" risor and it sounds deep. I am fired up! That sunburst finish has everyone who walks in the room stunned. They look astonished at me and the sound guy and they say "Is that our new drumset?" And I say, "No, I'm afraid not...that's mine." Yeahh! We haven't even set up the mics yet and they bring tears to my eyes with that kind of tone that just sings to you. You know, the sound you hear as a kid and you think "I wish my drums could sound like that." They Do!
The only downside is that the 8'x8' risor is too small for me to set up my whole kit. Oh well. I think if I had the money to buy a Masterworks kit I would get Birch. I think I am sold on birch drums like a fool. The real comparison will be in a couple of months when the DW kit they ordered comes in so they won't have to borrow my drums. Then we'll see if I should have spent the extra $800-1500 to get a DW kit.

[varaflames]

Hello,

Aren't they great! You are saying pretty much the same thing I said when I set my set up. Big club, full pa, lights, riser and all.
My guitar player said "I've never seen anything look so beautiful on stage"! and the sound man said," I hardly have any channel
eq on them with no effects, what make are they!!" And of course
I said " THE MASTERS CUSTOM ORDERED BRX PEARL!!"
Gotta love em.

Jack

[PeTer]

Originally posted by GrooveMaster
ok here goes:

Pearl's BRX kit is imply the best sound birch drum kit you can possibly get!

-The GrooveMaster


There can only be one...

[Shecki]

Never played a nicer sounding live kit in my lifehttp://66.40.220.17/attachment.php?s=&postid=48460

[BRIG6366]

They all have their advantages.

Yamahas- Sound great but limited finishes. Quality drums but plain.

Tama- Great Hardware but I'm not as impressed with the quality of the natural wood finishes. Those wrap finishes were pretty nice though. I'm not blown away by their sound.

Pearl- To me the sound falls between the two above. Excellent Hardware and finishes. I would probably go with the Pearls unless I could get a great deal on Yamahas.

Premier Genista- They sounded real good the last time I played a set but in every other way are left in the dust by the companies above.

[ROBB283DT]

My vote goes to either the Tama starclassic or the Pearl BRX. Both are great. I am leaning toward the BRX quite strongly however.

[Jawjadrummer]

I would have liked to have seen that same pole taken with the DW Birch drums included. I think they are a top drum manufacture, aren't they??

[Jawjadrummer]

Oh Yea, I forgot to say, I also play the 2000 series of the BRX and I feel they are the best I have ever played. I just felt that DW sould have been included in the mix/pole. My .02 worth.

[newresolve1]

Starclassic. Must be tuned properly, and it takes time to learn to tune these drums, but once you get the hang of it, they sound awesome.

[BeatmasterB]

Hi all,

I bought a second hand Masters MBX drumset, it has a 4 ply birch shell and it sounds AMAZING! especially the kick.

Do you have any more info about MBX drums, I know that they were replaced by the thicker BRX drums but that's mostly it.

Thanks,
BMB

[demononcable]

Yamaha because they sound good. Ask Mike Bordin.

[MrDrummer]

definatly the pearl brx

[Adrian NoRi]

Tama Starclassic Performer

[yamaha_man]

recording customs win my vote....i think they sound much better than the birch custom absolutes. Much better undertones.

[JSXtremist]

Tama Starclassic Preformer all the way.

[lorenzo_italia]

I've a Yamaha Recording Custom and i love it (white ambassador on).
I've also a Pearl All Birch (BLX i think) but Yamaha win totally.

By the way, i've also a Pearl MMX in maple that beats Yamaha Maple in all! :)

[Spam]

As a fan of the birch sound I'd vote Recording Custom all the way! I love mine and will never part with them. You can pick up second hand sets for pretty reasonable prices too now that the trend seems to be leaning towards maple as the only wood to have!
The BRX is also sounds very good and comes a pretty close second for me. But to throw a spanner in the works: For a "birch sound" Mapex's Saturn Pro is pretty decent. I know they're not birch (maple and walnut?) but they have the same kind of sound IMO. Only twice have I ever felt compelled to ask what another drummer was trying out in a store because I liked the sound. Once it was a BRX and the other time was a Saturn Pro!

[Nicko McBrain]

WoW!! :eek:
I am going to order my new kit in two weeks, and I really like the tama starclassic performer i tried like a month ago, so i thought i'd buy a Starclassic, but i didn't get the chance to try a brx and there's now 73% for the brx !!? Is it really that much better or is it just because this is a pearl forum ? Could u please tell me what's good and what's bad about them ? Thanx in advance.

[Nicko McBrain]

3 days without any answer ? :D Ok then i'll get a starclassic, i'll order it next friday :cool: anyways i think i can't go wrong with either a starclassic or a BRX. I learned so much on this forum ! It's what helped me in my selection. Thanks guys.:)

[Slayerized]

What about yamaha recording customs, the most recorded drum set in the world

[Aggy]

I've never heard anything about the Ludwig classic birch either. What are they like? good or bad? I used to be a big ludwig fan but there advertising is horrible nowadays and i can't find much info about them, and i ended up with a pearl instead.

[rikerbeard]

Random fact: Premier ghost built the Recording Customs for years. (they dont any longer)

[Lupa]

Hey can someone answer: what have premier drums such a bad reputation?

[joey666]

I like the sound of the pearl BRX kits, cause I love the masters series, but me Im a thin maple person, so Im getiing MMX series in diamond burst with black hardware, can't wait:) :D :cool:

[joey666]

I was gonna post an attachment of a sound clip of a Pearl Masters BRX kit series, but it won't work

[RedDawg213]

BRX - best birch sound, Period.

I guess I have to mention I own one:rolleyes:

[bumme]

All these comparison polls are useless on a Pearl forum.

The only birch drums I've played are Tama Superstar and Premier Genista. Both sounds very good Premiers bass drum sounds lika bomb.

[Lupa]

I was gonna post an attachment of a sound clip of a Pearl Masters BRX kit series, but it won't work

Oh really? Why wont it work? The forum may not be able to receive such documents. But you could tell us where you found the sound clip, cause we would be able to download it too.
Please man, i'd really like to know how it sounds, cause im to buy a brx kit next week!!!!!