wat is ya favorite brand of drums?

[Carpe Diem]

Hey every one just wondering wat every 1 likes best in drums today so tell me wat ya like and maybe send some pics.
cheers ta da
:cool: keep drumin'

[jmw]

I like pearl, go figure.

[SLIPKNOT1]

I have owned DW and Tama for the past 11 years and now i have an OCDP kit. If i had to pick favorites, i would choose Tama, Pearl and OCDP. Even though i never owned a Pearl kit i do own some of there snares and i have played on tons of Pearl kits and they really make nice stuff for the money. Honestly, if OCDP did'nt exist, i would have bought a Masterworks.
Up untill recently i played a Tama SC Maple kit. Great kit, i was just bored with the sound and really did'nt like Die Cast hoops. I contemplated changing all the hoops out, but then i would have to buy a new mouting system or use the clamp on Starcast mounts. And even still, i wanted a new sound and new sizes.
So Tama was out, since they had limeted sizes and everything would have Star Cast die cast hoops and i would still have the same sound. DW's are really nice drums, but cosmetically, i hate there lugs and they have limeted size and finish options and for the money, i did'nt think they were worth it.
I looked at the Masterworks but what kept me away was the lack of finish options, no choice of hardware, shell size options and delivery time. I knew what i wanted, but they could'nt do it.
So i looked at custom places, Conaway (Limeted finish options and bearing edges and final shell finishing were not impressive at all, sound was'nt great either. Factory Pearl and Tama kits are alot nicer.) Medicine Man (Again, not impressed with the finishes, and they did'nt sound that great considering the price) .
I ultimatley went with OCDP because they did anything i wanted and could deliver them fast for a good price. I ordered them in August and had them before thanksgiving. And most importantly, the sound is amazing. They are the nicest sounding maple drums i have played.
I am planning on ordering another snare from Pearl in the next month or so and having OCDP wrap and powdercoat it to match my kit. I just have'nt decided what wood combo i want.

[TLD]

I like Pearl becuase right now it's pro-quality at intermediate price. The future for me it the most custom sounding drums on Earth. Slipknot1 couldn't do with the lack of wraps and hardware otpionss and that stuff and he obviously loves Maple drums so that was obviously the perfect choice for him. For me, I really dig Masterworks finishes the way they are, and the options of sound quality are amazing. And my last few months on this drummer forum has solidified my attachment to Pearl. The customer service I have recieved in every little problem ive had in the last 4 months has been handled at none of my expense. They really stand by a warranty like no other.

[camoyer]

Pearl . Great quality for the price. My BRX kit is much better made than my DWs.

[stavis]

i used a be a hardcore Pearl fan, but I bought an Ayotte snare a back in '99 and wanted a kit ever since. So now my taste has switched to Ayotte.

[Drummer1]

Pearl Masterworks and BRX.

[Killing_time]

Pearl and Tama have always been the ONLY choices for me. DW lugs just look so cheap to me, don't get me wrong they make great stuff. Carpe Diem, that's a nickname!

[zildjianelx]

iam very satisfied with my ELX....i just wish i ordered it custom through Pearl.
i really like custom drums, my fav company would have to be pork pie or spaun.
sick sick drums
i love pearl tho.
can you even order an ELX custom?
-brad

[jddrummer666]

Yeah, Ayotte are cool. They're expensive though but i guess thats again LIST price. I live like 45 mins from their factory. I one thing i like about Ayotte are the sizes. And also woodhoops. I dunno if id get them on the snare though. Can you do a rimshot with woodhoops? Is so i'll get them. But as for their color/hardware options im not too sure. I REALLY hate their lugs. Dear god. they're soooo primative and they barely work. If i got a set of Ayottes i'd probably take some black Pearl lugs and stick em on if they're available.

[Pyrotechnic]

Tama

[Virulence]

drums that have really stood out to me were:

Fibes
Ayotte
Premier
Noble & Cooley
...and of course Pearl.

[jddrummer666]

I like

Yamaha
Pearl
Ayotte
Boom Theory
and to a lesser extent Tama.

[Alex Hellner]

ok, Noble & Cooley CD maples have the best mounting system i have ever seen/played.

Ayotte's wood hoops are the most beautiful hoops you can ever hope to put on a drum, but overall the ayottes are really expensive.

OCDP drums come with a lot of cool options, and that's probab;y their strong point.

GMS has about the best finishes i've ever seen, you can get anything you want custom hand done and it'll look like they've done it a million times.

currently i play a tama, and i have no complaints except they can get a little pricy. I think Pearl is the way to go for money/quality ratio.

[emopunker]

Yeah, hands down Pearl's got the best value in terms of pricing and quality.
Ayotte Drums are waaay overpriced.
Noble & Cooley make nice drums, just like Spaun.
I think RJS Drums:
http://www.rjscustompercussion.com/forest_green.jpg (http://www.rjscustompercussion.com/)
...are really nice too.

[Riza]

Pearl for me - My masters sounds better than most other kits in a similar price range I have played and I am more than happy with the finishes and options that were available when I ordered.

I also have a Noble + Cooley CD maple snare and that it by far the nicest snare I have played. I haven't played a N+C kit though.

[mrbeaver]

Ayotte
Pearl

[pattrahan]

Originally posted by emopunker

Ayotte Drums are waaay overpriced.


This is not the first time I see this kind of remark on Custom drums and I believe that's not absolutely true aven though they are a little more expensive than line product. All Custom shops have more hand made product than Pearls, Yamahas or Tamas and you have to be willing to pay for that extra craftmanship and options. Another thing, Ayotte's finishes is said to be one of the best in the industry. I have seen Tamas, Pearls, Yamahas and a few others and they don't even come close to the gloss finish of my own Ayotte kit.

Now Overpriced to me is paying 75$ for a bloody PowerStroke3 Yamaha front BD head just because it says "Y A M A H A" on it.

It is also true that you may find "Suggested retail prices" a little over the edge and you're right cause they're not the actual price you will pay, and that goes for all brands in any domain.

Finally, I've checked the prices over here and Ayotte drums are less expensive than DWs, Pork Pies, OCDPs and a lot of other Custom shops.

Anyway, My personnal favorite brands are Ayotte and Pearl. And Yamaha for their streamline hardware.

[emopunker]

Originally posted by pattrahan
Now Overpriced to me is paying 75$ for a bloody PowerStroke3 Yamaha front BD head just because it says "Y A M A H A" on it.I take back what I said about Ayotte. Yes, $75 for a YAMAHA logo BD head is bloody overpriced. :mad:

[Alex Hellner]

yeah, Ayotte finishes do look pretty damn amazing, but compare them to GMS finishes, i'm a strong beleiver in both... but then again, Ayotte has really beautiful wood hoops options.

[MikeB]

Ayotte is definatly not overpriced, you stupid bastard :D

Seriously, they aren't.

1. Ayotte Custom Drums
2. Yamaha Drums
3. Mapex Drums

[Alex Hellner]

well mike, we've already established that... but thanks for your offensive opinion

[ab]

in no order-

dw
dunnett
pearl
rocket shells
ayotte
fibes

[phily05]

Pearl, DW, OCDP

[Fortuna]

Ludwig.

[drummerchick]

Pearl, and I've started loving DW too. Just played on one actually.

[snizare]

love OCDP's but, ive also played drums from a lesser known company called "resurrection." check them out.

www.rezdrums.com/

[Richard Winfield]

I have the following and all sound great:

Pearl MRX
DW Collector's Maple w/Craviotto Snare
Mapex Birdseye Maple Orion Classics

The Pearls kick *** and are really in your face. I use these for Rock gigs and larger venues.

The DWs are warmer and I use these for smaller venues.

The Mapex sound very full and rich and stay in my house since I'm paranoid about messing up the finish.

Yeah, it's a lot of expensive drums but I gig enough to pay for them and I got two of the sets used in mint condition at a killer price.

Yes, I do have a day job.

[Kay]

My kit is a premier artiust maple i can say i love it it my favourite kit i play. But if i were to get another kit it would be ayotte with wood hoops.

[Batterasta]

I like Pearl (Pearl's drumsets and hardware are great) and DW.

Bye!:D

[ian40uk]

:rolleyes:

can i say ? i just bought a pearl forum fusion kit, and being a novice, i am very impressed, maybe its my inexperienced ear, or i am just plain stupid, but i have yet to hear a bad drum kit. regardless of the manufacturer, my last kit was a very cheap starter kit, i immediately changed to aquarian heads and some half decent cymbals, hey presto, when you're actually playing live in a band, u hear "drums" regardless of who makes them ! a practice with no other instruments sounds a lot different to an actual live situation. if i were to add anything else, its just to make sure u have a decent snare, and my yamaha stage custom does a wonderful job, so i kept that, and got a decent discount by not taking the standard snare supplied with the kit.

IAN

[Alex Hellner]

depending on the sound you prefer out of your kit, the forum isn't necessarily a bad kit. For instance, my friend has a 7 piece forum with only the batter head on each of them (except for the bass drum) and the heads are remo pinstripe clears, and he's done some additional muffling. His kit sounds really good considering it's a forum, but if he wanted those toms to sing he'd have to be a magician. The point is that if you like a muffled sound, it's easy to get that out of low end kits, which can be a good thing if you're low on cash.

[Richard Winfield]

My first kit in 1970 was a CHEAPO no name Japanese Slingerland copy kat set. I put ambassadors on them and took off the bottom heads which was all the rage back then. They sounded really good BUT ONLY AT ONE TUNING. There was no versatility or range at all.

In those days Pearl wasn't even considered pro. I wasn't until around 73 or 74 when I saw Ed Shawnassy with a big white set of Pearls did I think of Pearls as contenders.

The rest is history.

[Alex Hellner]

1970... i wasn't even born until 15 years later, wowsers

[Kell]

Gotta say Pearl top of the list, DW and then Ayotte. I play an Export EX and have spent hours obsessing with the tuning of the toms to the extent that they sound better than most superior kits that I have heard. I have a 14 x 6.5" Steel Free Floater, and everyone who has heard it wants it. The only thing that I want to improve is the bass. Cant get the sound I want at all. It's a 16 x 22 and I am looking for a well punchy sound, but I just cant get it. I always come up with a sort of flat sound, so any suggestions would be appreciated as to how to get the best punch out of it.

[Alex Hellner]

if you haven't already, try cutting a 6-8" hole in the resonant head. That tends to give more punch and more attack.

hope i could be of help.

[James Delite]

I just love my SONOR DELITEs with my PEARL free floating 14 x 6 metal snare!:)

[rufusmall]

mmmmmm...............pearl

[dysphoric axis]

http://img43.exs.cx/img43/9802/aluminhead04.jpg

[lastdrummist]

I second that, but I really like Yamaha as well.

[YUFdrummer]

I have owned DW and Tama for the past 11 years and now i have an OCDP kit. If i had to pick favorites, i would choose Tama, Pearl and OCDP. Even though i never owned a Pearl kit i do own some of there snares and i have played on tons of Pearl kits and they really make nice stuff for the money. Honestly, if OCDP did'nt exist, i would have bought a Masterworks.
Up untill recently i played a Tama SC Maple kit. Great kit, i was just bored with the sound and really did'nt like Die Cast hoops. I contemplated changing all the hoops out, but then i would have to buy a new mouting system or use the clamp on Starcast mounts. And even still, i wanted a new sound and new sizes.
So Tama was out, since they had limeted sizes and everything would have Star Cast die cast hoops and i would still have the same sound. DW's are really nice drums, but cosmetically, i hate there lugs and they have limeted size and finish options and for the money, i did'nt think they were worth it.
I looked at the Masterworks but what kept me away was the lack of finish options, no choice of hardware, shell size options and delivery time. I knew what i wanted, but they could'nt do it.
So i looked at custom places, Conaway (Limeted finish options and bearing edges and final shell finishing were not impressive at all, sound was'nt great either. Factory Pearl and Tama kits are alot nicer.) Medicine Man (Again, not impressed with the finishes, and they did'nt sound that great considering the price) .
I ultimatley went with OCDP because they did anything i wanted and could deliver them fast for a good price. I ordered them in August and had them before thanksgiving. And most importantly, the sound is amazing. They are the nicest sounding maple drums i have played.
I am planning on ordering another snare from Pearl in the next month or so and having OCDP wrap and powdercoat it to match my kit. I just have'nt decided what wood combo i want.

Just a question Slip, no offense intended but did you ever think about checking out Pork Pie, C and C or even Truth, or do you not like their drums? I am a huge OCDP fan and i fully intend on buying one when i can afford it, but i am thinking about getting a C and C kit. What do you think?

[gatordrums]

Pearl
Trick
DW
OCDP
Phatties

[malletjazz]

Tempus

[FuNkaDruMmer]

GMS
Yamaha
Tama

....In that order

[manudrum]

Tama... I'd like to play Pearl's Masterworks... that could change my mind...

[SLIPKNOT1]

Just a question Slip, no offense intended but did you ever think about checking out Pork Pie, C and C or even Truth, or do you not like their drums? I am a huge OCDP fan and i fully intend on buying one when i can afford it, but i am thinking about getting a C and C kit. What do you think?

I tried out Spaun and Pork Pie before i decided on OCDP. Truth did'nt exsist at the time and C&C was not really well known.

C&C had a booth right next to Pearl at the NAMM show last January so i spent a good deal of time there. His quality seems really nice. I was not able to really try any of their stuff or examine it carefully so i cannot say with any certainty whether it sounds really nice. But based on what i have heard from those who have, i can't imagine you going wrong trying them.

Another new company whos work i have seen and its really nice is Smith Drums.

Truth on the other hand i would never touch. More for personal reasons then anything else. I would rather not get into on the forum but if you are seriously considering one of their kits, PM me.

[jack_ELX]

i gotta say pearl :) was never very good with peer pressure ;)

[yourpointis]

If i had to pic just for the drums (not hardware, pedals) id say Pearl: custom series like masterworks and various other affordable lines.

[giantmink]

You know, I have to agree with Slip on most of those. DW's are not what they are hyped up to be in my opion. Conaway, I would only buy the snares. I played Pearl for a long time but I was not impressed with how well the hardware held up. Every small piece imaginable broke on the snares. Finally my lugs on my Free Floater stopped breaking and now I use it as my main. But I recently switched to Yamaha (In My Signature). I looked at Tama's and really wanted a Starclassic Birch but my manager told me we were blowing this Yamaha kit out. For just a ridiculous price (I mean nutty, less than a grand easily). Nobody wanted it because of the 16x22 Bass drum and the kit was pretty expensive to begin with. So I bought the Yamaha. Honestly, I would have paid full price for it. The finish is literally, impeccable goes beyond a black sparkle lacquer. The toms have a great range and the hardware is attractive and durable. I think with Yamaha you really get what you pay for. The customer service is damn great, and the kit itself has many small nuances that other top of the line kits don't have. Hell, for a 14" Birch snare, the thing has "pop" to it. I am buying a 17x20 Bass (unless someone has one they want to sell/trade me) and getting an 8" Octoban made as well. I suggest Yamaha to anyone who looks at the high-end drums as not having any character, that is what i thought but I was really, really, wrong. Sorry... not trying to advertise.

[technik]

DW, I love the finish. And also Dunnet metal snares

[SpugIsGod]

i used a be a hardcore Pearl fan, but I bought an Ayotte snare a back in '99 and wanted a kit ever since. So now my taste has switched to Ayotte.

How true!

Ayotte would be the flagship of drums in general. Is there any kit that can beat the sound of an ayotte? No! (IMO) They have the best snares ever. The wood hoops do more than you know for a unique fat low tom sound. Bass drums roar because of custom shell depth options. That keplinger is a work of art too,certainly the best snare ever made. Play one and you pearl freaks will finally hear me out.

Peace

[SpugIsGod]

You know, I have to agree with Slip on most of those. DW's are not what they are hyped up to be in my opion. Conaway, I would only buy the snares. I played Pearl for a long time but I was not impressed with how well the hardware held up. Every small piece imaginable broke on the snares. Finally my lugs on my Free Floater stopped breaking and now I use it as my main. But I recently switched to Yamaha (In My Signature). I looked at Tama's and really wanted a Starclassic Birch but my manager told me we were blowing this Yamaha kit out. For just a ridiculous price (I mean nutty, less than a grand easily). Nobody wanted it because of the 16x22 Bass drum and the kit was pretty expensive to begin with. So I bought the Yamaha. Honestly, I would have paid full price for it. The finish is literally, impeccable goes beyond a black sparkle lacquer. The toms have a great range and the hardware is attractive and durable. I think with Yamaha you really get what you pay for. The customer service is damn great, and the kit itself has many small nuances that other top of the line kits don't have. Hell, for a 14" Birch snare, the thing has "pop" to it. I am buying a 17x20 Bass (unless someone has one they want to sell/trade me) and getting an 8" Octoban made as well. I suggest Yamaha to anyone who looks at the high-end drums as not having any character, that is what i thought but I was really, really, wrong. Sorry... not trying to advertise.

Preach it. Yamahas rule,end of story.

Don't believe me? Listen to any recent hoobastank (any song off the reason) and you will see that yamaha is truly one of the best (2nd best imo,gotta love ayotte)