Elessar
09-23-2017, 12:28 PM
Hey! I mostly lurk here, but thought I'd post a Decade Maple review for others who might be considering this kit.
To start, I normally play a 6-piece kit from another brand. I love it, but it's somewhat of a hassle to move, and I'm not getting any younger. For the past three years, I've owned a small late 90s Pearl Masters Studio Birch kit as a gigging set. No problems with it as such, but it was HEAVY and I never particularly bonded with the toms. You know how some particular drums sound good only at a specific pitch? I couldn't get the Masters toms to tune to intervals that I particularly liked. They were all too close together.
But enough of the past.
I wanted to purchase just 12", 14", and 20" Decade Maple drums as my gigging kit. However, I found that purchasing the individual drums was something like $25 less expensive than purchasing the 10/12/14/20 shell pack (which also comes with a snare!). Couldn't resist that. I chose Solid Yellow, because who doesn't love Tony Williams? Yes, I know these aren't the sizes he played in his famous Gretsch kit, but they're what I need.
To begin with, I'll say that the whole kit is packaged very conscientiously, with little margin for damage. No over- or under-packaging at all. Mine arrived in perfect shape. There are very small issues with the finish--a couple of the drums have seams that remind me of my first Pearl kit (an '87 MLX). They're not horrendous, but not the smoothest thing I've ever seen. There are one or two SMALL finish imperfections on the drums, and a couple of small cosmetic issues on the metal hoops. My bass drum batter hoop is a slightly different yellow than the rest of the kit. (I've been in touch with Customer Service at the vendor where I ordered these, and hope they can take care of me.) Still, I've never seen a painted finish on a kit in this price range that is applied so well.
I mention these things not to be a nitpicky stick in the mud, but because I know that everyone wants to understand what kind of quality they're getting. Well, let me tell you: it's spectacular!
As a disclaimer, I must say that I haven't used the snare, so this review doesn't cover that part of the kit. I have a couple of old favorites, so I'm going to sell this one even though it matches the kit. I simply don't need any more drums.
The Decade Maple toms are full and resonant, and I love the single-ply heads. That's what I always use, anyhow. I'm probably going to try some Remo CS black dot heads on the kit, because again, who doesn't like Tony Williams? Not problems at all tuning the 6-lug floor tom. (In fact, the whole kit is simple to tune. Bearing edges are true, and every single one of the drums tunes easily.) This 14" floor is deep and resonant without being flappy. The pitches on these drums are gorgeous, and if I had more, I think I could go full-on Terry Bozzio and get a whole melodic scale going.
The Decade Maple bass drum is the best 20" drum I've ever heard or played... and I've owned 10-12 kits (from vintage to modern products) with 20" bass drums. This thing is punchy, FAT, and has a beautiful note. I may not even swap out the batter head on that. I'm not using the pillow, as I PS3 heads are all I put on my bass drum. My resonant head is one that my son painted for me when he was almost 2. It's just a Ludwig-branded coated Ambassador with no PS3 style ring, and it helps add to the breathy fullness of the bass. Plus, it looks stunning with the Solid Yellow finish.
One of the best aspects of all is how lightweight these shells are. They're not cheap or flimsy, mind you, but they won't break your back OR your bank. If you've been thinking about investing in one of these sets, they're clear winners.
To start, I normally play a 6-piece kit from another brand. I love it, but it's somewhat of a hassle to move, and I'm not getting any younger. For the past three years, I've owned a small late 90s Pearl Masters Studio Birch kit as a gigging set. No problems with it as such, but it was HEAVY and I never particularly bonded with the toms. You know how some particular drums sound good only at a specific pitch? I couldn't get the Masters toms to tune to intervals that I particularly liked. They were all too close together.
But enough of the past.
I wanted to purchase just 12", 14", and 20" Decade Maple drums as my gigging kit. However, I found that purchasing the individual drums was something like $25 less expensive than purchasing the 10/12/14/20 shell pack (which also comes with a snare!). Couldn't resist that. I chose Solid Yellow, because who doesn't love Tony Williams? Yes, I know these aren't the sizes he played in his famous Gretsch kit, but they're what I need.
To begin with, I'll say that the whole kit is packaged very conscientiously, with little margin for damage. No over- or under-packaging at all. Mine arrived in perfect shape. There are very small issues with the finish--a couple of the drums have seams that remind me of my first Pearl kit (an '87 MLX). They're not horrendous, but not the smoothest thing I've ever seen. There are one or two SMALL finish imperfections on the drums, and a couple of small cosmetic issues on the metal hoops. My bass drum batter hoop is a slightly different yellow than the rest of the kit. (I've been in touch with Customer Service at the vendor where I ordered these, and hope they can take care of me.) Still, I've never seen a painted finish on a kit in this price range that is applied so well.
I mention these things not to be a nitpicky stick in the mud, but because I know that everyone wants to understand what kind of quality they're getting. Well, let me tell you: it's spectacular!
As a disclaimer, I must say that I haven't used the snare, so this review doesn't cover that part of the kit. I have a couple of old favorites, so I'm going to sell this one even though it matches the kit. I simply don't need any more drums.
The Decade Maple toms are full and resonant, and I love the single-ply heads. That's what I always use, anyhow. I'm probably going to try some Remo CS black dot heads on the kit, because again, who doesn't like Tony Williams? Not problems at all tuning the 6-lug floor tom. (In fact, the whole kit is simple to tune. Bearing edges are true, and every single one of the drums tunes easily.) This 14" floor is deep and resonant without being flappy. The pitches on these drums are gorgeous, and if I had more, I think I could go full-on Terry Bozzio and get a whole melodic scale going.
The Decade Maple bass drum is the best 20" drum I've ever heard or played... and I've owned 10-12 kits (from vintage to modern products) with 20" bass drums. This thing is punchy, FAT, and has a beautiful note. I may not even swap out the batter head on that. I'm not using the pillow, as I PS3 heads are all I put on my bass drum. My resonant head is one that my son painted for me when he was almost 2. It's just a Ludwig-branded coated Ambassador with no PS3 style ring, and it helps add to the breathy fullness of the bass. Plus, it looks stunning with the Solid Yellow finish.
One of the best aspects of all is how lightweight these shells are. They're not cheap or flimsy, mind you, but they won't break your back OR your bank. If you've been thinking about investing in one of these sets, they're clear winners.