Are today's fz's just like the exports?

[nova]

The new FZ is made of Poplar like the last 5 or 6 years of Exports. Is the hardware the same? They have ISS mounts. How bout the hoops and stands? Just curious.

[livingstone]

The new Forums are essentially the same as the old Exports. The forums come with a 700 series hardware pack instead of the old 800 series pack the exports came with. The forums also come with a set of cheap cymbals. The lugs are different and there are few cosmetic differences but overall it adds up to much the same thing as the old exports.

[nova]

Thanx! Just curious. I loved both sets of Exports that I had; and the FZ looks pretty close to the EX!

[pearlygates]

I will NEVER underestimate the power of poplar shells! I just scored an older FX (sans ISS) and these drums RAWK!

[MattKeaton]

If the new hardware is the same as the older hardware, I would comment to say that the chrome appears to be inferior on the FX, compared to the EX/ELX/EXR. There is a tonne of different between the FX and the rest of the Pearl range, in my experience. It looks different to begin with, actually, but it exidises quicker in my experience, too.

[pearlygates]

If the new hardware is the same as the older hardware, I would comment to say that the chrome appears to be inferior on the FX, compared to the EX/ELX/EXR. There is a tonne of different between the FX and the rest of the Pearl range, in my experience. It looks different to begin with, actually, but it exidises quicker in my experience, too.

(Scratching head) I have owned Pearl drums from FX to Masters Custom and I have to say that the chroming on both of my FX kits was just as good.

[MattKeaton]

(Scratching head) I have owned Pearl drums from FX to Masters Custom and I have to say that the chroming on both of my FX kits was just as good.

If I ever make time I'll take some pictures of both and compare. The difference on mine is very easy to see, so even the camera should pick it up.

[pearlygates]

If I ever make time I'll take some pictures of both and compare. The difference on mine is very easy to see, so even the camera should pick it up.

You could have a dud there..

[MattKeaton]

You could have a dud there..

I had this photo from just after I cleaned it all up.
You will see that the chrome on the bass drum tom mount does not reflect like the chrome on the other kits.

I am quite sure you will maintain that I have a dud. However, I have seen many Forum kits. They are all the same.

[barjack]

The Forum hardware is still inferior to every generation of the Export. Forum lugs are thinner material than the comparable Export lug. If you remove an FX lug, you can bend/squish it with your fingers. Similarly, the floor tom leg brackets are a thinner material and are 1.5" c-c verses the Export's 2" c-c constructed of thicker material. It's not uncommon to see FZ floor toms with leg brackets that have bent and bulged out from young/new drummers overtightening. Until last year, FZ used extremely inferior tom bracekts, the direct pressure type where the screw pushes on a plate that butts directly against the tom arm. Those mounts put undue pressure on the threads of the bracket and always blow out before their time. Recenty, the FX moved to modern clamp-style mounts with their ISS brackets, meaning the only Pearl product readily available with horrible direct pressure mounts is the ePro. The 2010 FZ I saw at Guitar Center had wood hoops, too. Very nice!

If the Forum had updated, better floor tom brackets, it would be every bit as good as an Export.

[MattKeaton]

Thank you.
Another note RE the FX... I had the stripped thread issue with the bass drum leg, which is quite funny because I don't actually ever change the position of the legs, I just tighten them when they get loose. Anyway, I took it to a pro metal fabrication workshop to weld it in place. The metal is so soft that they had no way of doing it. I fixed it another way, but eventually I'll just have to use some adhesive product. I actually can't be sure that the other ranges are any better (I certainly don't think that Pearl makes a concerted effort to produce good metals and have been vocal about this before), but there you have it...

[barjack]

The Forum is a few hundred dollars cheaper than the EX/EXR/ELX were. It has the same poplar shells. The only way Pearl's saving $300 is by seriously downgrading the hardware. And downgrade they did. The less-than-shiny bass drum bracket is due to the fact that its very thinly plated. The construction quality difference between Forum and Export/Vision is evident to the eye, even if you aren't versed in many generations of Pearl parts. This doesn't mean FZ/FX is a bad kit, it means the kit is a kit designed to be sold for $500, and one can only put so much money worth of parts into a $500 kit before it needs to be a $700 kit.

[Drumolator]

I will NEVER underestimate the power of poplar shells! I just scored an older FX (sans ISS) and these drums RAWK!

The Export set I recently bought has poplar shells, and I really like how they sound. The other guys in my band like 'em too. Peace and goodwill.

[nova]

Yes; I checked out some FZ's and FX's and the hardware is very inferior to the 800 series hardware the Exports have. It's thinner and doesn't look very rugged at all. The shells are good and they look nice but not like workhorses! lol!