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I was a long-time Reference player but, today, I picked up my new Reference Pure shell pack in the same sizes as my old References (10", 12", 16", 22"). I'm playing these with the same cymbal and snare setup (Ludwig chrome-over-brass Supraphonic and Zildjian A Armand assortment).
My opinions are just based on setup, tuning, and playing in my practice space. No gigs yet (obviously). Also, my comparison is from the memory of my Reference kit -- it's not here anymore, so I can't do a strict A:B comparison.
Here are my impressions on the first day:
Workmanship -- Workmanship on the two series appears to be equivalent. Beautiful finishes. Excellent shell and edge work.
Weight -- There is clearly a HUGE weight difference between the two kits. The bass drum and floor tom of the Reference are markedly heavier than the Pure's. Loading, transporting and setting up the Pures is noticeably easier. I know the website says the Pures are 30% lighter, but it feels more like 50%+. (This is the main reason I made the change.)
Appearance -- Two things hit me about the Pures. First, the tube lugs look a little beefy/swollen -- especially next to standard tube lugs. They are already growing on me, but they are not low-mass lugs. The brass screw heads are a nice, subtle accent. Second, the vent holes are located nearer the reso side of the drums than the batter side. This looks a little odd, at first, but if there's a good functional reason for it, why not? It is something I won't notice a week from now. With both Reference lugs, let's face it . . . it's not about beauty or art or low-mass. It's about function. And both lugs function really, really well.
Tuning -- Ease of tuning is pretty much the same between the two series. My impression, though, is that it is easier to get an acceptable tone / head rebound balance on the 16" Pure floor tom. It's early, but to this point I am more pleased with the Reference Pure 16" floor tom than with any 16" I have ever played. It is up there with an ancient 14" mahogany Gretsch floor tom which, to this point, has been my all-time favorite floor. For me, the tone / head rebound balance is hardest to get right on a floor tom. This one is right. (I always found the Reference 16" to get a little "flappy" sounding if I didn't tune it often.) It was also very, very easy to get a satisfying note / tone out of the Pure bass drum.
Tone / sound -- This one is hard to quantify, but the Reference Pures feel more "alive" than the Reference to me. Is it the thinner shells? Maybe it is. But, by comparison, the Reference bass drum and floor toms seem to ask for a harder stroke to get the same action out of the drum. Also, there seems to be a bigger difference between the 10" and 12" hanging toms with the Pures. I don't know why this would be -- again the shells? But it made a difference in how I tuned them up. The 10" wants to sing high notes. I don't have a tension watch, but I suspect I'm tuning the 10" looser than the 12" to get them to play well together.
The Reference series drums seem to be more "felt" to me. The Reference Pures are more "heard." I don't know a better way to describe it. The Pures really do sound better in the near field. (For close mic'ing or for hobbyists who only play inside their practice room, the choice is clear -- Pure, all the way.)
Bottom line? Both Reference and Reference Pure are great-sounding kits. If I were playing to a big room without drum mics or outdoors, I would go with the Reference Series. I know they project well enough to balance amplified instruments well up into the decibels. It is extremely difficult to overpower a Reference drum -- hit as hard as you want. The harder you hit it, the better it sounds. If I were recording or mic'ing the kit at a venue (of any size) or playing un-mic'ed in a room of, say 200 or smaller? I would go with the Pures. They respond immediately to a light / medium touch and sound great within a broader dynamic range.
For the music I play, I think I made the right choice. The Pures will save a LOT of work in setup, teardown and load out. They sound "active" with less force put into them. And they will give me more dynamic choices in the live, un-mic'ed venues and drummer-in-a-box venues where I play most of my stuff. If I played metal or vintage punk or outdoors a lot, my decision might be different.
As always, your mileage may vary.
My opinions are just based on setup, tuning, and playing in my practice space. No gigs yet (obviously). Also, my comparison is from the memory of my Reference kit -- it's not here anymore, so I can't do a strict A:B comparison.
Here are my impressions on the first day:
Workmanship -- Workmanship on the two series appears to be equivalent. Beautiful finishes. Excellent shell and edge work.
Weight -- There is clearly a HUGE weight difference between the two kits. The bass drum and floor tom of the Reference are markedly heavier than the Pure's. Loading, transporting and setting up the Pures is noticeably easier. I know the website says the Pures are 30% lighter, but it feels more like 50%+. (This is the main reason I made the change.)
Appearance -- Two things hit me about the Pures. First, the tube lugs look a little beefy/swollen -- especially next to standard tube lugs. They are already growing on me, but they are not low-mass lugs. The brass screw heads are a nice, subtle accent. Second, the vent holes are located nearer the reso side of the drums than the batter side. This looks a little odd, at first, but if there's a good functional reason for it, why not? It is something I won't notice a week from now. With both Reference lugs, let's face it . . . it's not about beauty or art or low-mass. It's about function. And both lugs function really, really well.
Tuning -- Ease of tuning is pretty much the same between the two series. My impression, though, is that it is easier to get an acceptable tone / head rebound balance on the 16" Pure floor tom. It's early, but to this point I am more pleased with the Reference Pure 16" floor tom than with any 16" I have ever played. It is up there with an ancient 14" mahogany Gretsch floor tom which, to this point, has been my all-time favorite floor. For me, the tone / head rebound balance is hardest to get right on a floor tom. This one is right. (I always found the Reference 16" to get a little "flappy" sounding if I didn't tune it often.) It was also very, very easy to get a satisfying note / tone out of the Pure bass drum.
Tone / sound -- This one is hard to quantify, but the Reference Pures feel more "alive" than the Reference to me. Is it the thinner shells? Maybe it is. But, by comparison, the Reference bass drum and floor toms seem to ask for a harder stroke to get the same action out of the drum. Also, there seems to be a bigger difference between the 10" and 12" hanging toms with the Pures. I don't know why this would be -- again the shells? But it made a difference in how I tuned them up. The 10" wants to sing high notes. I don't have a tension watch, but I suspect I'm tuning the 10" looser than the 12" to get them to play well together.
The Reference series drums seem to be more "felt" to me. The Reference Pures are more "heard." I don't know a better way to describe it. The Pures really do sound better in the near field. (For close mic'ing or for hobbyists who only play inside their practice room, the choice is clear -- Pure, all the way.)
Bottom line? Both Reference and Reference Pure are great-sounding kits. If I were playing to a big room without drum mics or outdoors, I would go with the Reference Series. I know they project well enough to balance amplified instruments well up into the decibels. It is extremely difficult to overpower a Reference drum -- hit as hard as you want. The harder you hit it, the better it sounds. If I were recording or mic'ing the kit at a venue (of any size) or playing un-mic'ed in a room of, say 200 or smaller? I would go with the Pures. They respond immediately to a light / medium touch and sound great within a broader dynamic range.
For the music I play, I think I made the right choice. The Pures will save a LOT of work in setup, teardown and load out. They sound "active" with less force put into them. And they will give me more dynamic choices in the live, un-mic'ed venues and drummer-in-a-box venues where I play most of my stuff. If I played metal or vintage punk or outdoors a lot, my decision might be different.
As always, your mileage may vary.
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