Gretsch not to many people look into thier higher end stuff (renowns and above), mapex, taye.
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Gretsch not to many people look into thier higher end stuff (renowns and above), mapex, taye.
Fibes is another ... they went from using Jasper-made shells to making their own, using the same specs as Jasper.Quote:
Originally Posted by MIND_DRUMMER
Yamaha and Mapex
Richy Castillero Drums from Cuba! They make very high-quality drums which cost less than the big names (i.e. Pearl, Yamaha) and sound just as good, if not better. For instance my RC Mahagony Series III kit cost about $600 with hardware and no cymbals, and I chose it over a Yamaha Stage Custom and a Pearl Export, which both cost around $1000 (remember I live in Guatemala). Although the shells are Luan, they still sounded much better to me than those two kits. I never once regret having bought my RC and not a Stage Custom, which I would have clearly chosen over an Export. It's not just kits, but also snare drums. I had about $250 in my hand and I was looking for a new snare drum. After trying out the Pearl 13X3 steel and maple piccolos and a Pearl 14X6.5 brass sensitone (the last generation model), I came across some 14X5.5 RC snare drums which came in Birch, Maple and Mahagony. After trying out all three, I was convinced that the Maple snare sounded best, and I bought it for $190, whereas all the Pearl snares would have cost me well over $200 and not sounded as good or sported the same features. And what did I get for my $190? 7-plies of Maple with die-cast hoops, 10 tube lugs and a beautiful bordeaux red stain laquer finish. See for yourselves:
as some prat just said this about us in the show your kits section.. im going to say Highwood
"gosh, there are waaaaaay too many custom drum companies out there! why does everyone with some maple and a lathe think they can start their own drum company? "highwood" probably gets their shells from the same place as every other company, the only thing making them special is probably some slightly different finish choices. ugh!"
im sick of people (mainly guys in the USA, sorry chaps) lumping us in with the Keller builders... there is nothing wrong with kellers but we have genuinly been doing something different for 2 years making ply shells out of other & exotic woods in order to give the clients true cutsom options YET as soon as i post a picture of a drum i get
"ohh its just a keller shell with a finish on it"
"another drum company doing the same as the rest"
etc etc etc arghhhhhhhh!!!!! they dont even look at them or reaserch who we are & what we do.
find me a keller builder who can offer ply shells in the woods we do... i ****ing dare you!!!
p.s im sorry for the rant :p
My genuine answer to this would be Taye.
they dont get as much exposure as they deserve, esp in Europe, i think companies like Gretsch & ludwig produce mainly crap now its nothing different, Mapex are drowning the UK with drums & marketing, Sonor are not as appreciated as they should be & premier are actually making decent drums again but are still run by morons.
Gareth
i think there is a difference between "loved by all" and underated. just because there is an elite group that would prefer something other than the mainstream. that is like saying Pearl Jam is underated because all the indie rockers don't like them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bierce85
Actually, when you consider their quality vs their popularity I believe they are EXTREMELY underratedQuote:
Sonors really arent underrated. Whenever they're actually talked about you rarely hear anything but rave reviews. Some call them too pricey and/or overengineered, but that's about it.
Premier...
he may have, but i know of him to play Ludwig.Quote:
Originally Posted by korch
i'm gonna go with Ludwig. their entry level drumsets sound amazing. my middle school had one and it was the first drumset i ever played, so i guess i started out not really knowing how good it sounded till i went back a couple years ago and played on it. i was really impressed.
yay, rep! don't forget Tempus, they make their own shells in-house, and phattie is making some of their own shells in their video. not all "keller" builders are created equal.Quote:
Originally Posted by MIND_DRUMMER
Check out Modern Drummer w/ John Riley of Rascal Flatts playing Ludwig....still great drums, but Im biased...http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1.../ludwig021.jpg
Taye, Mapex and RMV get my vote for various reasons..even though Mapex has been climbing the popularity ladder pretty fast recently.
Thank's ! I forgot Tempus just as Fibes :)Quote:
Originally Posted by drummaman1975
RMV, Premier, GMS, Pork Pie... all have ridiculous sounding pro lines.
I'm gonna toss another old name into the ring: Slingerland!
After years of non-existence, years of sub-par production, they finally seem to have gotten their act back together, and are producing some good looking and sounding kits.
My second vote would be to Gretsch.....
Very Cool!! Somehow that set looks like it's from Cuba. I like it! Much class right there.Quote:
Originally Posted by thismercifulfate
That is funny because my first impression of Mapex with their logo was not good either. I thought Gregg Bissonette was getting paid a lot of money to play this no-name brand.Quote:
Originally Posted by steviethunders
Now I understand their shells are some of the best out there. I would have considered buying Mapex but they had 3 strikes:
1) I still don't like the logo
2) I wanted high end Birch and I couldn't find that Mapex made one
3) I didn't like any of the finishes they offer (boring solid blue fits me)
First impressions don't mean anything with any given company. Judging a lower class kit to sound better than a high class kit is a little rediculous. It's not entirely impossible, but tuning, head selection...All make a factor in the sound.
I'd say gretsch doesn't get enough attention. I've tried several of their kits, all sounded similiar, and great. And mid-lower end tama's aren't horrible.
And Mapex is vastly underated too.
pearl i think is overpriced, compared to say, tama. the cheapo pearl sets are made of what? the website doesn't say. the less cheap export is poplar? eww. i've use junky laminate (basswood,lauan,whatever) tamas and was amazed by the sound. ludwig also has real woods in the $5-600 range, i have birch. fit and finish is not amazing, but it is birch and lacquer for about $100 per drum. also, peace has surprised me at least once, with that hammered steel snare, haven't spent too much time on a kit though. oh almost forgot pacific, cheap, maple, and you can get one of the wrapped snares used at stores for like $70-80.
Word. I've heard many say (and I agree) Yamaha high end drums virtually ALWAYS sound amazing (unless they've been neglected). I had to order Yamaha after paying attention to my ears and reading a few posts on here - people saying "I've heard and played many ...Yamaha Absolutes are the best sounding drums I've ever heard". Yes sound quality is subjective, you'll never get everyone to agree - but to my ears the Yammies sound right.Quote:
Originally Posted by erion_929
what do you guys think of dw. a lot of drummers play with dw drums now like matt sorum and neil peart.
i would say taye for sure. i guess they aren't selling well, but i would've never known had someone not told me. my drum teacher has a tour pro and it sounds top notch. i'm getting one too because i liked it so much and guess how much it cost. $850!!! everybody buy tayes, they are the best bang for your buck ever.
If you're gonna say that pearl is overpriced, please don't compare it to Tama, it's not that big of a difference.Quote:
Originally Posted by microkit
if anything they're a bit overrated. a while ago they used to be at the front of the industry and their high price was justified in that, but now they're really not that special and too expensive in my opinion.Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovehightensiondrums
and i don't think Pearl is underrated. lots of people do assume that pearl isn't that great because there are so many of them but a lot of the people like guitarists that i have talked to will be like "oh you got a pearl? (this is when i had my forum) man thats an awesome drumset." new drummers are going to feel that way too. as for experienced drummers, well, if you stay away from a brand because lots of people think they're good or because they're everywhere then you shouldn't be thinking of yourself as experienced.
I think they are highly OVERrated...Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovehightensiondrums
Famous people playing a certain brand doesn't mean a thing to me to be honest. Even if it's my favorite drummer. And also the most expensive or most popular brand doesn't make it the best-soundind for YOU. I've read many threads about people being largely dissapointed by DW and finding much cheaper high-end kits to sound much better and sport better features. And I find their pricing unjustified. It's mostly the whole "made in the USA" hype, not only with their drums, but also with their hardware.
But that's just my view on them. Many drummers swear by DW and are happiest with them.
I'd also like to add that I think Sonor is highly underrated, especially in the USA. I believe they make the best looking and best sounding kits in the world, having tried out kits from most of their series. I have yet to see a company which puts more attention to details on their drums and hardware than them. I believe their Force 2005/3005 take the crown in the field of intermediate-level kits. You get so much drum for your money. Their high-end kits may cost a pretty penny, but just a few 100 more than some big names and for instance the S-Class PRO kits are even cheaper than many of the high-end kits of the big names (for instance a Pearl Referance). And their Delite and SQ2 kits can be had for less than the ridiculously-priced DW and big-name custom companies (think OCDP) and Masterworks. And I have heard many of these wonderful and pricey kits and I still think the Sonors sound far better. Many people haven't ever tried Sonor because they aren't as available as brands such as Pearl and Tama. They are missing out IMO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovehightensiondrums
Does it really matter what a bunch of guys on a board think ?
I would take much more stock in all the first call DW studio kits and touring kits that have flooded the industry the last 10 years or so...
There is obviously a reason why the majority of producers/production facilities and touring staff use/request them...
rmv
I dont consider lack of popularity to equal underrated. I consider poor reviews/word of mouth about a good product underrated.Quote:
Originally Posted by Damo
GMS is another custom company that's climbing up in popularity- I've only heard them on record (namely Fates Warning albums), but they've always sounded great!
I've never really been too fond of Mapex, basically just the look of the logo turns me off, as well as the look of the drums doesn't look appealing to me.
I believe Sonor as well, I hardly ever see them but they are great drums for a great price, right on track with Pearl.
GMS has always been respected among those in the know.Quote:
Originally Posted by willyz
i think there is a difference between popularity and being underrated.
un·der·rate Audio pronunciation of "underrated" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (ndr-rt)
tr.v. un·der·rat·ed, un·der·rat·ing, un·der·rates
To rate too low; underestimate.
no one i know ever doubted they make an amazing product.
i was just curious what you guys thought of dw because i've never played on a dw kit and i noticed that a lot of drummers use them. i didn't know if they were as good as everyone thought or not. i've been wanting to try out a dw kit for awhile to see for myself.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hit 'Em Hard
Quote:
Originally Posted by thismercifulfate
I agree 100%.
Quote:
Originally Posted by korch
Also Feck Campaign said he's known him to play Ludwig.
Funny story: My g/f had met Blotz & his g/f the night before & hung out. So the next night she was going out with them again so I figured since I'd probably being meeting him too,I'm the drummer here so we could maybe talk drums,gear & what not. I thought I'd do a little research & see what kind of drums he played. I looked online & to see if he had any endorsements. All I could find was just his cymbal & drumstick endorsements. Finally I found something that mentioned his contract with Ludwig. So I thought I could talk to him about that. Well,sure enough I run into him that night at a bar. So just to start the conversation I said,"So are you still endorsed by Ludwig?"
He says,"I've never played Ludwig,I've always played Yamaha...."
I was like :|
lol... I got owned by the Blotz.
I would say premier. I play gen-x's and I think they are absolutly amazing, but not a lot of people play them anymore. I would also like to add DDRUM. I have played a couple of their kits and they are awesome....... but they could be underrated because they are new also.
It's gotta be peace!
mapex is kinda underrated, and a lot of other brands like ludwig and gretsch.
Quote:
Originally Posted by willyz
I agree and disagree. Ludwig did this to themselves. They got too big and cocky and their product went down the drain. I don't know if they are back from where they were back in the 70's.