After a week, I finally got a chance to take my new PDP's out of the cases and mess around with them for an hour or so. I have yet to actually "tune" them properly and play them, but here's my initial assessment;
FINISH-
Can't complain. The lacquerd fade finish is phenominal. I'm not a fan of fades, but this natural/charcoal fade appeals to me. Really, it was the only Concept finish I like. PDP does not show this finish on their website for Concept Maples...only Birch. I read that this fade on Maples was exclusive to GC, MF and few other outlets.
HARDWARE-
I'm honestly a little disappointed. The quality of the chrome is obviously cheap. There are numerous places on the hoops, lugs and FT legs where the plating is very thin & rough. The quality of some (not all) of the metal castings, wing nuts, etc. feels like cheap Chinese "pot metal". I anticipate some stripped threads in the future. Definitely not up to true DW standards. I'm OK with it however. I paid $599 for the 5pc Kit. They had to cut cost somewhere. The quality of the shells will justify upgrading/replacing hardware if needed.
SOUND-
Definitely the "icing on the cake". Hard to believe $600 drums can sound like this!
The bass drum is with doubt the most incredible I have ever heard or played. Perfect blend of power, punch and earth shaking resonance. I doubt I will ever install the supplied pillow, since I see no need to mic the bass for the type of gigs we play. The snare is fantastic. As is, it has a fair amount of ring to it. But.....add a half piece of Moongel, and it's studio quality. The toms are wonderful as well. The 10" is a touch drier than the 12" (probably due to size). The Tru-pitch rods are great. Even with factory heads (clear Ambos), I was able to get the set dialed in for a great sound in about 15 minutes. I can't wait to spend some time on it and install new batter heads. I have no doubt this will be an awesome sounding kit. With a few upgrades, it should be on par with the best of them.....at a fraction of the investment.
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