for 1000 bucks i think any of the top brands will afford you a great sound. my next kit im opting for the PDP M5. 600 bucks!
I'm getting ready to start looking for another drum set. All I feel I need at this point is an upgrade on my kick & toms. My current shells are 100% birch. North American Rock Maple shells would be nice, but that may be above my price point. I'll be looking for new unless I find a used kit that has been pampered. I'm not decided on what I will be willing to pay at this point, which may depend on how much I could get for my kit. Let's say $1000US. Any shell packs out there in that price range that sound pro?
for 1000 bucks i think any of the top brands will afford you a great sound. my next kit im opting for the PDP M5. 600 bucks!
areFish, if you are looking for an affordable maple kit, check out the Gretsch Catalina series - which I can personally recommend, or the Mapex Meridian series. That's not to say that there aren't other worthy kits. It's just that these 2 kits would be high on my own list.
Quoting gonefishin: Just have some bacon with ya when you go pick her up..........youre an instant chick magnet.
For coupons and specials, join the Drum Bum mailing list.
Buy Gifts for Drummers. And don't miss the free Drum Lessons!
I recently picked up the pdp m5, I personally recomend it. Maple for $600US is a steal in my book
Judging by the fact that you kept your unboxing video in your signature, i'm guessing you still have a lot of justifiable attachment to your stage customs. Are you sure it's what you really want?
ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
Snares: 4
RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
Forum Rules
DrumBum
No metronome?
The Rudiments
Hi areFish...
Concurring with PB's post about the Cat Maples. I have owned them and they are a very nice kit! If you are looking for N American maple, all I can say is I am LOVING my Sonor Force 3007. Those have been discontinued recently but you can still find stock at good prices (Dales Drum Shop is great BTW). The new series that replaced it is called "Select" I believe. Looks like only new lugs and finishes. The shell composition is 2/3 N American maple and 1/3 Asian maple. The finish is very high quality and I constantly get complements on the looks and sound.
Good luck and as always, post pics when/if you get a new kit!!
Some good suggestions so far. I hadn't even thought of Sonor yet.
Russ, I'm not sure I want to get rid of the Yammies, but I don't have the room to be a collector either.
I've been reading on-line reviews on the DW Performance Series. They are above my current pay grade, but look to be worth saving up for.
Last edited by areFish; 06-22-2011 at 08:27 PM.
If you really want to have North American maple then I think the Sonors might be the only option in that price range new. If you're willing to look at used kits, you'll probably be able to find a set of almost-new Gretsch Renowns for about that price.
Matt
The 3007's aren't the maple you have in mind when you think north american shells, not completely anyway. The 3007's are quite a unique and interesting shell, and perhaps this is what gives them an original voice you can't find elsewhere. They actually combine canadian and chinese maple together in varying ply counts depending on which drum it is. On a bass drum you would find 3canadian/3chinese/3canadian for a 9 ply at 7.2mm thick, and for snare/toms they use 2canadian/3chinese/2canadian for a 7 ply at 5.8mm thick. Awesome kit though, never heard one that sounded bad. Sonor makes great products, even if these are done at Chinese factories instead of their German ones where they handle the upper level sets, it's still a beast.
ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
Snares: 4
RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
Forum Rules
DrumBum
No metronome?
The Rudiments
I'm a bit biased but I can't say enough good things about the PDP X7 kits. They sound fantastic.
Seriously...
Get a set of SONOR 3007's. They are maple and you will love the way they sound. Plus, they have some awesome finishes.
Signature here
Guitar Center - used - is my next plan. I found Collectors DW's for the price of DW Performance, and DW Performance for the price of PDP's.
If you can find some PDP Platinums that would be your best bet. The platinums are practically the same as the dw performance series, but cheaper and discontinued. If you could find a set from an online retailer, or from a store that still has a set or two around, you could get a great set for a great price. Other than that, you'll be hard pressed to find 100% north american rock maple (gotta love marketing hype) shells for under 1k. Otherwise, check out guitar center's used website. You can search their entire database for whichever kit you like, and then you could even have it shipped to your store or house if you want. There are some great kits out there that have been treated well that are now used.
Gretsch - Tama - Pearl - Sabian - Zildjian - Stagg - Evans - Vater - Gibraltar
right now, item 106582632, PDP Platinum 4 shell pack is $699 at GC. South Carolina, and their shipping is dirt cheap. we shipped a 60lb PA setup from vegas for $6. (and got it for 1/2 price, cause it was used, still got to add the 2 year warranty, and got a $100 coupon on it!)
in all honesty, what is the biggest difference? do the PDP platinums have the interlaced weaved maple like the DW's? how many ply are they? good hardware? just wondering cause I could afford PDP platinums asap. but waiting on DW performance (new) or Collectors (used) which will take a while.
I don't know about the interleaving of the Plat shells, but I have heard them and man... unbelievable!!! Had I been able to find the finish and configuration I was looking for when I purchased my kit, I would have jumped on them... I really love my 3007's too but what led me to the Sonors is that I couldn't find the exact Platinums I wanted.
As much as I love DW, I am still not convinced about the Performance series floor toms... The kick and rack toms sound amazing. But every instance I have heard the floor toms, they sound real plastic-ie and slappy (if those are words). If I had to make a decision RIGHT NOW, based on MY personal information, I would probably choose Plats over Performance. But I am wishful that some Performance owners on this site would prove me wrong about the floor toms.
actually the floor toms I have always felt left a little to be desired too, but I assumed it was because the heads were out of tune. perhaps that is why they are always tuned so loose at GC, to kill the res? but the FAST toms man they are AWESOME
Jesse
1986 Tama Crestar - Lacquered Piano White
2016 Roland TD-25K
2015 Tama Starclassic B/B - Indigo Blue Sparkle
While I would say the Renowns are easily the best sounding drums I own.... If I were looking for a NEW shell pack in the 1k price range I 'd be checking out a Yamaha Tour Custom.
TC's are nice drums Dave, I agree. But having had both in the last year (the Renowns replacing the TC's) I would lean towards used Renowns over the TC's.
Jesse
1986 Tama Crestar - Lacquered Piano White
2016 Roland TD-25K
2015 Tama Starclassic B/B - Indigo Blue Sparkle
Assuming you find a used kit, the Yamaha Maple Custom Absolutes are very nice. I'm quite happy with my new Ludwig Classic Maples, which new ran me $1600ish off the top of my head for a 12-14-22 shell pack. Definately keep an ear to the ground for the used deals!
A simple, elegant design is good engineering.
Axis | Ayotte | Evans | Gibraltar | Ludwig | Pro-Mark | Remo | Roc-N-Soc | SKB | Taye | Vic Firth | Whitney| Yamaha | Zildjian
I constantly watch Stockton Craigslist, as well as Sac and Modesto. Being as I am between both, its about the same amount of drive either way. Occasionally I see things posted in your desired range.
is it going to be much of an upgrade with only 1k to play with?
i think you have a sweet kit all ready
Bookmarks