Thoughts on SJC drums?

[gatecrasher48]

Hey all! I was wondering if anybody has had any experience buying or playing SJC drums. My band recently played at Collegefest in Boston, and SJC sponsored the event and provided the kit for all the bands to use. The kit sounded amazing, but I don't know if that was just a really tuned-up kit or what. I'm interested in their Series V and Series IV kits, which have all maple shells (6 ply, 8 ply for the kick), regular hoops (not die cast), and wrapped finishes. They come with new Evan's heads and have a retail price of $1350. Does this seem like a fair price for what I'm getting?

[Russ]

There's nothing special about them aside from a few unique parts such as butcher hoops and a few original finishes. Shells are the same as any other diy site provides, but they charge more for labor. 1350 is a high price for a wrapped kit, but a good deal for SJC's as they run very high.

[xsabers]

Never played them so I have no personal opinion. The Series V are not wrapped, but are hand stained finishes. Sounds like a heckuva deal though for semi-custom, hand made in the USA drums.

[hardrockalternative]

SJC does make very flashy kits. They sound good as well. If you're looking into something custom but not COMPLETELY custom Shine has a production line called Select Maple which would give you more drums for less cost than a series from SJC.



Also, you can hear the drums on youtube. I can't find you a link because youtube is blocked on my school internet. But if you search Select Maple you'll probably find it.

The standard set-up is 3 toms, kick, and snare for 1.2k direct from them or from another retailer for less than that or around that with free cases.

If you want to know anything about that vein of custom drum companies (SJC, Truth, Shine, TMD, OCDP, Crush, Risen) let me know.

[MrB]

I live in MA and have contacted SJC about building my next kit. They have been very positive and can-do in their communications with me.

I've had much more extensive dealings with Ayotte, and some dealings with DW and Noble & Cooley. One key piece of missing information is the number of drums in the kit. I think the Series drums offhand usually are two toms and a kick. A comparable Ludwig Classic Maple set can run around $1400 new, but you can scoop up a deal for $800 or so for a used set- and then add new heads.

It really only makes sense to go the custom route if you simply cannot find or piece together what you want from what's available on the market. Six ply toms and 8 ply bass are fairly standard across the industry, with some people opting for the middle (7 plies), or for thicker (8 for toms, 10 for bass).

I really like SJC because I feel they can do what I want using readily available parts that would be easy to replace if need be. They are also local, and I want to support the local economy. But for the sake of comparison, if you could talk Ayotte into doing a wrapped 3pc kit, it would run between $3-$4K.

You've also correctly identified that the tuning may greatly account for the sound quality. The biggest misgiving I have about the company is that a lot of the staff appears to be under 30, and thus be less experienced in their craft than the competition. I'm interested to see how their early kits have held up over the years.

[gatecrasher48]

Interesting. I didn't realize there were so many custom companies. The series V kits actually do use a wrap, which is misleading considering how they describe the satin stain finish on the website. Still, everybody I talk to about SJC says that they're very high quality drums.

Also, they cited a 4-5 month turnaround time, does that seem extra long?

[gatecrasher48]

also, they told me it would be a 4-5 month turnaround time. does that seem out of the ordinary to anyone?

[Russ]

Why would it take almost half a year for a wrapped finish drum? You could make the same thing in 3 weeks for less money.

[Mr. Tama]

SJC makes awesome sounding drums. They use Keller shells and are great guys. My friend was endorsed by them for the longest time until he switched to Truth (one of the best custom drum companies on the market IMO). However, they are very pricey, but if you want something made exactly to your preferences, go for it. I still like Truth more for their approach on faith and their overall product. Less flashy, more classy.