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Thread: My WHOLE KIT review

  1. #1

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    Default My WHOLE KIT review

    Hey all,
    I figured I’ll write a huge review on multiple items. I'll try to get pictures up later, but I don’t have a camera on me right now. My kit contains...

    -Drums, Power beat:
    14x5.5 steel snare drum,
    12x9 Tom,
    13x10 Tom,
    16x16 floor tom,
    22x16 bass drum,
    6", 8" and 10" Roto toms
    And a 4" tama black cowbell.
    -Cymbals, all Paiste:
    Pst5:
    16" medium crash,
    10" splash,
    20" medium ride,
    14" medium hats,
    Alpha:
    16"china
    And stock 'meridian' cymbals.
    -Stock heads, and also an Evans clear 22" Gmad With and a 14" coated genera, 12" 13" and 16" Brixton double ply clear heads.
    -Hardware: PDP402 double pedal, Powerbeat hardware that came with the kit, A DXP Double braced stand, an unknown clamp and boom arm (that even though I don’t know the model of and therefore this can't help, I’ll throw in anyway), a Mapex B323A boom stand.

    The Powerbeat drums are a cheap brand I think made in Finland. The shells are I think 8 ply, though I don’t know what wood exactly is used. They originally came with a disgusting looking blue Wrap which peeled constantly, so I took the wrap off and put varnish over what was then bare wood. The wraps were only glued to the shells in a very small strip.

    -The 14x5.5 snare is, so I’ve heard, essentially a sheet of steel bent into a crude circle. The bearing edges are uneven, and where the steel meets to make the circle, there is about 2 millimeters sticking out of the top, from unevenness. It comes with 6 lugs, which rust pretty quickly. The strainer and butt plate were broken within a year. There was an internal dampener, but it broke within a month and I threw it out pretty quickly, so I’m not really sure what it looked like or anything. Every single stock head on the entire kit was a single ply clear head, and every single hoop was a pretty standard triple flanged hoop.
    My friend, who is a master at tuning (so the school drum teacher Sais) came over and attempted tuning the snare for over 3 hours. After he’d done all he could, the sound was still absolutely horrible. It sounded like hitting a bucket with loose nails on the top, bouncing off it, with seemingly never ending overtones. I looked around on the internet at tuning tips, and spent a long time trying to learn how to tune. After I’d done all I could, still was pretty horrible. I decided to try a new snare head. I ended out choosing the 14" coated Evans genera. I tuned it as well as I could, and experimented with different sized pieces of blue tacky stuff to try to control the overtones. I thought it sounded great, for about a day, because it was such an improvement on the old sound, but I quickly realized that while it was BETTER, it still wasn’t GOOD. Hands down, the worst snare I’ve ever had the misfortune to see. Though I must say, the stock snare head lasted quite some years.

    -The toms are mounted off the bass drum. I’m not sure what it's called, but there are pipes that go into the drum to hold it there. As you may know, this kills a large portion of the resonance and mixed with a low quality shell... not good.
    The stock heads that came with the toms were, as said above, single ply clear heads. The owner of the shop had actually been quite nice and tuned the toms before we picked up the kit... he didn’t get much business and apparently 'was bored'. That shop has since closed down.
    The heads got quite dented quite quickly, due to my very young sister actually stabbing the with the sticks. I had hem for about... a few months before that happened, I can’t quite remember what they sounded like.
    I put up with it for a few years, and then decided to get some new heads. 'Brixton' heads (also a cheap brand from Finland) were the cheapest in the shop, so I got them. I put them on the kit as soon as I got home, and tuned them up before playing them.
    To my amazement, they actually sounded SUPERB. A lot of punch, with a good amount of resonance. This was before I heard a pro kit with good tuning, and I came home and was then again quite upset with the kit again.
    The tube that goes into the shell... on the other end of this tube, it is connected to the tilter. Both of these tubes simply fell out of the tilter, within a week of each other.
    Weirdly, unexplainably, there was a small hole left over. I slid the tube back into the holder at the tilter, and this hole is about the size of a nail, so I put two nails in and they now sit in place again. Though, this coupled with a c***py mounting system now gives me the 'option' to simply move my drums by pushing them. I can move them about 5 inches without loosening any piece of equipment. When playing the bass drum, they often move by themselves.
    Though, the bearing edges are reasonable ok, with but a few problems.
    I would explain the overall sound to be a very hard smack, with average low end.

    -The 16x16 floor tom. The sound isn’t really that bad; it can be tuned quite low and sounds good but doesn’t really respond well with high tuning. The single ply head that came with it was the lucky one to not suffer my sister's brutal stabbing attack, and lasted quite a while. They actually sounded quite good. I did though put a double ply Brixton head on it later, and it sound's awesome. Or sounded awesome... somehow, a small hole was put into the head, near the edge, and the plies have separated. It doesn’t sound so good anymore, but I plan to try to get the air out somehow, maybe with a syringe or something. The floor tom legs are quite sturdy and the rubber feet don’t even have a scratch on them, after all these years. Though, each of the thingy's on the floor tom that holds the legs twist about 10 degrees, which can be quite irritating.

    -The 22x16 bass drum. Don’t really know what to say; to be honest... pretty average bass drum.
    I have 1 pillow in there, and it does have a pretty good sound. The head broke originally, so I had to take it off and put the resonant head on, which is actually an identical head. It started getting dented pretty quickly, so I cut up some of my old tom heads and taped some strips onto the head. It actually sounded really nice and slappy. I eventually got a new Evans Gmad head with AF patches, and I have to thick foam ring around the edge. It sounds amazing. Heaps of punch, heaps of low end... heaps of the good stuff.

    -the roto toms.
    I got them quite recently; I haven’t really played around with them much because I haven’t found a really comfortable place on the kit. I also don’t really have enough experience with roto toms to know what they should sound like, or to compare them. But so far, I like them.



    The cymbals.
    I think we all know about Paiste

    -The 16" medium crash sounds quite nice in quieter situations, but when I’m playing loudly it sounds pretty dead and far too quiet. It is an excellent beginner cymbal though, and depended on what and how you play, could last you for quite a while.

    -The 10" splash is an absolute beauty. Explosively musical, quick sustain. Absolute cracker.

    -The 20" ride. It has a lot of wash, too much wash for my liking, and the bell is really quiet. But it sounds really good to blast on the body. I’m aiming for a 24" rude mega power ride next! :D

    -The 14 hats. Because of my cra**y hat clutch, I have to have it tightened up as much as it'll go, which really kills a lot of the sound. Since I use a double pedal as well, I don’t do a lot of hi-hat work. They sound really nice kind of a creamy chick noise. When I do open hi-hat stuff, it sounds really amazing. Great hats.
    Overall, the pst5 series are excellent entry level cymbals.

    -The 16 Alpha china. I only recently got it played in to a nice level. And I LOVE IT! Really loud and trashy, but a kind of silky trashy sound that’s just awesome.

    The meridian cymbals that same with the kit were paper thin brass pieces of... horribleness. The hats constantly flipped out, the crash flipped out, they started to tear everywhere... I know trash can lids are often used to describe bad cymbals, but these really did sound like trash can lids.



    HARDWARE.
    -My PDP402 double bass pedal was given to me on my birthday, 2009. It has double sided beaters which actually deliver good sounds. Its single chain, which slacks quite often when played at medium speeds. There is no beater angle or footboard height adjustment, you can only change the beater height and spring tension (which comes loose quite often) the beater height stays solid though, it is tightened by two separate bolts. Really bad pedal, overall. I’ve heard from several accounts (and this happened to me) that the beaters hit you in the shins when you are playing, before you get used to the pedal. Pretty heavy pedal. Doesn’t respond very well. I highly recommend against this pedal.

    -The DXP boom stand. It has a long boom arm, which I find handy, that can be stored in the upper section of the stand when use is not required. Double braced. Rock solid, except for one thing, the uppermost tube is horrible quality. You can literally push dents into it. Does the job well, hold my crash and splash with no hints of falling over or anything going wrong. Pretty good stand.

    -The Powerbeat stock Straight stand. Double braced, really thin. No problems, except for the really weird looking tilter being bent. Hold up my ride fine, small legs that don’t take up space. Ugly looking thing but does the job, no problems.

    -The Powerbeat stock pedal... I'm not going to go into detail about this, except to say that it is undoubtedly the worst pedal ever produced. Hands down. My PDP402 may not be great, but it is sure one heck of an upgrade.

    -The Mapex stand. BEEFY! Heck of a stand. Heavy duty. I mount my china on this stand. It’s a heavy thing. Not much to say, except, does everything like a stand should. Absolutely no problems.

    -The clamp and boom arm... don’t know the brand but. They’re alright. They do their job. Hold up my splash just fine
    Sonor - Pearl - Tama - Mapex - Paiste - Sabian - Roc N Soc - Pro Mark - Gibralter - Evans - Dixon - Mapex

  2. #2

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    Default Re: My WHOLE KIT review

    -The hi-hat stand. Really bad stand. Spring is so bad that when I have to cowbell on, it weigh's down the stand so bad that I can use my hats with the stand at the same time. Not good at all.

    Last but not least...
    -Tama 4" black cowbell. LOUD cowbell hurts your ears after playing it for a bit. I have a wristband over mine to try to eliminate some of the really sharp 'clock' noise it makes. Since my hi-hat stand sucks and I have nowhere else to put it, I don’t normally play with it on the kit

    Hope u all liked it
    Sonor - Pearl - Tama - Mapex - Paiste - Sabian - Roc N Soc - Pro Mark - Gibralter - Evans - Dixon - Mapex

  3. #3

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    Default Re: My WHOLE KIT review

    sooo to sum up. stay away from powerbeat, the pdp402, and meridian cymbals. trust me.
    Sonor - Pearl - Tama - Mapex - Paiste - Sabian - Roc N Soc - Pro Mark - Gibralter - Evans - Dixon - Mapex

  4. #4

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    Default Re: My WHOLE KIT review

    Nice review on the downfalls of the so called beginers kits .
    i really feel these kits are made for the kid who says he wants to play plays 4 or 5 times then gives up.
    well mate just think
    when you save up enough coin for a nice 2nd hand mid range kit (hell i had a star classic maple and just broght a superstar and are so happy with it)
    you will love it
    goood on you for working through the years fixing problems when they arise
    MY KIT
    LUDWIG CLASSIC MAPLE SALESMAN
    13, hanging toms,16 ,18 floor toms,24 Kick, 14x5.5 snare,
    CYMBALS
    Paiste 2002 ,22 big beat , 18 med , 18 crash , 16 crash , 18 china , 14 sound edge hats

  5. #5

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    Default Re: My WHOLE KIT review

    Matt, sounds like you are pretty frustrated with your kit, overall. I'm sure that your skills are improving and you yearn for a better kit that is in keeping with your skills. Remember, though, that your current kit was with you through the earliest learning years, and never said a word about the quality of your drumming. Although this might not be your dream kit, always offer it the respect that it deserves for helping you get to where you are now. That, and save, save, save for the upgrade, because you see so clearly the limitations of your current kit.

    Oh, and the floor tom lug moving 10 degrees? It might just be that you need to tighten the bolt that attaches it to the shell.
    Quoting gonefishin: Just have some bacon with ya when you go pick her up..........youre an instant chick magnet.





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  6. #6

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    Default Re: My WHOLE KIT review

    Quote Originally Posted by pastor_bob View Post
    Oh, and the floor tom lug moving 10 degrees? It might just be that you need to tighten the bolt that attaches it to the shell.
    tried that, its just a really bad peice of thingy.
    Sonor - Pearl - Tama - Mapex - Paiste - Sabian - Roc N Soc - Pro Mark - Gibralter - Evans - Dixon - Mapex

  7. #7

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    Default Re: My WHOLE KIT review

    Quote Originally Posted by pastor_bob View Post
    Matt, sounds like you are pretty frustrated with your kit, overall. I'm sure that your skills are improving and you yearn for a better kit that is in keeping with your skills. Remember, though, that your current kit was with you through the earliest learning years, and never said a word about the quality of your drumming. Although this might not be your dream kit, always offer it the respect that it deserves for helping you get to where you are now. That, and save, save, save for the upgrade, because you see so clearly the limitations of your current kit.

    Oh, and the floor tom lug moving 10 degrees? It might just be that you need to tighten the bolt that attaches it to the shell.
    Sage advice.

  8. #8

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    Haha... from Elder Bob.

    Sonor - Pearl - Tama - Mapex - Paiste - Sabian - Roc N Soc - Pro Mark - Gibralter - Evans - Dixon - Mapex

  9. #9

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    Default Re: My WHOLE KIT review

    Quote Originally Posted by eddahenry View Post
    Nice review on the downfalls of the so called beginers kits .
    i really feel these kits are made for the kid who says he wants to play plays 4 or 5 times then gives up.
    well mate just think
    when you save up enough coin for a nice 2nd hand mid range kit (hell i had a star classic maple and just broght a superstar and are so happy with it)
    you will love it
    goood on you for working through the years fixing problems when they arise
    thanks
    Yeah, sounds about right. Pity, iv had it for five years.
    haha yeah, a starclassic maple would be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for me. Id like a superstar, but i think itd be worth saving for a starclassic. im saving towards a starclassic performer
    Sonor - Pearl - Tama - Mapex - Paiste - Sabian - Roc N Soc - Pro Mark - Gibralter - Evans - Dixon - Mapex

  10. #10

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    Default Re: My WHOLE KIT review

    The first kit is always the learning experience and this is where you find out the pros's and con's of a kit. From there you basically learn to what would suit you better in a kit. The second kit will be you and no one to blame cause you should of learned from the first if that makes any sense. Anyway that was a long review and I am sure some will learn something from it. Good luck on you Starclassics performers.

  11. #11
    Larrysperf Guest

    Default Re: My WHOLE KIT review

    Quote Originally Posted by almostmatt1 View Post
    Haha... from Elder Bob.

    No he is a Pastor, elder is just a member of the church

  12. #12

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    Default Re: My WHOLE KIT review

    Quote Originally Posted by almostmatt1 View Post

    -The 16" medium crash sounds quite nice in quieter situations, but when I’m playing loudly it sounds pretty dead and far too quiet. It is an excellent beginner cymbal though, and depended on what and how you play, could last you for quite a while.
    This is interesting. I had this crash last year before I sold it. My perception was it sounded pretty good when crashed in louder applications but I didn't think it was subtle enough for quieter situations. Might depend on the room it's in.

    Good detailed review!

  13. #13

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    As much as it frustrates you now, you'll look back on it with fond memories later on down the road. Keep working towards your dream kit! It's been 40 years for me and I still don't have my dream Sonor SQ2 kit. Sigh,,,,,,,,,,

    sk
    "A man can NEVER have too many cymbals"

    Proudly Playing

    Sonor Force 3007 Stage One Piano Black 22X17.5 kick, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14 and 16" toms
    Pork Pie Big Black Snare
    Vater Sticks/Brushes
    Remo Vintage Emperor, Emperor X, and Powerstroke Pro Heads
    Paiste Twenty/2002/Signature Cymbals
    Sonor/DW/Gibraltar Hardware

  14. #14

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    Default Re: My WHOLE KIT review

    Quote Originally Posted by pastor_bob View Post
    Matt, sounds like you are pretty frustrated with your kit, overall. I'm sure that your skills are improving and you yearn for a better kit that is in keeping with your skills. Remember, though, that your current kit was with you through the earliest learning years, and never said a word about the quality of your drumming. Although this might not be your dream kit, always offer it the respect that it deserves for helping you get to where you are now.
    Quite possibly the best advice and point of view I've ever heard or read. Very well put Pastor Bob.
    Thank You for sharing this perception and some food for thought.

  15. #15

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    Default Re: My WHOLE KIT review

    Quote Originally Posted by pastor_bob View Post
    Matt, sounds like you are pretty frustrated with your kit, overall. I'm sure that your skills are improving and you yearn for a better kit that is in keeping with your skills. Remember, though, that your current kit was with you through the earliest learning years, and never said a word about the quality of your drumming. Although this might not be your dream kit, always offer it the respect that it deserves for helping you get to where you are now. That, and save, save, save for the upgrade, because you see so clearly the limitations of your current kit.
    Well said PB. While it's never going to be the best, it's going to stand by you. My kit is also a pretty bad one but I know that I'm going to be using it for another three years at least, so I try and give it the best care. Speaking of which, I have to put screws back in today... -_-
    So itchie, how did the kick sound?
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    Check it.
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  16. #16

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    Default Re: My WHOLE KIT review

    i feel like this reveiw trumps the ol saying 'anyone who knows how to tune right can make any drumkit sound good' i feel u man. i had the same kind of kit when i was younger. there was nothing i could do to make it even worth listening to lol. i do believe that playing on crappy beginner sets is like training, u may sound really bad, but then when u upgrade, you'll here the difference, and so much motivation comes surging thru you, its like you spent a day in the hyperbolic time chamber and ascended to super saiyajin 2!
    12x5 Pork Pie Lil Squeeler Snare
    Ddrum Reflex
    22x20 kick
    10x7 rack tom
    12x8 rack tom
    16x14 floor tom

    14" Sabian B8 Hi Hats
    17" Alpha Metal Crash
    19" Alpha Metal Crash
    20" B8 Ride

    Pearl Powershifter Eliminator Double Pedal w/red offset cam

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