custom vs. mass produced

[roachmon]

let the arguing begin

[funkymcstain]

can't see a real arguement here. not all custom companies are created equal. most today use mass produced keller shells. there is nothing wrong with that. what you get is an original custom finish with choice of lugs...ect. but i personally think pearl maple shells used in masters series sound better. and reference shells just blow keller away IMO. now if you are talking about a solid ply jarrah wood brady custom kit or solid maple craviotto kit, well thats a different story.

[drummer]

Couldn't agree more. I've heard custom drumsets that costs thousands of dollars that don't always sound better than others. So much of it has to do with the drummer's ability to tune them.

I think mass produced drumsets sound real good much of the time. The overall quality is better these days in general as long as you're spending some money. You get what you pay for.

[priceydrummer]

i despise pearl

[funkymcstain]

why?

[drummer]

Why?

[priceydrummer]

because they shell out all those damn pearl exports and theyre crap! lol..had to get that out.

[bongobro]

The saying goes "familiarity breeds contempt."

Pearl is to drums what, say, Toyota is to automobiles or Panasonic is to TV sets--a popularly-priced, good-quality product that caught the Slingerlands and Ludwigs and Gretsches of the industry off-guard at a time when the prices were going up as the quality was going down.

Like ya said, drummer, you get what you pay for. You're going to find cheapo Pearl sets that don't sound as good as the top-of-the-line models--but if you buy a Toyota Yaris and expect the amenities of a Toyota Avalon, you're naturally going to be disappointed.

Another cliche fits here, too: "All drums (from the same manufacturer) are created equal; the dealer makes the difference." Pricey, it sounds like you had a bad experience with a Pearl dealer. You're going to find good dealers and bad dealers with all makes of drum kits...

[funkymcstain]

because they shell out all those damn pearl exports and theyre crap! lol..had to get that out.

nobody really thought they were crap until mapex, sonor and gretsch started putting out maple and birch kits for the same price or less a few years ago. that put a big dent in the market that pearl had hands down dominated for 10 years before. wich is why they have been replaced by the vision series, and the only export left is the maple shell export custom. other than being made of poplar, the export was still a well made intermediate level kit.

[crazymanwithaplunger]

BBro - comparing a toyota avalon to a pearl reference? If you want to keep it int the company man, compare to a Lexus - those are things of beauty (just like a Reference).

At any rate, i only heard about those Bordy customs recently - must say I am impressed - they are true custom kits in every sense of the word. I know recently funky said about DW being custom - which techncially they are (you choose your finish, lugs etc...) - but Brody drums are as custom as they come - choose your wood, even the way they make the snare -solid, block etc... - it doesn't get more custom than that - so on the front you'de have to say custom would be better woudn't it? I mean assuming same player and tuner (to remove variables), of course the custom kit would cost a ton more I'd wager

[Stevo42w]

Its kinda like asking would you like the lamborghini or the bugatti. There both wicked but ones more ultimate lol

[Church Drummer]

I would think it depends on why you want a custom kit, and what you're specifying when you order it. If you can get the same Kit with the same specifications from a quality production line from a name manufacturer then you're just buying custom for the prestige why waste the money. If you want a wood or sizes that no one is using in a production set then custom is your only option. There is a wide variety of standard production model sets out there, in a wide range of quality levels, and options. I'm sure most people can find what they want in a top of the line production set.

[el presidente]

Custom kit made by C&C Custom Drums
14x24 kick
9x13 and 12x15 rack toms with dw/tama style mounting
16x18 floor (with legs)
all maple, natural wood stain, 2.3mm chrome plated steel hoops, die cast bullet style lugs

When you know exactly what you want (as i did) it makes more sense to go custom. I won't ever go back to mass produced drums.

[Lafirin]

it also takes time to know exactly what you want, so I think its important until you really know what you want before you spend big bucks on something you find you dont like that much after all.

[funkymcstain]

as much as i would love a brady kit, i would most likely buy a pearl masterworks if i went custom. and a reference for factory kits.