Which wood type to go with

[rickfilho]

so, i previously owned an eletronic drum kit. and now i decided to buy an acoustic one. i have been searching for a while now and i learned that the main factor that determines the sound of a drum is the wood its made of. it may be obvious for many of you but i never owned any acoustic kit so i have no experience on the matter. i dont think i will have another oportunity to buy another kit soon, so i want to make sure i get the right one now. im willing to spend up to 2500$, and i have a preference for dw, pearl and tama. i hope you guys can help me choose a type of wood so i can choose a kit. any help or sugestions are useful. thank you.

[myk]

I would go to some music stores and play some of their kits see what you like,$2500 will get you something nice,is that including cymbals? You could always find something you like then look for a similar good condition used kit on cl..where do you live?

[rickfilho]

i am currently in san antonio, TX. but i pretend to buy mi kit in boston or new york since im moving soon. i dont know where can i go to test the kits. and no im not incluning cymbals in the $2500 bugget. thanks for the tip, do you know where i could search for used kits?

[Pearl MCX Man]

Most popular wood in drum kits are Maple and Birch. You can also get combination of different woods. 2500 just for shells is a lot of money. So you are looking at high end drums Pearl, Tama, DW offer beautiful kits in your price range and so other Manufacturers. Like mentioned you would have to play on a kit , read reviews and listen to your favorite band 's drummers kit.
I am a Pearl man so to me for that price range you are looking at shells only
Pearl MCX Master Customs 100% Maple 6 ply 2000.00
Reference maple, birch or mahogany. 4000.00
Masterworks their top of the line built to your specifications , woods and your finish. 4000.00+
Like I mention there are other great manufacturers out there. Visit their websites and see their products .
Good luck

[signia fan]

Just a general question opens you up to being bombarded with brand suggestions. In the end, many of the drum shells are very similar company to company, many actually buy their shells pre made from the same shell manufacturer.
If you are not in a hurry, take the time to just browse the forums and you will see reoccurring preferences. Often it will come down to the look rather than sound, because you have to live with the colour, fit, finish etc. Any drum kit can be tuned, sound can be altered by different head choices.

[kay-gee]

Can't go wrong with maple. Drums (as well as other acoustic instruments) have been made out of maple almost forever. Tried, tested and true.

all the best...

[SpazApproved]

Can't go wrong with maple. Drums (as well as other acoustic instruments) have been made out of maple almost forever. Tried, tested and true.

all the best...

Agreed.

I love my two maple kits. I also had a birch kit which was great too. But Maple you can never go wrong.

[Pearl MCX Man]

Could'nt agree more with you guys Maple all the way.

[RobBibb]

Definitely subjective. I really don't think you would be unhappy with either maple or birch though. I love birch because I feel like its super versatile. I can tune them high or low and they always sound good. Its more of a controlled sound so they sound great when playing in studio and also live gigs that mic the drums as well. Hope this help and good luck.

[mwhuskey]

i am currently in san antonio, TX. but i pretend to buy mi kit in boston or new york since im moving soon. i dont know where can i go to test the kits. and no im not incluning cymbals in the $2500 bugget. thanks for the tip, do you know where i could search for used kits?

Make a quick drive over to Houston and visit Cymbalfusion.com on the west beltway. They have a lot of kits you can hear. I purchased my maple/mahogany DW collector's kit there almost a year ago. They also give the best deals on DWs!

I have a new 2010 (old stock) DW Eco-X kit (bamboo/birch) in ebony stain that I'll make you a smokin' deal on! You can find it on Houston's Craigslist.

Cheers and happy drumming!

[rickthedrummer]

Buy the drums that you like.

The tuning can be adjusted high, low, or anywhere in between by the heads you use and the tuning of those heads.

Think used because there are a lot of people out there who wanted to play (pick your instrument), discovered they couldn't for 1 reason or the other after buying (pick your instrument) and now have them up for sale.

For a $1,000 to $1,500, you should be able to put together a really nice set and have money left over for a nice cymbal set.

Don't let the wood part drive you nuts, buy the set you want.

[Pearl MCX Man]

Why are you selling the Eco-X kit. I remember when they were first introduced I kind of drooled over them till I saw the price. Their popularity soon dropped a few months later. You are the first to mention this kit in years. Just wondering why.

[mwhuskey]

Why are you selling the Eco-X kit. I remember when they were first introduced I kind of drooled over them till I saw the price. Their popularity soon dropped a few months later. You are the first to mention this kit in years. Just wondering why.

Impulse buy. Don't have room for 6 kits so one needs to go. Besides that, no other reason. It's a beautiful and excellent sounding kit.

[FlyByNight]

I really like birch shells because they resonate a lot. They have a warm tone with a long sustain.

[kay-gee]

I really like birch shells because they resonate a lot. They have a warm tone with a long sustain.

I really don't think that's anything to do with birch. I have a a maple floor tom that will resonate practically forever without any damping. Warm tone too.

all the best...

[FlyByNight]

I really don't think that's anything to do with birch. I have a a maple floor tom that will resonate practically forever without any damping. Warm tone too.

all the best...

Of course any shell can be tuned to resonate freely, but I've found that birch shells have a very nice low end to them, with a steady attack.

[MDK]

Maple, Birch, Mahogany, Oak, Beech, Bubinga etc they are all very very good. I am curious as to why you have a preference towards DW, Pearl, or Tama having no experience with acoustic drums?

If you limit your search to those 3 you are losing a lot of really great options. Ludwig, Sonor, Mapex, Yamaha, Gretsch etc etc all make just as good drums and dare I say offer better options $ for $ than those 3.

Anyway the best thing you can do is some research to find places to go test out a few kits. Everyone is different, Maple is great but is not for everyone. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

[rickfilho]

thanks everybody for the help. i pretty much decided to go with maple and i really liked 4 kits
-DW Performance Series
-Pearl Masters MCX
-Tama Starclassic Maple
-Gretsch Renown Maple
do you guys have any suggestion or advice, anything else i should consider?

[signia fan]

I think because Pearl has sold so many Maple Masters kits, the used prices I see are incredibly low. Don't let that deter you. Pearl makes their own shells, and do it well. I suggest you buy which kit looks good to you, most all these kits you list will sound great with proper tuning, new heads.
Don't over think it, because it won't be long after, you will see another set that you think you need, and the quest for the "best" will continue. It never ends for most of us.

[kay-gee]

Good choices

There are fellows on here who can expound on the virtues of these three sets.

It all boils down to a coin toss really. There is a certain intangible element to any musical instrument that goes beyond looks and sound. How does it feel to sit behind the set? Does it feel like home?

all the best...

[Pearl MCX Man]

I only have experience with Pearl MCX kit. They come with Die Cast Hoops on all drums. Which to me makes it easier to tune and it holds forever. 6 ply shell so they are a bit heavy for some but I don't mind at all. Spurs on the bass drums are easy to opening/closing for moving the kit from gig to gig. Mine are lacquer finish Chestnut Fade which has been discontinued but they do have some nice wraps/glass and lacquer finishes still available. My configuration is 12-13-16 18x22 snare 6.5x14 matching maple.
Now you will hear about other owners of different brands and what they think.
Finding the right kit will be a journey in itself. I know I went through it. Good luck

[topdog63]

I say go to some shows and listen to the drums, find out what they are and what kind of heads they have. Also try to play some used kits, that fall within your parameter of brands and models, that have aftermarket heads and proper tuning on them.

Generally if you go to GC or some place similar that lets you play kits that are on display, you have to go into it knowing exactly what you are looking for as the stock heads generally don't leaved you with a good impression. My PDP maple set really sounded terrible with stock heads, combined with how it was "tuned", (I use the word tuned loosely because the heads were all cinched down tight but there were lugs that weren't even finger tight". Know what qualities you are looking for such as sustain/ resonance, warm or cool etc... Even with terrible tuning on my kit I could hear the tone qualities I was looking for.

The sound or tone of the drums is obviously extremely important but also look at what has the most bang (no pun intended ) for your buck, such as type of hoops and lugs, snare throw off, if the kit comes with a snare, etc.

I'm sure you would be more than happy with any of the choices you mentioned as they are all very high quality (at least until G.A.S. kicks in ). But like someone else mentioned there are several other top of the line brands that make drums which are on par with the ones you've mentioned, you might be surprised by them.