Impressions of my DW 7 pc

[Bish]

Let me start by saying that I have only had them 6 days of which I may have played them twice, realistically. I posted a bunch of short takes of me messing around on them but for those who still haven't figured out the ftp site, sorry about that! That was the first time I really had a chance to sit with them.

The second time was last Saturday night's gig. You know, you'd think a drum set is a drum set, but when you have to use it for performing, you really need it to be dialed in to your needs or you are basically on a foreign kit. I could but prefer to NOT have to buy it and use it that night. Give me time to "break it in" before putting them into the fire.

So I used a little bit of both situations. I set them up to an acceptable layout. Played them to understand their tuning and reliability. Decided they should be fine and took a usable configuration with me and was not disappointed or let down. The kit ran flawlessly. No hardware or tonal failures.

I am finding it difficult to describe what happens when I play this kit. I don't know it to be true for any other kit or dw kit but for me what you will read is my experience with this kit and not dw in general. Well okay it is because this is the only experience I've had.

When I first sat down and played these I was somewhat disappointed in the lack of power or Ummph I'm used to with my kits. Solid direct boom and the thicker the better. The thumpier the better. The meatier...you get my meaning...

As I played them more I found an entirely new dimension to what I was hearing and feeling. No longer was I hitting a doon or thud, I was hitting a note. Almost like a deep chime. I don't know. It's like nothing I've ever played. And when you let yourself blend into the kit...there is the thud and thump of the depth of these thin shells.

They aren't loud and proud like the Bubingas but more subtle and blending muscially and tonally with the music more than the percussion side. There is also this pureness of tone with nothing from hardware or any other foreign sound being added. When you hit the tom all you hear is tone. You don't really notice the smack of the stick even as much as the tone of the shell resonating envelopes your drum senses and immerses you in music - for lack of a better description.

They get better when mic'd. I can guarantee they are not loud and overbearing and can be used in almost any venue without being too loud. They are not whimpy by any stretch but in no way offensive to the ear at any level. When the mains went on last night, I could really hear them come through the PA moreso than any of the other times I've played there. And were are on a tile floor with a 12-15 foot tin ceiling so everything can be over bearing without really being that way.

I knew the TAMA's would be too loud but knew the DW's would work. Granted they have coated heads on them which does tame them down but really brings out the tone in them. I like the trade off.

Now I'm not going to say the DW's are the do all for drumming. I still love the power of the TAMA's so they are in no way being dimminished from their place in my stable.

My Pearl Master Customs fall right in between these two. I can achieve that nice tonal response from them and attain similar power to the TAMA's. Right now with clear heads, they are more in line with the TAMA's.

The SONOR's on the other hand also using coated heads tend to mimic the DW's and be more on the melodic side than the power side.

I think I can attribute that to head choices as much as anything else.

But the bottom line in the same room and all conditions equal, there is still a purer tonal emission from the DWs that none of the other kits can compare to.

My best example. I'll compare the Pearls to the DWs. The toms are both awesome sounding and I love the Pearl kick. It has boom and thud where as the DW just has thud. Same heads too btw. The DW would be better suited for recording in this case and the Pearl might be better in a live situation.

To catagorize and this is just to my ears

The DW has it all. Excellent bass, great toms and perfect snare.

The TAMA has excellent bass and good toms. I think my Warlord snare trumps all the others in tone and rim shot response as well as looks and accessories.

The Pearl kit has great toms and large bass. In some cases it might be too much. Another aspect to me is the feel of just handling the drums. They are solid and well built. A great kit for gigging and pure looks.

The SONOR is as close to the quality of tone from all the other kits and has a spectacular finish and very competitively priced line of good drums. They are so similar to Mapex if they had the finish choices, I'd buy a SONOR over a Mapex. Oh wait, I did.

Nothing against Mapex, they are fantastic drums and a great choice for any level of drummer. They just didn't work for me nor did the Gretsch drums. And everyone knows how great Gretsch drums are. It's really to each his own. I found these four brands to meet my needs, requirements and expectations.

With that said, this being Thanksgiving and all. . . I wanted to take a minute and thank each and every one of you for your fun and companionship since I've been a member here. I'm so blessed to be able to do what I do with drumming. I hope my information has been helpful and useful to some of you in some way or another.

Thanks, if you got this far.

[Bish]

Now that there must be the biggest post ever!

[RHD03]

Awesome review Bish! Now you are making me want a set of DUBBS!!!! But the ref comes first

[pastor_bob]

Bish, thank you for taking that time to share your thoughts with us. You are a true Drumchatter, my friend, and we are all the better for the review that you shared. Congrats on the the new kit, and I wish you many years behind it!

[Jackstraw]

hey Bish....
Love that kit!!!!
What batter heads are you using????
I've tried Evans G2's, and G1's and found them a bit lacking in attack...out front of the kit. (the sound guys helped me out with that!!!)
After playing through different skin configurations, I've found that the stock DW (Remo) heads are Very good for attack/resonance/tunability, but have settled on regular Remo ambassador coated. These heads (on my kit) give great attack, great resonance, and when miked through a good sound system......wow!!!

I have re-inforcement rings on mine, (not sure if you do) but have found that with these re-inforcement rings, single ply (preferably thinner) heads do the trick. Remo Ambassador heads are a few mils thinner than Evans G1's, and just seem to accentuate the DW shells a bit more....

Just something I found with my kit.

Just passing along my thoughts. Try them out and see what you think!

Cheers...
Great kit man!!

[STICKSWIZZARDDRAGON]

Let me start by saying that I have only had them 6 days of which I may have played them twice, realistically. I posted a bunch of short takes of me messing around on them but for those who still haven't figured out the ftp site, sorry about that! That was the first time I really had a chance to sit with them.

The second time was last Saturday night's gig. You know, you'd think a drum set is a drum set, but when you have to use it for performing, you really need it to be dialed in to your needs or you are basically on a foreign kit. I could but prefer to NOT have to buy it and use it that night. Give me time to "break it in" before putting them into the fire.

So I used a little bit of both situations. I set them up to an acceptable layout. Played them to understand their tuning and reliability. Decided they should be fine and took a usable configuration with me and was not disappointed or let down. The kit ran flawlessly. No hardware or tonal failures.

I am finding it difficult to describe what happens when I play this kit. I don't know it to be true for any other kit or dw kit but for me what you will read is my experience with this kit and not dw in general. Well okay it is because this is the only experience I've had.

When I first sat down and played these I was somewhat disappointed in the lack of power or Ummph I'm used to with my kits. Solid direct boom and the thicker the better. The thumpier the better. The meatier...you get my meaning...

As I played them more I found an entirely new dimension to what I was hearing and feeling. No longer was I hitting a doon or thud, I was hitting a note. Almost like a deep chime. I don't know. It's like nothing I've ever played. And when you let yourself blend into the kit...there is the thud and thump of the depth of these thin shells.

They aren't loud and proud like the Bubingas but more subtle and blending muscially and tonally with the music more than the percussion side. There is also this pureness of tone with nothing from hardware or any other foreign sound being added. When you hit the tom all you hear is tone. You don't really notice the smack of the stick even as much as the tone of the shell resonating envelopes your drum senses and immerses you in music - for lack of a better description.

They get better when mic'd. I can guarantee they are not loud and overbearing and can be used in almost any venue without being too loud. They are not whimpy by any stretch but in no way offensive to the ear at any level. When the mains went on last night, I could really hear them come through the PA moreso than any of the other times I've played there. And were are on a tile floor with a 12-15 foot tin ceiling so everything can be over bearing without really being that way.

I knew the TAMA's would be too loud but knew the DW's would work. Granted they have coated heads on them which does tame them down but really brings out the tone in them. I like the trade off.

Now I'm not going to say the DW's are the do all for drumming. I still love the power of the TAMA's so they are in no way being dimminished from their place in my stable.

My Pearl Master Customs fall right in between these two. I can achieve that nice tonal response from them and attain similar power to the TAMA's. Right now with clear heads, they are more in line with the TAMA's.

The SONOR's on the other hand also using coated heads tend to mimic the DW's and be more on the melodic side than the power side.

I think I can attribute that to head choices as much as anything else.

But the bottom line in the same room and all conditions equal, there is still a purer tonal emission from the DWs that none of the other kits can compare to.

My best example. I'll compare the Pearls to the DWs. The toms are both awesome sounding and I love the Pearl kick. It has boom and thud where as the DW just has thud. Same heads too btw. The DW would be better suited for recording in this case and the Pearl might be better in a live situation.

To catagorize and this is just to my ears

The DW has it all. Excellent bass, great toms and perfect snare.

The TAMA has excellent bass and good toms. I think my Warlord snare trumps all the others in tone and rim shot response as well as looks and accessories.

The Pearl kit has great toms and large bass. In some cases it might be too much. Another aspect to me is the feel of just handling the drums. They are solid and well built. A great kit for gigging and pure looks.

The SONOR is as close to the quality of tone from all the other kits and has a spectacular finish and very competitively priced line of good drums. They are so similar to Mapex if they had the finish choices, I'd buy a SONOR over a Mapex. Oh wait, I did.

Nothing against Mapex, they are fantastic drums and a great choice for any level of drummer. They just didn't work for me nor did the Gretsch drums. And everyone knows how great Gretsch drums are. It's really to each his own. I found these four brands to meet my needs, requirements and expectations.

With that said, this being Thanksgiving and all. . . I wanted to take a minute and thank each and every one of you for your fun and companionship since I've been a member here. I'm so blessed to be able to do what I do with drumming. I hope my information has been helpful and useful to some of you in some way or another.

Thanks, if you got this far.

***************
HOLA como Estas Mi amigo BISH *CREATIVE ARTISTIC OPEN MINDED
DRUMMER ARTIST(008-SECRET DRUMMER SPY ANCIENT WISE OWL
BIRD(CAT) EXCELLENTE' Love the way you Expressed Your Creative ARTISTIC PASSIONATE ARTIST(SOUL) Amigo GRACIAS for the INFO(KNOWLEDGE) **

[ratmycue]

yep I made it all the way thru, in fact I wish it was two pages long!!

excellent review Bish, I am very interested to know if you find your approach or style of play has been questioned by the dw's. I know its hard to put in words but I believe certain kits/tones can have a very definitive affect on your approach and mindset at that kit.

[Larrysperf]

I feel the same with my Ludwigs, But DW are the bomb. Thanks for taking the time to post that. Very well said

[Andreeew]

Great review bish. What pearls are you using?

[funkyruss]

I'm glad to hear you like your Dw's-I would describe (and my bandmates used the same phrase) my Dw's the same way- pureness of tone- I love my Mapex Orions, but the Dw's are musical instruments allowing me to contribute to the band in unexpected ways!! I find I have to watch the tuning, especially on the kick, 'cause it sounds like the bass is out of tune.

PS How's Mrs Bish? I better go check the latest on that thread!

[Roaddebris]

The down side of gigging with a 7 piece DW kit: people want to stand too close and some bold ones will even try to touch them. It's like dating Kelly Lebrock!

[rmandelbaum]

Ok so we need to see those kits! You cant just compare all these great drums that you have to each other and not share ;-) Look its a long weekend, what else ya gona do?

[Bish]

Awesome review Bish! Now you are making me want a set of DUBBS!!!! But the ref comes first

No worries, red. I had to get the Pearls first, too. So did Norske.




PB - Thank you for the great sentiment!!!

[Bish]

hey Bish....
Love that kit!!!!
What batter heads are you using????
I've tried Evans G2's, and G1's and found them a bit lacking in attack...out front of the kit. (the sound guys helped me out with that!!!)
After playing through different skin configurations, I've found that the stock DW (Remo) heads are Very good for attack/resonance/tunability, but have settled on regular Remo ambassador coated. These heads (on my kit) give great attack, great resonance, and when miked through a good sound system......wow!!!

I have re-inforcement rings on mine, (not sure if you do) but have found that with these re-inforcement rings, single ply (preferably thinner) heads do the trick. Remo Ambassador heads are a few mils thinner than Evans G1's, and just seem to accentuate the DW shells a bit more....

Just something I found with my kit.

Just passing along my thoughts. Try them out and see what you think!

Cheers...
Great kit man!!

Thanks for all this knowledge. I just so happen to have completely new set of Coated Ambassadors that were going to be tried on my Mapex kit. When I get ready to swap them out on the DW's I let you know what I think! Thanks, man!!

[Bish]

Thanks, SWD. If any of my info is inaccurate, you'd be one to know. Rock on, mi amigo!!

yep I made it all the way thru, in fact I wish it was two pages long!!

excellent review Bish, I am very interested to know if you find your approach or style of play has been questioned by the dw's. I know its hard to put in words but I believe certain kits/tones can have a very definitive affect on your approach and mindset at that kit.

I will say one thing started to change. I became more relaxed and knew the drums would do what I was trying to do and all things were successful with less effort. They are a joy to play.

[Bish]

You are very welcome, Larry. I hope the info is of some use to you.

Great review bish. What pearls are you using?

Pearl Masters Customs - all maple shells in Bronze Glass wrap.

[Bish]

I'm glad to hear you like your Dw's-I would describe (and my bandmates used the same phrase) my Dw's the same way- pureness of tone- I love my Mapex Orions, but the Dw's are musical instruments allowing me to contribute to the band in unexpected ways!! I find I have to watch the tuning, especially on the kick, 'cause it sounds like the bass is out of tune.

PS How's Mrs Bish? I better go check the latest on that thread!

I'm glad I'm not alone in these sentiments of the tonality of DW's.

And I do love the other kits I have, it's just something above the rest.


Hey, RD. I'm not actually gigging with the 7 pcs. I leave the 8" at home and it's mostly due to not enough channels in the current sound system for me to mic each drum separately. I use only 5 channels total for the entire kit. Soon there will be more but for now we are just getting by.

[Bish]

Ok so we need to see those kits! You cant just compare all these great drums that you have to each other and not share ;-) Look its a long weekend, what else ya gona do?

Ok I can do this....

Here's the DW's

First, the best I could get from my crappy camera for a close up of the finish. It's still sharper than this photo....grrrr





From the gig...




At home before the gig...

[Bish]

Here's some pics of the Pearl Masters Customs...

[Bish]

Here's the TAMA bubingas...

[Bish]

And here's the SONORs.

[funkyruss]

Time for a new keyboard- i've made a drooling mess out of this one looking at your kits Bish- spectacular!

[2slow]

Very nice !! But don't stop now you gotta get a set of Pearl Reference to compare !!

[CycleDude]

OMG! One is more beautiful than the next.....

[Fredr]

Bish you make me jealous!!!! I REALLY like your tama set. Thats kinda of one of my dream drumset's