Premier Drums Discussion

[quikstang2]

hmm, maple and basswood.. mixing the low with the high? brilliant!

The majority of the sound comes from the inner plies... not that you could tell a difference between a pure maple and pure basswood shell (provided all other variables are the same) anyways.

[MortalDrumbat]

its very distinct.. the volume shall be thine guide

[BIg Dawg]

I have a Premier kit. It has a 22" kick, 10,12,14,16,18 toms and an old Premier snare...it's called a Rock 9. Awesome snare drum. I bought them new about 10 years ago, lots and lots of gigs and had em in the studio a couple times...no complaints.

[BIg Dawg]

When I say I bought them new 10 years ago, I was refering to the majority of the kit. The only thing that wasn't new was the Rock 9 snare. It's old, but deadly.

[AL LOY]

Maybe someone in England can answer this.

How healthy is premier as a company right now?

I don't see them anywhere in the USA. I know at one time there were dealers everywhere, at least into the 90's.

I am also wondering: how popular are they at home in England? It seems that most of the folks from Britain own Tama, Pearl and everything except Premier.

Is it a case of wanting something different or are there other issues?

[quikstang2]

They lost their distributor here, found a new one, lost that one too, then decided they're pulling out of the US market. Their booth at NAMM looked like a place where you'd drink a coffee and check your email, with one random so-so drum kit set up on the side. That's all I've been about to find out about them. Hopefully someone else has more useful info.

[Chris]

According to their website (I'd post a link but we're not allowed to ) they have a number of distributors in the US, is this outdated info?

They're still very active down here, 2 distributors nationally & their drums in most music stores.

[BIg Dawg]

They do not have a distributor in the U.S. The distributor that supplies the U.S. is in Canada.
Also, Premier drums are no longer made in England. They are imported from China now.

A very good friend of mine at a drum shop here in Omaha, gave me the lowdown on them awhile back.

He is the biggest supplier in town (pop. 400,000+) for drums and he used to be the ONLY place you could get Premier gear.

Now, he doesn't have any Premier stuff in stock and he says it's becoming a nightmare just to get parts, much less a whole kit.

It's a shame, Premier was making very nice drums for many years. The Premier kit I have was one that was made in England.

Too bad.

[AL LOY]

They do not have a distributor in the U.S. The distributor that supplies the U.S. is in Canada.
Also, Premier drums are no longer made in England. They are imported from China now.

A very good friend of mine at a drum shop here in Omaha, gave me the lowdown on them awhile back.

He is the biggest supplier in town (pop. 400,000+) for drums and he used to be the ONLY place you could get Premier gear.

Now, he doesn't have any Premier stuff in stock and he says it's becoming a nightmare just to get parts, much less a whole kit.

It's a shame, Premier was making very nice drums for many years. The Premier kit I have was one that was made in England.

Too bad.

That is sad. I thought the gen-x hybrid shells had promise. I liked apx/xpk and signia as well. The 90's resonators weren't bad.

Like I say, I don't know why UK drummers flocked to other brands through the years. The models I mentioned seemed to be on par with other brands.

[therocker]

I haven't seen many Premier drums in music stores for quite a while now. Their old English made kits where very well made and I think they are trying to cut costs now by importing from Asia

[ironfist]

Maybe someone in England can answer this.

How healthy is premier as a company right now?

I don't see them anywhere in the USA. I know at one time there were dealers everywhere, at least into the 90's.

I am also wondering: how popular are they at home in England? It seems that most of the folks from Britain own Tama, Pearl and everything except Premier.

Is it a case of wanting something different or are there other issues?

Hi AL LOY, speaking for myself, and I play Premier, most music stores still stock them, and there is certainly no problem in getting hold of them. I think they may be a little more expensive than some of the other makes, so it,s down to personal taste as always. There is certainly no question as to the quality of their equipment.

[Damo]

There arent many Premiers around town here.

I believe the company has been struggling financially for some time, whether theyd admit it or not. They have virtually ZERO marketing presence and not a great endorser list
I hope Im wrong, but my concern is that they wont even be in business in another year or two, given the global downturn

[naikon]

Not all Premier drums are imported? Some drums are made in England huh?

[AL LOY]

I thought the Premier series (gen -x as well) were made in England.

If there was a British version of Slingerland or Rogers, Premier is it.

Both American companies drove themselves into the dirt because of bad management and marketing. They had no clue how to control costs and be competitive.

The only way for Premier to become viable again, would be is if a large "name" company or investor buys them out and rebuilds distribution and the name.

I see a lot of misstep, unclear vision and poor choices.

Even that being said... if I did a poll of British drummers and what they own, I'd bet 99% own something besides Premier.

[Mr. Tama]

Even that being said... if I did a poll of British drummers and what they own, I'd bet 99% own something besides Premier.

And that is really upsetting considering Premier makes/made some of the best drums I have ever heard. If they were good enough for Keith Moon, they are good enough for me!

Nah, I just love Premier. Sad to see what is happening to them...

[Chris]

Not all Premier drums are imported? Some drums are made in England huh?

The upper end gear is all pommy made, the rest is made in China.

[MetalMan1992]

i play a premier APK late 1980's kit.

[rsshortstack22]

If I make snare next yeasr on my drum line, I'd lke to buy a Premier snare.

[LukeHarrison]

The upper end gear is all pommy made, the rest is made in China.

Even all the top end stuff is made in China now (although it's their own factory, and they're using all the moulds from the UK factory), but all the individual parts are shipped over and assembled in the UK. The hardware is made on the same line as Tama's hardware.

[morceau]

i play a premier genista .I'm pretty happy with it sound's very good look !!!

[morceau]

I have a genista 10x9 12x10 14x12 16x16 14x7 1/2 snare &the bass is a ayote 22x16 color match ,but i will have soon a 24x 18 genista original here's what it look

[naikon]

nice man

[quikstang2]

Nice. You gonna keep that Ayotte bass when you get the original?

[kaosotis]

Looking around online I found a 3pc Artist Birch used from Daddy's for $349. 10,14,22

Is that anything special in terms of a good deal? It's got a sweet finish and looks to be in decent shape. Only 1 photo, and you can see the BD hoop is worn, but for that price.

Any thoughts? Should I jump on it? Thought it might be cool to have a small 2nd kit.

[late8]

Nice kit morceau.....I saw the snare pic (13x9) you posted earlier but to see it behind your kit is amazing. How's it sound so far?