SimSalaBim
Senior Member
So I saw a set of old Performers in Birch only shells for a great price. Are they worth it? How do they compare to the new Birch/Bubinga combination?
$1000 is an okay price for the drums, maybe see if you can haggle them down a little otherwise i think it's totally worth buying.
I paid $1k for my Performers a couple of years ago. 2-18x20, 8x8, 8x10, 9x12, 11x14, five Zildjians (I still use the 13" A Custom Hats and the Chinese, sometimes the A Custom Projrction Ride), a bottom-feeder Mapex snare, and all the required stands. They were/are scratched and dented, but we just took them to the studio over a GMS Grandmaster Series kit.
Even if they're mint, I wouldn't be enthusiastic about that price. It's a buyer's market. offer $700 sight unseen, see if he'll do $800, then give them a good inspection when you pick them up.
I recently won an auction on ebay for all-birch Performers (6 pieces) for $860 including shipping. I was wondering the same thing about the birch vs. the birch/bubinga mix. I will tell you how it sounds when it gets here and probably post pics.
I think the older Performers sounded better than the Maple SCs. I love the more controlled sound. If I hadn't built a set of vintage Superstars from EvilBay, I would have bought a new SC Performer kit in Dark Cherry Fade.
Sorry for not replying yet, haven't had much time. I got a 14x6.5 snare, 9x10 tom, 10x12 tom, 12x14 floor, 14x16 floor, 18x20 bass. The guy shipped them and then said he underestimated the shipping and just the bass drum was $150 and I paid $100 for all the shipping. He wants me to send him more money but I am not going to because the auction is over and he should have done his research before posting the ad. I do feel sorry for him though.