Thoughts about Sonor SQ2 and Thomann - beware!

AveyTare

Senior Member
Hello

In case you're thinking about getting Sonor SQ2 drums or buying something custom from Thomann store in Germany.

I ordered my dream Sonor SQ2 drum kit from Thomann for 3 thousand euros. After almost 4 months of waiting, the drums were ready :) I was oh-so-excited about them. Soon after they arrived, I started playing, tuning and inspecting my new drums. Thoughts?

Well, the sound. Bass drum sounds TERRIBLE. No matter how I tuned it, the sound was absolutely unacceptable. The toms were ok and the snare was great, but not even close to how Pearl Masterworks or DW I was playing lately sounded.

Now, the quality of the drums. You should expect drums so expensive to be perfect, don't you? Well, here's the surprise - the quality is poor. Not that there were some evident flaws - there was just nothing perfect about these drums. Spots of glue, bearing edges far from being perfect, outer finish that wasn't sanded properly in some areas etc.

I decided to return the drums to Thomann and ask for a refund. Here's the funny fact - they said they won't refund the drums! No particular reason, just some gibberish talk about refunds of custom stuff. What the hell? They sold me the product with FLAWS and told me that everything they could do is to ask Sonor to take a look at the drums. Their customer service is a nightmare - the lady I was talking with was the rudest sales rep I've ever talked to. They are not answering the emails, don't pick up the phone, don't care about their clients at all.

My suggestion is - stay away from Thomann! Find a local store that actually do care about what they sell. I decided to order Sonor SQ2 drums after reading some great stuff about them here. Now I'm sure I won't buy anything made by Sonor nor anything I haven't seen.

Best regards.
 
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Quality issues with a Sonor? I think that chill I feel is not the weather, but Hell freezing over!
 
Quality issues with a Sonor? I think that chill I feel is not the weather, but Hell freezing over!

I was extremely surprised too. Uneven bass drum hoops and unprecisely glued re-rings is not what I was expecting. They are not even close to the quality of Masterworks.
 
Don't let the retailer give you any bull about custom products being exempt from normal EU consumer law & returns policy. The product shall be of saleable quality, and should match the claims in the manufacturers literature. Effectively, the published specification, including claims about quality, craftsmanship etc, form part of the contract between you & the retailer, & subsequently. the manufacturer. Your contract is with the retailer. If they are not responding to your written concerns, I suggest you seek consumer representation applicable to your country. Depending on their advise, I'd list all the defects, together with photographs if applicable, & send that by email & recorded postal delivery to both the retailer & Sonor direct.

I'm sure Sonor would be horrified to hear of this. Their quality reputation is their most valuable asset, & I'm sure they'll seek to protect it. Quality issues, especially on their flagship product, will deliver a huge sales blow to Sonor, so I'm sure they'll sort this, irrespective of contractual obligations.

As a side point, these drums should sound as good as almost anything out there, & better than most, so something's clearly very wrong.

Don't let this go. Proceed directly in writing as described without delay. This will ensure you have EU consumer law on your side. Good luck.

Edit: Ok, just read your post below. Uneven rerings = complete kit replacement. Nothing less, no compromise. Hit hard, & hit now. Tell Sonor customer service about the retailer reaction, & say that, due to the poor treatment you've received from their distributor / representitive, this is either sorted to your complete satisfaction, or you'll have no alternative than to move immediately to legal action. That normally does the trick. Don't piss around on this, get to it!
 
I agree - go around that retailer. Some years ago I met the president of Sonor - he comes out time-to-time around NAMM and I met him on his annual visit to Stan at the Pro Drum Shop in Hollywood, and I swear, I never met a man more proud of his product than this one. He knows what his company produces and puts it head-to-head with anything out there. He'd probably be shocked to hear of the quality issues you're stating. Get through to Sonor and I'll bet he'll personally make it right! Good luck! SQ2's are supposed to be awesome.
 
Sounds like a classic "Monday Morning" drumkit. Make sure you slavishly document all the quality control issues, with photos and/or video if possible. I have gotten in the habit of taking photos as I unpack new musical equipment, just in case I should run into an immediate quality control issue.

What a shame... sounds like you've been waiting a long time for this kit, only to have this happen. My sympathies.
 
My SQ2s are absolutely flawless and are the most versatile, resonant, wonderful drums Ive ever played.
Sorry to hear about your issue.....but be assured it isnt across the board.


F
 
Call Interpol. A Sonor SQ2 should not have *any* flaws whatsoever. Sonor's reputation resides heavily on the tradition of their craftsmanship in their high-end kits. I'd try to contact Sonor directly, send photos, and perhaps get an attorney involved if you are getting the cold shoulder.

Frankly, this is massively embarrassing for Sonor, and it confirms some dealers' suspicions I've heard about the quality of SQ2 kits ever since Sonor went in with KHS/Mapex. No one doubted the Designer Series, but even highly respected dealers I know who deal with top jazzers have expressed a "50/50" attitude about the SQ2's.
 
Robert M.. check your pm bud... You need to turn on the "noification" alert or something... hehe
 
Thank you all guys :) I contacted Sonor directly and they seem to be genuinely worried about my problems. I started a topic at Sonor Museum and hope good things is gonna start to happen.
 
Ok, I just got a message saying that I am gonna get the full refund! Good news :) Thank you all for your help - it was a great idea to contact Sonor directly.

In the end, I must admit that Sonor customer service is spotless. I can't say a bad word about them. Thomann was a bigger problem - after lots of emails and (pricey) phone calls everything's solved, but I think that their attitude wasn't the way it should be from the beginning. Since they are refunding the drums I'm not gonna say anything negative, but contacting them was pretty confusing and stressing (don't know if it's the right word though).
 
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Great news! I didn't doubt for one minute that Sonor would want this sorted out. It would seem their distributor was the sticking point, & that's something that Sonor need to get sorted quickly. It's useless offering a great product & service, if those that represent you to the customer have a crappy attitude.

What's your next move?
 
Great. Too bad it had to come to you contacting the company directly to sort out a bad situation, though. How much better for everyone involved if (a) you'd gotten a flawless product first time out, or (b) the distributor took positive action to correct a problem with your purchase. In this economy, you'd think businesses (wherever they may be located) would try to keep customers on, not alienate them. Please let us know how this turns out, and once you finally do have your dream kit, we'd always love to see some photos ;)
 
Great news! I didn't doubt for one minute that Sonor would want this sorted out. It would seem their distributor was the sticking point, & that's something that Sonor need to get sorted quickly. It's useless offering a great product & service, if those that represent you to the customer have a crappy attitude.

What's your next move?

I have no idea. Now I know I wouldn't order anything from the distributors outside my country (I live in Poland). As long as I was ordering everything from my small local drum store, everything was perfect. Ordering stuff from a Germany shop was a bad idea, I guess.

I don't think I want to risk another custom drum kit. I'm considering getting Pearl Masters Premium or Reference - my local store has good prices on their products. I don't think I would risk ordering another Sonor drum kit (although S Classix or Delite would be a cool choice).
 
Great. Too bad it had to come to you contacting the company directly to sort out a bad situation, though. How much better for everyone involved if (a) you'd gotten a flawless product first time out, or (b) the distributor took positive action to correct a problem with your purchase. In this economy, you'd think businesses (wherever they may be located) would try to keep customers on, not alienate them. Please let us know how this turns out, and once you finally do have your dream kit, we'd always love to see some photos ;)

Thanks for the kind words :) I was really surprised that I had to FIGHT for my rights. Guess they should just offer me some replacement, ha? Like some other drums that they have at stock. I suggested that, but there was no response to my proposition. They just lost a potential customer.
 
Avery, I really hope this doesn't put you off Sonor Drums. They really are superb and I'd love to own a really good set.

Fair play to Sonor. They made a mistake, they corrected it and actually gave you a proper refund. A lot of other companies would have simply swapped out the kit or given you a credit note. At least they gave you the real consumer option.
 
and it confirms some dealers' suspicions I've heard about the quality of SQ2 kits ever since Sonor went in with KHS/Mapex.No one doubted the Designer Series, but even highly respected dealers I know who deal with top jazzers have expressed a "50/50" attitude about the SQ2's.

Roberto... how does KHS external activity in Asia on the lower lines effect quality control in Germany ?? KHS was in full gear DURING Designer Series.
 
Roberto... how does KHS external activity in Asia on the lower lines effect quality control in Germany ?? KHS was in full gear DURING Designer Series.

I was just sharing stuff that I had heard from some different dealers who really loved Sonor's Designers stuff, but have been skeptical about the SQ2 line. Some of them suggest connections to KHS, as in doubts about where things are really being made and assembled, etc.

Whether it is true or not, we'll never know--only Sonor truly knows where every piece of an SQ2 is coming from. That's all--just sharing what I've heard, which is basically that Designers were delivered from Cloud 9 and never had flaws, but SQ2's have not had the same reputation.
 
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