High End kit with problems...***Update - John Good, Mr. DW, called me today"

Boom

Silver Member
I’m having some problems with a top of the line/high end/big name kit and I was hoping this forum could help me decide if I’m being too nitpicking or are all of my gripes real ones. Ie. Could you tell me which ones not to worry about and which ones need addressed by the manufacture? I hope no one minds, but I’m going to leave the name of the company out of this till I hear some answers so that I could remove some of the potential biased answers

I ordered what I thought would be my dream drum set in April. Three months later, as it was custom ordered, it arrived. I headed to the drum shop beaming. When I got there, two of the boxes holding the 14 and 16 floor toms were severely damaged and the leg holders were jutting out of the boxes. This bothered me as it appeared to have been packaged very poorly. The 14 was inside a box that it was no longer square around the drum. Ie, you could not place that 14 in it without pushing out the sides of the box which compromises the strength/integrity of the box. And this drum was busted through both the inside box AND the outside box that housed it. To ship it this way seemed completely unacceptable to me.

The drum shop had already looked at those two drums to see if there were any obvious flaws and even with my review, none could be found. I took the drums home and, due to some more recovery time needed from back surgery, I didn’t set them up for a month (yeah, unbearable).

Upon setting up the bass drum I noticed it had a flaw in the paint job. A scuff mark. But, coincidently was located where I would have some rack toms and felt the manufacture would think I had to have damaged it and therefore, I didn’t do anything about it. But, obviously, it bothered me a lot.

14 in floor tom had not been tuned at the manufacture. I knew this because 3 of the lugs were just hanging loose. Another massive disappointment. This manufacture promotes being able to play these drums upon receiving them without anything being done. I later learned why that drum wasn’t tuned. It was because it couldn’t be. It was out of round severely and was returned to manufacturer for replacement. I, for reasons I can’t fathom, didn’t check the rest of the kit immediately upon that discovery.

16 in floor tom has been hard to control in tuning. I got negative feedback about it at my last show. So, I checked for out of round and it is off by a little over 1/8in. So I’m confident that this drum will be replaced under warranty. But that could take 3 months, so I’m obviously not happy about it. Remember, like the 14 this drum was shipped in a box with its hardware sticking out of it.

After realizing that I now have 2 drums out of round, I decided to go over the rest of the kit very carefully. Here is what I found:

22 in bass drum is off by 1/8 inch (out of round?) Is it considered out of round on a drum that big to be off by 1/8? I don’t think this drum sounds that good, so I’m not sure if its because of a personal tuning issue or if that can be the problem. Is this a substantial enough of a problem to have this drum returned?

8 in tom is off by 1/16. I think the drum sounds good, but maybe it should sound better? Is 1/16in out of round substantial enough to care for an 8 in drum? Since the drum is so small, I was thinking it might matter. 8 in tom’s batter bearing edge has over 1” of a rough spot on it. That shouldn’t be considered acceptable should it?

10 inch tom is perfectly round. Easy to tune. It has a small nick on the batter bearing edge. How big of a deal is this? Drum sounds good though.

12 inch tom = somewhat difficult to tune but is not really out of round (not perfect like the 10) and has a nick in the reso and batter bearing edges. The reso one is larger, fwiw. Should I care about that?

I had some corrosion on a couple of hoops and the company was really cool about that and insisted on replacing the whole set of tom hoops (8 hoops).

Cliffs: I have lots of issues with my high end/expensive kit. How many of them are worthy of complaint. I hate to be a complainer, but it is where I am now. Thanks for reading/answering my questions. I've had these drums for 4 months and this is the first time I've removed the heads (except the bass drum).
 
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Re: High end kit that has a lot of problems. Are any of them not worthy of complaint?

Well, I hope the warranty covers all of that. I understand the back issue, but they should've been inspected immediately upon receipt. I wouldn't be concerned about them not being in tune out of the box - no one can really make the claim that they'll be in tune out of the box. That's your job anyway.

When you say 1/8" out of round do you mean they're 1/8" too small or you actually have a way to tell that the shell is a perfect circle and it dips in 1/8" somewhere? If it's really glaring and the drum doesn't sound right - send 'em all back. Not sure if that can be fixed so you might get a whole new set.
 
Re: High end kit that has a lot of problems. Are any of them not worthy of complaint?

You are certainly entitled to complain if you feel like you didn't receive the drums in acceptable condition. Especially for an expensive kit. Whether or not you inspected them immediately should be of no concern. You had a reason. Don't feel bad about complaining. If you do it in a respectful manner you should get this rectified. Though I don't see why you should have to be without the complete set for 3+ months while they're being replaced. You paid for them already. I would negotiate a partial refund for the inconvenience and time of being without them. Maybe 10% credit. Good luck.

p.s. Sticks4Drums is prayings they were Ludwigs right? lol...just kidding...
 
Re: High end kit that has a lot of problems. Are any of them not worthy of complaint?

You are certainly entitled to complain if you feel like you didn't receive the drums in acceptable condition. Especially for an expensive kit. Whether or not you inspected them immediately should be of no concern. You had a reason. Don't feel bad about complaining. If you do it in a respectful manner you should get this rectified. Though I don't see why you should have to be without the complete set for 3+ months while they're being replaced. You paid for them already. I would negotiate a partial refund for the inconvenience and time of being without them. Maybe 10% credit. Good luck.

p.s. Sticks4Drums is prayings they were Ludwigs right? lol...just kidding...
My luck they are probably Saturn's. It happens to all the companies. There are good build days and bad build days, just like with cars, houses, boats, bikes, etc. You cross your fingers and hope for the best. :)
 
Re: High end kit that has a lot of problems. Are any of them not worthy of complaint?

How deep is the bass drum? Also the depth of the other drums. Which material?
I would definetly complain... im a whiner anyways. When i spend alot of money - i want my shit to be okay.
 
Re: High end kit that has a lot of problems. Are any of them not worthy of complaint?

Thanks for the input already. I only mention that the drum wasn't tuned because it couldn't be tuned. If they had tried to tune it, they would have realized it was badly out of round and not sent me the drum.

I guess I just fall under "take care of the little details and the big ones will take care of themselves". Shipping, tuning, making sure they drums are round etc.

I just measured the drums from one set of lugs to another.

Larry, your post was what I was hoping to see. Because I'm shocked by what I've found so far.
 
Re: High end kit that has a lot of problems. Are any of them not worthy of complaint?

How deep is the bass drum? Also the depth of the other drums. Which material?
I would definetly complain... im a whiner anyways. When i spend alot of money - i want my shit to be okay.

Bass is 22 x 17.
8x7
10x8
12x8
14x12
16x14

Maple drums.

Thanks for your support :)
 
Re: High end kit that has a lot of problems. Are any of them not worthy of complaint?

Bass is 22 x 17.
8x7
10x8
12x8
14x12
16x14

Maple drums.

Thanks for your support :)
OK. Your killing me. Just tell us the darn company already. :)
 
Re: High end kit that has a lot of problems. Are any of them not worthy of complaint?

It could be anybody. But when somebody says 22 x17, I think it could be either a Sonor or a Yamaha....
 
Re: High end kit that has a lot of problems. Are any of them not worthy of complaint?

If you were to open up your brand new, high end kit and find a nick in the bearing edge on any drum, would that be enough to send that drum back? (I think it is, but worry I'm overreacting)

Is 1/8in out of round by measuring lug to lug across the drum on a 22x17 bass drum enough to warrant a replacement?
 
Re: High end kit that has a lot of problems. Are any of them not worthy of complaint?

I'd send the whole thing back. It should all be covered under warranty.
Why piecemeal this and that?
Dented bearing edge= bad news.

A scuff, you could maybe buff out, but why bother with all the other issues?
CAN'T tune a drum up because it was sent messed up= send me a new one that I can tension.

Only thing I wouldn't have a "complaint" over is being able to play something "out of the box".
It's ridiculous marketing hype.
After days of shipping and temperature changes, NO drum kit is going to sound as good as you'd expect as a company can try and claim.
I'd certainly never expect a drum to come in sounding the way I'd actually tune it.

It's cool that your shop looked everything over for you before you got there.
The holes in the boxes are the shipping companies fault. Some brands really pack things nice, and some kinda skimp--which may be due to which "level" of kit it is too.

Since you are working with a shop, it should be easier to resolve, since they are a dealer and you don't have to do it yourself.

If you are unsatisfied with the product and performance, ship it back.

Good luck, sorry to hear this happened.
 
Re: High end kit that has a lot of problems. Are any of them not worthy of complaint?

It could be anybody. But when somebody says 22 x17, I think it could be either a Sonor or a Yamaha....

Yamaha's kicks on the high end stuff are 18" depth...EDIT: except for the Oak Customs
 
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Re: High end kit that has a lot of problems. Are any of them not worthy of complaint?

It is a DW collector's kit. Custom made which explains the 17 inch deep bass drum. I chose that.
 
Re: High end kit that has a lot of problems. Are any of them not worthy of complaint?

I kind of had a feeling.
I have heard worse stories than yours from them.

I'd send it all back, and I'd say that about any companies stuff.
 
Re: High end kit that has a lot of problems. Are any of them not worthy of complaint?

Thanks for your input Karl. I'm going to call the shop soon.
 
Re: High end kit that has a lot of problems. Are any of them not worthy of complaint?

I'd send it all back, and I'd say that about any companies stuff.

Agreed!...for the amount of money you spent on this kit, you need to be happy about your purchase..I don't think you'll ever be w/o getting this corrected..
 
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Re: High end kit that has a lot of problems. Are any of them not worthy of complaint?

I've heard differing stories about the 1/8" difference. I always understood that 1/8th is acceptable, but I've heard otherwise too. I truly don't know what is considered acceptable. I personally don't think 1/8 " is going to make a difference, and certainly not 1/16th. That said, I would return the whole lot, based on the condition that it arrived in alone.

Also, that 1/8th is measurement is taken with no tension on the shell. When the shell is tensioned, I wonder if that would change anything, like the shell conforming to the perfectly round head. Hmmm. DW shells do flex.

One dented bearing edge is enough to make me an unsatisfied customer. The scuff on the finish seals it. Exercise your right's and don't settle. If they give you a hard time, the madder you get, the better you will be taken care of. If you don't get a satisfying answer, ask for that persons boss, restate your case, and repeat until you are satisfied.
 
Re: High end kit that has a lot of problems. Are any of them not worthy of complaint?

I think my Masters from Pearl came in plastic bags in boxes that fit very tight. No corners no stuffing of any kind. My YRC came the same way except the kick is taken apart to save money on the box size hahahaha!!! I guess! They all ship pretty poorly and then theres the guys that handle this stuff so if your not happy send it all back. Its on them and the store should back you as to the poorly packaged boxes. My YRC came with some smudges on the shell near the bearing edge (Bass). Looked just like a few small finger prints, I called the retailer and then contacted Yamaha and talked to a drum rep and between the three parts came up with a discount because of the prints, I was happy. I like my equipment in oreder but I'm not a nut on small cosmetic flaws. All of these company ship so their all used to problems from handling but if problems originate from their factories you'd think they should be very concerned. Some are others aren't. Send them back! Doc
 
Re: High end kit that has a lot of problems. Are any of them not worthy of complaint?

It's pretty clear your drums got damaged in transit and/or DW let a turd get by. I hope you get a whole new kit.

On the tuning out of the box thing: I don't know what DW's wording is on that but the way I infer a drum sounding good "out of the box" is that it is shipped with good heads that after you tune them to your liking should sound great. I think that could go without saying and is a bit of a duh. (I realize yours was out of round. Just an observation)

Some companies find the most arbitrary things to tout about their drums. "With natural interiors for that warm sound". More like with natural interiors to cut cost.

Sorry about the rant.
 
Re: High end kit that has a lot of problems. Are any of them not worthy of complaint?

You guys are making me feel better about it. Now hopefully DW comes through and really takes care of all of my concerns.

Regarding the "out of the box" comment, I just want to reiterate that IF they had tried to tune the one drum, they would have known right there that it was out of round because it literally could not be tuned because the tension was so crazy that 6 of the 20 lugs could not be in the drum when it was tuned. That's right, the tension created by the out of round made those areas of the drum tighter than the actually parts that the lugs were creating the tension. That's the only reason I bring it up. Obviously, anyone buying a kit like this is going to tune it to their liking.

I just get frustrated by how some of these products leave the manufacture because, and this isn't my first problem this year with a big manufacture, some of these things should be noticed by them and not left for the customer to have to do their quality control.

Thanks again everyone. This is a very stressful situation and you are making me feel better about it.
 
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