Sonor-king of the micro kits?

Cant afford new heads right now as i have only just got back out of debt, but i have a spare aquarian 13" head i will put on the floor tom which is a plus :) And yeah, i am excited about this kit, i heard good reviews about it actually, bummed some people on here really hate it also, but hey. Im a jazzer so il likely tune it quite high :)
 
keep it simple said:
I genuinely don't believe it is the best compromise Bo. 2" decrease in depth saves more useable space than 2" reduction in diameter, & the 20" x 12" (done correctly) can really get the job done without the "if only" nag in the back of your mind.
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Well yeah, but Pearl wasn't going to make me a 20x12 to go with my bop kit. I had considered a 20x14 for my Reference Pure kit, if I didn't mind waiting 10 months ;)
 
I don't think they're king of the micro kits so much as king of the cheapest micro kits.

Our guitarist also bought me a Sonor Bop set.
The others in the band wanted me to be more amicable about offering my drums as the back line, but I didn't want junkies bashing on my SonorLites, so they got me a little set that would be better suited to our rehearsal room (attic space).

I think they sound atrocious.
I think I'm also going to get the Martini set too.
I have a large unfinished closet that they will fit into nicely.


StaggerLee said:
This is the kind of sound im aiming for, and i love it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26kMlKNyieA
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That's the video that sold me on it too!




Red Menace said:
Can we just make it a general rule that anything smaller than 18" is not a bass drum, it is toy.
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Absolutely not. All drums are toys.
 
I bought my set of Tama Silverstars in a bop configuration just for playing open mics in small spaces. I play with a lot of acoustic singer songwriters so the small sizes work for me. 12" 14" toms, a 5.5 x 14" snare and 14x18" bass drum. Plus I'm loving the birch!
Both me and another open mic co-drummer weighed the options out there. Either you get no shells like the Traps or Flats, little shallow shells like the Peal Rhythm Traveller, and they all sound too "boingy" for me. Plus the bass drums that come with them seem to leave you wanting much more. Some makers give you a full size bass bit it halves in two so everything nests inside. Would that affect sound and setup? What if it came apart mid song? I like the Whitney design. But too expensive. So I went with a bop kit. I'm with Larry here. An 18" I think is the smallest I can go and still get some low end. Anything else is too much work to get that low end a smaller size drum wasn't meant to get.
 
I own the Sonor. The bass drum can be made to work. Here's something we did in a little winery tasting room that's really live. No help from carpets on the floor.

http://youtu.be/0H7OE2N5SX0

What I did was stretch a piece of t-shirt across about 1/2 the head on each side and tune it really loose. No port in the front head. I've heard folks cut holes in the front and stuff the drums and it gets a low dead sound, but there's no tone at all and the volume is really low. Only works if they mic it or stomp the snot out of it.

Tom heads are a new thing I found. Aquarian Vintage Deep. I've tried a bunch of different things on these including Fiberskyns which were too dead and settled on my default of G2 coated over G1 clear. But the Aquarians sound really good. Not too dead but controlled and deep. Tuned up jazz style they have a nice warm tone.

Although I have the Sonors, I like the Ludwig Breakbeats better. They weren't around when I followed Bo's advice and bought the Sonors. I'm not going to flip them, they're fine for gigs like that. But I like the Ludwig bass drum hardware much better. The shorter kick sounds as good or better and takes up less room on stage which is often a reason for using a small kit. Amazing how 2" gives the singer more room to work. I like the snare that comes with the Ludwig as well. I would actually use it. The Sonor snare is just sitting in the garage. I could make it work okay but I typically use a B/O Acrolite for times where this kit is appropriate.
 
I'm with Andy.

These budget kits look cool, are easy to transport, are cheap to buy etc but they won't get the tone or the projection you might be after. I think my stage custom was a good buy but if I was shopping for another gig pig I think I'd get a used pro kit.
 
The Tama Jam kit is a great concept, really cool looking. But the single headed toms is a no go for me.
Treehouse and Whitney have some really nice nested kits, but in the upper price category.


thx

jorn
 
Aeolian said:
I own the Sonor. The bass drum can be made to work. Here's something we did in a little winery tasting room that's really live. No help from carpets on the floor.

http://youtu.be/0H7OE2N5SX0

What I did was stretch a piece of t-shirt across about 1/2 the head on each side and tune it really loose. No port in the front head. I've heard folks cut holes in the front and stuff the drums and it gets a low dead sound, but there's no tone at all and the volume is really low. Only works if they mic it or stomp the snot out of it.
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Dang, that sounds good in that video. Definitely works for that music IMO.
 
Il be honest, that was the tuning the stores was in and it sounds JUST like that, there is no editing on that video... its incredible for a kit like that. The band im in is as we like to call, a "concept rock band" in that the singer and guitarist (same person) was bought up playing rock, the bassist is a blues and and initially double bassist and im a jazz drummer, and we use our instruments to do songs in each of our own style. So each instrument adds its own style as it were. Its really fun
 
StaggerLee said:
.... so are sonor the current kings of the micro kit? The only really high end kit ive seen like this is the kumu micro kit which is same sizes as the martini.
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...steve maxwell's of ny/chicago offers a custom-designed "jazz legends" series featuring gretsch usa customs in 16x12/12x8/14x14 sizes...he also offers a "playboy" series in 16x12/10x8/13x13 sizes...

...canopus japan has a "club" kit featuring 15x12/10x7/13x12 sizes...
 
Red Menace said:
Speak for yourself and your tiny bass drum. My kit is a 24" monster that feeds on bad vibes and turns them into smiles and swingy goodness.
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Here here! I do the same with my 24 Luddie, and my standard 22 Pearl. As Joe Morello says, it's got to be big enough to be considered a bass drum. Can't argue with that guy ;)

I'm convinced little bass drums were not considered for their musical properties - just their schleppable properties.
 
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